Minder it? However, Elisha, who understood the mind of God, soon recovers from his reluctance, and went no further Back than his oxen; and took them and the instruments, and offered up all to God, signifying by this action, his full con sent to make a sacrifice of ali his worldly possessions to the great and infinitely important concerns of his ministry.

2 CHRON. v. 12, 13, 14.... When the priests and Levites were as one to make one sound, in praising God with singing and instruments of music, saying, He is good, for his mercy endureth forever, then the glory of the Lord came and filled the house. So, when it shall come to that in the latter days, that the ministers of the gospel shall generally be united in preaching the true doctrines of it, those doctrines that are in a peculiar manner evangelical, by which is manifested the glory of God's eternal mercy; free, sovereign, and immutable grace, through Christ Jesus, and shall be united in affection, and act in union, as fellow laborers and fellow helpers, then shall the glory of God remarkably appear; the Spirit of God, as a spirit of light, holiness and joy, shall descend from heaven in a very new and glorious manner, and remarkable success attend the preaching of the gospel every where; and then shall be the proper commencement of the church's rest, peace and glory upon earth. The peaceful reign of Solomon, in the possession of unparalleled wisdom, riches and glory, after the militant and tumultuous reign of David, is evidently typical of the peaceful, joyous, and glorious reign of Christ in the latter day; And God's dwelling in the temple, as the settled place of his rest, after removing to and fro in a tabernacle, is typical of the glorious manner of his dwelling with his church in the latter day, as compared with preceding times. The largeness of the temple compared with the tabernacle, represents the vast increase of the church; and the cloud of glory filling the temple, represents the filling of the whole. earth with God's glory.

PSAL. xxxii. 8...." Arise, O God, judge the earth, for thou shalt inherit all nations." The design of these words, in their connexion with the foregoing verses, confirms, that the princes of Israel are there called Gods, and sons of God, with refer

ence to Christ, the true King of Israel, and as being types of him. The three verses in their connexion import thus much. ....God has given these princes and judges the name of Gods or sons of God, as they are exalted to the place of kings and sav iours of his people, who are God's heritage or kingdom, but they die like men; whereby it appears, that they are no Gods, nor are the true sons of God; but mere men, and no more than images and shadows of him. But oh! that he who is truly God, who is indeed the Son of God, the true king, judge and saviour of God's people, the antitype of these, would come and reign, not only over the land of Israel, but over the whole earth; when Goď's Israel shall fill the earth, and all nations shall be God's people. It is observable that when it is said in this verse," Arise, O God,” the word God is Elohim, the same that is used verse 6th," I have said ye are Gods." They were called Elohim; but Christ is the true Elohim; just as the manna in the wilderness was called bread, but Christ is the true bread from heaven.

PSALMS Ixxiii. 4...." There are no bands in their death.” In the original the words are, "Ein, chartzabbuth Lemotham," which might more properly have been rendered, their death hath no bands; the Hebrew of the Latin verb sum, with the prefix lamed, being used for have. The meaning seems to be, that they appear to be at liberty from death, as though they were out of his reach. Their death is here represented as a person that is indeed their enemy, or an officer of vengeance, that they greatly deserve to be delivered up to, and that has a commission against them, and would fain seize them, and make them his prisoners, but has no bands to bind them. They live long, and live without the fears of death, which are, as it were, the bands of death. That this is the meaning is confirmed by the following words of the sentence. "But their strength is firm."

JER. XXXI. 32...." Not according to the covenant which Į made with their fathers, in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt." That covepant was, as it were, founded in the redemption out of Egypt. Therefore when God made it with the people, he prefaced it

thus: "I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, and out of the house of bondage." It is hence natural to suppose, that the covenant of which the prophet here speaks, would not be one founded on that redemption; but on some other, far better, and more glorious redemption. ZECH. xiv. 4....“ And his feet shall stand that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem, on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof towards the east, and towards the west, and there shall be a very great valley," &c. The mountains were round about Jerusalem like a wall; of which Mount Olivet was the chief. This stood on the east, between Jerusalem and the greatest Gentile nations; those nations that were the most malignant and formi. dable enemies of Israel. The dividing of this mountain under the feet of Zion's Redeemer, and making such a wide val. ley or plain on the east of Jerusalem, whereby there would be an easy access for the Gentile nations, signifies the break. ing down of the partition wall between the church of God, and those that were without, and afar off; and that remarkable removing of obstacles signified by God's causing that every mountain and hill should be brought low; and the drying up of the river Euphrates, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. The mountain's being thus divided, by Christ's treading on it, significantly and beautifully represents the ease with which, in the exercise of his sovereign and mighty power, he overcomes the strongest and proudest enemies that oppose the salvation of his elect; agreeably to what is said in the fourth chapter of this book, verse 7th. "Who art thou, O great mountain! Before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain." And chap. viii, 6. "Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, if it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvellous in my eyes, saith the Lord of Hosts?" The opening made through the mountains here is represented as very wide, to signify the abundant grace, and free and open access for vast multitudes; agreeably to Isai. Ix. 1 1, and Rev. xxi. 25.

MATTH. xii. 30. "He that is not with me is against me." The true reason of Christ's making this observation

in this place, where he is reproving the Pharisees for saying, that he cast out devils by Beelzebub, is this..... These Pharisees had, till now, appeared to exercise that kind of prudence, falsely so called, which is commonly to be seen among those, who count themselves wise and great men, and think it becomes them to let matters of religion much alone, and not to appear forward and zealous, or give out their thoughts freely. When, in view of the miracles which Christ wrought, the multitude were affected, and some appeared zealous to follow him; when the esteem that he gained among the people was so great that they apprehended themselves in danger of having their glory eclipsed, and of losing the respect of the people, and their authority over them, the Pharisees could keep silence no longer. They openly shewed what was in their hearts before; a fixed enmity against Christ, and that truly they never had been indifferent as they appeared.

HEB. X. 37...." For yet a little while, and he that should come, will come, and will not tarry." It cannot be justly inferred from these words, that the apostle expected Christ's last coming to judgment in that generation. All that could reasonably be understood by them is, that the time of their sufferings was short, and it would be but a little season before they would be wholly delivered from all their enemies, and should receive the recompense of the reward they hoped for. This appears by the context and also by the obvious meaning of the place referred to in the Old Testament. If this and the next verse be compared with Hab. ii. 2, 3, 4, it will be manifest that the apostle refers to what is there said. The vision is for an appointed time, but in the end it shall speak and not lie, though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith. The thing that it is there said will come and will not tarry, is God's people's deliverance from the oppression of their enemies, especially from the Babylonish captivity; as appears by the

context.

JOHN V. 27. "And hath given him authority to execute judgment, also, because he is the Son of Man." Christ is the more fitted to be the judge of men, for his being himself a man, one of the same race, having the same faculties, senses and organs, living in the same world, under the same law, and in the midst of the same temptations. It tends to confirm

the faith of the saints that their near kinsman and elder brother performed obedience for them, and wrought out the righteousness that they depend upon for justification in the judgment, and also suffered from the same unrighteous enemies; this tends to encourage and confirm their faith that he will vindicate them in the judgment, and plead their righteous cause against their unrighteous enemies.

ROM. viii 23...." And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." The apostle had been representing, in the preceding verses, that the whole creation was, as it were, in a state of travail, to bring to the birth, i. e. to bring the children of God into a state of liberty, happiness and glory. This in verse 19, he calls the manifestation of the sons of God, alluding to children's being brought forth to the light when they are born. This was to have its highest fulfilment at the resurrection, when they shall be born from the grave, and manifested in the most public manner in the proper glory of God's children, and shall receive the most public testimonies of God's fatherly love. Even, in this present state, Christians, by receiving the spirit, which is a filial spirit, a spirit of adoption, are brought forth, as the sons of God, and have the liberty and privileges of God's children in part. Yet it is but in part. They have only the first fruits of the spirit of adoption; and they themselves therefore join with the creation around them, groaning within themselves, waiting for the most glorious, the ultimate and perfect manifestation of the sons of God, when they shall be born from the grave.

EPHES. i. 18...." The glory of his inheritance in the saints." It appears to me the true sense of this passage is, his inheritance in heaven. In the Greek it is, a 7010 ay, which might