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133

Zechariah was the son of Barachiah, but both the place of his birth and the tribe to which he belonged are unknown. He was contemporary with Haggai, and was called to the prophetic office for the same purpose as that prophet.

The poetry of Zechariah is to be found towards the close of his prophecies, which contain several splendid passages. His style so much resembles Jeremiah, that the Jews were accustomed to say that the spirit of that prophet had passed into him.

The book of Zechariah contains an exhortation to repentance, and to the completion of the temple (ch. i. 1—6); encouragements to the latter work (ver. 7-ii. 5); an admonition for the Jews to depart from Babylon, with a promise of the divine presence (ver. 6-13); further encouragements to rebuild the temple, with assurances of success, and of a great future deliverance by the Messiah (ch. iii. iv.); a vision, in which the divine judgments against the wicked are represented as great and swift. The vision also intimates that the Babylonish captivity was occasioned by the wickedness of the people, and that a second would occur, should they continue impenitent (ch. v.); a vision of four chariots drawn by several sorts of horses, denoting the succession of the four great empires (ch. vi. 1—8); another vision, referring probably, in its primary sense, to the establishment of the kingdom under Zerubbabel and Joshua, but in a fuller sense, to the kingdom of the Messiah (ver 9-15). A deputation from the Jews in Babylon having been sent to Jerusalem, to inquire of the priests and prophets if they were still to observe the fasts on account of the destruction of Jerusalem, the prophet is commanded to enforce upon them the necessity of true repentance, judgment, and mercy, and the utter worthlessness of those outward observances which do not spring from a principle of obedience and love to God (ch. vii.); a promise of the restoration of Judah, with the returning favour and presence of God (ch. viii. 1-17); a permission to discontinue the fasts of the captivity (ver. 18, 19); a promise of the future enlargement of the church in the conversion of the Gentiles (ver. 20-23). Predictions of the conquest of Syria, Phoenicia, and Palestine, by Alexander the Great (ch. ix. 1-7); a declaration of the number of Philistines who should become proselytes to Judaism, and also of the watchful care of God over his temple in those troublous times (ver. 7, 8); a prophecy of the advent of Christ, the peace and extent of his kingdom, and the complete subjugation of all the enemies of his people (ver. 9-17. comp. Matt. xxi. 5, and John xii. 15);

a denunciation of the evils of idolatry, accompanied with an exhortation to the worship of God, and a promise of great prosperity on the obedience of the people (ch. x. comp. Ezek. xxxviii. xxxix.); a prediction of the rejection aud destruction of the Jews for their rejection of the Messiah (ch. xi.); God declares his care of his people, notwithstanding their sins, and his interposition in their favour; their deep sorrow and grief for their rejection of the Messiah, and their conversion to the faith of the gospel (ch. xii. xiii.); the destruction of Jerusalem, probably by the Romans; God's interposition in the destruction of their enemies; and their subsequent prosperity, ch. xiv. comp. Ezek. xxxviii. 39. and Rev. xx. 8, 9.

The Book of Malachi.

Malachi, the last of the prophets, completed the canon of the Old Testament Scriptures about 400 years before Christ, towards the end of the government of Ezra and Nehemiah. It has been imagined by some writers that Malachi (angel or messenger) was merely a general name, expressive of office, and that it was given to Ezra, whom they suppose to be the author of this book. Others conceive Malachi to have been an incarnate angel. For such opinions, however, no good ground can be assigned.

This prophet appears to have been raised up for the purpose of reproving the sins of the people, and of reforming those abuses, which had crept into the Jewish church and state, during the absence of Nehemiah at the court of Persia. His writings contain a denunciation of the divine displeasure, in consequence of the sins and idolatry of the people (ch. i. ii.) ; a prediction of the coming of Christ, and of the ministry of his harbinger, John the Baptist (ch. iii. 1); the terrible judgments which were to accompany the advent of the Messiah, in case of the impenitence of the people (ver.2-6); reproofs for various sins committed, and a declaration that God will ultimately make a signal distinction between the righteous and the wicked (ver. 7-iv. 1); another prediction of the appearance of "the Sun of Righteousness," and his great harbinger, John, with a solemn injunction to regard the law of Moses, ver. 2-6.

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SECTION V.

OF THE BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.

The books of the New Testament are divisible into three classes- HISTORICAL, DOCTRINAL, and PROPHETICAL. The first embraces the four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles; the second includes the Apostolic Epistles; and the last, the book of Revelation. We do not mean, however, that either of these classes excludes the subjects of the other: like all the other sacred books, those of the New Testament are of a mixed nature, and contain history, prophecy, and doctrine. In the second and third centuries the New Testament was divided into two parts-the Gospels and the Epistles, or Gospels and Apostles. Other divisions have obtained in subsequent ages, with which it is unnecessary to trouble the reader. THE NEW TESTAMENT is called in the Greek, H KAINH AIAOHKH, e Kaine Diatheke, the New Testament, or Covenant, a title which was early borrowed by the Church from the Scriptures (Matt. xxvi. 28; Gal. iii. 17; Heb. viii. 8; ix. 15. 20), and authorized by the Apostle Paul, 2 Cor. iii. 14. The word Stanen, in these passages, denotes a covenant; and in this view, THE NEW COVENANT signifies, "A book containing the terms of the new covenant between God and man." But, according to the meaning of the primitive church, which adopted this title, it is not altogether improperly rendered NEW TESTAMENT; as being that wherein the Christian's inheritance is sealed to him as a son and heir of God, and wherein the death of Christ as a testator (Heb. ix. 16, 17) is related at large, and applied to our benefit. As this title implies that in the Gospel unspeakable gifts are given, or bequeathed to us, antecedent to all conditions required of us; the title of TESTAMENT may be retained, though that of COVENANT is more exact and proper.

*

The term GOSPEL, which is more generally applied to the writings of the four Evangelists, comprising a history of the transactions of our Lord Jesus Christ, is not unfrequently used in a more extended sense, as including the whole of the New Testament Scriptures, and also that system of grace and mercy which they unfold. This word, which exactly answers to the Greek term, Evayyɛλiov, is derived from the Saxon words, God (Good) and spel (speech or tidings), and is evidently intended to denote the good message, or the "glad tidings of great joy," which God has sent to all mankind, preaching peace by Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all,” Acts

* Michaelis' Introduction, ch. i.; and Bishop Percy's Key, p. 32.

Concerning the order of the New Testament books, biblical writers are by no means agreed. The following table is compiled from Mr. Townsend's Chronological Arrangement, where the conflicting opinions of chronologists have been considered and decided upon with great care and judgment:

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That all the books which convey to us the history of events under the New Testament, were written and immediately published by persons contemporary with the events, is most fully proved by the testimony of an unbroken series of authors, reaching from the days of the Evangelists to the present times; by the concurrent belief of Christians of all denominations; and by the unreserved confession of avowed enemies to the Gospel. In this point of view the writings of the ancient Fathers of the Christian Church are invaluable. They contain not only frequent references and allusions to the books of the New Testament, but also such numerous professed quotations from them, that it is demonstrably certain, that these books existed in their present state a few years after the conclusion of our Saviour's ministry. No unbeliever in the Apostolic age, in the age immediately subsequent to it, or indeed in any age whatever, was ever able to disprove the facts re

corded in these books; and it does not appear that in the early times any such attempt was made. The facts therefore related in the New Testament, must be admitted to have really happened; and these abundantly prove the divine mission of Christ, and the sacred origin and authority of the Christian religion.*

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SECTION VI.

OF THE GOSPELS.

The term GOSPEL, as before remarked, is the designation given to the writings of the four Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; which comprise an authentic account of the incarnation, ministry, miracles, sufferings, death, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ. It must not be supposed, however, that these writers have related all the circumstances of the life of the Redeemer, or that they have recorded all the discourses and instructions which he delivered. Their object has been to preserve a record of the most important of these, and those of such a character as should disclose the nature, and prove beyond dispute the divine origin of the Christian system. This is in fact declared by John-" Many other things there are which Jesus did, which are not written in this book but these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing, ye might have life through his name." Some things related by one Evangelist are omitted by another, or related with some varying circumstances, as best suited the object for which they were severally writing. Another thing to be observed is, that the writers of the Gospels have not confined themselves to chronological order, the arrangement of events being not merely those of time, but of the various associations, such as similarity in the facts themselves, vicinity of place, &c. A want of attention to this circumstance will induce much confusion in reading the evangelical histories.+ Finally, it does not appear to have been any part of the design of the Evangelists to preserve the very words which were made use of on any occasion, but rather to give the. sense and meaning of what was spoken. And if they have so done, they may truly

*Bishop Tomline's Elements of Christian Theology. See also, Dr. Whitby's General Preface; Lardner's Works, Index under Gospels; and Chalmers on the Authority of the Christian Religion.

+For some valuable observations on this subject, the reader is referred to Cook's Inquiry into the Books of the New Testament, p. 210, &c.

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