the palaces as Nimrod who hunteth for the lives of men. Mic. v. 5, 6. I fhall only observe in support of Bythner's and Calmet's conftruction, to deliver from death, that the fpirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jefus Chrift, as he is the propitiation for the fins of the whole world; fo whatever contradicts this name, however fpecious and plaufible the pretence or ignorance may appear, cometh from the father of lies, who wishes to have God misrepresented and evil spoken of, by such a partial and disfigured view of his grace and love in our Lord, as opposes and destroys his own manifold, clear and decifive teftimony by the law, the prophets, and the gofpel. Schelftrate has laboured much in defence of fome fecret, de difciplina arcani: it does not appear however, that he can discover what it was; whether it refpected the fupper of the Lord, of which the priests foon made a dreadful mystery, iuftead of a feaft of joy, love, gratitude, and brotherly affection, as that of the paffover was in the figure, even to children at the breaft: or whatever was the fecret, as Tentzelius denies there ever was one. This is no fecret, that the whole gofpel was perished from the knowledge of all, through ignorant priests at the end of the feventh century. Auftin, who was the monarch in the church, having banifhed Mofes and Jefus Chrift from his temple by an exclufive predeftination, was so deficient in learning, that he could not quote a paffage from the feptuagint. For in producing the leading commandment to Ifrael, he

fays, we venture not to fay, that there are three Gods, because the fcripture contradicts this affertion in Deut. 6. Hear, O Ifrael, the Lord thy God is one God; whereas it is rendered by the feventy, the Lord thy God is one Lord in the original it ftands, Jehovah thy Gods is one Jehovah. Auguft. L. 7. de Trinit. c. 4. His treatife de litera and Spiritu is fo ftupid, that it clearly evinces the key of knowledge was before his day taken away, as our Lord had before rebuked the priests, fcribes and pharifees for the fame offence in Luke ch. xi. 5?. with a woe denounced against them: which is given with a sharper reprehenfion in Matt. 23. 13. Wo unto you, fcribes and pharifees, hypocrites: for ye fhut up the kingdom of heaven against men; which was no otherwife done than by the falfe tongue of a corrupt interpretation on the law and the prophets. Yet the doctrines of this man triumph to this hour under the gospel, in the fyftem of Calvin; of all fyftems the moft cruel, falfe and abominable. Wė are now coming to unfold the juftice and judgment, the wrath and vengeance of God, in which we fhall happily find, that his ways are not as our ways; nor his thoughts as our thoughts; for as the heavens are higher than the earth, fo his ways are higher than our ways, and his thoughts than our thoughts, in that beautiful part of Ifa. lv. 1-13. To which we may add the whole 103d Pfalm, and the apoftle's glorious conclufion of Rom. xi. 32, 33. O the

O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unfearchable are his judgments, and his ways paft finding out! for God hath fhut them up all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

Verfe 22. But God will wound the head of his enemies, the hairy fcalp of him that goeth on in his trefpaffes.

The holy vengeance of God is here introduced, declaring, that he will wound the HEAD of his enemies. In which place we must find Satan, the adverfary, and the first beaft mentioned by name in the ferpent, who is afterwards called the old dragon and crooked ferpent; who made himself fuch by felf-will, and felf-glory, his heart was lifted up becaufe of his beauty; and his wifdom was corrupted by reafon of his brightness, as the magnificent defcription of this covering cherub on the mountain of God is given in Ezek. xxviii. 11-19. In the hairy fcalp, or crown of hair, feir, we must find Efau, Lord of this mount, or rough hard matter of this world called Afia, the effect of his pride and contempt of a bleffing, he would not tarry for the due time for its true ruby redness. He is the elderborn, the rough hairy man, who muft feek his younger brother Jacob's life, yet at laft be fubdued to fall upon his neck, and kifs him for his love and fufferings to ferve him. Gen. xxxiii. 4.

For

For Jacob is, in the spirit, the patient, meek, and loving brother, bearing toil and fervitude in the houfe of Laban, the falfe white of our present material world, till he has procured two wives, two matters, or mothers, by whose means Jacob will build tabernacles of beauty and glory for his envious brother, his great enemy, and bring him back to his kingdom loft at Babylon in the figure of Nebuchadnezzar, in whom was the heart of beast; till feven times paffed over him, when his understanding returns, he acknowledges the right of the most high, and his kingdom and majesty is reftored, never to perish. From Eliphaz the fon of Efau, was Amalek by Timnah his concubine. Gen. xxxvi. 12. Against this great enemy, Amalek, was war to be carried on from generation to gene ration, till their memorial, image or figure was abolifhed, and the enmity change to love and thankf giving. In his name may be found * gnam Lakak, a people that lap. This people is to be blotted out; in the sense of gospel-deftruction, it is to be

This is defcriptive of dogs, the worst character in holy writ; and whom John fhews to be without, that is, stand not in any courts of the temple. And it fignifies a disposition of the greatest greedinefs, unthankfulness, and envy. Pfal. xxii. 16. Dogs have compaffed me about. They make a noise like a dog, and grudge, if they be not fatisfied. Pfal. lix. 14, 15. Beware of dogs; beware of evil workers. Phil. ii. 3. The dog returns to his vomit again. Pet. ii. 22.

changed

changed from the most violent, cruel, and ungrateful nature, as Saul breathing out threatenings, and tearing the faints with a brutal rage and madness, was touched by fire and light from heaven, and became a meek, patient, active and fuffering fpirit for the caufe he had defired to exterminate from the earth. Bythner gives a mean fenfe to the hairy fcalp or crown; thefe enemies fuffer their hair to grow long, that their afpect may appear more fierce and terrible to the fpectators. To this one head, which Guffet justly calls a perfon in Machats p. 464: whofe wounded member is the head. This looks back to the fentence or decree at Gen. iii. 15. He fhall bruize thy head, and thou shalt bruize his heel, the root of Jacob, the fupplanter's name. This myfterious tranfaction is evangelically explained 2 Efd. vi. 8, 9. Jacob's hand held from the beginning the heel of Efau. For Efau is the end of the world, (Afia,) and Jacob is the beginning of that which followeth; that is, of the new heavens and new earth, or in the apoftles words, old things are paffed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Cor. v. 17. Kodkod, the crown by fome writers is thought to fignify crookednefs, or deflection of the head, not inclining to worship, but turning away, as Lucifer from his Lord God turned into SELF, which is the great lie and confufion of truth in all created beings, as it is a challenge of felf-existence, and felf-creation, two impoffibilities to omnipotence.

itself.