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beauties of virtue and true religion, with which thou shalt then adorn thyself. And, although during the captivity, thou wast sad, and forrowful; yet, fhall it then be otherwife with thee; as in the latter member of the verfe. "And thou fhalt go forth in the dance of those that make merry."

And, as it was not lawful according to the law of Mofes, to eat of the fruit of any tree, till the fifth year after the planting, See Levit. xix. 23.--25. And as Mofes had threatened them for their difobedience, Deut. xxviii. 30. “Thou shalt plant a vineyard, and fhalt not gather the grapes thereof *. The Prophet here observes that then it shall not be fo; but they fhould plant; and remain in their own land in peace and tranquillity; fo as to gather the produce of their plantations, in due time, and enjoy it unmolefted: as in verfe 5th. "Yet again fhalt thou plant vineyards on the mountains of Sama

Radix

* The Hebrew verb is derived from the and denotes that which, may be used in common; as was the fruit of the vine in the fifth year after its being plant

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ria; the planters shall plant, and shall eat (th fruit) as common.'

Before we proceed, it is neceffary to ob ferve, that D does not denote watchmen as tranflated in the Bibles, (verse 6th.) and understood by the Commentators; but defo lators, deftroyers, &c. being derived from th Radix as fhewn in Lingua Sacra, unde that root. And these destroyers are the Romans, who were the defcendants of Edom as already mentioned in the course of this work. See Vol. Ift. page 217. &c. And they were called destroyers, on account of the war and defolation, which they spread over the greatest part of the world. And thus, the Prophet calls them, in another place; (Chap. iv. 16.) for in the former part of that Chapter, he fpeaks of the deftruction of the firft temple; but in verse 16th, he speaks of the deftruction of the fe

השמיעו על ירושלים,cond temple: and fays נצרים באים מארץ המרחק Publish ye concerning

Jerufalem, that deftroyers are coming from afar country. These denote the Romans that came with Vefpafian and Titus: and who came from a far country: but Babylon could not properly be called a far country, in re

gard

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gard to Jerufalem. And Mofes in his denunciations, (Deut. xxviii. 49.) fays, "The LORD fhall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth." This, all the Hebrew Commentators understand, to denote the Romans. (See R. Levi Ben. Gerfhom, Abarbanal &c.) and whom they to this day call, D Nazarenes. And of them, the Prophet Jeremiah fays, (Ibid.) "And they fhall lift up their voice against the cities of Judah." Because Vefpafion and Titus, first conquered the cities of Judah; and afterwards took Jerufalem, of whom the Prophet fays in verfe 17th. "Like keepers of fields are they round about her, because she hath rebelled against me faith the LORD." And, as he had prophefied concerning both the first, and second deftruction of Jerufalem; he fays verse 18th. "Thy way and thy doings have done these (things) unto thee;" By the plural pronoun* thefe, the Prophet plainly

Thus reads all the printed copies; thus alfo is it read, and understood by all the Hebrew commentators; by the Chaldee Paraphraft Jonathan Ben Uzziel; and thus alfo the tranflators of the Bible understood it; yet, Dr. Blaney, in defiance of all these great authorities; and without any reafon affigned,

plainly pointed to the deftruction of the fi and fecond temples. And, as the latter w most grievous, and went near to extirpate u he obferves in the latter member of the ver "Such is thy calamity, for it is bitter; b cause it reacheth unto thy heart." For th great calamity, he complains verfe 18t

66

My bowels, my bowels, I am pained;

*

ven) the walls of my heart; my heart troubled within me; I cannot be filent; b cause thou hast heard, O my foul, the four of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Deftrud

affigned, renders it "a curfe;" What it was that led him to I cannot divine: unlefs, that defpifing the points, (as th generality of Chriftians do; not one of whom, was ever ab to enter into the fpirit, the idiom, and phrafaology of th Language) he read a curse, instead of these. The alfo I fuppofe he read y a plague, for y reacheth. The are but fmall flips, compared with fome, that I have ment oned, in my remarks on the neceffity of the points; (Se Lingua Sacra. Vol. Ift. page 25 -27. &c.) and as I sha fhew more at large, when confidering the scheme of correct ing the prefent Printed Text, by manufcripts: as alread noticed in this work.

The walls of the heart, undoubtedly denotes th pericardium; a thin membrane of a conick figure, that re fembles a purse, and contains the heart in its cavity: so tha it may well be called the walls of the heart; as it furround and guards it like a wall.

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tion
upon deftruction is proclaimed;" Now,
what are we to understand by "deftruction
upon deftruction" but the deftruction of the
firft, and fecond temples. All which, is a
manifeft proof, that the destroyers de-
notes the Romans; and of whom the pro-
phet, in the prophecy we are treating of,
says, verse 6th. "For there is yet a day unto
the LORD our God, that the destroyers upon
mount Ephraim fhall cry, Arife, and let us
go up to Zion." For, as the Prophet had
in the preceding verfes, fpoken of the eftub-
lishment, and tranquillity of the nation; he
informs us when that will be; and therefore
fays, there is a certain time appointed by
God; (for that is what is properly meant
by the term, "to the LORD our God:")
that the Nazarenes, or deftroyers, fhall cry
to each other upon mount Ephraim, Arife,
and let us go up to Zion, in order to conquer
Jerufalem, and the holy land of Ifrael. But,
when that day fhall come, then Ifrael will
rejoice; for then they will know that their
falvation is near: and therefore, he says, verse
7th. Sing with joy for Jacob, and cry a-
loud at the head of the nations: publish ye,

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praise ye, and say, O LORD, fave thy people,

the

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