phet speaks of a fact, not of a tendency; of a reality, not of a poffibility, or a probable event. The truth is, thefe days are not called the days of the Meffiah, nor of his kingdom or priesthood, but in refpect to a few chofen veffels, his myftic Ifrael. They are the days of his flesh, of his humble and afflicted state in his peculiar members, in whom the fufferings of Chrift, the whole body of the firftborn, must be fulfilled. This is called the fellow

* Michaelis understands the lion by the wild beast of the reeds; and by bulls and calves, proud and fierce tyrants, disturbing the filver rivers, or clear streams. Calmet feems to adopt, among various fenfes, the pride of the Egyptian foldiers, who had nails and plates of filver on their fhoes and fandals. Mr. Merrick interprets pieces of filver by the musical inftrument, the fiftrum; into which, the Egyqtians put little bits of this metal, to increase the found, and to stir up the idolaters to more agitation and violent geftures in their dances before their idols. But, if we understand Mithrappes, trampling, by the word rebuke before, it may more justly fignify, that God would so terrify thein, that they should run with precipitation, and trample on each other, or as in French it might be expreffed, s'entrefoulent, from the great hurry to prefent their homage, by gifts of filver. This laft fenfe carries a connection with what follows, as the confequence of the divine rebuke and interpofition. Let us compare with this rapid fubmiffion the prophet Ifaiah in chap. Ixvi. 20. They hall bring an offering, Minchab, out of all nations, upon horses, and chariots, and litters, upon mules and fwift beafts, to my holy mountain, Jerufalajim, faith JEHOVAH. As this grand prophecy of the flowing in of the Gentiles, ftands near the end of this evangelical preacher, it can only be fulfilled at the founding of the feventh trumpet, when the kingdoms of this world are for the Lord and his Christ.

fhip and participation of the fufferings of the Lord, remaining for the Gentiles, to render them worthy of crowns, thrones, and feats of judgment over the other portions of all nations, as Paul teftifies in Rom. viii. 18. 2 Cor. i. 5, 6, 7. Phil. iii. 10. and Peter confirms in 1 Epi. iv. 3. and James in chap. v. 10. when all these are gathered into the fold; then at the month Ethanim, of elders or adult males, the days of the Meffiah in fpirit, in clouds of heaven, in chariots and horfes of Ifrael, will commence for falvation to the ends of the earth. There is no mark or feal of rest before a feventh day, month, or year: all the intermediate space is the journey of the hidden Ifrael in the wilderness, the dry and barren land, and the path for ftrangers and pilgrims, as much unknown to Babylon, and her children of the world, as the tabernacle and people of the Hebrews were in that typical journey of their wilderness, moftly unknown; and where known, despised, insulted and perfecuted by the great nations round about their little land of Judea. For want of this diftinction, the language and promises of the spiritual kingdom, glorious within, and mean without, as Chrift in flesh was, are both mifconceived: and one chief caufe of wars, religious and civil, has flowed from the denial of Jefus Chrift, as the propitiation for the fins of the whole world; which denial was taking away the daily facrifice from the gospel, and bring

ing the abomination of defolation into the holy place, standing where it ought not. Matt. xxiv. 5. For Satan who deceiveth kings and the nations, can effect this delufion only by the key of knowledge being loft, and by falfe prophets, a fpirit of error and falle interpretation, introducing falfe Chrifts, that is, denying the one lamb that taketh away the fin of the world, as the holy baptift proclaimed him to his own disciples in John chap. i. 29. and by that means, teaching men to hate, perfecute, and destroy one another, as if they had no interest, fhare, or portion in the blood of him, who, by the grace of God, tafted death for every man. Heb. ii. 9. John iii. 17. 1 John ii. 2. Then were substituted by subtle and designing men, falfe Chrifts, mediators and interceffors by faints, and other means of the deceivableness of unrighteousness, inflead of the one blood and holy fire of the fpiritual baptizer from heaven: for God gave them up to believe a lie, by the ftrong working of error, because they believed not the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness, that they might be condemned for renouncing the truth, which John calls the teflimony of Jefus Chrift, according to his own words, the mercy feat or propitiatory, not only for our fins, but for the fins of the whole world. Are there then two Chrifis, or ttoo teflimonies, except thofe, which men have invented and forged for profit and dominion over the faith, as dreadfully evident in the Romish and Greek churches;

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churches? and alfo under every other denomination of people profeffing faith; not in Jefus Chrift, as teftified to by Mofes and the prophets, and by the gofpel and its prophets, but as priests, teachers and minifters of the word as they call themselves, have represented him, contrary to his own records, ,promises and declarations, both under the old let"ter, and the new fpirit. And this ignorance of the true Chrift is to this day the one foundation of the hatred, enmity, blind and cruel zeal, persecution and deftruction of one another, by civil and religious wars over the world, by the subjects and difciples of him, as they profefs, who has told them in numberlefs paffages, clear and decifive, that he is the Saviour of all men, especially of the faithful. Chafmannim, only used in this place, fome interpret princes, princely embaffadors, nobles, and fat or pampered great men. Now, as Mitzrajim who gave name to Egypt, was the son of Ham, upon whom the curfe of fervant of fervants unto his brethren went forth from Noah; fo a time is fixed for Egypt, his pofterity, to return in the third generation unto the congregation of JEHOVAH, yet as a fervant, or an inferior to his brethren. Deut. xxiii. 7. David, prophefying on the record and types of the law, faw the happy period, when this fentence would be removed from Canaan; and when the Egyptians, the ancient enemies of Ifrael, the elder brothers in the kingdom

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of the new heavens, would ceafe to be fuch, as the apoftle teaches us: old things are paffed away, behold, all things are become new. 2 Cor. v. 17. Ifa. xliii. 18-21. The partition-wall is broken down, and the gates of the new Jerufalem are not shut day nor night, but are open to receive the nations, as they flow in to the city of the living God. For, though they were judged and deftroyed according to men, or the wrath of the magiftrate in flefh, they live unto God in fpirit. Now Jefus Chrift is the quickening fpirit, and judge of what is alive, and what is dead, that is of flesh and spirit, as he fpeaks in John chap. v. 25. Verily, verily, I say unto you, that the hour cometh, and now is, that the dead fhall hear the voice of the fon of God, and they that hear, fhall live. And he has been a judge from the beginning, though his feat of judg ment and his fire was first openly revealed at PENTECOSTE. 66 Ethiopia (Cufh) fhall cause her hands to haften unto thee." We find in this place another son of Ham, and brother to Mizra jim, who gave name to Arabia and Ethiopia in Gen. x. 6. He is the father of Nimrod, who was the mighty hunter before the Lord. And in this character Saul, the fon of Cufh, the Benjamite, meets us in Pfal. 7. who pursues David, the chofen one of the tribe of Judah, and family of Jeffe, with the most unceasing malignity, envy and hatred, till he loses his kingdom, which is transferred to