converted, and restored to their land in the latter days, they fhall never be again difinherited. These circumftances, therefore, fix the distress here mentioned to the period immediately preceding their converfion.

That famine is a chief ingredient in this diftrefs, is hinted by the Prophet Ezekiel, in the paffage already quoted, chap. vii. 19. "They "fhall caft their filver in the ftreets, and their "gold fhall be removed: Their filver and their

gold fhall not be able to deliver them in the "day of the wrath of the Lord: They fhall "not fatisfy their fouls, neither fill their bowels; "because it is the ftumbling-block of their

iniquity." The word tranflated streets, signifies abroad, in the open fields; that tranflated removed, fignifies fomething removed, as unclean; it is the word rendered filthiness, 2 Chron. xxix. 5.; the particle rendered because, fometimes fignifies although. The ftumblingblock of their iniquity, means the outward object, which gratifies the predominant paffion; it is therefore joined to heart-idols, Ezekiel xiv. 4. The whole verfe might be rendered thus, "They fhall caft away their filver in the open "fields, and their gold they shall separate from "them as vile, (their gold and their filver shall "not be able to deliver them in the day of the "wrath of the Lord; these shall not fatisfy

"their

"their hunger, nor fill their bowels); although

it was the great object of defire with them, "to gratify their covetoufness." The circumstances mentioned here are exceedingly defcriptive of a terrible famine. Covetous men caft away their gold as vile, because it cannot fill their bowels.

Are we folicitous to know the agents by whom this distress is brought upon the Jews, the prophecies difcover thefe likewife. The chief agent appears to be the blafphemous king now residing in Jerufalem. Their distress is owing to a virulent perfecution of their nation, carried on by him throughout the extent of his jurifdiction, which, as we have already seen, is confiderable. That he carries on a perfecution against some people who incurred his indignation, is obvious, from the testimony of Daniel, chap. xi. 44. " But tidings out of the "eat and out of the north fhall trouble him: "therefore he fhall go forth with great "fury to deftroy, and utterly to make away

many." That the perfecution fhall be very virulent, is implied in the expreffions. The word rendered, "utterly to make away," fignifies to devote to death with a curfe: it is the fame used in that fentence of the law, Leviticus, chap. xxvii. 28, 29. "Nevertheless every devoted thing, whether of man or beaft, it shall not

"be redemed, it fhall furely be put to death." It implies therefore, that he went forth with a purpose of exterminating the people against whom his fury was directed. But why fhould we fuppofe that people to be the Jews? In two verfes after, the prophet mentions the extraordinary trouble of their nation, and that it should take place about the fame time, which affords a prefumption, that their trouble was the confequence of his fury.

But the prophet Ezekiel put this circumftance beyond a doubt, chap. xxxv. 5. where God addreffes Edom, and after denouncing fevere judgments, intimates the reason thus ; "Because "thou haft had a perpetual hatred, and haft shed "the blood of the children of Ifrael by the force "of the fword, in the time of their calamity, in "the time that their iniquity had an end." The perfon here addreffed is Edom, meaning the king of fpiritual Babylon, for the reafons already mentioned; to which we may add, that he is literally king of Edom, at the period mentioned in the prophecy, by having at leaft a fpiritual jurifdiction over the country once poffeffed by Edom. He is charged with a perpetual hatred. The Pope, from the beginning, bore a hatred to the fpiritual Ifrael of God. When poffeffed of the country of Edom, he fhall inherit the old hatred of Edom against his brother Jacob,

Jacob, and prefecute the literal Ifrael," fhed

66

ding their blood by the force of the fword." What aggravates his crime is, the time in which he carries on this perfecution. It is, “the time " of their calamity ;" that is, of their " great "trouble, fuch as never was fince they were a "nation;"" in the time that their iniquity had

an end;" that is, when God was about to be reconciled with them, after they had been excluded from his favour for two thousand years before; in a word, at the end of their great difperfion. This circumftance of the time, prevents the application of this paffage to any perfecution carried on by ancient Edom, and indeed fixes the period to that immediatly preceding their converfion. This is confirmed by two parrallel views of the fame time, given likewife in this paffage: "I will make myself known "amongst them, when I have judged thee," ver. 11. Here is a promife, that God will manifest himself to Ifrael, by their conversion and restoration, at the time he will execute judgment on Edom, immediately after the prefecution. His perfecution therefore coincides with the time of their converfion. "Thus faith the "Lord God, When the whole earth rejoiceth, "I will make thee defolate," ver. 14. Here the time of punishing Edom is represented as a period of univerfal joy throughout the earth.

4

It must therefore fignify the Millennium, and Edom can be no other than the "beaft and falfe

prophet, who were caft into the lake of "fire," immediately before it commenced, Rev. xix. 20. The whole prophecy of Obadiah has an afpect to this perfecution, more than to any thing done by the ancient Edomites, as appears from the concluding verfes: "For the day of "the Lord is near upon all the heathen: "thou haft done, it shall be done unto thee; "thy reward fhall return upon thine own head. "For as ye have drunk upon my holy moun"tain, fo fhall all the heathen drink continually;

as

yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow "down, and they shall be as though they had "not been," ver. 15, 16. This is a difcriplion of the battle of Armageddon, which fol tows after the converfion of the Jews, and of the perfecution which preceded it, mentioned in the former part of the chapter. As the heathen in general, and Edom in particular, adminiftered the cup of God's anger to Ifrael, fo they shall drink of the fame cup in this decifive battle. The expreffions are fimilar to thofe of Ifaiah on the fame fubject. "I have taken out "of thine hand the cup of trembling,—but I " will put it into the hand of them that afflict

thee," chap. li. 22, 23. "But upon mount "Zion fhall be deliverance, and there shall be "holinefs;