b

faid to be set on high above Babal's Altars; fo Babal was Light. See Brix. p. 245. for the reft. Ifa. only mentions these and Asherim.

בצר

A

Son fignifies War and Bread or Meat, because Meat was Prey both temporal and fpiritual; for fignifies in general Munition; more particularly cutting natural Rocks to perpendicular Fronts to make the Place within or upon them inacceffible against those without; raising a Wall or Bank and finking a Ditch; fo making a City for the Safety of those within, or those they should take in against those without; fo gathering in, housing, inclofing Grapes or Grain or other Fruit; or with the Jod in the third Order, the End of the bringing them into Places or Safety from Birds, Beafts, Thieves was to dry or prefs them, preferve them or their Juice for Bread, Wine, in which the Ufes of each chiefly confifted, for the Support of Men's Strength against their Enemies, and Defence of Men alfo against Hunger, Famine, Death, as moft of the later or modern Languages ufe the Word [the Word then is Provifon either for Safety or Suftenance] fo the Cities became Store Cities, and one would think by fome Expreffions of the Heathens either for the Prefervation of their Images of their Gods, or for Stores for Sacrifice. Chrift is called a Rock, a De

a Defence, a Fortrefs. All Things for the Benefit of Men, either by Support or Defence were inclosed, stored in Chrift's Humanity, and his Death is reprefented as the Crop from whence our Support was diftributed and taken by Faith, and the Strength we receive thereby our Strength and Defence within and without against Satan, wicked Men, Death and Hell; both defcribed Zech. ix. 12. & feq. So Job xxxvi. 19. the World is construed Gold, which Men were supposed to make their Support, and a Fortress joined -Will be efteem thy Riches? No, not Gold, nor all the Forces of Strength. This opens a Scene to apply all the Similitudes taken from Fruits, Grapes, Wine, Wine-prefs, &c. and from the Senfe of the Roots of all the Words joined, as Zach. xi. 2. For the Foreft, Marg. defended Foreft of the Vintage; fo perplexed Wood; So to Laws. The Jews were to reap the Grapes, Fruits, Grains, but to leave fome of each for the Poor, (perhaps the Gentiles.) See the Signification of all the Cities &c. joined to this Word; and the Allufion to Customs as Moab is my Washpot: Over Edom will I caft out my Shoe, over Philiftia will I triumph. It had been a conftant Enemy to the Church.

It will be a Confirmation to fhew Inftances of the Manner of Speaking I have affigned in the Pfalms from other Parts of Scripture; perhaps before, however after they were writ. We shall pitch upon the Root 2. The Word

is used for the Name of a Man, for a Place. Gen. xxxvi. 32, 33. Edom a Kingdom and Bozrah a Place, I think in or near it. Am. i. 12. I think the capital City. Jer. xlviii. 24. mentioned as in Moab referred to Mich. ii. 12. As the Sheep of Bozrah. Deut. iv. 43. another City faid to be in the Deserts belonging to the Tribe of Reuben. Pf. x. 1. Why ftandeth thou afar off, O Lord? why hideft thou thyself in Times. lxxxix. 40. Thou hast brought yan to Ruin. 48. He will deliver his WD) from the Hand (Power) of the Grave. cviii. 10. Who will bring me into the City

Selab.

.Job. xxii אדום who will lead me into ? מבצר

.18 .c. xxxvi& כצריך fhall be שדי yea

24. Yea thou shalt lay up on the Duft.

then the great

Will he

no not

cannot deliver thee. fet against or value thy Riches? nor all the Forces of Strength. Ifa. xxxiv. 6. For Jehovah hath a Sacrifice in Bozrah; and a great Slaughter in the Land of Edom. lxiii. 1. Who is this that cometh from Edom? with dyed Garments from Bozrah? He the Glorious- -1 that speak- wherefore art thou red in thine Apparel? Jer. xiv. 1. The Word of Jehovah which came to Jeremiah concerning 777. xvii. 7. Bleffed the Man (Chrift) 8. For he shall be as a Tree-and shall not be careful in the Year of ", neither shall ceafe from yielding Fruit. Moft of this Chapter is in Speeches like the Pfalms. xxxiii. 3. And fhew thee great and 3, which thou knowest

not

not. 6. Behold I will bring it Health and Cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of Peace and Truth. Zach. ix. 12. Turn ye 5. xi. 2. For the Cedar is fallen ; (a Name of Chrift with final)

אדירם for שדרן is ירו the fenced Foreft הבצור יער for

come down. See v. 7. fo Chap. xii. and Chap.

xiii.

Martin. Vindemia, the Time of cutting off and preffing or &c. of the Fruit. So the End of the Seafon, of the Year of the Oeconomy of the World &c. So Adam the Humanity of Chrift was the Fruit at the End of the Law &c. whose Blood was preffed out, and who is the Store and Munition to all Believers.

The Defign of great Cities was to hold great Collections of Men, Provisions and Ammunition fafe within the Fortifications for Defence, and to enable them to attack and endeavour to destroy those who invaded their Country or befieged them. 'Tis now to entertain Quality, to furnish Diverfions, for Occafions for their Meetings, not only for Opportunities of seeing one another for forwarding Marriages, but for worfe Ends- which puts them upon living beyond their Income, and thence fubmitting to Actions, which may procure Supplies for their Luxury and Vices.

The highest Expreffions of the Benefit of Christianity are 2 Pet. i. 4. Chrift has called us by Glory and Virtue-that we might be Partakers of the divine Nature, not to be of the

EL

Effence, or have their effential Perfections, but to have Communication from them, to enjoy the Benefits of their conftant Love, accustomed Beneficence to those who are made Objects of it, which is, as we fay, natural to them, to fupport, comfort and give Pleasures beyond Expreffion.

So whatever the later Heathens thought of their Gods, or of their Souls, or what they thought should remain of them after Death, their whole Aim was that they fhould, whatever they thought the Means or the Manner, bemade acceptable, fit Companions; and that they should be Partakers of the Divine Nature, perhaps in a higher Manner than as above: for they thought their Souls of the fame Effence with their Gods; at least that they were to be fupported by their Power and Affiftance eternally; and to have Communication with them and be fatisfied in admiring their Power, Wifdom and Actions; and in enjoying the Society of one another in that State; fo they thought that those who were not acceptable to the Gods were to be deprived of this Happiness, and joined with fuch Company, and perpetually tormented with some Punishments, which they imagined were fuited to each of their respective Crimes.

Those who burned their Children to Molock, befides Atonement for themselves, expected the Souls of their Children fhould dwell with their Gods.