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one new moon, and from one fabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, faith the 24 Lord. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched: and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.

From the 5th to the 10th verse of this chapter, it is thought by many, that the destruction of the city and temple of Jerufalem, and the sudden spread of the gospel is foretold; and that the country fellow that came up to the feast of Tabernacles, about seven years before the siege of Jerufalem, alluded to the fixth verse, when he cried without ceasing, Wo to the city! wo to the temple! A voice from the four corners, a voice against Jerusalem, a voice against the nation, &c. But granting that the man had this text in view, which is not certain (his words being confiderably different from it) it will not follow that these words in the Prophecy were intended to predict that event. And as to the words of the 8th, as foon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children, which are thought to relate to the sudden spread of the gospel, they appear to me rather to refpect the fudden and unexpected Restoration of the Ifraelites in the latter times. For the gospel was established gradually in the world, and did not bring forth its children at once, or in one day, as it is expressed in the former part of this verse. From the 10th verse to the end of the chapter, the

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the happy state of Jerufalem restored, and the deftruction of her enemies, is plainly delivered, It is faid, ver. 19. that those that escape of them, Shall be sent unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, Lud, Tubal, Javan, and the isles afar off. Now the them here does not mean (as some suppose) the Jews who are now accordingly dispersed among these nations, but those which shall escape of all those nations and tongues mentioned in the verse before, which shall be gathered together; and which in the 16th verse are called all flesh, with whom the Lord will plead with fire and sword, and the flain of the Lord shall be many. And who should these be, but those who, according to other Prophecies, which I shall hereafter consider, are to oppose this re-fettlement of Ifrael, and to fall in the battle of Armageddon; to which also the last verse of this chapter relates they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men who bave transgressed against me; for their worm shall not die, &c. words which are elsewhere applied to the fame battle of Armageddon. I shall make but one remark more, viz. on verse 20. where it is faid, they (the Gentiles) shall bring all your brethren-out of all nations, upon horses and chariots, Sc. to my holy mountain Jerufalem, which circumstances feem to me to be such, as are by no means applicable to the church, or to the return from the Babylonish captivity.

MICAH

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MICAH prophefied in the days of Jotham, Abaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, about 750 years before Chrift.

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XXIII.

МІСАН ЇЇ. 12. I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee: I will surely gather the remnant of Ifrael, I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise, by reason of the multitude of

men.

XXIV.

MICAH iv. 1. But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills, and people shall 2 flow unto it. And many nations shall come and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and 3 the word of the Lord from Jerufalem. And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off, and they shall beat their swords into plow-fhares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against na4 tion, neither shall they learn' war any more. But they shall fit every man under his vine and under his fig-tree, and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hofsts hath spoken it.

6 In that day, faith the Lord, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, 7 and her that I have afflicted. And I will make her that halteth a remnant, and her that was caft far off a strong nation; and Jehovah shall reign over them in mount Zion, from henceforth, even for II ever.* Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let 12 our eye look upon Zion. But they know not the thoughts of the Lord, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the sheaves in13 to the floor. Arife, and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass, and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will confecrate their gain unto Jehovah, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth.

This fourth chapter of Micah, according to the contents prefixed to it, describes the glory, peace, kingdom, and vistory of the church: and so indeed it does; but it is not the prefent, or any paft stare of the church, as appears from the third and fourth verfes; for such an universal peace and happiness has never yet taken place, nor ever will till those last days, when the mountain of the bouse of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, or till she that was cast afar off shall be made a strong nation, i. e. till Ifrael shall be restored, and become the most powerful nation upon earth. Then it is, that the church of Christ shall be in that glorious and happy state, so often foretold by the Prophets.

* In Tigdale's tranflation of the 7th verse, it is, And will give issue unto the lame, instead of And I will make her that balieth a remnant, which is certainly better. For the Lord is here promifing an increase to her that halteth, and is driven out, as appears by the latter end of the verse, and not a diminution of them to a remnant.

tains,

XXV.

MICAH V. 3. Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return 4 unto the children of Ifrael. And he shall stand and feed [or rule] in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of Jehovah his God, and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends 5 of the earth. And this man shall be the peace when the Affyrian * shall come into our land: and whert he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight princes of 6 men. And they shall waste the land of Affyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth

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* By the Affyrian, according to Mr. MEDE, is meant Gog of the land of Magog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, of whom Ezekiel prophecied. • Not as though this should be his original nation, but as the province from whence he • should fall into the land of Ifrael. For the prince of Magog and Tubal cannot come into the land of Ifrael, till he ⚫ be first master of the land of Ashur, which lies between ⚫ them. And the Prophet describes him by this name, rather ' than by that of his own nation, because the name of Ashur

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was at that time so terrible to the Jews, and the invafion

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