V

whether the locufts be meant literally, or fignified the wafting nation of the Chaldeans ". He prophefied in terms ufual with the old prophets, of the extraordinary effufion of the Holy Ghoft at the first publishing of the gospel ", and of the confufion and miferies of the enemies of Christ's church *, and under the expreffions of temporal gifts, his fpiritual bleffings on the fame Y.

Amos, like Hofea, prophefied both against Ju dah and Ifrael, especially against the kingdom of Ifrael. This prophet having acquainted them, that their neighbouring enemies fhould be punished, (fuch as the Syrians, Philistines, Tyrians, Edomites, Amorites, and Moabites,) he after foretold the Ifraelites captivity, and other miferies, by means of the Affyrians. He alfo prophefied of Chrift's fpiritual kingdom, and the flourishing ftate of the Christian church, both of Jews and Gentiles, under the terms of raising up the tabernacle of David, &c. . Here we may obferve, First, That it is the method of the Holy Ghoft by the prophets, after threatening, to add promifes and comforts; and to propound Chrift the Meffiah as the principal redrefs amidst all the difperfions and calamities of the Jews: Wherefore St. Paul acquaints us, that Chrift is the foundation of all the promifes, which in him are yea and amen, as standing firm in him. This prophecy of Amos is cited and applied in the Acts. Secondly, That the temporal bleffings on the plowman and reaper, &c. men

t

Chap. i. 4.

" Verfe 6. and chap. ii. 2.

tioned

▾ See the foregoing fourth and fifth general Remarks on the Prophets.

Chap. ii. 28.

18, &c. ter.

* Ver. 30, 31.

Chap. iii. ver.

Chap. ix. 11. and fo on to the end of that chap2 2 Cor. i. 20. b Chap. xv. 16.

tioned in this prophecy, do figuratively fet forth the fpiritual bleffings on Chrift's church, when the Jews fhould believe in him, and both they and the Gentiles be united under one head.

Micah, like Ifaiah, foretold both the captivity of the kingdom of Judah by the Babylonians, and alfo the deftruction of the kingdom of Ifrael by the Affyrians, and the ruin of the chief cities of each kingdom, viz. Jerusalem and Samaria; and all for their fins, which were encouraged by the princes, and priests, and false prophets. He also prophefied to the Jews, happiness afterwards; and in prophetic terms the establishment of the Chriftian church d. Lastly, He foretold the place of Christ's birth, viz. Bethlehem, and also his kingdom. We may gather, that this prophet (as Ifaiah) continued prophefying above forty years.

с

Next to be confidered are the other prophets, before-mentioned, who were fent after the Affyrians had deftroyed the kingdom of Ifrael, but before the captivity of the kingdom of Judah, viz. Jeremiah, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah.

Jeremiah was fent to those of the kingdom of Judah in the thirteenth year of king Jofiah %, about three and twenty years before their firft captivity under Jehoiakim, to inftruct them in the fear of God, and to perfuade them to speedy repentance, left they fhould fuffer like their brethren of the kingdom of Ifrael: And, as Isaiah had done before, he affures them, that they would be disappointed in their expectancy of help from the Egyptians, which they fo much relied on, in contempt

See the foregoing fourth general Remark on the Prophets.

d Chap. iv. 1, 2.

с

Chap. v. 2.

From chap. i. 1.

s Chap. i. 2.

tempt of God and his prophets ". The prophet alfo i fpeaks againft Ifrael as well as Judah, although the kingdom of Ifrael had been deftroyed before that time, both in regard to God's justice, in deftroying them, and for a warning to the kingdom of Judah, by their example: But not prevailing, he plainly denounced God's wrath, and foretold the Babylonian captivity for feventy years. But for the comfort of thofe who feared God, he affured them of their return, after the feventy years fhould be expired; and that the Babylonians fhould be destroyed at last, and also the Moabites, Edomites, and Egyptians', (as Isaiah had prophefied before :) Whereby we are to understand, that as thofe conquerors were inftruments in God's hands for the execution of his judgments, fo afterwards he executed his juftice upon them too. Thus much is exprefly faid of the Chaldeans and Babylonians", that as Babylon was in his hands the hammer of the whole earth, fo itself was to be cut afunder and broken. He fuffered much, and was twice imprifoned on the account of prophefying fuch evil things, yet perfifted in declaring to them, from time to time, to the very laft, what deftruction fhould fall on them. But as for the ftrict order of time, both Jews and Chriftians remark, that is not observed in this book of the prophecy of Jeremiah ".

The prophet, being ftill at Jerufalem, fent a letter to thofe who had been carried captive,

0

Chap. ii. 36, &c.

before

Chap. xxxvi. and elsewhere

1 Chap. xxix.

Chap. v. 15. and xx. 4. and xxv. 8, &c.

10. xxxii. 37. and xlvi. 27, 28. and xlviii, xlix, 1, &c.

m Chap. 1. 23.

fect. 2. p. 477.

Hottinger. Thefaurus, lib. ii. chap. i.

Chap. xxix.

before the last and general deftruction, to perfuade them to fettle themselves, and live peaceably under the Chaldeans, till feventy years were accomplished, when they fhould return; but not to truft to fome lying prophets among them, who might deceive them with hopes of deliverance before. Afterwards when Pharaoh, king of Egypt, had obliged the Chaldeans to raise the fiege of Jerufalem for the prefent, when they came against it, Jeremiah prophefied the Egyptians fhould return home, as they did, and that the Chaldeans fhould take the city and destroy it ; as it came to pass.

He also prophefied of Chrift, that, as to his human nature, he fhould come of the feed of David, and that he fhould make a new covenant with Ifrael, and write his law in their hearts, (inftead of the outward carnal ordinances in the law of Mofes,) and that the Chriftian church fhould flourish s.

When the city was deftroyed, Jeremiah was preferved by God's providence from the common ruin; and was afterwards carried into Egypt, where he continued prophefying for fome time, both against thofe Jews who had fled thither, and the Egyptians themselves, and fome other people aforementioned, more especially the Babylonians. At length he is faid to have been stoned to death in Egypt, for his boldness in prophefying ".

The Lamentations were alfo written by Jeremiah, containing a mournful account of the ftate of Jerufalem

P Chap. xxxvii.

Chap. xxxi. 31, 32, 33..

xliii. 6, &c.

u

9 Chap. xxiii. 5. and xxxiii. 15.

S

s Chap. iii. 17.

Chap.

Hieronym. adverfus Jovianum, lib. ii.

prope finem. Et Hottinger. Thefaurus, lib. ii. chap. i. fect. z. page 478.

rufalem as destroyed by the Chaldeans. Some fuppofe it penned immediately after king Jofiah's death, for whom it is exprefly faid, that Jeremiah lamented, and that it is he who is called the 'breath of our nostrils ", who being taken out of the way, the prophet had the deplorable miferies of Jerufalem, as it were, before his eyes: But it is not certain who is meant by the breath of our noftrils, Jofiah, or Zedekiah; nor whether this book be a prophecy of evils then to come, or rather a mournful defcription of prefent calamities, as feveral paffages therein incline one to believe.

Habakkuk lived in corrupt times, but it is not known when; however, it must be before the Babylonian captivity, for he foretold the destruction of the kingdom of Judah by the Chaldeans, and the judgment of God upon thofe Chaldeans themfelves at laft *.

Zephaniah was fent about the fame time with Jeremiah, as the beginning of his prophecy fhews, to exhort the kingdom of Judah to an amendment of life, otherwife to denounce their deftruction: Yet he, as Jeremiah alfo did, prophefied a return from their captivity, and that their nation should be restored, and their enemies destroyed.

Daniel was one who was carried into Babylon with fome of the first captives, as aforefaid: Where, by God's providence, he was preferred to honour, having a faculty given him to interpret the king's dreams. His greatness raifing envy in fome principal courtiers, they contrived his being caft into the lions's den; but he was preserved, and they

2 Chron. xxxv. 25. i. 5, 6. and chap. ii. 8.

w Lament. iv. 20.

destroyed .

I

1 Chap