led. Rom. xi. 25. Then they fhall return (whenGod takes away the Veil that is upon their Hearts) and feek the Lord their God, and David their King. They will feek him then, with their whole Heart and Soul; yea, with all their Strength. Not the Two Tribes only, among whom Chrift was converfant, in the Days of his Flesh; but the Ten Tribes alfo, that were carry'd away captive, long before Chrift's firft Coming. They fhall all return: I will not af firm this of every individual Perfon; but I may fay, that all, or the Generality of all the Tribes, fhall return unto the Lord. In Rev. vii. we read of the Sealing of Twelve Thousand of every Tribe, Twelve times Twelve Thoufand. And in Romans, Chap. xi. Verse 26, 27. And fo all Ifrael fhall be Javed; as it is written, There fhall come out of Sion. the Deliverer, and hall turn away Ungodliness from Jacob. For this is my Covenant unto them, when r fhall take away their Sins. So that we may fee the Glory which is here promifed unto the Jews, together with the Gentiles, is a Glory, as it were, wrapt up in the Covenant of Grace. Now that this is to be fulfilled will appear, First, Because there is none can produce one Inftance, either in Scripture or Hiftory, that the Jews did return in that way as thefe Words do declare they fhall, fince this long and difmal Captivity, fince they have been depriv'd from having any King, Prince, or Sacrifice. Secondly, The Latter Part of the Text does fhew that their Return is not to be until the Latter Days; and they fhall fear the Lord and his Goodness, in the Latter Days. This is certain, that the Times before Chrift's Coming are no where in all the Old Teftament

of Uzziah King of Fudab: And the Lord my God hall come, and all the Saints with thee. This whole Prophecy of Zechariah is full of Latter Day Pro mifes, with refpect unto the Glory of Chrift's Kingdom, in this World; which, for Brevity fake, I omit. The First Verfe of this Chapter begins with the Coming of this great and awful Day. Behold the Day of the Lord cometh! Behold, obferve, and take a particular notice of this Time! And the Spoil fhall be divided, &c. There will be a Parting and Dividing of the Spoils of their Enemies. For I will gather all Nations against Jerufalem, to Battel, ver. 2. It can by no means be allowed that thefe things have been fulfilled; however fomething appeared like this Second Verfe, when the City was taken by Antiochus Epiphanes, and afterwards by the Armies of Titus Vefpafian; yet the Effects that are here fpoken of, did not then follow, nor have to this Day; and therefore remain ftill to have their Accomplishment. The Letter of thefe Words, with many others, doth fhew what a terrible Day the Beginning of this Time will be; a Time of Trouble, Juch as never was fince there was a Nation, Dan. xii.1. Mat. xxiv. 21. Luke xxi. 25. And there fhall be Signs in the Sun, and in the Moon, and in the Stars, and upon the Earth, Diftrefs of Nations with Perplexity: The Sea and the Waves roaring, Mens Hearts failing them for Fear,&c. Now tho' there was great Trouble upon the Jews, in the Deftruction of Jerufalem, yet it was not that Trouble here fpoken of, because there were not thofe great and extraordinary things then, that are immediately to follow thofe Troubles. But to return, all Nations are to gather themselves together against Jerufalem; that is, the fews: And then

the

the Lord fhall go forth, and fight against thofe Nations, as when he fought in the Lay of Battel; that is, when he destroyed the Canaanites; and the Sun food fill in its Place, for a whole Day. Thus the Lord will go forth again, to fight againft his Enemies; which will be the Day of the great Slaughter, fpoken of in Ifaiah: And bis Feet (in the 4th Verfe) ball fand in that Day, upon the Mount of Olives, which as before Jerufalem, on the Eaft; and the Mount of Olives fhall cleave, in the midft thereof, towards the Eaft, and towards the Weft, and there Shall be a very great Valley, and half of the Moantain fhall remove towards the North, and half of it toward the South. What can all this mean? Certainly fomething more than the common Expofition that is given upon this Chapter, which refers this only to Antiochus, or the Armies of Titus Vefpafian. I cannot fee any Abfurdity, if we take the Word in the Letter; that being (as Writers agree) the fureft way of Interpretation of Scripture, unlefs there is a neceffity of a figurative Sense to be put upon it: But I fee no Neceffity here; therefore, by his Feet Standing upon Mount Olives, is no other than the Lord Jefus Chrift; as appears in the Fifth Verfe. Secondly, The Time when he is to ftand there: And that is in that Day, in that great and wonderful Day of the Lord's Appearance. It cannot be referred unto the Time of hisFirst Coming, tho' he did often refort thither, in the Day of his Flesh: Yet that was not the Time of the Lord's Fighting against thofe Armies that are to be gathered together against ferufalem, that was not the Time of Mount Olive's cleaving in two; and therefore not the Time of Chrift's ftanding upon

that.

that Mount, wherein thefe wonderful Effects are to follow. Thirdly, Upon the Cleaving of the Mount: There will at this Time be a great Confternation upon the Spirits of Men, being fignify'd by their fleeing to the Valley of the Mountains, as Perfons in a fright, not knowing where to run for Safety. And ye hall flee, like as ye fled from before the Earthquake, as in the Days of Uzziah, King of Judah. There was a terrible Earthquake in Uzziah's Time; as appears in thefe Words, to which the Spirit of God alludes, to fhew what a Shaking of the Earth there will be, when thefe Mountains Jhall cleave afunder. Fourthly, What does this Mountain cleave afunder for? Certainly there is fome Reafon for it; And if I may humbly give my Thoughts, it. will be for the Enlargement of the Place, to make room for the Saints that are there to be gathered together. And there fhall be a very great Valley; for half of the Mountain fhall remove to the North, and half toward the South; for the Valley of the Mountain fhall reach unto Azal. Azal being the Name of a certain Place, is doubtlefs to fhew the Greatnefs of this Valley, by extending it felf at fo great diftance. Surely then this must be for the enlarging of the Borders of Canaan. Compare this with Ifaiah liv. 2. where we have this Exhorta-. tion; Enlarge the Place of thy Tent, and let them •Stretch forth the Curtains of thine Habitation: Spare not, lengthen thy Cords, and frengthen thy Stakes. The Reafon is render'd, why this Enlargement must be made, in Verfe 3. For thou shalt break forth on thy Right Hand, and on the Left. This is fpoke of the Glory that fhall be upon the Jewish Church; : which will caufe a multitude of the converted

Gentiles

Gentiles to flock unto her, as follows; and thy Seed fall inhabit the Gentiles, and make the defolate Cities to be inhabited.

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Verfe 5. Then we read, And the Lord thy God fhall come, and all the Saints with thee. And there fore the Time of Chrift's Feet ftanding upon Mount Olives, is not to be (according to thefe Words) until this great Earthquake; and the Mountain cleaving in two; which must be referred unto his Se cond perfonal Coming, with all the Saints. But in fpeaking to this, I fhall enquire, First, Who it is that fhall come? Secondly, Who they be that fall. come with him? Thirdly, From whence he will come? Fourthly, The Place where he will come? Fifthly, The manner how. And fixthly, TheTime when he will come. First, Who it is that will come? And that is in thefe Words, The Lord thy God. Whofe God is this? It is the God of Sion; called the Lord thy God, by way of Peculiarity; he is indeed the God of all the Armies in Earth and Heaven, the Lord of Hofts; but thy God in a peculiar fpecial Covenant Way. fer. xxxi. And therefore we are faid to be a peculiar People unto him, that we should fhew forth the Praises of him, who bath called us out of Darkness into his marvellous Light; 1Ep. of Pet. ii. 9. This God is our God for ever and ever, and will be our Guide even unto Death. Pfalm xlviii. 14. Oh what Grace is it to be interested in fuch a God as this is, and efpecially at fuch a Time as is here fpoken off! Well, this is the Person that will come, who is the God of his People, the Lord Jehovah, or God in the Mediator, the Lord Jefus Chrift, who is over all, God bleffed for ever, Amen. Rom. ix. 5. This is

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the