quently, David and Hezekiah completed the utter destruction of this once-powerful people; so that their name is extinct, and their end has been, that "they have perished for ever."

Then he looked on the Kenites, and said, "Strong is thy dwelling place, and thou puttest thy nest in a rock; nevertheless, the Kenite shall be wasted until Ashur carry thee away captive." away captive." The Kenites were apparently some of the tribes of Midian, who were confederate with the Moabites. The situation of the Kenites was a strong one, and there is an allusion, in the figure, to their name; the same word signifying a nest, and a Kenite. Now, when Saul went to destroy the Amalekites, he ordered the Kenites to depart from among them, because some of them had shown kindness to Israel; and thus they were spared. But this shows their wasted condition. And when the kings of Assyria carried away captive not only the Jews, but other neighbouring nations, it seems that the Kenites were amongst them; as we find Kenites mentioned among the Jews, on their return from captivity. (1 Chron. ii. 55.)

"Ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and shall afflict Ashur and shall afflict Eber; and he also shall perish for ever." (Num. xxiv. 24.) Chittim was one of the sons of Javan, by whose posterity the isles of the Gentiles were peopled (Gen. x. 5); that is

Europe, and those countries to which the Asiatics passed by sea; for such the Hebrews called isles. And on the whole, therefore, it appears, that whenever the land of Chittim, or the isles of Chittim, are mentioned in Scripture, they denote some countries or islands in the Mediterranean. And hence Balaam's meaning seems to be, that ships should come from the countries, afterwards known as Greece and Italy; which were alike the scourges of Asia. Both of them did "afflict Ashur" (the Assyrians), as is well known; the former under Alexander the Great; and the latter under Trajan, who subdued them. And they did both "afflict Eber" (the people on the other side Euphrates), who were also subdued by Greeks and Romans. "And he also shall perish for ever." He, that is Chittim, whose ships were to afflict Ashur and Eber, he also should be doomed to perdition. And so it was. The Grecian empire was entirely subverted by the Romans; and the Roman was, in its turn, utterly broken to pieces by the northern hordes of barbarians.

Balaam, then, was a prophet divinely inspired; otherwise, he could not have foretold so many distant events, some of which are being fulfilled even at this day. And it seems (we may add) a peculiar honour to the Israelites, that a prophet from another country, a wicked man, who had been called to curse them, should be obliged to bear testimony to their righteousness and

holiness. Moses did justice to himself and nation, in recording what affords so strong a confirmation to the truth of his religion; for Balaam's bearing witness to Moses, somewhat resembles Judas attesting the innocence of Christ.

DISSERTATION VI.

MOSES.-Prediction respecting a "Prophet like unto himself."

MOSES was not only an inspired historian, but also himself a prophet; and among his predictions, there is none more memorable than this, wherewith he comforted his people, when about to be taken from them: "The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me'; unto him shall ye hearken" (Deut. xviii. 15); and it is subsequently added, "Whosoever shall not hearken unto my words, which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him." (verse 19.)

Now, in two particulars especially, did Moses excel all subsequent prophets under the law. The first was in the frequency and intimacy of his communication

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with God; e. g. "If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak to him in a dream; my servant Moses is not so;-with him I will speak mouth to mouth; even apparently, and not in dark speeches ; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold." (Num. xii. 6, et seq.) The difference, then, was marked and striking, in this respect; and we therefore find it recorded,—in a passage generally admitted to have been added at the end of the book of Joshua, by Ezra, after the Babylonish captivity, that "there arose not a prophet since in Israel, like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face." (Deut. xxxiv. 10.)

The second particular was, that Moses was a Lawgiver; which character belonged to no subsequent prophets, under the Jewish Dispensation. They only enforced the Law, which he had promulgated.

Hence the Jews have uniformly understood and applied this prophecy to the Messiah, as the only person that could be as great, or greater than Moses. And hence sprung the general expectation of some extraordinary prophet to arise, about the time of our Saviour.

Now JESUS CHRIST fully answers to the marks and characters given of the Prophet like unto Moses. He had immediate communication with the Deity; God spake to Him face to face, as He did to Moses. He performed signs and wonders, as great, or greater than