verse 28th. "And it shall be, (that) as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to overthrow, and to deftroy, and to afflict; fo will I watch over them, to build, and to plant faith the LORD."

in verfe 29th, the Prophet takes notice of the parable made ufe of by the nation during the captivity. "In those days they fhall no more fay, the fathers have eaten a four grape, and the children's teeth fhall be fet on edge. But every man fhall die in his own iniquity; every man that hath eaten the four grape, his teeth fhall be fet on edge." The generality of Commentators have been of opinion, that this proverbial expreffion denotes, that in those future times, of which the Prophet was fpeaking, the children fhould not be punished for the fins of their fathers, as they were heretofore. To this opinion, I can by no means affent; for that part of Scripture, on which it is founded, Exod. xx. 5. & Deut. v. 9. where it is faid, that, "God vifiteth the fins of the fathers upon the children;" is meant of the fin of idolatry only and when the children are alfo guilty of the faid crime; then are the fins

of

preferves them for the great end of their redemption and falvation, by the hands of the true Meffiah, according to the promises delivered by the mouths of his fervants the Prophets.

I must now obferve that, none of the aforementioned fundamental principles contained in this prophecy, have hitherto been accomplished: not at their return from Babylon; for those that returned from Babylon, were the people of Judah only, who had been carried captive by Nebuchadnezzar : but here the Prophet tells us, that not only the captivity of Judah fhould be restored, but the captivity of Ifrael also; meaning the ten tribes that were carried away long before, by Shalmanefer king of Affyria, and who still remain in that captivity; having never returned to their own land, when thofe that were captive in Babylon went up; and which were only a few of Judah and Benjamin, and fuch as fell to them, and those not of the most respectable. But according to the terms of this prophecy, we are entitled to expect, not a partial, but a complete and univerfal restoration of both the kingdoms of Ifrael

the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD; as he will circumcise their hearts fo that in lieu of their fathers being carried into captivity, they will enjoy the redemp-. tion and salvation of the LORD; they therefore, will not fay any more, that they have borne the iniquities of their fathers; because they will have been redeemed from that captivity wherein their fathers iniquity had brought them and they will then say, "every man fhall die for his own iniquity; whence it is clear, that the Prophet spoke of their past condition; not of their future: for after their redemption, they will no more fall into fin; as the Prophet fays immediately after, ver. 31ft. &c. "Behold, the days come, faith the LORD, that I will make with the house of Ifrael, and with the house of Judah, a new covenant: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers, in the day that I took them by the hand, to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which covenant of mine they violated, although I was an husband unto them, faith the LORD. But this (fhall be) the covenant which I will make with the house of Ifrael; after those days, faith the LORD, I will put my law in

to

to their inward parts, and upon their heart will I write it ;" This properly denotes the Law which he had aforetime given to Mofes: but by no means does it imply a new law, as fome have erroneously imagined; but only a new covenant: and the immediate confequence of that covenant will be, that the law which he had given them of old, will be fixed in their inward parts, and written upon their hearts and which is the reason, that the Prophet made ufe of the verb 'n in the preter tenfe, (which if Dr. Blaney had been able to have comprehended; he would not have had the trouble to have written, nor his readers that of reading a long note, about the fixteen or feventeen MSS. that have prefix converfive.and his conjecture about n instead of 'nn) I have given; because the law had been given of old; but by the new covenant, that law would be in their hearts; so that they should not swerve from the due performance thereof, as they did heretofore: then will that union take place, which the Prophet fpeaks of in the latter member of the verfe. "And I will be

their God, and they fhall be my + people."

The Prophet in verfe 34th, informs us, that there will then be no neceffity to inftruct mankind in the knowledge of their duty to God; as this knowledge will be as natural to them, as the first principles inherent in man. He alfo informs us, that this will not be on account of the fear of punishment for what they had done; for that he would pardon their iniquity, and not remember their fin; but that the real caufe of the fear and knowledge of God, being fo firmly fixed in the hearts of men, would be on account of the great and ftupendous miracles which will then be wrought in their fight: and of which, no one will be able to entertain the leaft doubt. "And they fhall not teach any more, every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, faying, Know ye the LORD; for they shall all know me, from the least of them, unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD; for I will pardon their iniquity, and their fin will I remember no more."

* Heb. And I will be unto them for a God.

Heb. And they fhall be unto me for a people.

The