forth thofe who are bound with chains." Great * events in fcripture are faid to be future, when they are already past, and past, when they are yet to come, by a peculiar idiom, not used in any other tongue. The reason is this, because God has wrought falvation for all times and ages, by a few confecrated for the good of all fallen creatures. In this sense, the prophets and David continually call upon all nations, even the worst enemies of Ifrael, to praise and glorify the Lord, because they faw the gospel in its full extent, by the blood of the lamb sprinkled day by day to the year of jubilé. But the promulgation of the mystery, or the one feed to bruise the serpent's head, and abolish death, was referved for the perfonal appearance of Lord's Chrift in the likeness of the flesh of the fin. Luke ii. 26. Rom. viii. 3 and 16. 24-27. In the gofpel,

The word for chains is not well known, according to Calmet and Bythner: both fuppofe it allied to Kafbar, to bind hard, or collect matter into a close compaction. The true fense refers to the whole materiality in bondage from the state it existed in, when it was the fea as chryftal, and Lucifer, its ruler and folar glory in the midft. The reduction of matter by a secret regeneration under the Meffian by his divine fire, water and blood, as the altar and laver teftified under the law, into the fame liberty, (for which the whole creation groaneth,) is that wonderful work begun, which will be finished, when Babylon falls as the ftone into the fea of fiery matter, where confufion will become order, beauty and harmony, and be fecured from any future lapfe. Rev. xviii. 21. Rom. viii. ∙19-23.

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we must go to the Pentecostal feast, where the bound in chains of this body of fin and death were released in the emphatic fense of deliverance by the holy Spirit fitting on their heads in cloven tongues of fire, the crowns of pure gold, the true matter unconsumable, when these brethren became. the first fruits, and kings and priests unto God and the lamb, by the same oil of gladness, as their head poffeffed, poured forth on them: for which, the holy oil for Aaron and his fons was the figure under the law. This day was the Lord's day of redemp tion, and the spiritual antitype to the deliverance from Egypt, the house of bondage by Hagar, the mother of ftrange flesh, which cannot bear the fire and light of God: for we are all children of wrath, that is, the curfe of death by fin, which brought forth the flesh of fear and trembling, and of servi tude in this world. This flesh God fpiritually took away, by clothing the brethren with the true flesh, or the heavenly materiality, the ftone of fire, or the coals of fire, as the wife Hebrews fpeak on Ezek. i, 4. respecting the word Chafmal, or the colour of amber in the fire of the Cherubim. They explain this word, by the fiery living animals, while they are speaking. And the gift of tongues, when this evangelical feast was celebrated, confirm what they intended anciently, when the gospel was preached in tongues of fire, and will be fulfilled in all by the baptifm of the fame glorious falvation by that

victorious conqueror, the living light, or fire that deftroys the evil, and perfects the good. The double office of which is expreffed by the Hebrew tamam, to confume and confummate; and the work was exhibited every day at the altar of perpetual fire. "But the rebellious dwell in a dry land." Heb. Dryness. The prophets, (having their eye on Adam in the garden of Eden, becoming naked and afhamed by the change his fin wrought, when he was driven thence into a ftrange land;) they compare men divested of this glory to a wilderness and dry place: and in this state, man must stand, (though he boast forever of his moral powers, dignity and rectitude of nature, making God a liar in his testimony against man's degraded condition, both under the law, and the gofpel,) till he receive by free grace, in acknowledging his wretchedness and finfulness, a measure of the Spirit from the fountain of living water and blood, both one, open! for fin and uncleannefs, Niddah; Zech. xiii. 1.

Ainsworth translates dry, by black, or land white through drought. Calmet interprets in a defart. It refers to the state of the rebellious angels, whom our Lord represents walking through dry places; for the wells of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, are shut yet to them; and they are faid by Ifa. xiv. 15. to be brought down to the fides of the pit which they digged by their own self-will: and into which, they will be gathered, as prisoners and be shut up in prison, and after many days they shall be visited. Isa. xxiv. 21, .

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when the rock, or flone of the ages to be rebuilt in him, was fmote, and his wounded fide manifested the water and blood of the heavens, and falvation flowing down on the perfecutor, and the enemy that pierced him. Amen. The rebellious in the highest sense, denote the dragon, the old ferpent and his angels, caft out of heaven. Rev. 12. 2dly, they regard the great body of the Jews shut up in unbelief, till the fulness of the Gentiles, refpecting their call to fpiritual primogeniture, be come in; then will that mercy take place, according to the apostle. Rom. xi. 32. This people for more than feventeen centuries have had no fire, water or blood, to wash and fanctify their offerings for fins and tranfgreffions, neither from the figurative altars and temple, nor from the spiritual temple of Christ, the Michael on high. Jerufalem fhall be trodden down by the nations, till the times of the nations be fulfilled; that is, as it may be fuppofed, till the fame period is expired from Jacob and his twelve fons, (in whofe name Ifrael is called fuch, and not in Abraham and Ifaac for reasons too long for the present, as Bythner and others have observed) to Chrift; and from Chrift, as the true Facob or fupplanter of Efau, the evil, at thirty years, electing his fpiritual fons. Both periods will be elapsed between this time, and 1790 at furtheft. 3dly, all mockers and fcorners are like Ifhmael, perfecuting thofe born after the fpirit; infulting their faith, and seeking

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fecking their lives; reverfing the example of God in Chrift, for they return evil for good, that they may exalt their fuffering, patient and forgiving brethren, to a dignity like Jofeph; when they must fall at their feet, confess their envy and malice; and in the end, receive forgiveness and bleffings from their elders on their regal thrones of light and glory. The fallen angels, with fome men of a moft obftinate and hardened nature, with confciences feared with a hot iron, being paft feeling, and glorying in their fins, are evidently put over to the fecond death, at the end of the thousand years, when the holy vengeance of God in the lake of fire and brimftone will awfully deftroy their evil and finful habits, and bring forth judgment unto victory, over the fecond, as well as over the firft death. Rev. chap. xx. 14. 1 Cor. xv. 26.

Verfe 8. When thou, O GOD, (Elohim) wenteft before thy people: when thou marchedft through the wilderness, Selah: the earth fhook, the heavens alfo dropped at the faces of God, SINAI itself before the faces of GOD, the GOD of ISRAEL.

God is here represented in a most awful magnificence, leading his people out of Egypt as their king, and defcending in the clouds on mount Sinai to publish his law out of the midst of the great fire. But as these manifestations are long fince past away from the Jews themselves, we

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