As to the scheme of thofe Chriftians, who pretend that,these great and glorious promifes are to be fulfilled at the fecond coming of Jesus; I have only to obferve that, I have already clearly fhewn its fallacy, Vol. I. p. 131. and to which, I refer the reader. DISSERTATION VII. TH The Prophecy of Joel. HE feventh who prophefied concerning the future redemption, felicity, and falvation of the nation, was, Joel the fon of Pethuel, in the last prophecy of his book; commencing chapter iii. verse * 1st. and continued to the end of the Book. In this prophecy, the Prophet has affured us of eleven great events that are to take This is according to the divifion in all the correct Hebrew Copies; and which Buxtorf has alfo followed in his Concordantiæ Biblorum Hebraicæ. place place in the latter days, at the time of the future redemption of the nation. First, that although during the existence of the fecond temple, the spirit of prophecy did not rest* on any one; and more especially during this long and dreadful captivity, they have found no vifion from the LORD; yet, hereafter, in the latter days, the spirit of prophecy will be restored to Ifrael; even in a more ample and perfect manner than what it was aforetime: as the prophet fays, Chap. iii. ver ift. "And it fhall come to pafs afterward, (that) I will pour out my fpirit upon all flesh; and your fons and your daughters hall prophefy, your old men shall dream dreams; your young men fhall fee vifions." By this, the prophet fhews us, that at the time of the redemption and falvation of the For as to Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, they only prophefied while the temple was building, (as will be noticed in the prophecy of Haggai) but after that it was fi nished, the spirit of prophecy wholly ceafed in Ifrael. Properly in the last or latter days at the time of the falvation of the nation, for the words are very indefinite; and therefore admit of this rendering, as the Archbishop of Armagh juftly observes in his Notes on this place. nation : nation, God will pour his fpirit on the whole nation: and thus fays the prophet Isaiah, "All flesh shall come to worship before me." (Ifai. lxvi. 23.) But I apprehend, it may be alfo understood in a more enlarged fenfe ; and that the prophet meant all mankind in general fo that it properly denotes, that at the time of the falvation of the nation, God will pour the fpirit of wifdom and underftanding on all flesh; both Jews and gentiles; fo that the Gentiles may also be able to understand the true Unity of God, and be defirous of being inftructed in his law : agreeable to what the prophet says, "And many people* fhall go, and fhall fay; Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, &c. And he will teach us of his ways; and we will walk in his paths, for from Zion fhall go forth the law," &c. (Ifai. ii. 9.) Thus, it appears to me, that the prophet here spoke of all mankind in general : but to the children of Ifrael in particular, he faid, "And your fons and your daugh ters shall prophefy." That is, that the spi • Peoples. rit of divine prophecy shall rest on those that fhall be fo difpofed; but which will not be the case of the other nations. And, because the spirit of prophecy, is of two forts; viz. Dream of prophecy, and vifion of prophecy: he therefore said, that the old men should enjoy the prophetic dream; and the young men, the prophetic vifion: not that all of them should thus prophefy, but only those that shall be so disposed; and therefore he faid fimply, "your old men, your young He farther affures us, that then, even the men fervants, and maid fervants, i. e. the male and female flaves, who generally are in a very miferable ftate, will alfo have the fpirit of knowledge poured out upon them; ver. 29th. "And alfo upon the men-fervants, and upon the hand maids, in those days will I pour out my fpirit." Not that they will be endued with the spirit of prophecy, but will only have the fame spirit of knowledge and understanding, as the rest of mankind for then, "the earth fhall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the fea."(Ifai. xi. 9.) All mankind will have have this fpirit beftowed on them: all will then be equal. Second, the wonders and miracles which the Almighty will then fhew us, both in hea ven and earth: ver. 39. " And I will fhew wonders in the heavens, and in the earth; blood,and fire, and pillars of smoke.” For although during this long and dreadful captivity,God hath hid his face from us, and there fore we were not worthy of having such stupendous miracles performed for us, as aforetime, and during the existence of the firft temple; as the Pfalmift pathetically expreffes himself, in bewailing the fad calamity of this captivity, as he forefaw by the spirit of prophecy, "We fee not our figns," &c, (Pfalm. Ixxiv. 9.) That is, we fee no token of the divine prefence with us, &c. Thus we fee the Pfalmift bewail the lofs of the three fpecies of gifts of divine providence : viz. figns and wonders ; fpirit of prophecy; and heavenly knowledge. The prophet therefore, now affures them, that at the time of their redemption, thefe bleffings will be reftored to them as in their priftine ftate, For as to the divine knowledge which they had |