fathers upon the children, fee what is faid before concerning the moral law, and the fecond commandment. Ezekiel is faid to die in Babylon, and, by fome, to be there flain by the captive Jews". Obadiah prophefied against the Edomites, (the pofterity of Efau, Jacob's brother,) because they proudly infulted over the calamities of the Jews, who defcended from Jacob,) whilft they were captives by the Babylonians. The prophet threatened the Edomites deftruction, whilft the Jews fhould be reftored. He also prophefied of the Chriftian church, that the kingdom fhould be the Lord's ". Haggai and Zechariah prophefied after the return from the Babylonian captivity: And whereas too many of the people contented themselves with building them houfes, and enjoying the fruits of the country, but neglected the fetting up of God's house, these prophets rebuked them for that fin, and encouraged the rebuilding of the temple. They also prophefied of Chrift, as being the defire of all nations, whofe appearing in the latter houfe, the fecond temple, would ennoble it beyond the firft; that he fhould be the Branch that was to come out of the ftem of Jeffe, (or the house of David, whofe father Jeffe was) as Ifaiah had alfo foretold ; that he fhould come to Jerufalem riding on an ass, be fold for thirty pieces of filver, and his fide pierced; that he fhould be fmitten, and his fheep or apostles, fcattered; and that he should stand on the mount of Olives. The prophecy above-mentioned, z Thefaurus, lib. ii. cap. X * Haggai ii. 7. 9. afcribed to Je h of the thirty pieces of filver, is remiah; which might be, because the Jews placed Jeremiah firft in the volume of the prophets "; fo that the whole volume had the title of Jeremiah Or for this reafon, as many words were fpoken by Christ, which, St. John fays, are not recorded; fo, no doubt, it was with the prophets : And Jeremiah might fpeak these words, which were preferved either in fome writing, or in memory, till Zechariah's time, who used other words of Jeremiah's befides thefe, whence the Jewish faying, the Spirit of Jeremiah was in Zechariah and fo they were both as one prophet. ; Malachi prophefied after the Jews were fettled, and their temple rebuilt; for he no where exhorts the Jews to the building of it, as Haggai and Zechariah did, but reproves the people for fome diforders amongst them, and their ungrateful returns for God's kindneffes to them, in their deliverance from their late captivity. He foretold the forerunner John Baptift, who was to prepare the way for the Meffiah; that he was to be a new Elijah, remarkable for his holinefs, the aufterity of his life, and for his authority and zeal. This prophet alfo foretold our Lord Jefus Christ himself; that he should appear whilft the fecond temple was ftanding, and come to this his temple TM; and that the Gentiles fhould be converted ", who fhould offer unto God a pure offering, adore and worship him with an acceptable fervice, a true fpiritual worship; and particularly by celebrating the holy facrament Chap. iii. 1. " Chap. facrament of the Lord's fupper, according to his fon's inftitution, by the bread and wine joined with prayer and thanksgiving . Here we may obferve, that this prophet Malachi, whom the Jews ftile P The feed of the prophets, being the last of all which were to come, till the times of Christ, fhewed the first new prophet who was to come after him, that is, John Baptift, or Elijah, the fore. runner of the Lord: Until that time, it seems, the Jews were to expect no more prophets; which is fomewhat above four hundred years o. As for those prophets who prophefied concerning other people than the Jews and Ifraelites, they were the two following: Jonah was fent to forewarn Nineveh, or Ninus, the head city of the Affyrian empire. This prophet, being three days and three nights in the whale's belly, in a figure expreffed how Christ fhould die, and rife again the third day . Nahum alfo prophefied against the Ninevites, who had repented on Jonah's preaching, but returned again to their fins. The prophet foretold to the Jews the revenge God would take on the Affyrians, for all their wrongs done to the ten tribes, whom they had carried away captive, by making an utter end of Nineveh, that once famous city of theirs, of three days journey ", which came to país about one hundred and thirty-two years afterwards ". Thus much for the PROPHETS. СНАР. See Mede's Chriftian facrifice; and Dr. Pocock, in Loc. Hottinger. Thefaurus, lib. ii. chap. i. fect. 2. p. 489. Archbishop Ufher places Malachi fub. A. M. 3589. 1. 17. compared with Matt. xii. 40. t Chap. i. 2. 8. u Jonah iii. 3. 15. and compare Ufferii Annall. A. M. 3378. Chap. Jonah iii. 5, &c. ▾ See Tobit. xiv. The Hagiographa, or Holy Writings. THERE are five other books of the Old TH Teftament, which are among thofe the Jews called Hagiographa, or Holy Writings, not yet accounted for; as the books of Job, Pfalmis, Proverbs, Ecclefiaftes, and the Canticles. Job is fuppofed to have lived in the days of Jacob, and to be elder than Mofes; for in this book there is no allufion to the Jewish religion or law; no mention of their deliverance out of Egypt, or fettlement in Canaan: There is indeed mention made of offering burnt-offerings; but they were fuch as were offered before the law of Mofes was established, and are believed by the Jews to be only ancient facrifices". Job is also represented as the priest to offer them, as being the mafter of his family, according to the manner of the Patriarchs before the law. His age alfo is more suitable to those elder times, for he lived an hundred and forty years after his troubles were over; fo that he might be near or full two hundred years old when he died. His country, the land of Uz, is fuppofed to be part of Arabia the defert; however, it must be near the Chaldeans, who plundered him. That Job was not a feigned name, devised for example's fake, as in a parable, is evident, becaufe VOL. I. the b Grot. in Job * Yet feveral learned and ingenious men, think that Job, his three friends, and Elihu, are fictitious, not real characters, reprefenting the people of the Jews; that the book is allegorical or dramatic the prophet mentions him as a real perfon, as doth alfo the apostle f. This Job was an example of holinefs, and patience, and truft in God, under the heaviest afflictions; which were brought on him, with God's permiffion, by the malicious accufations and cruelty of the devil. But it is here obfervable, that the devil could have no power over Job, (nor confequently can have over any other of God's fervants,) without leave first obtained from God; and then could proceed no further than he was permitted; as first, only to procure the lofs of his goods and children, but not to hurt his perfon; and next, to afflict his perfon, but not to take away his life. His friends, by reafon of his great fufferings, accufed him of impiety and bypocrify, for which they pretended God fent thofe judgments; but he rightly defended himself, and maintained his fincerity and godly converfation. However, in the heat of the difpute, and extremity of mifery, fome expreffions fell from him. that may be thought liable to exception, as the beft men are fubject to the paffions and infirmities of human nature: To convince us of which, and to humble us, it is very probable, thofe expreffions might be recorded. In the close, God himself takes up the matter, declares his own providence and power in making and governing the world, and his righteoufnefs and wifdom in his dealings with his fervants. Job fubmits, and repents of any unfeemly expreffions or behaviour, and is approved of God, and at last restored to more abun f James v. 11. dant dramatic, and that it was written after the Babylonish captivity : See Warburton's Div. Leg. Mo. dem, and Garnet on Job. e Ezek. xiv. 14. Chap. ii. chap. xl. 3, 4. and xlii. 6. i Efpecially chap. iii. 8 Chap. i. Particularly |