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pidly advances vegetation, perfects the bud and forms the bloffom of the vine into a fwel

ling grape. But when the hope of the hufbandman is thus raised to a plentiful vintage, it is fuddenly blafted, before the grapes are fully ripe; the shoots of the vine cut off with pruning hooks; the branches hewed down and scattered on the ground, become a prey to the ra pacious birds of the mountains, and to the wild beafts of the earth'. The last verse is a chronological note added to the prophecy, to fhew the time of its completion. It shall "be ful" filled in that time," when the people defcribed, ver. 2. against whom the expedition was contrived," shall be brought as a prefent unto "the Lord of hofts-to the place of the name "of the Lord of hofts, the mount Zion;" that is, when the Jews fhall be restored to their own land, for fo the phrafe is ufed, Ifa. Ixvi. 20. Now, we have feen that the battle of Armageddon and the reftoration of the Jews exactly coincide. The fpirit of prophecy having unfolded the crime of Egypt proceeds to fhew the punishment of it. It is therefore entitled the Burden of Egypt. In order to illuftrate it, he

gives

(1) You will find this circumflance of making the forces collected at Armageddon a prey to rapacious birds, clearly afferted, Rev. xix. 17, 18.

gives a history of Egypt for fome time before, probably from the fall of the Turkish empire; as, that there fhall be great divifions among the Egyptians, Ifa. xix. 2.-That they shall be much under the influence of fuperftition, ver. 3.That God will deliver them over to the domi nion of "a cruel lord;" meaning Antichrift, or the blafphemous king, then refident in Judea, ver. 4.-That he fhall feize on all the fources of their wealth, as the produce of their foil, of their manufactories, of their river and fish ponds, ver. 5.-10. ; which corresponds exactly with the representation of Daniel xi. 43. "He shall have power over the treasures of gold and of filver, and over all the precious "things of Egypt." God charges the counfellors of Egypt with folly, and the people of it with cowardice, in fubmitting tamely to fuch delufion and oppreffion; Ifa. xix. 11.-16. Then follows an account of the punishment he had in view, and the confequences of it.

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He represents it in general, as a divine interpofition, ver. 16. then adds the manner of it. "And the land of Judah fhall be a terror unto "Egypt, every one that maketh mention there

of, fhall be afraid in himself; because of the "counfel of the Lord of hofts, which he hath "determined against it ;" ver. 17. Tidings of the fall of the beaft and his adherents in Judea,

fill his party in Egypt with terror; nor is that terror groundlefs, for the vi&orious Jewish army enters Egypt, to execute the counfel of God concerning that kingdom. "In that "day, fhall five cities in the land of Egypt, "speak the language of Canaan, and fwear to "the Lord of hofts; one shall be called the city ❝ of deftruction," ver. 18. At that time, five parts out of fix' of the land of Egypt, fhall embrace the true religion, carried there by the Jews, and fhall devote themselves to the fervice of JEHOVAH. The remaining fixth part, adhering to the Antichriftian tyranny, and superstition of their late" cruel lord," fhall be utter

ly

(1) The interpretation given above is fuggefted by Calvin, on Ifaiah. I adopt it as being moft confiftent with the rest of the paffage: when it is faid that "there "fhall be an altar to the Lord in the midst of Egypt, "and a pillar at the border thereof :" That "the Lord "fhall be known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians "fhall know the Lord:" That "the Egyptians shall "ferve with the Affyrians," and "be a third with Ifrael "and Affyria." Thefe expreffions imply, that the great body of the nation embraces the true religion: Now, five parts out of fix conftitute the bulk of the nation ; but five cities of all Egypt, make a very small part of the nation; which by no means agrees with the rest of the representation,

ly destroyed. To the clofe of the chapter, there is an account of Egypt as making a part of the Millennial church. The countries of Edom, Moab and Ammon, are not only conquered but poffeffed by the Jews, as we have feen; which representation agrees with the extent of their border from the coafts of the Mediterranean to the banks of the Euphrates. But the countries' of Affyria and Egypt, though conquered, are not poffeffed by them, as appears from ver. 20. 24, 25. which represent them as two distinct nations, holding church-communion with each other, and with the people of Ifrael.

When peace is established, the Jewish church fhall fing that hymn, Ifa. xiv. 3.-27. and chap.

xxv. ver. 1.—5.

In the progrefs of events, we have seen the nations over which the blafphemous king has a Ipiritual jurisdiction; the nations who support

him,

(1) Some read, "the city of the fun," by changing he into heth, and fuppofe that Heliopolis is intended. But; Lowth, who adopts that reading, feems to fufpect, that the text might have met with unfair management from Omar or his party, in order to accommodate it to his views, and procure refpect to his fchifmatial temple. But on the fuppofition that the reading contended for were more clearly established than it can be, it would only involve the paffage in obfcurity; whereas, the interpretation given above is clear, and confiftent with the fcope of the whole paffage.

him in his last extremity; the nations involved in his fall at Armageddon; the nations conquered by the Jews, after Armageddon; and thefe are nearly the fame. The concurrence of these four several representations ferve to prove, that the progress marked is not the contrivance of fancy, but the investigation of the truth.

SECTION IV.

Reftoration of the difperfed Jews.

A fourth event foretold, which shall probably be accomplished at this period, is the restoration of those Jews, who had not an opportunity to join their brethren, in the wilderness of ALfyria. The Christian powers in the several countries where they refide, fhall give their aid cheerfully and liberally, to convey them to the land of promife, then poffeffed by their brethren, in confequence of the victory at Armageddon. This is repeatedly afferted in the prophecy of Ifaiah. "Thus faith the Lord

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God, Behold, I will lift up my hand to the "Gentiles, and fet up my ftandard to the peo

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ple: and they fhall bring thy fons in their ડ arms, and thy

and thy daughters fhall be carried up"Who

"on their shoulders;" chap. xlix. 22.

"are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves

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