besides these, there are eighty pfalms at least, which either wholly, or in part, confist of prophetic praises or prayers offered to God by the Messiah, relating to the milennial kingdom which he shall enter upon at his fecond coming, and the deftruction of his enemies at the battle of Armageddon which is to precede it. The numbers of the pfalms are these that follow: Pfalm ii. ix. x. xi. xiv. xv. xviii. xix. xx. xxi. xxiv. xxix. xxxiii. xxxiv. xxxv. xlv. xlvi. xlvii. xlviii. 1. liii. lix. lxiv

lxx. lxxii. lxxvi. lxxvii. lxxix. lxxx. lxxxii. lxxxiii. lxxxv. lxxxvii. lxxxix. xciii. xcv-c. cii— cvii. cxi-cxviii. cxx-cxxxiv. cxxxviii. cxlv. cxlvi. cxlvii. cxlviii. cxlix. cl.

The learned Dr. Alix, A. D. 1701, published the Book of Pfalms, with an excellent preface, to show that these pfalms related not to the days of David, but to the days of the Meffiah, and to the several states of the Jews and Chriftians, from the time of the Meffiah, to the end of the world. The Jews before and in our Saviour's time, Chrift himself and his Apoftles, and the most primitive Chriftians, apply the generality of thefe pfalms to the days and circumftances of the Meffiah. Nor indeed are there above 18 or 19 of the 150 that can, with propriety, be applied to David himself, viz. xxx. xxxii. 'xxxviii. xxxix. xlii. xliii. li. lii. liv. Iv. lvi. lx. lxiii. lxxxiv. part of cviii. cxl. cxli, and perhaps xc. and cxliv. all the reft relating to the Meffiah, either with regard to his ftate of humiliation at his first coming, or of his exaltation at his fecond; except

ing

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ing fome lamentations of a diftreffed Ifraelite fitted to the time of their prefent captivity, and generally expreffing their hopes of a deliverance.

HAVING now laid before the reader the most material, though not all the Prophecies of the OLD TESTAMENT, which relate to the réftoration of the Ifraelites, I fhall proceed to examine those of the NEW. And here we must not expect to find fo great a number of Prophecies relating to this matter, as in the Old Teftament; for, as the Old-Teftament Prophets had spoken. fo largely concerning the ftate of the Jews, and foretold what should befal them even in the last times, fo the New-Teftament Prophets have confined themselves principally for their predictions to what relates to the ftate of the Chriftian church. However, they have not left us wholly deftitute of predictions relative to the Jews. Our Lord's prophecies concerning the deftruction of Jerufalem, and the difperfion of the Jews, must convince every one of the truth of this: I fhall therefore content myfelf with laying before the reader what predictions of his, relating to the future restoration of the Jews, are to be found in the New Teftament.

LV.

Matt. xxiv. 29. Immediately after the tribulation of those days, fhall the fun be darkened, and the moon fhall not give her light, and the ftars fhall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens fhall

be

30 be fhaken. And then shall appear the fign of the Son of Man in heaven, and then fhall the tribes of the earth mourn, and they fhall fee the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and 31 great glory. And he fhall fend his angels with a great found of a trumpet, and they fhall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end 34 of heaven to the other.Verily I fay unto you, this generation fhall not pass away, till all these things be fulfilled.

See also the parallels, Mark xiii. 24, &c. Luke xxi. 25, &c.

In

Commentators have greatly differed in their explications of this 24th chapter of St. Matthew, fome thinking, that all the things here foretold received their accomplishment at the deftruction of Jerufalem, whilft others, with more reason, suppose the former part of the chapter to relate to that event, and the following part to what fhould happen afterward, and to include the day of judgment, or fecond coming of Chrift. order to the right understanding of it, we must observe, that as Jefus went out from the temple, bis difciples came to him for to fhew him the buildings of the temple; and Jefus faid unto them, See ye not all thefe things? Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And as he fat on the Mount of Olives, the difciples came unto him privately, faying, Tell us when shall these things be? and what shall be the fign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? Our Lord answers their laft queftion first, and informs them, that many should come in his name, and

that

that there should be wars and rumours of wars, but that the end fhould not be yet: For, before the end, nation fhould rife against nation-there fhould be famines, peftilences, and earthquakes, in diverfe places; perfecutions, falfe Prophets, and abundance of iniquity; and lastly, that this gospel of the kingdom Jhall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations; and THEN fhall the end come. From hence it is plain, that by the end is not here meant the end of the Jewish polity, or the deftruction of Jerufalem, for all thefe figns did not then happen; nation did not rise against nation, nor were there remarkable famines, peftilences, or earthquakes, in diverfe places, between the time of this prediction, and the deftruction of Jerufalem; neither can the gospel be faid to have been preached to all nations within that period, or even to this day. On all which accounts it is evident, that the end of the age (as it fhould have been tranflated), and the coming of Chrift, which the dif ciples here inquired into, are events yet future. From the 4th to the 14th verfe, therefore, our Lord fpeaks of events in general, which should happen from the time of the prediction to the time of his second coming, or the end of the age; but from the 15th to the 21ft, he undoubtedly speaks of the fiege and deftruction of Jerufalem, and the tribulation which was to follow it, and points out the fign of its coming, viz. the abomination of defolation spoken of by Daniel the Prophet ftanding in the holy place, in answer to the disciples first question, When fhall these things be?

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Our

f God

Our Lord, after having thus defcribed the fiege and destruction of Jerufalem, and the great tribulation which fhould happen, both at and after these events, proceeds, ver. 23, to foretell that, during these times, many falfe Chrifts Should arife; but to prevent their being deceived by them, he acquaints them with the manner of his fecond coming, and the figns of it; that it fhall be like lightning coming out of the east and Shining to the west, to denote (as I apprehend) not only the fuddenness, but also the publickness and visibility of it, in oppofition to the obfcure and private coming of the pretended Chrift's in the deferts, or in the fecret chambers, mentioned ver. 26. agreeably to which he tells us, ver. 30, 31. they shall fee the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory; and he shall fend his angels with a great found of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. From the 29th verse onward, therefore, our Saviour fpeaks of his fecond coming and the figns of it, the darkning the fun and moon, the ftars falling, and the appearance of the fign of the Son of Man in heaven, &c. in answer to that part of their fecond question, What fhall be the fign of thy coming? adding, with aVerily I fay unto you, this generation fhall not pass till all these things fhall be fulfilled. Those commentators who hold that every thing foretold in this chapter received its accomplishment at the deftruction of Jerufalem, and that this event was what is here meant by the coming of the Son

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of

This seems to be it meaning of St Luker Tha kingdom comath not with observation. It will be so sudden to exclude all previous notice or observation.

Luke 17.20.