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concise manner. I. The excellence of the Meffiab. II. His offices. III. His benefits.

Meffiab, calling him 5s e

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fiah, one of a thou

XXXII He proclaims the excellence of the The Mefof a thoufand. Where thousand is a definite number put for an fand. indefinite; as if he had faid, one above others, let, them be ever fo many. There are indeed very many, who may be called angels and interpreters; and tho' thefe names may be given to thoufands, yet this perfon is not to be among the number of a thoufand 2 others, because he excells them all, in refpect of nature, dignity and efficacy, being, only one among fo many others.

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XXXIII. He first fet before us, under a general Alfo an appellation, the offices of the Meffiah and then more angel. particularly explains them. In general he calls him 7 an angel, because Chrift was fent by the Father, and spoke and acted with men in the Father's name. In Mah 3. 3, he is called the Angel of the covenant, Nevertheless he is fo the Angel of Jehovah, that, at the fame time, he is himself Jehovah, Zech. 3. 1, 2, in whom is the name of Jehovah, Exod. 23, 21, and who is by fo much more excellent than all other angels, as be abtained a more excellent name than they, Heb. 1. 4. Chrift was called an Angel before his incarnation, because he often appeared, as angels ufually did; and because he then performed thofe things, which depended on his future miffion in the flesh.

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XXXIV. But than more particularly 16. His And inter prophetical office, is fignified when he is called preter. 2 interpreter, a teacher, compare Ifa. 43. 27; namely because he is an be that dotb fpeak, Ifa. 52. 6 onog Tee the word of God, whofe office is to declare the Father, John 1. 18. Nay, he who speaks plainly, and interprets dark fayings. For this is the meaning of ns. a clear faying; to which is oppofed

a dark faying, Prov. 1. 6. Moreover, it belongs to Christ as a prophet, to declare unto man his righteoufnefs, externally by his word, internally by his fpirit,

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by which we may understand, either the righteouf-
nefs of God, demanding fatisfaction for fin, and
even chaftifing his elect on that account, or the
righteoufnefs of Chrift himself, or his fatisfactory
righteoufnefs, which is the only meritorious cause of
our falvation; or in a word, the righteoufness of
man, that is, the practice of faith and repentance.
There is none of all these things, which Chrift does
not teach his people.

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XXXV. 2dly. The office of redeemer, because tot deemer. him is afcribed or me, both fignifying the fame. thing, and 13. The former word denotes, re-ui demption from guilt, from his obligation to, and from the power of, another properly, indeed, that which is effected by a price, as Pf. 49. 7, where 17 and 12 price of redemption, are joined: improperly, that which is brought about by a greater power, oppofed to the power of an unjuft detainer, as Dut. 9.26, 72EĻU I thou hast redeemed through thy greatnefs; that is, as it is explained Neb. 1. 10, pin 17a beran ɔ, by thy great power and by thy strong hand. Both thefe ways of redemption are applicable to the Meffiab, who, on paying the price, purchafes the freedom of his people, and by a ftrong hand applies it to them. The term, P 7012 generally fignifies a price, by which any one may be appealed, and the punishment bought off. Chrift paid that price, when he gave his life a ransom for an many, Mat. 20. 28.

XXXVI. But interpreters are not agreed, whether thole words, deliver or reedem bim, are the words of o Chrift, interceeding with the Father; or the words of the Father addreffed to Chrift. Thofe who maintain the former, explain them thus. Redeem him, that in is, by thine infinite power deliver him from the evil, with which he is preffed down, and which otherwife hangs over him; for, I myself have undertaken to fatisfy thy juftice; and in that fatis faction there is húrpar the ranfom, which I have found, that is, which I know to be full and compleat; or

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which I have found, that is, have discovered to him, "for whom I intercede, that he may apprehend it by faith," Compare Heb. 9. 12, baving obtained eternal redemption. They, who choofe the latter, think, that the meaning of the words is this: "Do! "thou, O Chrift, redeem this wretched man, apply o "to him the efficacy of thy merits, I have no longer ru any objection to his happinefs; for, I have found a C ranfom, I have confidered and weighed the fatis"faction thou haft made for man, and have found it " to be fuch, as my juftice required, that is, highly fufficient. Whatever way we take the words, they yield a very fuitable meaning.nodes XXXVII. There are two benefits mentioned. aft. Who reThe mercy of God, if there be a messenger [an angel] conciles with him, an interpreter, this is the protafis, or firft his peopropofition; and, or then he is gracious unto him; this is the apodofis, or latter propofition. He fhews, that it is not otherwife poffible for man, to obtain mercy of God, unless there be fome Angel interceffor, who, by his atonement and interceffion, may reftore him to the favour of God: nay, unless that angel be with bim, y, by his gracious prefence, and by his aid and affiftance. For, by is often the fame as with; as Gen. 18. 8. Judges 3. 16, and other places: and here it feems molt properly applicable to the man fpoken of. If, among the numbers, who furround the fick perfon's bed, and who can only comfort him in his fickness with medicines, that fhall avail him nothing, or entertain him with frivolous, idle difcourfe, this one of a thousand be prefent, by his counfel, help and. interceffion, the man will then be exceedingly refreshed with the fruits of divine mercy; even deliverance from the pit, or corruption, that is, from death, both temporal and eternal.

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XXXVIII. None have occafion to defpife thefe Gregory's things as if they were modern inventions: for cer- expofition tainly, Gregory applies them at large to Chrift. For who, fays he, is that angel, but be, who, by the prophet,

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is called the angel of the covenant? For, feeing to evangelize, in the Greek, fignifies to declare as a messenger, our Lord, who delivers his message to us, is called the angel. He also more clearly obferves; there are who, by angel, understand Chrift, the angel of the great council, by whom we are juftified, fee, above all, the commentary of Sebaftian Schmidius, a divine of Sraftburg, dond Balaam's XXIX. Let us add to thefe Balaam's prophecy prophecy concern. concerning the Meffiak, which he delivered in magniingChrift. ficent language: Numb. 24. 15, 19, Balaam the fon

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of Beor bath Jaid, and the man, whofe eyes are open, barb faid: be bath faid, which heard the words of God, and knew the knowledge of the most high, which saw the vifion of the almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open : I shall see him (it) but not now! I shall behold him (it), but not nigh: there fhall come a star out of Jacob, and a fceptre fhall rife out of Israel, and fball fmite the corners of Moab, and deftroy all the children of Sheth. And Edom fhall be a poffeffion, Seir also feall be a poffeffion forbis enemies, and Ifrael fhall do valiantly. Out of Jacob shall come be that shall have dominion, and *Shall destroy him that remaineth of the city 117 Balaam's XL. The author of this prophecy is Balaam, commen- whom, from an ancient tradition of the Jews, Jerome

dation.

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and Eucherius will have to be the fame with Elibu, whofe teftimony concerning Chrifty we have juft explained. But Fridric Spanhem, the fon, in his • history of Job. c. 15. §. 18, 19, has learnedly fhewn the fillinefs of that tradition, and that there is no refemblance between Elihu and Balaam. Here Balaam mightily extolls himself, in order to gain the greater credit and authority to his prophecy, and tho' it is Anot without affectation and vain glory, that he uttered thefe haughty encomiums of himself yet by them God was pleafed to ratify, what he refolved to teach us by the mouth of the prophet. He calls himself the man whofe eyes were open, that is, endowed with prophetic light to difcern things, which were concealed from others: bearing the words of God, to whom God familiarly

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familiarly imparted his fecrets. Knowing the knowledge of the most high, knowing, from divine revelation, those things, which, in other refpects, God alone knows. Seeing the vifion of the almighty, like a prophet of the true God, according to Numb. 12. 6. I make myfelf knowu unto him in a vifion Falling into a trance, but baving his eyes open, who falls into a fleep, or an extafy, and yet has the eyes of his mind open. Whatever be bes the cafe as to his other prophecies, it is certainly not to be doubted, but he delivered this prophecy by any divine impul

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ho XLI. He premifes, that what, he had a profpect Why he of in spirit, as not nigh: I fee it but not now, I behold it fays, that but not nigh. He gives warning of this before hand, phefies of in order partly to embellish his prophecy, which things reached forwards to things fo diftant; partly to fhun long after to happen Senvy, and to comfort Balak, whom he endeavoured to gratify, as much as he could. However, he here allo comes up to the ftile of the holy prophets; who ufually refer, what they prophefy concerning the Meffiah, to the latter days.

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XLII. But what is the fubject of his prophefy? A What is ar, fays he, all come out of Jacob, and a feeptre meant by ball rife out of Ifrael. This might be understood the ftar and fcepliterally, and in a diminative fenfe, concerning David, who was, as it were, a kind of light, fhining ¿ in darkness, and who obtained the fceptre of Israel by a feries of aftonishing providences: who alfo fmote the Moabites, and made them tributary, 2 Sam. 8. 2. Hence he fays, Moab is my wash-pot, Pf. 90. 10, that is, does me the offices of the meaneft drudgery, is placed at my feet, as a veffel, in which I usually wash them. But these things have a higher view. And David, in this refpect, can only be confidered as the type of a more excellent perfon. The ftar therefore and feeptre fignify Chrift the Lord, who is both the light of his people, by the demonftration of the truth, and their manifold confolation by his word and spirit, the bright and morning far, Rev. 22. 16, and the

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