skin, and put breath into you; and ye shall live, and shall know that I (am) the LORD." The Prophet then informs us, that although he thought this a thing almost im possible; yet he prophefied; because it was. God's command that he should do so; ver. 7. "So I prophefied as I was commanded : and as I prophefied there was a noise; And behold, (there was) a shaking, and the bones drew near, bone to its bone. And when I looked, behold, (there were) finews upon them, and the flesh came up, and the skin covered them above: but (there was) no breath in them. Then he said unto me, Prophesy unto the breath, prophesy, O fon of man, and say unto the breath, Thus faith the LORD God: Come from the four winds O breath; and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophefied as he commanded me; and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great host. Then he said unto me; Son of man, these bones (are) the whole house of Ifrael: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is loft; we are cut off off for our parts." This is, a very just complaint of the nation; for although they are to be restored by the Meffiah, in the latter days; yet of what benefit will the future redemption be, to those that have been so cruelly perfecuted to death, and suffered martyrdom for the fake of his holy name, during this long and dreadful captivity? Thus alfo the Prophet Ifaiah complained: (See Vol. Ift. page 176. &c.) and in answer to which, he immediately received that most benign, confolatory, and enlivening promife, "Thy dead men shall live; my deceased, they shall rife." as shewn at large, Vol. Ift. p. 181. &c. So the Prophet here likewise receives an order, to prophesy of the future refurrection, for their confolation; that they who mourn for Jerufalem, may also rejoice with her: ver. 12-14. "Therefore prophesy, and say unto them; Thus faith the LORD God; Behold, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, O my people; and bring you into the land of Ifrael. And ye shall know that I (am) the LORD, when I have opened your graves, and caused you to come up out of your graves, VOL. II. 00 O my people, And shall put my spirit with in ye, and ye shall live, and I shall place. you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken (it), and have done (it), faith the LORD." Thus has the Prophet in a forcible and beautiful manner, under the fimilitude of a prodigious number of dry bones, shewn the refurrection of the Jewish nation: I say of the Jewish nation; and not of the rest of mankind: for although, in speaking of the great end that is to be effected by the refurrection, I have observed*, that there is to be a particular, and general refurrection: the former, for the Jewish nation; and the latter for the rest of mankind: yet, here, the Prophet only speaks of that for the Jewish nation; and therefore says, " And will cause you to come up out of your graves, O my people;" and which is another great proof, that the Prophet was foretelling the refurrection, which is to take place after the restoration of the nation: as he made use of the term "graves," and which, he would by no means have done, had he intended to * Vol. Ift. p. 194. &c, have shewn the restoration of the nation, under the fimilitude of the image of the dry bones; as Christian commentators in general say, because there were no graves there; and therefore he did not make mention of any; as they all laid in the open valley: he therefore would have faid, as usual, And I will bring you up from among the nations, &c. and will bring you into your land: and not have spoken of breath, and life, and the opening of the graves, &c. It therefore is plain, that this prophecy is to shew the future refurrection; as hath been shewn from the arrangement of the three prophecies that follow each other. The reason that Christian commentators in general explain it, as denoting the future restoration of the nation; and not their refurrection, hath been thewn at large, (Vol. Int. p. 182. &c.) in my remark on Bishop Lowth's Note on Ifaiah xxvi. 19. I must now observe, that it is manifest, that this prophecy hath at no time whatsoever been fulfilled; but remains to be accomplished at the time of the future restoration of the nation, by means of the true Meffiah. The fixth prophecy commences verse 15th, of the fame chapter that contained the preceding prophecy; and is continued to the end of the last verse of the fame. : The Prophet having in the preceding prophecy, shewn the future refurrection of the dead; proceeds now to inform us, that at the time of the refurrection, and the restoration of the nation; the union of the kingdoms of Ifrael and Judah, will also then take place; and they shall not be divided into two kingdoms, any more: ver. 1522. "The word of the LORD came also unto me, saying; Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and the children of Ifrael his companions *; Then take another stick and write upon it, " For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and of all the house of Ifrael his companionst. Then join them one to another (as) into one stick, and they shall be * That is, Benjamin and Levi, who adhered to the kingdom of Judah ; as also some few of the other tribes, that fell to Judah. † This denotes all the other tribes of Ifrael, and therefore the Prophet said, "all the house of Ifrael." : come |