will rejoice.'' The ,Yulga.te, lapidetur, points circumstances may exactly suit the l?renlo- to lwr pnnial1ment RB Rn Rdultoreee, whioh tion, but they do not exhllust it. And mdeed does not suit the context. Let our eye look wo do wrong to seek for minuto tiud dellnite upon Zion. The heathen anticipate with fulfilment of particula.r prediotione. Buch malicious pleMure the sight of the humilia- utterances are often conditionnl and are tion of JerusRlem (comp. Obad. 12, 13). modified by subsequent circumstnncee. The Yer. 12.-But the enemies who <'&me to prophets are concerned with great moral exult over Zion do not know God's design truths and the righteous government of the while blindly worldng it out. God's people world, and are not al we.ye to be interpreted are not to be destroyed, but their ad ver- with literal exactness. sa.ries. They know not the thoughts ot the Ver. 13.-Arise. Shake off thy sorrow Lord. The heathen, who were the instru- and fear and despair. And thresh. Tread ments of God's wrath against his people, thine enemies undel'foot, now that they are 1..-new nothing of hie purpose in thus afflict- gathered in the floor, as the oxen tread ing them, nor perceived that they themselves out the corn (Isa. xii. 15, eto.; Jer. Ii. 33.) were drawn together for punishment. He Thine hom. The horn is an emblem of shall gather (hath gathe, ed) them as the ~wer and victory, as appertaining to the 6heaves into the floor. Their blindness is wild ox, the most powerful animal in proved by their not perceiving till too late Cane.an (Dent. miii. 17; l Kings xxii. 11.) that God has brought theru together before The metaphor of threshing is dropped for Jerusalem, as sheaves are brought into the the moment, but resumed in the next clause. threshing-floor, in order to be broken up and Hoofs. In allusion to the mode of threshing destroyed (comp. Isa. xxL 10; Jer. lL 23). mentioned above (Deut. xxv. 4; 1 Cor. ix. 9). The metaphor is carried on in the next People ; peopks. Israel shall crush all the verse. Various a.re the explanations of the nations that rise up against her. I ( God) prophet's reference in this prophecy. Many will oonsecra.te. So the Masoretic text; but commentators see in it a reference to the the second person, whioh the ancient ver- destruction of the army of Sennacherib sions give, is preferable. Septuagint, (2 Kings xi.x.. 35) ; others discern a defeat lu,a,IJti,rm, "thou shalt dedicate;" Vulgate, of the Scythie.ns after the return from cap- interji,aiea. Thou, Zion, shalt devote their tivity; others, a.gain, place it in the times of gain unto the Lord. Thie consecration, or the :Maccabeee; and others interpret it of the devotion, to the Lord in the case of living defeat of the mystical adversaries of God's things involved death, the restitution to Church adnmbrat.ed in Ezek. xxxviii.; Zech. the Lord of the life which he had given xii ; and Rev. XL But the prophet has (see Lev. xxvii. 21, 28, 29; Zech. xiv. 21). not one definite event in view, but looks Thna the spiritual Israel, purified by suffer- forward to the general conflict between the ing, and redeemed, shall consecrate to the powers of the world and the Church, of Lord the power of the world; and all the which the historical events and material wealth and might of earth shall be sub- enemies were the types. Certain historica.l servient to the glory of the kingdom of God.
HOMILETICS. Vere. 1-8.-.77ie MesBiah's spiritw,J, kingdom. These verses co.II us away from the cuntemplation of sin and its effects as set forth in the previous chapters, and bid us turn our thoughts to the golden age that rose before the prophet's vision, and animated and cheered his heart in the dark days in which his lot was cast. We live in happier times. Much that was to him only distant expectation has become fully realized by us. " Blessed are our eyes," etc. (Matt. xili. 16, 17). Still, favoured as we are, the kingdom of Christ has not, even in our own day, attained unto the highest perfection. The noontide splendour of his rule has not yet been reached. 'l'he cross has brought the crown, and the Lord Christ now reigneth as King in Zion; but "we see not yet all things put under him." There are still many difficulties and discouragements, and there is much to sicken and sadden the hearts of all to whom his Name is precious, and his truth and kingdom dear. .And amids·~ all this we do well, like this seer, to look on to the ultimate complete triumph which the Christ shall assuredly win, and by this brigbt vision to gain the renewal of heart and hope. We have indicated here- I. CEllTAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MEBBIAH'!I KINGDOM. 1. Its Bpirituality. We shall assuredly lose sight of the beauty of these prophetic descriptions if we give to th~m a literal and material significance. 'l'his, indeed, is what the Jews themselves did, and hence the true Mes~iah was by them "despised anq rejected." "Aa upon the OH, IV, 1-13.] TH:El BOOK OF MICAH. 63