pations, falle prophets fet up falfe Chrifts, answering no more to the law and the prophets, than predefti nation in the sense of ignorant and dogmatizing Auftin correfponds to the univerfal and everlasting gospel to all nations, preached by the blood of fprinkling under Mofes to the great year of jubile. And this fpirit of falfe prophefying, built on an exclufive predeftination, was followed by Mahomet on the fame lying pretence of being the predeftinated fons of faith, in the year 622. and scourged by the fame weapon the corrupted chriftianity without, while the fame abomination and defolation within the church introduced an image of the Lord, far worse than the idols of Baal and Moloch and the preachers of this mystery of iniquity were fitter to ferve at the bloody altars of those cruel deities, than to minifter at that altar of peace and good will to all men, in the blood of sprinkling speaking better things than the blood of Abel. Heb. xii. 4. And excepting a few witneffes to the testimony of Jefus Chrift, the defire and faviour of all peoples and tongues, this antichrift has reigned from the seventh century, for 1260 years, the days of the two witneffes, (who fhut the heaven that there should be no rain in the days of their prophecy,) to this hour. The converted Jews will foon proclaim the name of Jefus by the name Jehovah, revealed at Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7. to the fhame and reproach of the ftrange and ftammering lips of all the pretended priefts and

ministers

minifters of the word over the whole chriftian world. For thy great name's fake, for thy mercies of old, haften, O Lord, this time; and for the fake of thy elect, the bleffers of all mankind. Sinai, according to Guffet, Thomaffin, Bythner and others, denotes a place of thorns and briars. And in the Spirit refers to this earth of the bodies of fin, death, and of our humiliation, so called by the apostle: and it brings to view part of the first fentence, the earth fhall be curfed for thy fake, to humble thee, and break the stiff neck of felf-will to my yoke, and then to my bleffing. For furely, we have trouble in our flesh, and the cares, fears, dangers, as well as the biting paffions of the malignant kind, wrath, envy, pride, covetousness, are sharper in our flesh, than any thing our feet. can feel without, or any toil on earth for bread, though that be a bondage heavy too. But the worst thorn is the fear of death, which, in the apostles words, keeps men in bondage all their lifetime. Heb. ii. 14, 15. and according to Austin and Calvin, (not excepting all other systems and creeds) Chrift has brought forth a greater caufe to dread it, than ever the law held out to the Jews. Hagar and her fon, the flesh of Egypt, and the stranger to God's original glory in Adam, must be caft out, and fo he was, when the glory of the holy fire, the dove and lamb in softness, yet the lion of the cherubim in firength and power, clothed the nakedness and

flame

fhame of men at the bleffed Pentecofte. When the garments of praise and falvation were given for the fpirit of heaviness, according to Ifa. Ixi. 3, 10, 11. when the white linen, called by John the justifications of the faints, was put on for the fupper of the lamb, when they eat and drank the powers of the world on high, at his fecond coming in spirit, and in glory. And by the attributes of mercy, goodness and truth, the fame Spirit will be poured out on all flefh: then will the true clothing be given, and flefh, the fin, be no more. The everlasting justification spoken of by Dan. ix. 24. and reconciliation for iniquity will be brought forth, and perfected before the God, even the God of * Ifrael. Elohim. SELAH. What this word fignifies, is judged

* The two first beads of the Meffiah are found in Abraham, and Ifaac, but Ifrael is the third number, and brings forth the hofts or multitudes in Jacob and his fons. The ectype, or visible God muft answer to what is invisible in his caufe. The cabbalifts call the two first, Kether and Chochmah, and the third Binah, and fay, these three are one; meaning from one fource, root or ground, And this doctrine was taught by the prophets, from the three Patriarchs, called the son of God according to his three holy names: for what the Enfoph or infinite is, can only be known by his generated image or likeness. They never learned their ternary from the Chaldeans, nor Pythagoras, but he and other nations from them, who were, (as Roger Bacon, fuperior to Lord Bacon, observes,) the first preceptors to the nations. And strange it must be, if with fuch types and emblems before their eyes, in perfons and things, continually, they should borrow from the fountains of others what ftood before them every day.

doubtful

doubtful and uncertain. It is ufed feventy-one times in the Pfalms, and thrice in the grand and deep prophecy of Habakkuk. Some suppose it to intend the elevation of the voice, the Targum tranflates it for ever. The Septuagint interpret Diapfalma, in the opinion of Suidas, meaning a change of melody or measure. Ainfworth conjectures it to intend the lifting up, both of the mind and voice; an affeveration of what shall be, and an admiration at its fublimity and dignity. By others, the general conclamation of the people is underflood: by fome the finishing of the vocal, and the beginning of the inftrumental mufic. Some imagine it the perfonal name of God; and Pafchius and Luther, the name of God: Otto interprets it, proftrate yourselves on the earth; while Aben Efra conceives it to denote the fame as Amen. From this variety of conjectures who will determine the precife fenfe, without a greater knowledge of the Hebrew mufic used in the temple-minifiration daily, and on all the high festivals of moons, fabbaths, and years of that figurative difpenfation than can now be found in the chriftian church. Moft reafonable it is to believe, that it called for particular attention, pause and interval for the mind at the certainty and greatness of the subject, together with fuch tokens of facred joy by voice, and action, as were fuited to the occafions pointed out by this word.

Verfe 9. Thou, O God, didft fend a plentiful rain, and thy inheritance when weary, thou didst establish it.

In the original, it rather infinuates dropping, or sprinkling a rain of liberalities, many free and gracious gifts from heaven. As the wifer Hebrews interpret all things in the letter called Pashut, open and naked, by the Midrash, the fense to be fought by careful investigation, as Lamy and Vitringa have obferved, to which our Lord refers, saying fearch the fcriptures, and the apostle intends alfo, when he fays, the letter killeth, but the fpirit giveth life. Can we conceive, that David infinuated mere rain that fell on the earth, or even the typical manna, which they that ate, died in the wilderness, as our Lord mentions in John. vi. 49-52: Had this king and prophet, fo exprefs a figure of the Meffiah, so dim an eye as to fee only water and pastures for flocks and herds, as Michaelis remarks on the tranflation of parts of this Pfalm by the bishops of London, de fac. poefi Heb? This fong, fo excelling others in dignity and majesty, points out the afcenfion of the Lord's Chrift, (not omitting many defcents and ascents under the law,) and the nobleft bleffings to be openly showered down on believers, in confequence of his glorious victory over Satan and death, by his fufferings in flesh. Heb. ii. 14-18. The rain fo liberally given points to the effufion of the holy Spirit, which did then water the dry ground,