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cation on the Psalms, two oracles which belong to the latter part of David's reign.

The first passage is recorded in the 2 Sam. vii., and 1 Chron. xvii. "This passage has been much lowered by referring it literally to Solomon, and admitting only a faint and distant allusion to the Messiah. Dr. Kennicott has better instructed us, that it belongs not to Solomon, but is to be understood primarily of Christ."

Ver. 12. "And when thy days are fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels; and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son." "In his sufferings for iniquity I will chasten him with the rod of men, but my kindness will I not take from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.""But I will settle him in mine house, and in my kingdom for ever; and his throne shall be established for evermore," &c. &c.*

The next passage is what are called "the last words of David," which seem to contain a summary of all that · had been revealed to the psalmist, while composing the public songs of praise:

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David, the son of Jesse, spake,

Even the man that was raised up spake,

Concerning the Messiah of the God of Jacob,

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Even the delightful theme' of the Psalms of Israel.

The Spirit of Jehovah spake in me,

And his word was upon my tongue;

"I WILL BE TO HIM A FATHER, AND HE SHALL BE TO ME A SON: (whosoever shall be concerned) in injuring IIIM, even I will chastise them with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the sons of Adam."DR. HALES.

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The God of Israel spake,

To me the Creator of Israel said:

'There shall' rule a JUST ONE over man,

He shall' rule in the fear of God:

And he shall be as the morning light at the rising of the sun,

A morning that dawneth without clouds.

For he shall not flourish

As the grass of the earth after the rains.

Truly not so is my house with God,

Because he hath made with me an everlasting covenant;

It is ordered in all things and sure,

And it is all my safety and all my desire.

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But the sons of' Belial,

They are like the straggling thorn,

When they cannot be taken by the hand,

And a man cannot touch them;

He will heap them together with the iron and staff of a spear, And with fire will he consume them when he hath done.

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THE

SECOND ADVENT, &c.

PART THE SECOND.

Predictions of the Second Advent in the Writings of the Prophets.

I. The Prophet Isaiah, and his Cotemporaries; II. the Próphets of the Era of the Captivity; III. those who prophesied after that Event, to the Close of the Old Testament Canon.

INTRODUCTION.

IN passing from the age of the psalmist, we come to the writings of those emphatically called the prophets. But, before we proceed, let us recall to our recollection the oracles of which the church was already in possession, on the subject of the second advent; since, as we may reasonably expect, the Spirit of prophecy will speak in reference to these his former revelations.

It was revealed to Adam, that one born of woman would" bruise the serpent's head;" though, like what might happen to a man in endeavouring to crush a serpent, he would himself be injured in "his heel."* The next prophecy proclaimed the "coming of the Lord from heaven with his holy myriads," to judge an ungodly race

* Gen. iii.

of scoffers, which should "be on the earth in the last day." The next prophecy, that of Job, enabled us to see how these two former oracles might relate to the same person for this patriarch evidently expected, that the God whom he adored would, in the last day, stand up on the earth in the character of his "Redeemer;" that is to say, his protecting, avenging kinsman: “Of my flesh shall I see Eloah." So that "the Lord from heaven" might be the "seed" of Eve. †

From the oracles in the age of Abraham we learned, that the promised "seed" was to be his seed also; and that in the increase and blessedness of his family, we were to look for the redemption of the world. We were taught, likewise, to fix our expectations on some future scenes to be displayed in the land of Canaan, in " a world to come," of which his "seed" is to be "the Heir," Lord, or possessor, with all the faithful.

The era of Moses supplied us with prophecies, pointing out the connexion between the secular history of the descendants of Abraham, and the coming of the promised seed. Their national corruption is foretold, and their rejection in consequence, with the assumption of another people into their place, " to provoke them to jealousy." At the same time, the character of their great enemy, and the enemy of all the people of God, is remarkably portrayed; and in the dreadful destruction of that enemy, which the Almighty had sworn, we were taught to see the event which would lead to Israel's final blessedness, together with the blessedness of all the nations of the earth. There was, moreover, a strong presumption afforded, that this last enemy would be European.

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