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of his precurfor St. John, Behold, "I will fend my meffenger, and he "fhall prepare the way before me; "and the Lord whom ye feek fhall "fuddenly come to his temple, "even the meffenger of the cove"nant whom ye delight in: behold "he fhail come, faith the Lord of "hofts." The prophet goes on to foretell the effects of Chrift's advent in the felection of a peculiar people, and the purification of a new priefthood, to offer new and acceptable offerings.. "But who may abide the

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day of his coming, and who fhall "ftand when he appeareth? For he "is like a refiner's fire, and like ful"ler's foap. And he fhall fit as a "refiner and purifier of filver; and "he hall purify the fons of Levi,

"and

"and purge them as gold and filver, "that they may offer unto the Lord "an offering in righteoufnefs. Then "fhall the offering of Judah and "Jerufalem be pleasant unto the "Lord, as in the days of old, and "as in former years;" pleafant as in the days when their fathers offered in faith, and the defire of Meffiah's appearance was the ruling paffion of their fouls. The reft of the chapter is employed in reproving the rebellion, facrilege, and infidelity of the Jews; and the fourth chapter opens with a description of the day fatal to Jerufalem-"Behold the day cometh "that fhall burn as an oven, and all "the proud, yea and all that do "wickedly fhall be ftubble, and the "day that cometh fhall burn them.

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up, faith the Lord of hofts, that it "fhall leave them neither root nor "branch." For the confolation of the faithful, God by his prophet again foretelleth Meffiah's advent, with the increase, victory, and triumph of the church-" But unto you that "fear my name, fhall the SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS arife, with healing in his wings; and ye fhall go forth, and grow up as the firfilings "of bullocks: and ye shall tread "down the wicked, for they fhall "be afhes under the foles of your

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66

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In

feet, in the day that I fhall do this, faith the Lord of hofts." the mean time, "Remember ye the "law of Mofes my fervant, which I "commanded unto him in Horeb "for all Ifrael, with the statutes and "judgments."

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judgments." And then, when the law hath done it's office, and prophefied for the appointed time, "Be"hold I will fend you Elijah the 'prophet;" not the perfonal Elijah, but, as the angel expoundeth it, one to preach and live after the model of his example, in his fpirit and power." Thus, in the prophecy of Ezekiel, where God foretelleth the union of Ifrael and Judah in the

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days of Meffiah, he faith, " "They "fhall be my people, and I will be "their God, and David my fervant "shall be their prince for ever*.” Not that Chrift was to be David rifen from the dead, or when he came, was to bear his name; but he was to be, in certain refpects, like David,

* Ezek. xxxvii. 23.

conquering

conquering the enemies, and fitting upon the throne of Ifrael. So the forerunner of Meffiah was not to be Elijah defcended from heaven, nor was he, at his manifeftation, to be called by that name; but was to be like him in his office and character. Such a meffenger, faith God, "I will fend, before the coming of the

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great and dreadful day of the Lord," that is, the day that fhould "burn like an oven," the day of Jerufalem's deftruction, mentioned in the firft verfe. 63 And he fhall turn "the heart of the fathers to the chil"dren, and the heart of the children "to the fathers, left I come and "finite the earth," or "the land, "with a curfe." In the citation of this paffage by the angel, one part of

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