at the crucifixion, "every man to his own." The descendants also of those who crucified Him were, no considerable time afterwards, dispersed far and wide. In Matt. xxvi. 31, 32, Mark xiv. 27, the prediction is quoted, in which Christ undeniably specifies Himself as the Shepherd, and the man Jehovah's fellow, who was foretold by Zechariah. It likewise seems to have been a prediction, to which allusion was made on other occasions; such seem to be John xvi. 32. x. 12-15.

So in the succeeding chapter, in which the conversion of Israel, and the second advent of Christ are predicted, from the assertion, that the Lord shall be King over all the earth, and his name one, we receive a plain intimation, that the prophet implied, that the Divinity of Christ would then be universally acknowledged, which, compared with the seventh verse of the former, leaves no doubt, that the description then given was designed to assert the co-equality of the Eternal Son with the Eternal Father. This name is Jehovah, THE ETERNALLY SELF SUBSISTENT, which as it cannot be appropriated to a mere man, must connect the Messiah, to whom it is appropriated, with the Divine Essence.

MALACH I.

Of the parentage of Malachi there are no accounts, on which we can rely. Vitringa has shown, that the date of his prophecies must have been after the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes, about the time of Nehemiah's second return from Persia. The thirteenth chapter of Nehemiah compared with Malachi ; e. g. Neh. xiii. 30, compared with Mal. iii. 2, 3, and Neh. xiii. 12, with Mal. iii. 10, &c. has been justly alleged, as a proof of the fact.

Some have imagined, that Malachi was a name of office, which idea has chiefly proceeded from the Septuagint translators, who have rendered the words ev χειρὶ ἀγγέλου αὐτοῦ; and from the Chaldee Paraphrast, who adds to the name, "who otherwise is called Ezra the Scribe." Others have indulged the opinion, that Malachi was the title of the book, taken from chap. iii. 1, just as Bereshith &c. was of Genesis, having been selected as expressive of its chief purport; or as Cocceius says, "μvnμóσvvov potissimæ prophetiæ hujus libri, quæ extat: c. iii. 1." The enquiry is however unimportant, nor have we data to determine the true state of the case; for after all our researches, we shall only have discovered, that not any thing is known of Malachi, as an individual; but with the

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preceding remarks, Haggai i. 13 may very advantageously be compared. The predictions of the coming of Christ, and the preaching of John the Baptist, who should precede him, are the most remarkable in the book.

PROPHECY.

FULFILMENT.

send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Verily, I say unto you, Among them that are born of women, there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist." Matt. xi. 9-11.

"And, if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come." Matt. xi. 14.

"And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the Scribes, that Elias must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, that Elias is come already, and they knew him not; but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Then the disciples. understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist." Matt. xvii. 10-13.

CHAF. iii. 1.

MARK i. 2-4.

The prophet Malachi assured the Jews of the advent of the Messiah, by a forerunner, who was to prepare the way for Christ. Isaiah also made the same prediction. "The voice of him," said the prophet, "that crieth in the wilderness! Prepare ye the

way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for your God." The Messiah was to follow the messenger, who is described under the person of Elijah; and all the Evangelists historically verify the prediction. The Jews expected a forerunner; which expectation clearly arose from this prophecy. John the Baptist was the messenger, and the preacher of repentance, who declared that although he was a prophet, there was one, who should come after him more mighty than he, who would not baptize the people simply with water, but internally with the Holy Ghost. "The Lord" in this prophecy means the Messiah which interpretation the Jews, both ancient and modern, admit.

To the preparation of the Messiah's way in this and the corresponding passage in Isaiah, and the Lord's sudden advent to his temple, some have seen an allusion in the words of the Baptist, "Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." How far this may be correct must be left to private judgment. But that the Messenger of the covenant was Christ, who was to be distinguished from the messenger appointed to prepare his way, is obvious from the construction of the verse; and that this messenger of the covenant was a Divine personage, the Logos made flesh, is perceptible from the identifica

1 Chap. xl. 3.