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and a few small fishes! Here there must have been a manifest creation of substance-for they all ate and were filled.*

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(36.) The feeding of five thousand with five loaves and two fishes, John vi. 8-13. "One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes but what are they among so many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves: and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten." It is scarcely possible to imagine a more wonderful proof of the creative power of Christ, than was here displayed. The loaves were of the small kind, common in the country; and the fishes were small, probably the sort called, by the Jews; and yet, after the five thousand were fed, twelve times as much, at least, remained, as they at first sat down to!*

(37.) The calming of the tempest, Luke viii. 23, 24. "But as they sailed he fell asleep and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm." As the agitation of the sea was merely the effect of the wind, it was necessary to remove the cause of the commotion before the effect would cease. But who, by simply saying, Peace, Be still, (Mark 8. 39,) could do this but God? One word of our Lord can change the face of nature, and calm the troubled ocean, as well as restore peace to the disconsolate soul.*

(38.) The miraculous cures at the pool of Bethesda, John v. 2—4. "Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water; whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had." The sanative property of this pool has been supposed by some to have been communicated by the blood of the sacrifices, and others have referred it to the mineral properties of the waters. But, 1. The beasts for sacrifice were not washed here, but in a laver in the temple. 2. No natural property could cure all manner of diseases. 3. The cure only extended to the first who entered. 4. It took place only at one particular time. 5. As the healing was effected by immersion, it must have been instantaneous;

* Comprehensive Bible, Note in loco.

and it was never-failing in its effects. All which, not being observed in medicinal waters, determine the cures to have been miraculous, as expressly stated in the text.*

(39.) The raising of Lazarus from the dead.—John xi. 1–44. The raising of Lazarus from the dead, being a work of Christ beyond measure great, the most stupendous of all he had hitherto performed, and beyond all others calculated to evince his divine majesty, was therefore purposely recorded by the Evangelist John; while it was omitted by the other Evangelists, probably, as Grotius supposes, because they wrote their histories during the life of Lazarus; and they did not mention him for fear of exciting the malice of the Jews against him; as we find from ch. 12. 10, that they sought to put him to death, that our Lord might not have such a monument of his power and goodness remaining in the land.*" And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go." Bound hand and foot with graveclothes' denotes, Swathed about with rollers,' or bandages, kuipiais, long strips of linen, a few inches in breadth, brought round the σivdwv, or sheet of linen in which the corpse was involved, and by which the apwμara, or spices were kept in contact with the flesh. In reply to sceptical objections, it is sufficient to observe, that he who could raise Lazarus from the dead, could, with a much less exertion of power, have so loosened, or removed, the bandages of his feet and legs, as to have rendered it practicable for him to come forth. Tittman well observes, that Lazarus was restored not only to life, but also to health, as appears from the alacrity of his motion; and this would constitute a new miracle.*

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(40.) The restoring to sight one born blind.-John ix. 1-34. as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.""When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, and said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.""Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind." That there are cases in which a person born blind may be restored to sight by surgical means, we know; but it is perfectly evident that no such means were used by our Lord. And it is worthy of remark, that, from the foundation of the world, no person born blind had been restored to sight, even by surgical operation, till about the year 1728; when the celebrated Dr. Cheselden, by couching the eyes of a young man, 14 years of age, restored them to perfect vision. This was

the effect of well directed surgery: that performed by Christ was wholly a miracle, effected by the power of God. The simple means employed could have had no effect in this case; and were merely employed as symbols.*

8. By the prophecies contained in the Sacred Writings; as those respecting

(1.) SHEM, which signifies name or renown; and his, indeed, was great both in a temporal and spiritual sense. The finest regions of Upper and Middle Asia were allotted to his family; as Armenia, Media, Persia, &c. (Gen. x. 21—31.) But his chief renown consisted in his being destined to be the lineal ancestor of the promised Seed of the woman, to which Noah might allude in his pious ejaculation, Gen. 9. 26.† "God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant : " these words are ambiguous; for they may mean either that God or that Japheth shall dwell in the tents of Shem. In either sense the prophecy has been literally fulfilled.‡

(2.) JAPHETH, which denotes enlargement, and how wonderfully have his boundaries been enlarged! For not only Europe, but Asia Minor, part of Armenia, Iberia, the whole of the vast regions north of Taurus, and probably America, fell to the share of his posterity. Gen. x. 2-5.§

(3.) HAM, which signifies burnt or black; and this name was peculiarly significant of the regions allotted to his family. To the Cushites, or descendants of Cush, were allotted the hot southern regions of Asia, along the shores of the Persian Gulf, Susiana or Chusistan, &c.; to the sons of Canaan, Palestine, and Syria; to the sons of Mizraim, Egypt and Lybia, in Africa. Gen. x. 6-20.|| Upon CANAAN, the son of Ham, Noah prophetically denounced the curse recorded in Gen. ix. 25. "Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren." Agreeably to this, the devoted nations, which God destroyed before Israel, were descended from Canaan: and so were the Phoenicians and the Carthaginians, who were at length subjugated with dreadful destruction by the Greeks and Romans. The Africans, who have been bought and sold like beasts, were also his posterity. T

(4.) ISHMAEL, Gen. xvi. 12, where the word rendered 'wild' also denotes the 'wild ass ;' the admirable description of which animal in Job 39、 5—1, affords the very best representation of the wandering, lawless, freebooting life of the Bedouin and other Arabs, the descendants of Ishmael.* Such is their predatory habit, that it became proverbial. (See Je. 3. 2.) Sir J. Chardin, in a MS. note cited by Harmer, (ch. 2. Ob. 10.) states that the Arabs wait for caravans with the most violent avidity, looking about them on all sides, raising themselves up on their horses, running here and

* Comprehensive Bible, Note in loco.
Idem, Note on Gen. 9. 27.
Idem, Note on Gen. 10. 5.

+ Idem, Note on Gen. 10. 21.
Idem, Note on Gen. 9. 27.
Idem, Note on Gen. 9. 25.

there to see if they can perceive any smoke, or dust, or tracks on the ground, or any other marks of people passing along.' ́ When attacked by a powerful foe, they withdraw into the depths of the wilderness, au fond du desert, (Je. 49. 8.) as Niebuhr expresses it, (Descript. de l'Arabie, p. 329. Voyage, tom. ii. p. 199.) whither none can follow them. So M. Savary (Lettre i. sur l'Egypt, tom. ii. p. 8.) says, speaking of the Bedouins, 'Always on their guard against tyranny, on the least discontent that is given them, they pack up their tents, lade their camels with them, ravage the flat country, and, laden with plunder, plunge (s'enfoncent) into the burning sands, where none can pursue them.'*

(5.) The descendants of ESAU, or the EDOMITES, who possessed themselves of the country originally occupied by the Horites, (namely, Mount Seir,) the descendants of Ham, who appear to have been finally blended with their conquerors. It was a mountainous though fertile tract, on the south of Judah, including the mountains of Gebal, Seir, and Hor, and the provinces of Uz, Dedan, Teman, &c. (Gen. xxv. 25, 30. Deut. ii. 12.) forming a continuation of the eastern Syrian chain of mountains, beginning with Antilibanus, and extending from the southern end of the Dead Sea, to the eastern gulf of the Red Sea. It is evidently comprehended under the modern names of Djebal and Shera, mentioned by Burckhardt.†

The blessing bestowed upon Esau by his father Isaac was in the following terms: "Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above; and by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck." (Gen. xxvii. 39, 40.) It is here foretold, says Bishop Newton, that as to situation, and other temporal advantages, the two brothers should be much alike, (See ver. 28.) Mount Seir, and the adjacent country, were at first the possession of the Edomites; and they afterwards extended themselves farther into Arabia, and into the south of Judea. But wherever they were situated, in temporal advantages they were little inferior to the Israelites. Esau had cattle, beasts, and substance in abundance, and he went to dwell in Mount Seir of his own accord; but had it been such a barren and desolate country as some represent it, he would hardly have removed thither with so much cattle. The Edomites had dukes and kings reigning over them, while the Israelites were slaves in Egypt. (Gen. xxxvi.) When the Israelites, on their return, desired leave to pass through the territories of Edom, it appears the country abounded with fruitful fields and vineyards. (Num. 20. 17.) If the country is barren and unfruitful now, neither is Judea what it was formerly.‡

Subsequently they appear to have applied themselves with great success to trade and commerce, their principal ports being Elath and Ezion-gaber on the Red Sea; and for upwards of 400 years they maintained their in

* Comprehensive Bible, Note in loco.

+ Idem, Note on Gen. 32. 3.

dependence, till the time of David, who entirely conquered them, slew several thousands, and compelled the rest to become tributaries and servants, placing garrisons among them to secure their obedience, agreeably to Gen. 25. 23; 27. 29, 37, 40. (2 Sam. 8. 14; 1 Kings 11. 15, 16; 1 Chr. 18. 12.) Notwithstanding the attempt of Hadad to revolt, they continued subject to Judah for about 150 years, being governed by viceroys or deputies appointed by the kings of Judah, (1 Kings 11. 15—22; 22.47; 2 Kings 3. 7.) They revolted, however, from Jehoram king of Judah, and ultimately succeeded in rendering themselves independent, thus fulfilling Gen. 26. 40 (2 Chr. 21. 8—10); though afterwards Amaziah and Uzziah terribly ravaged their country, the former taking Petra their capital, the latter taking Elath on the Red Sea. (2 Kings 14. 7; 2 Chr. 25. 11, 12; 26. 2.) Subsequently they invaded the south of Judah, and slew and took prisoners a number of the inhabitants; but they were quickly punished for their cruelty by the Assyrians, who ravaged Edom and destroyed Bozra their capital. When Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem, the Edomites joined him, and incited him to raze the city to its foundations. This cruel and implacable conduct, however, did not long go unpunished; for, about five years after the capture of Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar conquered Edom, and rendered it a desolate wilderness. Many of the Edomites, during the Babylonian captivity, being driven from their ancient habitation by the Nabatheans, seized upon the south-western part of Judea (Strabo, l. xvi.) When the Chaldean monarchy was dissolved, they re-collected themselves; and, while part of them were incorporated with the Nabathean Arabs, others seized upon the southern parts of Judah.

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The Jews having returned to their own land, the house of Jacob and the house of Joseph did also break out as a flame upon the Idumeans, (Obad. 18,) for under Judas Maccabæus they attacked and defeated them several times, killed no less than twenty thousand at one time, and more than twenty thousand at another, and took their chief city Hebron, with the towns thereof, and pulled down the fortress of it, and burned the towns thereof round about,' (1 Mac. v; 2 Mac. x); and at last, about thirty years afterwards, his nephew, Hyrcanus, son of Simon, took other of their cities, and reduced them to the necessity of either embracing the Jewish religion, or of leaving their country, and seeking other habitations; in consequence of which they submitted to be circumcised, became proselytes to the Jewish religion, and ever after were incorporated into the Jewish church and nation. (Josephus, Ant. 1. xiii. c. 9, § 1, or c. 17.) Thus they were actually masters of Edom, and judged and governed the Mount of Esau. (Obad. 21.)

Before the sacking of Jerusalem by Titus, a body of Edomites deserted the Jews, and got off, laden with booty; but since that period, their very name has perished from among the nations. (Jer. xxv. Obad.) We know indeed, as Bp. Newton remarks, little more of the history of the Edomites

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