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the fire and the torch that fhould devour all the people round about; and, confequently, they err greatly who apply this Prophecy to the destruction of Jerufalem by the Romans. And this will appear farther from the 9th verfe, And it fhall come to pass in that day, (the time here fpoken of from the beginning of the chapter) that I will feek to deftroy all the nations that come against Jerufalem. Add to this, that in the fame day, it is faid ver. 6. And Jerufalem fhall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerufalem. All which being confidered, it is certain that this Prophecy cannot re late to the aforefaid deftruction of Jerufalem, but is yet to be fulfilled.

In ver. 10. instead of me, it ought to have been rendered HIM whom they have pierced: For this appears very evidently to be the true reading from what follows in the very fame verse, and they shall mourn for HIM, &c.-and fhall be in bitterness for bim, &c. And what farther confirms this, or rather puts it out of all difpute, is the quotation of it by St. John xix. 37. And again another Scripture faith, they shall look on HIM whom they have pierced. From the context in this Prophecy of Zechariah, and alfo from its parallel, Rev. i. 7. And every eye shall fee him, they also which pierced him, &c. it is evident this prediction is to be fulfilled at the second coming of Christ.

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lem: it fhall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the firft gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower 11 of Hananeel, unto the king's wine preffes. And men fhall dwell in it, and there fhall be no more utter deftruction: but Jerufalem shall be safely in16 habited. And it fhall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerufalem, fhall even go up from year to year, to worship the King, the Lord of Hofts, and to keep 17 the feast of Tabernacles. And it shall be, that who fo will not come up, of all the families of the earth unto Jerufalem, to worship the King, the Lord of 18 Hofts, even upon them fhall be no rain. And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain, there fhall be the plague wherewith the Lord will fmite the heathen that come not up to 19 keep the feaft of Tabernacles. This fhall be the punishment of Egypt, and of all nations, that come not up to keep the feaft of Tabernacles.

From the 11th verse it appears, that the inhabiting of Jerufalem here spoken of is yet future; because it is faid, there fhall be no more deftruction of it.

The reason why the Feast of Tabernacles is fo often here mentioned as a feaft to be kept after the return of Ifrael, and that feast only, seems to me to be, because, as that feaft was in memory of the children's of Ifrael dwelling in tents or tabernacles in the wilderness; fo they may, perhaps, upon their return, keep a feaft in memory of their long abode in captivity, far from their own houfes or cities, which may be figuratively called

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dwelling in tents or tabernacles, and in the wildernéfs. For the ends of all thefe feafts among the Ifraelites were (as the judicious Mr. Mede obferves) partly for remembrance of things paft, and partly for types and figures of things to come.

MALACHI is allowed by all to be the last of the Jewish prophets; but at what time he prophecied is uncertain. The moft probable opinion is, that it was about 397 years before Christ.

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LII.

MALACHI iii. 1. Behold I will fend my meffenger, and he fhall prepare the way before me: and the Lord whom ye feek, fhall. fuddenly come to his temple: even the meffenger of the covenant 2 whom ye delight in.-But who may abide the day of his coming? and who fhall ftand when he appeareth for he is like a refiner's fire, and like ful3 lers foap. And he shall fit as a refiner and purifier of filver and he fhall purify the fons of Levi, and purge them as gold and filver, that they may offer 4 unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Then fhall the offering of Judah and Jerufalem be pleafant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in II former years. And I will rebuke the devourer for your fakes, and he fhall not deftroy the fruits of your ground, neither fhall your vine caft her fruit before the time in the field, faith the Lord of hofts. 12 And all nations fhall call you bleffed for ye fhall be a delightfome land, faith the Lord of hofts.

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Chap.

Chap. iv. 1. For behold the day cometh that fhall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly fhall be ftubble, and the day that cometh fhall burn them up, faith the Lord of Hofts, that it fhall leave them neither root nor 2 branch. But unto you that fear my name, shall the son of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye fhall go forth and * grow up as 3 calves of the ftall. And ye fhall tread down the wicked; for they fhall be afhes under the foles of your feet, in the day that I fhall do this, faith the Lord of Hofts. Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dread6 ful day of the Lord. And he fhall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, left I come and fmite the earth with a curfe.

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Mal. iii. 1. is quoted, Matt. xi, 10. Mark i. 2. and Luke vii. 27. in all which quotations it is, Bebold I fend my messengers before THY face which Shall prepare THY way before THEE. Our prefent reading in Malachi, or that of the Evangelifts, therefore must be a false one. But it is highly improbable that all these Evangelists should make the fame mistake, and if not, they certainly copied from more authentic and genuine copies of the Old Teftament, than any which we can pretend to. For which reafon (I think) we may fafely affirm, the New-Teftament reading to be the true one.

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It is faid alfo, Luke i. 76. And thou child fhalt be called the Prophet of the Higheft, for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare HIS ways, &c. And again, Luke i. 16. And many of the children of Ifrael shall be turn to the Lord THEIR God; and be fhall go before HIM in the Spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

Here the words, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, feem to be quoted from Mal. iv. 6. The 5th verfe of Malachi iv. Behold I will fend you Elijah the Prophet, before the great and terrible day of the Lord, moft probably relates to the fame perfon, as appears from Matt. xvii. 10—13. And bis difciples afked him, faying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? And Jefus answered and faid unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things: But I say unto you, that Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they lifted: likewife fhall also the fon of man fuffer of them. Then the difciples underflood that he spake unto them of John the Baptift. Agreeable to which are also the words of our Lord, Matt. xi. 14. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias which was to come. And yet John Baptift, when the Jews fent priests and Levites to afk him who he was, denies himself to be Elias, John i: 21. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And be faith, I am not.

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How to reconcile thefe words of John the Baptist with thofe of our Saviour would have.

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