8. 1 waged against the Turks and infidels for the recovery of Palestine. And by "the speech of every tongue," &c. the Prophet pointed to the flander, reproach, and indignity, with which the nation is treated, by all people; and in all languages. And, because Ifrael hath thus borne the reproach of the nations; therefore fhall they all, Chriftians, Mahometans &c. all bear their reproach. ver. 4"Therefore, ye mountains of Ifrael, hear the word of the LORD God: Thus faith the LORD God to the mountains and to the hills, to the streams and to the vallies, to the defolate waftes and the forfaken cities, which are become a prey to the refidue of the nations that are round about: Therefore thus faith the LORD God: Surely in the fire of my jealoufy have I spoken against the refidue of the nations, and against all Edom, who appointed my land to themselves for a poffeffion, with the joy of (their) whole heart, and with a despiteful* mind, to caft it out for a prey. Prophefy therefore concerning the land of Ifrael, and fay to the mountains and to the hills, to the ftreams and to VOL. II. Heb. With defpite of foul. the the vallies; Thus faith the LORD God; Be hold, I have fpoken in my jealousy and in my fury, because ye have borne the reproach of the nations. Therefore thus faith the LORD God; I have lifted up * mine hand, (faying), furely the nations that are round' about you, shall + (alfo) bear their reproach." And though the mountains of Ifrael, are barren at prefent; yet rifh, and be fruitful. hall they then flou The nation also, that is fo greatly diminished in captivity, will then be exceedingly numerous; by the return of the ten tribes, and God's bleffing to mul tiply them: ver. 8-12. "But ye, O ye mountains of Ifrael, fhall fhoot forth your branches, and fhall bear your fruit to my people Ifrael; for they are near coming. For behold, I (am) for you, and I will turn and ye fhall be tilled and fown: And I will multiply men upon you, (even) all the house of Ifrael, all of them§: and the cities fhall be inhabited, and the waste places fhall be built. And I will multiply men unto you, upon you, and beafts: and they shall increase and bring forth and I will cause you to be inhabited according to your ancient ftate, and will do better (unto you) than at your beginning; and ye fhall know that I (am) the LORD. Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, (even) my people Ifrael: and they shall poffefs thee, and thou shalt be their inheritance, neither fhalt thou bereave them (of it) any more." They are to have the mountains of Ifrael for an inheritance, and are never to be bereft of them any more neither are they to go into captivity any more. The Prophet proceeds, verfe 13-15. "Thus faith the LORD God; Because they fay of you, Thou devoureft up men, and thou bereavest thy nations; therefore thou shalt devour men no more, neither bereave thy nations any more, faith the LORD. Neither will I caufe the reproach of the nations to be heard against thee any more, neither shalt thou bear the upbraiding of the people any more, neither shalt thou bereave thy nations any more, faith the LORD God." I am fenfible, that the generality of com mentators, understand this as spoken of the land for the adjoining nations (as they fay) having observed the heavy fufferings of the Jewish nation, accused the land of exterminating its inhabitants: but this I am confident, is not what the Prophet alluded to by this allegory, but that he pointed to that a bominable and deteftable crime, with which the Jews have been so often and fo unjustly accused of, by the Chriftians; viz, the “crucifying Christian children on the eve of the Paffover, that they may renew their fathers crime, who crucified Jefus Chrift*:" and on account of which, they have fuffered fuch dreadful perfecutions, and fuch torrents of their blood hath flowed. This accufation (as Bafnage fays) is found repeated every where, fince the twelfth century. This charge hath been brought against them, by the envy and malice of the Chriftians, who were continually thirfting for the blood, or the wealth of this unfortunate and afflicted nation, in almoft every country where ever they have refided t. The Prophet therefore affures * See Bafuage's, Hiftory of the Jews, Book 7. chap. xi. Sect. 14. &c. p. 642. This charge, we also find to have been brought against affures them, that God will take vengeance on the nations for this falfe accufation, and that they shall no more be thus reproached, with bereaving the nations amongst whom they dwelt of their male children *, by crucifying of them; for when the nation fhall be redeemed, they will no longer be subject to this reproach. That this, is what the Prophet alluded to, is manifeft from his making use of the pronoun plural affix, 7”11 Thy nations; meaning thereby the different nations among whom they were scattered and therefore, he also says, that the reproach and upbraidings of these nations fhall no more beheard against them; for this calumny will be entirely removed. : From the explanation here given of this great and important prophecy, the following feven important fundamental principles are deducible. First, the vengeance which God will take in the latter days on Edom, against them in England. See Anglia Judaica, page 1 I ——— 12- 136. men," be. *This is what the Prophet meant by " cause it was the male children that they were accused of cru cifying. whom |