founded, and the fun afhamed, for the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerufalajim, city of doublings, before his ancients in glory. Compare Mal. ii. 17. Ifa. xxiv. 23. and Rev. x. 7. where the fecret council opens at the feventh trumpet; and the evangelical sense of this great feftival has been explained in the feast of trumpets published. by me. What Michaelis brings from Bochart respecting corufcations of the pigeons feathers in the fun, reflecting various colours like filver and gold; and referring the introduction of this bird to the tranquil, paftoral life, falls far short of the dignity and fublimity of the bleffings figured un der this regeneration of matter, resplendent with the colours, not of one or two kinds, but of all the beauties of innumerable rainbows: which truths the children of wisdom, few and despised, understand perfectly well. The following verfe will more fully explain this matter.

Verfe 14. When the almighty fcattereth kings in it, it fhall fnow in Salmon.

Salmon was a mountain of Samaria, the portion of the Gentiles, and in the tribe of Ephraim, a great finner, and the first establisher and worshipper of calves. Compare in this place, what Isaiah speaks chap. vii. 9. The head of Ephraim is Samaria: and this rebel makes almoft the burden of Hofed's prophecy in chap. v. 3-14. to the end. David

rejoyced

rejoyced in no triumph over blind, wretched man, his perfecuting brother, any more than Jacob, and Jofeph, and Jefus Chrift did over his enemies, in the view of this world's wrath and vengeance. This prophet lifts up his eyes to the gospel, every day before his view in the altars of the temple, and its fervices. He faw, when Bafar, good news in good flesh, or in the white ftone with the new name, would be proclaimed in the incarnation of the word; he faw the white rayment, whiter than fnow, and fhining as the fun, which should be revealed on the mount of transformation, when the white cloud covered Jefus Chrift, and his three witneffes. This is the true white linen, as John fpeaks, the juftifications of the faints, the elect by way of pre-eminence, and of all nations through their love and mercy: even Ephraim of old time fhall be white as fnow, and have a garment to praise the Lord, and his Chrift in heaven. Rev. xix. 8. Rev. vii. 9. Rom. xi. 32-36. These paffages confirm the reftitution of all things and perfons, through the chofen Ifrael, the peculiar number of the firstborn. 2dly, we shall see the time, when God fcattered abroad kings, the potentátes and princes of the darkness of the air, which aftringent power divided from the horns of feven lights, once Satan's bride, and fifter, now binds hard unto death and infenfibility; for the head of the revolted Ifrael of ancient times has only the northern horn, or corner

of

of the houfe of his father left: this our Lord broke in pieces by his refurrection, when he burst the bands of death, and the darkness was opened by his horn, the light of life, which opens, and none can fhut, or compa& matter against this fword, and thefe arrows of the almighty, who gave him the glory. At his rifing, as the new head and first-born from the dead, vifibly declared the fon of the living God, for none rose by the fpirit, as he did, fince Enoch, Mofes and Elijah had not life in themselves, given unto them, as the ANCIENT of DAYS gave unto this fon of the woman, feparated before the ages

of the new creation. known to the ancient Hebrew church, Daniel bears witness in chap, vii. 13. Ifaiah in chap. Ixvi. 7. before her pain came, fhe brought forth the male; and John in Rev. xii. 5. who did not speak of Conftantine, as a wonder, or a fignal event; for many of the firft men for piety and learning have thought that this emperor injured real christianity by his favours more than his predeceffors by their perfecutions. Now the power of his changing blacknefs

To which truth, so well

In the dialogue to the Jews, the reviewers in their critic faid, that the fon, the male, called the fign or wonder in Rev. xii. 5. was by many taken for the strength of christianity under Conftantine. So Grotius, Le Clerk, and fome other commentators have thought, when the truth is, that the Nicene council destroyed this corner-flone, and took it away by their creed.

of

of matter into whiteness, and clouds of liberty, appeared at his rifing by two angels in white rayment, which fignifies bodies of light, and the two angels denote the two made one again. In the afcenfion of our Lord in a white cloud, his chariot, we have a clearer manifeftation, and pledge of his descending in white clouds, as he made himself thus known at Pentecofte. There is no reafon with that learned Hebræan philologift, the present bishop of London, to fubftitute Zion for Salmon: nor with Kimchi, to make the earth white as fnow covered with the bones of enemies. This laft fenfe may do well for a Talmudical interpretation, which the world, Babylon, will greedily imbibe from any mouth. The gospel knows no enemy, but our own evil nature, our flesh and its corrupt defires and works recorded by the apoftle. Gal. v. 19, This is the kingdom of darkness, the tents of Kedar; of black hard matter; from which, our bodies fince the expulfion from the garden, have been formed, unclean from the womb, and conceived in fin, that is, in the divifion of Adam's name, and under the evil he had brought upon himself. It is this darkness and compaction that must be gradually diffolved and melt away, as the fruits of the earth, and the animals for fin and trespass-offerings were loofed from their chains of condensation into the freedom of the afcending clouds at the altar of fire below, an earneft and record to a more glorious fire of God,

which confumes and perfects at the fame time, as in Hebrew, the tongue of divine love sporting itself in sweet riddles as Sampfon at his marriage, Judg. xiv. 12. the word tamam fignifies both powers of deftruction and confummation, according to the work of the Lord in Deut. xxxii. 59. This is the Lord's doing, and it will foon be marvellous in our eyes. As Salmon was a mount in Samaria, in the tribe of Ephraim, the great finner of old time, before Ephraim in the letter existed: the fnow brings good tidings to this miserable fon, for whom the bowels of God are troubled, and his heart turned within him, the ftrongeft expreffions of divine love in accommodation to our compaffion felt in our very bowels and about our heart, to fhew how the father feeketh the loft children. Hof. xi. 9. He shall be delivered from his own bondage, though like a filly dove, and a foolish fon, he has brought down ruin on himself. Yet will not I return to destroy him, because I am God, and not man, and I will place them in their houses, faith the Lord, that is, in the spiritual forms they were in before rebellion took place in heaven. Hof. xi. 11.

Verse 15, 16. The mountain of God is mount Bashan: a mountain of hills is the mountain of Bashan. Why leap ye, O mountains of hills? this is the mountain God defireth for his dwelling.

Mount