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of the Philistines: and it fhall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou falt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high-place, with a pfaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy. And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou fhalt prophefy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.

2 Kings

iv. 38.

These are they, whom we afterwards frequently meet with; and are called, the Sons of the Prophets: Of whom, there were Schools and Nurseries, in feveral Cities, among the Ifraelites, befides those before mention'd. We read of one, in Be- 2 Kings thel; and of another, at Jericho and of ii. 3. 5. a third at Gilgal. They were call'd Prophets and Sons of the Prophets, because they applied themselves to the Study of the Law of God: And fitted themselves for the Immiffion of the Holy Spirit, whenever God fhould be pleas'd to make use of them, upon any proper Emergency. Therefore, the Names, of fuch only, are recorded; which, not being many, we will enumerate them, in the Order as they flourish'd, from the Beginning of the Monarchy to

the

2 Sam.

xii.

the Time of the Captivity. Firft, those of whom no Prophetical Writings are extant; Secondly, thofe, whofe Prophefies having providentially efcap'd the Wreck of Time, do now make a Part of our Holy Bible.

Among the First, is Nathan; who was fent from God to denounce his Judgment against David, concerning the Affair of Bathsheba; and afterwards affifted at the Coronation of Solomon. He wrote a Book, xxiv. 29. which is loft.

I Chron.

1 Chron.

;

Next, we read of Gad, David's Seer xxiv. II. who was fent by God to reprimand him for having prefum'd to number the People, in an illegal Manner, and contrary to the exprefs Command of God; and, of three Punishments, gives him Leave to choofe one; Famine, the Sword, or Peftilence. And, afterwards, bids him rear an Altar in the Threshing Floor of Araunah the Jebusite. He likewife wrote a Book. His and Nathan's both, are refer'd to, for the Acts of David.

1 Kings

xi. 29.

Afaph, Jeduthun, and Heman, the three Chiefs of the Singers, are likewife faid to be Seers. We read of Ahijab the Shilonite,

xi. 29.

in the Reign of Solomon; whom the LORD fent to ftir up Jeroboam to ufurp the Kingdom of Ifrael; because Solomon had been feduc'd to Idolatry by his heathenish Wives. He wrote a Book of Prophesy; in which the acts of Solomon first and last were writ- 2 Chron. ten. As they were likewife, in the vifions of xiii. 22. Iddo the Seer; who liv'd, about that Time. Shemaiah the Prophet, is fent with a Mef- 2 Chron. fage from God to Rehoboam King of Judab; who is alfo faid to have written a Book.

xii. 5.

-15.

2 Chron.

XV. I.

xvi. 7.

The Spirit of God came likewife upon Azariah the son of Oded; who was fent = with a Meffage to Afa King of Judah. To whom, not long after, Hanani the Seer, 2 Chron. is fent with an unwelcome Declaration; for which he is put in Prifon. Jebu his 2 Chron. Son, is mention'd as fuch alfo (and to have written a Book.) As is Micaiah, Jahaziel, and Eliezer. The Stories of Elijah and 2 Chron Elifba, are too well known, to be inferted X. 14.

= here.

xix. 2.

2 Chron. xviii. 7.

Ibid: 37.

There were alfo Women fometimes ho#nour'd with this divine Gift. Miriam the Exod. Sifter of Aaron, is called a Prophete/s: As xv. 20. is Deborah, who judg'd Ifrael. And, in the 4.

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Judg. iv.

Reign of Jofiah King of Judah, Hilkiah 2 Kings the High-Prief, and other principal Men xxii. 14. are fent by him to confult Huldab the Prophetess, who was famous in thofe Days, and dwelt in Jerufalem in the College. The Virgin whom Ifaiah took to Wife, is, by him, call'd the Prophetess. We read of the Prophetess Noadiah, after the Return from Babylon: And of one Anna a Prophetess, in the new Teftament.to tepid

Ifaiah viii. 3. Neh. vi. 14. Luke ii.

36.

But, fecondly, The Names of those Prophets whofe Writings make fo confiderable a Part of our Bible, in the Order as they are there plac'd, are thefe, Mofes, Samuel, David, Ifaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hofea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk Zepbaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi.

Thefe, we shall be contented with juft naming at prefent: Only, we must obferve one thing, in relation to Prophefy in General: That the Prophetic Spirit ceas'd among the Jews, from the Time of Ma lachi, the last of them that had it, till the Proclamation of the New Covenant, by the fecond Elijah, John the Baptift, whofe Coming that Prophet literally foretels;

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and pathetically exhorts his Countrymen,

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in the mean while, in the Name of the LORD, to continue obedient to the Law. Remember ye the law of Mofes my fervant, Mal.iv.4. which I commanded unto him in Horeb, for all Ifrael; with the ftatutes and judgments. Behold I will fend you Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And he shall turn the beart of the fathers to the children, and the beart to their fathers; left rothe children I come and fmite the earth with a curse.

With thefe Words ends the old Teftament: Which, in the Beginning of the new, an Angel applies to John the Baptift; when he prophefies of him before he was born,and fpeaking of him to his Father Zacharias, fays; He fhall go before the Luke i. LORD, in the spirit and power of Elias; to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the difobedient to the wisdom of the just to make ready a people prepared for the LORD

11, &c.

Accordingly John the Baptift, was understood, by all true Believers, to be the Elias that was to come before the LORD. In one Place CHRIST fays; This is he, of Mat. whom XI. 10.

Y 2

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