the as he himself says, " And I was among † the captives by the river Chebar, fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity," in which vifion he was informed, that the enemy, and oppreffor, would foon enter the gates of Jerufalem; (as Abarbanal has clearly fhewn in his explanation of that prophecy.) And therefore, in the fecond vifion which he faw in the fixth year, he saw as if the fpirit of God had taken him up, and brought him to the eaft-gate of the LORD's house; where were fome of the men of Jerufalem; when the LORD faid unto him, Son of man, these (are) the men that devise iniquity - who fay, this (city is) the caldron, and we (are) the flesh," By which they meant, that they fhould die in full mature age; even as the choice pieces are not taken out of the caldron, till they are perfectly done. But in oppofition to this, God tells them, true, it shall be as you fay, but not as ye imagine: for if Jerufalem is the caldron, it is the caldron of the flain for many of you fhall perish in it; but ye shall be taken out, and cut to pieces : elsewhere. ver. 7th. "Therefore thus faith the LORD God; Your flain whom ус have laid in the midst of it, they (are) the flesh, and this city is the caldron :" and ver. 9th. "And I will bring you forth out of the midft thereof, and will deliver you into the hand of ftrangers," &c. And because Ezekiel feemed greatly affected at this; verfe 13. "Then fell I down upon my face, and cried (with) a loud voice; and faid, Ah, LORD God, wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Ifrael? It therefore was neceffary, that God should inform the Prophet of the evil difcourfe which they held concerning their brethren that were carried into captivity; and for which, they also were defervedly doomed to go into captivity: and for this reason, the Prophet had the following vision, verfe 14. &c. "And the word of the LORD came unto me, faying: Son of man, thy brethren, (even) thy brethren, thy fellow cap. tives, and all the house of Ifrael (even) all of them; of whom the inhabitants of Jerufalem have faid, they are removed far from the LORD: unto us this land is given for an inheritance." Chriftian commentators have thought that, the fecond 7 thy brethren, ought ought to be omitted *: but this is owing to their not being able to enter into the spirit of the idiom of the prophetic language; for the firft 7 thy brethren, denotes those that were carried captive with him: and the second 78 thy brethren, denotes the ten tribes: and on account of the great number of them, he fays, "And all the house of Ifrael (even) all of them." and and "of whom the inhabitants of Jerufalem faid, they are removed, &c. unto us this land is given" &c. And in answer to which, the Prophet fays, ver. 16. "Therefore fay, Thus faith the LORD God; Although I have caft them far off among the nations, and although I have fcattered them in the countries; yet will I be unto them as a little fanctuary, in the * See the Note on this place, in the Archbishop of Armagh's new Tranflation of Ezekiel. Dr. Newcome tranflates by TPD. “ A fanc tuary for a short time," What was his reafon for thus perverting the text, from its true fenfe, contrary to the opinion of the Hebrew Commentators, and to the received reading, I know not as he has not thought proper to acquaint us what authority he had for fo doing; nor of the ufe he intended to make of it: unless it was, to expofe as much as in his power, the corruptions of the prefent printed text; and which feems to be the fole aim of the authors of the new and metrical tranflations. coun countries whither they fhall come.' That is, although they are removed from the great fanctuary; yet will I give them fuch favour among fome of the nations where they are driven, that they fhall be allowed to have Synagogues, which fhall be to them, as little temples, as having fome fmall holiness, in comparison of the great temple at Jerusalem; and where they fhall affemble to pray unto me, to deliver them from their affliction and which, it is well known, hath often been the cafe during this woful captivity, when the nation hath laboured under fome dreadful perfecution, &c. The Prophet then proceeds to tell them, that those that were already carried captive, and those that are to be carried into captivity; fhall all be redeemed in the latter days. ver. 17. Therefore fay, Thus faith the LORD God; I will affemble you from the people*, and I will gather you from the countries where ye have been scattered; and I will give you the land of Ifrael." Then shall the ten tribes also be gathered; and of whom the Prophet speaks in the third person: ver. → Heb. Peoples. 18th. "And they shall come thither, and fhall take away from thence all the deteftable things thereof, and all the abominations thereof." Thus, will those that return from captivity in the latter days, cleanse the land from all the pollutions of the false worfhip of those nations, that fhall then be in poffeffion of the land. And although in former times, there was great enmity between Judah and Ifrael: nay, even between thofe of Judah that remained with Zedekiah, and those that were carried captive with Jehoiachin; yet the Prophet affures us, that a fpirit of unanimity will then reign among them; verfe 19th. " And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit will I put within you :" And because when They forfook the they were in the land, LORD; provoked the Holy One of Ifrael; and went backward: he therefore tells them, in the latter member of the verfe, & verfe 20th. "And I will take away the heart of ftone from their flesh, and I will give them an heart of flesh: That they may walk in my ftatutes, and keep my Judgments, and do them; |