upon the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah, whereby the restoration of the temple, and the worship belonging thereunto, was carried on to perfection. Especially considering the vision of Zechariah, about "clothing the high priest with the robes of his office, ch. iii. after which time it seems they were made and in use, as Josephus shews us, lib. xi. cap. 8. treating of the reverence done by Alexander the Great to the name of God, engraven in the plate of gold on the high-priest's forehead. And Maimonides, Tractat. Saned. cap. 10. sect. 10. says expressly, that all the eight robes of the high priest were made under the second temple, and particularly the Urim and Thummim; howbeit, as he says, they inquired not of God by them, because the Holy Ghost was not on the priests. Of the ark, we shall have occasion to treat afterwards, and of its fictitious hiding by Jeremiah, or Josiah, as the Jews fancy. This we may observe for the present, that it is certain that it was carried away by the Babylonians amongst other vessels of gold belonging to the temple, either amongst them that were taken away in the days of Jehoiakim, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 7. or those taken away with Jehoiachin his son, ver. 11. or when all that were left before, great and small, were carried away in the days of Zedekiah, ver. 18. And it may be supposed, that it was restored by Cyrus, of whom it is said, that "he returned all the vessels of the house of the Lord, that Nebuchadnezzar brought from Jerusalem,” Ezra i. 6. And it is uncertain, to what end the solemn yearly entrance of the high priest into the most holy place was observed, to the very destruction of the second house, if neither ark nor mercyseat were there. Neither is this impeached by what Tacitus affirms, Hist. lib. 5. that when Pompey entered the temple, he found nullas Deum effigies, vacuam sedem, et inania arcana; for as he wrote of the Jews with shameful negligence, so he only intimates that they had no such images as were used among other nations, nor the head of an ass, which not many lines before, he had affirmed to be consecrated in their sanctuary. For aught then that appears to the contrary, the ark might be in the second house, and be carried thence to Rome with the book of the law, which Josephus expressly mentions. And therefore the same Abarbinel, in his Comment on Joel, tells us, that Israel, by captivity out of his own land, lost nun nwhw

,three cacellent gifts,,שתיו השם נבואה ומפתים וידיעת אל קות

prophecy, miracles, and divine knowledge, Psal. lxxiv. 9. all which he grants were to be restored by the Messiah; without mention of the other things before recited. And they confess this openly

משמתו הנביאים האחרונים חוגי .in Sota distinc. Egla hampha after the death of * זכריה ומלאכי נסתלקה רוח הקודש מישראל

the latter prophets, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, the Holy Spirit was taken away from Israel.'

"It is then confessed that God ceased to speak to the church in prophets as to their oral teaching and writing, after the days of Malachi; which reason of the want of vision, though continuing four hundred years and upwards, is called by Haggai, chap. ii, 6. ♫nx, unum pusillum, a little while,' in reference to the continuance of it from the days of Moses. Whereby the Jews may see that they are long since past all grounds of expectation of its restoration, all prophecy having left them double the time that their church enjoyed it, which cannot be called on a little while,' in comparison thereof." To return,

This was the λ, these the times, wherein God spake in the prophets; which determines one instance more of the comparison, namely, the fathers, Tos Targari, to whom he spake in them, which were all the faithful of the Judaical church from the days of giving the law, until the ceasing of prophecy in the days of Malachi.

In answer to this first instance, on the part of the gospel, the revelation of it is affirmed to be made in these last days, "hath spoken in these last days,” επ' εσχάτων των ήμερων τέτων ; the true stating of which time will also discover who the persons were to whom it was made, " hath spoken to us."

Most expositors suppose that this expression," the last days," is a periphrasis for the times of the gospel.' But it doth not appear, that they are any where so called; nor were they ever known by that name among the Jews, upon whose principles the apostle proceeds. Some seasons indeed under the gospel, in reference to some churches, are called the last days, I Tim. iv. 1. 2 Tim. iii. 1.; but the whole time of the gospel absolutely, is no where so termed. It is the last days of the Judaical church and state, which were then drawing to their period and abolition, that are here and elsewhere called the "last days," or the latter days, or the last hour, 2 Pet. iii. 3. 1 John ii. 18. Jude 18. For, 1. As we before observed, the apostle takes it for granted, that the Judaical church-state did yet continue, and proves that it was drawing to its period, chap. viii. ult. having its present station in the patience and forbearance of God only, without any necessity as to its worship, or preservation in the world. And hereunto doth the reading of the words in some copies, before intimated, give testimony, επ' εσχατες των ήμερων τάτων, “ in the end or extremity of these days,' which, as the event hath proved, can no way relate to the times of the gospel.

2. The personal ministry of the Son, whilst he was on the earth in the days of his flesh, is here eminently, though not solely intended. "For as God of old spake in the prophets, so in these last days he spake in the Son :" that is, in him, personally present with the church, as the prophets also were in their

several generations, chap. ii. 3. Now as to his personal ministry, he was sent "to the lost sheep of the house of Israel," Mat. xv. 24. (to whom also alone in his own days he sent his apostles, Mat. x. 5, 6.) and is therefore said to have been a "minister of the circumcision for the truth of God," Rom. xv. 5. being in the last place sent to the same vineyard, to which the prophets were sent before, Mat. xxi. 37. The words there used, "last of all he sent unto them his Son," are exegetical of these," he spoke in the Son in the last days."

εσχάτων

3. This phrase is signally used in the Old Testament to denote the last days of the Judaical church. So by Jacob, Gen, xlix. 1. " I will tell you what shall befal you, D'D' n'n82, in the last days," which words the LXX. rendered, ' xar TWY nugar, the words here used by the apostle; the days pointed to by Jacob being those wherein the Messiah should come, before Judah was utterly deprived of sceptre and scribe. Again by Balaam the same words are used to signify the same time, Num. xxiv. 14. where they are rendered 'xat tay nμegwy, in the end of the days,' as many copies read in this place. And in all the prophets this is the peculiar notation of that season, Dm ning, Micah iv. 1. Isa. ii. 1. " in the latter or last days," and 77, the He hajediah prefixed, noteth that course of days that were then running. As Deut. xxxi. 29. "Evil will overtake you, n, in the end of those days," and the promise of the conversion of some of the Jews to David their king is annexed to the same season, Hos. iii. 5. From these places is the expression here used taken, denoting the last times of the Judaical church, the times immediately preceding its rejection and final ruin. Hence Manasseh, lib. 3. de Resurrect. cap. 3. tells us out of Moses Gerundensis, p

In every place * שנאמר בו באחרית הימים הוא לימות המשיה

that mentions the latter days, the days of the Messiah are to be understood,' which saying of his is confirmed by Manasseh himself, though attended with a gloss abominable and false, that is purely Judaical. The days of the Messiah, and the days of the end of the Judaical church, are the same. And these words are expressly also used by R. D. Kimchi. Comment. in Isa. ii. 2. who honestly refers all the words of that prophecy to the Messiah.

It is not for nothing that the apostle reminds the Hebrews, that the season then present was the last days, whereof so many things were foretold in the Old Testament. Many of their concernments lay in the knowledge of it, which, because they. give great light to the whole cause as stated then between him and them, must be opened and considered. The sum is, that the end of their church and state, being foretold to be a perpetual desolation, Dan. ix. 27, the last days being now come VOL. III.

upon them, they might understand what they were shortly to expect and look for. The end of the Jews, being a people, a church and kingdom, was to bring forth the Messiah, whose coming and work must of necessity put an end to their old station and condition. Now because herein is enwrapped the most infallible demonstration that the Messiah is long since come, the apostle mentioning the last days to intimate that upon necessity he must be come in them, I shall further open his design in this matter; but having been large on this head in our Prolegomena, I shall briefly review the subject for their sakes, who by any difficulties may be deterred from the consideration of them.

God having from the foundation of the world promised to bring forth the "seed of the woman," to work out the redemption of his elect in the conquest of Satan, did, in the separation of Abraham from the rest of the world, begin to make provision of a peculiar stock, from whence the seed of the woman should spring. That this was the cause and end of his call and separation is evident from hence, that immediately thereupon God assures him that "in his seed all the kindreds of the earth should be blessed," Gen. xii. 1-3. xxii. 18. which is all one as if he had expressly said to him, For this cause have I chosen and called thee, that in thee I might lay a foundation of bringing forth the promised seed, by whom the curse is to be taken away, and the blessing of everlasting life procured, as Gal. iii. 13, 14. For this cause was his posterity continued in a state of separation from the rest of the world, that he might seek a holy seed to himself, Num. xxiii. 9. Mal. ii. 15. For this cause did he raise them into a civil, regal and church state, that he might in them typify and prefigure the offices and benefits of the promised Messiah, who was to gather to himself the nations that were to be blessed in the seed of Abraham, Gen. xlix. 10. Psal. xlv. Hos. iii. 5. Ezek. xxxiv. 23. And all their sacrifices did but shadow out that great expiation of sin, which he was to make in his own person, as hath been already proved.

Things being thus disposed, God promised to them that their civil political state, their condition as a peculiar nation and people, should be continued until the coming of the Messiah, Gen. xlix. 10. Ezek. xxi. 27. And this was made good to them, notwithstanding the great oppositions of those mighty empires, in the midst of whose devouring jaws they were placed, with some such short intercisions of the actual administration of rule amongst them, as being foretold, impeached not the promise. They lost not their civil state, until he came, to whom was "the gathering of the nations." After that, though many of the individuals obtained mercy, yet their being a nation or people, was of no peculiar use as to any special end of God.

Therefore was it immediately destroyed, and irrecoverably exterminated. From that day God in a wonderful manner blasted and cursed all their endeavours, either for the preservation of what they then had, or for its recovery and restoration when lost. No means could ever retrieve them into a people or nation on the old account. What may be hereafter on a new, God knows. The end of the days was come, and it was to no purpose for men to endeavour to keep up that which God would lay aside, after having accomplished the utmost of his design by it and upon it. And this season was fully evidenced to all the world, by the "gathering of the people to the Shiloh," or the coming in of the nations to partake in the "blessing of faithful Abraham," Micah iv. 1, 2.

Of their church-state there were two principal parts: the temple itself, and the worship performed in it. The first of these, namely the temple, and also the tabernacle, was set up to typify him in whom the fulness of the "Godhead should dwell bodily," and the worship prefigured the same person, as he was to be the Great High Priest and the sacrifice. Both these also were to be continued until the coming of the Messiah, but by no endeavours could be continued afterwards. Hence was that promise of the glory of the second house, built after the captivity, and restored by Herod, because of his coming to it who was signified by it, Hag. ii. 9. Mal. iii. 1. He was to come whilst that temple was standing, after which it was to be of no more use. And therefore Ezekiel describes a third spiritual temple to succeed in the room thereof. The condition of their sacrifices was the same. Therefore Daniel, foretelling the coming of the Messiah four hundred and ninety years after the captivity, adds, that upon his death the "daily sacrifice must cease forever," and a total desolation ensue, of all the things that were used for Old Testament worship, as the end had been accomplished, Dan. ix. 24-27. The nation, state, temple, sacrifices, being set apart, set up and designed for no other end but to bring him forth, he was to come whilst they were standing and in use, after which they were none of them to be allowed a being upon their old foundation. This is that which the apostle pointed at in mentioning the last days, that they might consider in what condition the church and people of the Jews then were.

To discover the evidence of this demonstration, as confirmed in our Prolegomena, I shall here also briefly add some considerations of the miserable entanglements of the Jews in seeking to avoid the argument here intimated to them by the apostle. It is a common tradition among them, that all things were made for the Messiah, whereby they do not intend, as some have imagined, the whole old creation, but all things of their church state and worship. So the Targum, Psal. xk