of the 1260 years and the commencement of the Millennium, and by dividing these 75 years into 30 years and 45 years, he seems to give some warrant to the conjecture that the 30 years will be occupied in the restoration of Judah, and the 45 years in the restoration of Israel. If this be the case, we may conclude, agreeably to the history of the exodus from Egypt which is here set forth as a type of the yet future return of the house of Jacob from the countries of their dispersion, that but few only of the generation, that set out to return to their own land, will ever enjoy the possession of it in peace.

There is reason to think from other prophecies, that the calamities, here predicted, will chiefly, if indeed not altogether, befall Judah: for Israel as a nation will not be restored till after the destruction of Antichrist, and will be brought back with great tenderness and respect by the different peoples among which he has been scattered; whereas Judah will be restored in the very midst of the wars of Antichrist, and will suffer most severely in the struggle between the contending powers.

Nevertheless, the whole house of Jacob shall ultimately be brought back, and converted to the faith of Christ; and these signal events will be instrumental in causing the Lord to be sanctified in the sight of all the nations, and in spreading the knowledge of the Gospel to the very ends of the earth,

Abp.

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Abp. Newcome seems inclined to apply this prediction to the return from Babylon and the subsequent events; but he is obliged, in so doing, to resort almost entirely to conjecture; and, after all, is by no means consistent even with himself. He supposes the desert, where God is to plead with his people, to be one between Judèa and Babylon. And yet he thinks, that, by the rebels and transgressors, those are intended, "who, after the mur"der of Gedaliah, went into Egypt, called here "the land of their sojourning. Some of these were to be carried into Chaldea with the cap"tive Egyptians *; though the greater part were "to be consumed t. Some of the obstinately re"bellious Jews might also sojourn in other neighbouring countries subdued by Nebuchadnezzar, as Edom, Moab, Ammon, and Tyre; and might "thence be taken into captivity." The prophet however is surely speaking of those, who should perish in the course of their being brought back out of the various countries of their dispersion into their own land; not of certain Jews, who were destroyed in Egypt, while others were led away captive into Chaldea. They are plainly to perish while returning from captivity, not while going into captivity. Nor is this all. His Grace very justly interprets the 41st verse to mean, that the nations shall consider the Lord as a great and

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* Jerem. xliii. 11.

Jerem. xliv. 12.

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holy God, when they observe his deliverance of the Jews, and their obedience to him. But when did any such general veneration of God take place, in consequence of the return of Judah from Babylon? This part of the prediction can only be referred to the universal conversion of the nations after the final restoration of Israel, and during the period of the Millennium. And, if it be thus referred, then the whole prediction must be similarly referred; as indeed is sufficiently evident from its treating of the restoration of all the house of Jacob out of the various peoples and nations, among which they had been scattered *.

PROPHECY XXIV.

The overthrow of the mys Tyre and her prince preparatory to the complete restoration and prosperity of Israel.

Ezekiel xxvi. 7. Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will bring upon Tyre, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings, from the north, with horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and companies, and much people-15. Thus saith the Lord God to Tyre; Shall not the isles shake at the

*See Abp. Newcome's Ezekiel in loc.

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sound of thy fall, when the wounded cry, when the slaughter is made in the midst of thee?-21. I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt be no more though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never be found again, saith the Lord God.

xxvii. 1. And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying; 2. And thou, son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyre: 3. And say unto Tyre; O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea, a merchant of the nations to many isles; Thus saith the Lord God; O Tyre, thou hast said, I am perfect in beauty. 4. Thy borders are in the midst of the seas, thy builders have perfected thy beauty. 5. They have made all thy planks of fir-trees of Senir: they have taken cedars from Lebanon to make masts for thee. 6. Of the oaks of Bashan they have made thine oars: the company of the Ashurites have made thy benches of ivory from the isles of Chittim. 7. Fine linen with broidered work from Egypt was that which thou spreadest forth to be thy sail: blue and purple from the isles of Elishah was that which covered thee. 8. The inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were thy mariners : thy wise men, O Tyre, that were in thee, were thy pilots-10. They of Persia, and of Lud, and of Phut, were in thine army, thy men of war: they hanged the shield and helmet in thee; they set forth thy comeliness-12. Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kind of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded

in thy fairs. 13. Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were thy merchants: in the souls of men and vessels of brass they traded in thy market. 14. They of the house of Togarmah traded in thy fairs with horses, and horsemen, and mules. 15. The men of Dedan were thy merchants: many isles were the merchandise of thine hand: they brought thee for a present horns of ivory and ebony. 16. Syria was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of the wares of thy making: they occupied in thy fairs with emeralds, purple and broidered work, and fine linen, and coral, and agate-19. Dan also and Javan, going to and fro, occupied in thy fairs: bright iron, cassia, and calamus, were in thy market. 20. Dedan was thy merchant in precious clothes for chariots. 21. Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar, they occupied with thee in lambs, and rams, and goats-22. The merchants of Sheba and Raamah, they were thy merchants: they occupied in thy fairs with chief of all spices, and with all precious stones, and gold. 23. Haran, and Canneh, and Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Ashur and Chilmad, were thy merchants. 24. These were thy merchants in all sorts of things, in blue clothes, and broidered work, and in chests of rich apparel, bound with cords, and made of cedar among thy merchandise. 25. The ships of Tarshish were the songs of thy market, and thou wast replenished and made very glorious in the midst of the seas. 26. Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters the east-wind hatlı broken thee in the

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