even for ever"." "At that time I will undo all that afflict thee, and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out." To halt, and to be lame, in the language of Scripture, mean, to waver in faith, or to walk otherwise than uprightly*. The halting of the patriarch Israel appears, then, to have been a figure of the halting of the people Israel.

As Jacob "passed over Penuel [i. e. the face of GOD], the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh*." When "the Sun of righteousness" arose upon the people, although they saw the face of GOD in Christ, they halted. "The day-spring from on high a" visited them, but they rejected the light" because their deeds were evil ";" "6 my people would not hearken to my voice, and Israel would none of me; so I gave them up unto their own heart's lust, and they walked in their own counsels;" the Spirit did not always strive with them, but they were

* "How long halt ye between two opinions1?" "Make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way." No lame person was suffered to approach the altar3; which prohibition had a figurative signification.

given up, and they walked in their own counsels; Israel halted. But, in the end, when the people

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that halted shall become "the Israel of God," they shall partake of that name" of whom the whole family in heaven and earth are named."

Thus, then, unto Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the scheme of Christianity was fully communicated; these all were Christians; they " died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth, for they that say such things, declare plainly that they seek a country; wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their GOD, for he hath prepared for them a city";"" a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is GoDi.” They died in faith in Christ, through whom they looked for an habitation in "the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world." They dwelt in tabernacles1; thereby, not only affording a figure of Him who " tabernacled m" in the "tabernacle" of flesh, but also showing that they were strangers and pilgrims seeking a country.

• Micah, iv. 6, 7. Zephan.

iii. 19.

f Gal. vi. 16.

Eph. iii. 15.

i Hebr. xi. 10.

* Matt. xxv. 34.

Hebr. xi. 9.

m John, i. 14.

As Jacob, or Israel, was the founder of the Israelitish people, who were called Israel; so Christ is the Head of that people which is called "the Israel of GOD" [i. e. His Church], and He is himself denoted by the name "Israel." And as Jacob had twelve sons, so Christ appointed twelve Apostles'.

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Jacob, foretelling what should befall his posterity, says of his son Judah, “ Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise; thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion's whelp; from the prey, my son, thou art gone up; he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up s?" Christ," as concerning the flesh," " sprang out of Judah';" he is called "the Lion of the tribe of Judah";" all enemies are put under his feet, being made his footstool; and it is ordered, "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” And Jacob further said, "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between

Gal. vi. 16.
Isaiah, xlix. 3.

4 Gen. xlix. 2-28.

Mark, iii. 14-19.

• Gen. xlix. 8, 9.

"

his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people bex." The prophecy of Jacob respecting Judah, then, related not only o the temporal power and pre-eminence of the tribe of Judah, but to Him who was to come forth from Judah to be a Ruler in Israel. It announced the coming of one, to whom the gathering of the people should be, and it pointed out the time in which He was to be expected. He was not to come until the sceptre should be about to depart from Judah*. This part of Jacob's prophecy, then, foretells, that the tribe of Judah should sway a sceptre; that its sceptre should depart from it; that, when its dominion and legislation should be expiring, "Shiloh" would come; that he should come from the tribe of Judah; and that unto him the people should be gathered. This prophecy of Jacob was fulfilled in the person of Christ, of whom it is said, "Before him shall be gathered all nations";" "the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and He

* Gen. xlix. 10.

y Micah, v. 2.

"Thus saith the Lord GOD, Remove the diadem and take off the crown; this shall not be the same; exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn it; and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is, and I will give it him."

Ezek. xxi. 26, 27.

H

shall reign for ever and ever;” “ there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve himb*"

a Rev. xi. 15.

b Dan. vii. 14. Ps. lxxii. 11, 17; lxxxii. 8; lxxxvi. 9. Isaiah, ii. 2.

* Jacob, after saying, " To him shall the gathering of the people be," adds, "Binding his foal to the vine, and his ass's colt to the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes. His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk 1."

"The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant." This "vineyard" was planted" with the choicest vine3," and "a wine-press3" was set in it. And the owner of the vineyard looked that the vine" should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes3." The "Son of man" is represented as reaping the harvest of the earth4;" and a voice said, "Thrust in thy sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great wine-press of the wrath of GOD. And the wine-press was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the wine-press 5." "The WORD of GOD6" "treadeth the wine-press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty GOD"." Jeremiah, lamenting the affliction of Jerusalem, says, "The Lord hath trodden the virgin, the daughter of Judah, in a wine-press." Isaiah, speaking of Christ, says, "Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine-fat? I have trodden the 'Gen. xlix. 11, 12. S Rev. xiv. 18-20.

■ Isaiah, v. 7.

3 Isaiah, v. 1, 2.`

• Rev. xiv. 14.

6 Rey. xix. 13.

7 Rev. xix. 15.

8 Lam. i. 15.