Thomas Jeffery. The fhaking of the earth is explained by the prophet himself, by fhaking the nations and kingdoms of the earth; and then Jhaking the heavens 'may very naturally refer to the altering the govern'ment in them".' The prophecy contained in the 21ft and 22d verses of the iid ch. of Haggai plainly relates,' fays Mr. Lowth, to the fecond coming of Chrift, or to ⚫ that illuftrious appearance of his kingdom, which fhall put a period to the kingdoms of the earth.-See Dan. ' ii. 44.'

Any prophecy of fuperior authority to that of our Saviour it is impoffible to cite. On this fubject I can, however, refer the reader to one of much higher antiquity. It is in the second Pfalm. This pfalm, which is applied to Jesus in the Acts of the Apostles, contains,' fays bishop Patrick, a moft illuftrious prophecy of 'the kingdom of Chrift;' and accordingly Simeon De Muis, a much efteemed commentator on the Pfalms, informs us, that it was regarded by celebrated writers of antiquity among the Jews as prophetic of the Meffiah 4.

'If we compare this poem with the events of the life and reign of David, illuftrious as they were; we find,' fays Dr. Apthorp, the ideas and expreffions too disproportioned to the subject, to admit of a literal application. For neither were his enemies fo powerful, nor their fubmiffion fo complete, nor the reign of David fo profperous and extensive, as to verify the amplitude of 'the ftyle and compofition".' If,' fays Vitringa, the ' predicates of any fubject can be understood, in their 'just emphasis, of none but Chrift; and if applied to any other fubject give a feeble and uninterefting meaning as in Ifai. xi. why should we pursue a flying and

47 Christianity the Perfection of all Religion, Nat. and Rev. p. 343. 48 Those celebrated rabbis, Aben Ezra and Kimchi, are specified by bp. Chandler, as maintaining this opinion. Def. of Chr. p. 212.

* Vol. II. p. 86.

'fallacious fhadow, and not feize at once the folid fubftance of the prophecy? Efpecially when the New •Teftament is our guides.'

The oppofition, which princes and men in power were to carry on both against the propagation and against the progress of the gospel, the iid Pfalm appears to point out in general terms. In the 2d verfe, David fays, the kings of the earth fet themfelves, and the rulers take counfel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed. Now fuch were Pilate and Herod, and, as Mr. Sam. Clark obferves on this verse, other wicked kings in all *ages;' and he pertinently refers to that parallel verse in the Rev. (xvii. 14), where it is faid, that the Ten Kings— Shall make war with the Lamb. But, fays the pfalmift in the 4th and 5th verfes, he that fitteth in the heavens Shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derifion: Then fhall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his fore difpleafure. When they have fpit their venom,' fays the fame commentator, and spun their thread to its full length, and are ripe for deftruction, he will manifeft his fury against them, by the punishments he inflicts upon them.' The infpired writer adds in the 6th verfe, yet have I fet my king upon my holy hill of Zions; and in the eighth, I fhall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance; and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy poffeffion. Thefe words,' fays Poole, declare the great amplitude of the kingdom of the Meffiah.' How this is to be effected we are told in the next verfe, where the Deity is represented as folemnly addreffing Chrift in these tremendous words:

Vitringa, in confirmation of what he here urges, fpecifics various pasfages of the New Teftament. De Cañonibus Verbi Prophetici recte exponendi, cap. ii. can. xii.

This expreffion, as Poole remarks (in loc.) is fometimes put for the 'Chriftian Church.

thou

thou shalt break them with a rod of iron3, thou fhalt dafh them in pieces like a potter's vessel3; that is, that description of perfons, who had been previously mentioned, the Kings and the Rulers of the earth, who Jet themfelves against the Lord's anointed, and breathe hoftility against the true spirit of his religion. The Hebrew word, here tranflated fet themselves, Maimonides obferves on this verfe, denotes firmnefs and perpetuity 54; and, with respect to the obstruction made to the progress of the Meffiah's kingdom, the monarchs of the world have certainly acted a very decided and uniform part.

55

Returning to the Evangelical prophet " (for that is the title which the general fuffrage of Chriftians has conferred on Isaiah), I fhall cite from the xxivth chapter of his prophecies a remarkable passage, which is thought to have a particular reference to the war of Armageddon, to the fate of the princes who are engaged in it, and to the signal revolution which will be confequent to their overthrow. That this chapter relates to the latter ages of the world is obferved by Dr. Wells in his commentary upon it. The images, which the prophet chiefly employs in this xxivth chapter are fuch, fays bifhop Lowth, as denote great revolutions; revolutions, involving all ⚫ orders and degrees of men, changing entirely the face *of things, and deftroying the whole polity both reli'gious and civil.' After declaring that the earth fhall be in a diftreffed and a defolated ftate, Ifaiah fuppofes a great and favourable change to take place, and accord

That is, fays Simeon De Muis, with the fword, as rabbies Ezra and Rafi interpret it.

53 The reader of this verse Mr. Sam. Clark pertinently refers to a pas rallel place in Daniel (ii. 44), where it is faid, the God of heaven—fuall break in picces and confume all these kingdoms.

→ More Nevochim,

P. 18.

"He is fo ftyled, fays Mr. Lowth (in Pref.), because he foretold the • Coming and Kingdom of the Meffiah with greater clearness than any of the

'Teft,'

ingly fays in v. 15 and 16, glorify ye the Lord-in the ifles of the fea. From the uttermoft parts of the earth have we heard fongs, even glory to the righteous. Praise ye the Lord throughout the nations of Europe; 56 and it is not thence only, but from the remoteft parts of the world, that the voice of joy is heard, and the praises of the juft and the upright are now to be refounded. After declaring in v. 19 and 20, that the earth (i. e. the symbolic earth) is moved exceedingly, and that the earth fhall move to and fro, the prophet foretells in the two fol. lowing verses, that it shall come to pass in that Day", that the Lord fhall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they fhall be gathered together, as prifoners are. gathered in the pits, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days fhall they be vifited. To the war of Armageddon this paffage is referred by Mr. Whifton"; and Mr. Lowth fays, I cannot find any explication of this verse so agreeable to the natural sense of the words, as that of a late learned writer upon the Revelation, c. xix. 6, who explains it of the kings of the earth, who made war with Chrift and his faints at Arma. geddon, Rev. xvi. 16.' If Mr. Lowth fuppofed, that all, engaged in the war of Armageddon against the kings of the earth, were to be men of an holy character, he was, I apprehend, in an error. When large bodies of men are united in accomplishing the very best designs, not a few among them will neceffarily be of very ex. ceptionable morals.

6 Look back to p. 431 and 432, where the expreffion, the ißes of the fea, is explained.

57 In that Day. This phrafe often denotes in Ifaiah-an extraordinary

feafon, remarkable for fome fignal events of providence, called elsewhere,

by way of excellence, the Day of the Lord.' Mr. Lowth on Ifa, iv. a

See this latter expression explained in p. 294.

Or dungeon.' Mr. Lowth.

See his Eff. on the Rev. p. 362.

With

4

With respect to the kings of the earth being visited after many days, it may fignify, fays Matthew Henry, that they fhall be vifited in wrath; it is the fame word in another form that is ufed, v. 21, the Lord Shall punish them: they fhall be reserved to the day of ' execution as condemned criminals are.' To the fame purpose speaks Dr. Wells, They fhall be vifited, i. e. 'brought forth to public punishment.' That the word vifited in this paffage is to be explained of punishment is obferved by Glaffius", by Brenius, and by Vitringa; and the last of these truly learned men declares it to be extremely clear, that this prophecy in its figurative sense is to be explained of the very period, yet to come, which St. John treats of in the fixth feal, and of the great events which he has there foretold. That I appeal to so many unaccomplished predictions in the Hebrew fcriptures needs not to awaken in the reader any degree of furprise; for Sir I. Newton does not hesitate to declare, that there

is fcarce a prophecy in the Old Teftament concerning 'Chrift, which doth not, in fomething or other, relate to his fecond coming??

Having quoted feveral paffages from Ifaiah, I fhall here take the opportunity of inferting another, as it is a ftriking one, though with the subject of the chapter it has only an indirect connexion.

This prophet,' fays Mr. Lowth, feems to have been ⚫ favoured with an entire view of the Gospel-state, from

the very birth of the Meffias, to that glorious period, ' when the kingdoms of the world fhall become the kingdoms of the Lord, and of his Chrift. In correfpon

Thus this very phrase, after many days thou shalt be vifited, is used, Ezek. xxxviii. 8.' Mr. Lowth in loc. And in this fenfe of punishment it is understood by a crowd of Jewish rabbis, who have commented on