though not universally. Hence the prophet Amos, speaking of his being called to the prophetical office, says, that he had not been educated in the schools of the prophets, and was not one of the sons of the prophets. Chap. 7: 14, 15. Amos taking notice of it as remarkable that he should be so called, shows that it was God's ordinary manner to take his prophets out of these schools; for therein he did but bless his own institution.

Now this remarkable dispensation of Providence -God's beginning a constant succession of prophets in Samuel's time, which was to last for many ages; and to that end, establishing a school of the prophets under Samuel, thenceforward to be continued in Israel-was to further the great work of redemption. For the main business of this succession of prophets was, to foreshow Christ, and the glorious redemption he was to accomplish, and so to prepare the way for his coming. Acts, 3: 24, and 10: 43, "To him give all the prophets witness;" and 3: 18, "But those things which God before had showed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled."

The Old Testament church had a degree of light, not from the sun directly, but only as reflected. These prophets were the luminaries that reflected the light of the sun; and accordingly they spoke abundantly of Jesus Christ, as appears by what we have of their prophecies. And they made it very much their business, when they studied in their schools or colleges, and elsewhere, to search out the work of redemption; agreeable to what the apostle Peter says of them, 1 Pet. 1: 10, 11. "Of which salvation the prophets have inquired, and searched dili

gently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you; searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ that was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow." We are told that the church of the Redeemer is built on the foundation of the prophets and apostles, the Redeemer himself being the chief corner-stone. Eph. 2: 20.

This was the first thing of this nature ever done in the world and a great thing towards the work of redemption. There had before been occasional prophecies of Christ, as was shown; but now the time drawing nearer when the Redeemer should come, it pleased God to appoint a certain order of men, in constant succession, whose main business it should be to foreshow Christ and his redemption, and as his forerunners to prepare the way for his coming; and God established schools, wherein multitudes were instructed and trained up to that end. Rev. 19:10. "I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus; for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

CHAPTER V.

FROM DAVID TO THE BABYLONISH CAPTIVITY.

I. The first thing here to be noticed, is God's anointing that person who was to be the ancestor of

Christ, to be king over his people. The dispensations of Providence through the last period, respect the people whence Christ was to proceed; but now the Scripture leads us to consider God's providence towards that particular person from whom Christ was to descend, David. It pleased God at this time remarkably to select this person, from all the thousands of Israel, and to put a most honorable mark of distinction upon him, by anointing him to be king over his people. It was only God that could find him out. His father's house is spoken of as being little in Israel, and he was the youngest of all the sons of his father, and was least expected by Samuel to be the man whom God had chosen. God had before remarkably distinguished the persons from whom Christ was to come; as Seth, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But the last account we have of God's marking out in any notable manner the very person of whom Christ was to come, was in Jacob's blessing his son Judah; unless we reckon Nashon's advancement in the wilderness to be the head of the tribe of Judah. But this distinction of the person of whom Christ was to come, in David, was very honorable; for it was God's anointing him to be king over his people. There was something further denoted by this, than in the anointing of Saul. God anointed Saul to be king personally; but by sending Samuel to anoint David, he intended to establish the crown of Israel in him and his family, as long as Israel continued to be a kingdom; and not only so, but what was infinitely more, to establish the crown of his universal church, his spiritual Israel, in his seed, to the end of the world, and throughout eternity.

This was a great dispensation of God in advancing the work of redemption, as the time drew near wherein Christ was to come. David, as he was the ancestor of Christ, so he was the greatest personal type of Christ under the Old Testament. The types of Christ were of three sorts-instituted, providential, and personal. The ordinance of sacrificing was the greatest of the instituted types; the redemption out of Egypt was the greatest of the providential; and David the greatest of the personal ones. Hence Christ is often called David in the prophecies of Scripture, as Ezek. 34: 23, 24, " And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David;-My servant David a prince among them;" and so in many other places. He is very often spoken of as the seed and the Son of David.

David being the ancestor and great type of Christ, his being solemnly anointed by God to be king over his people, that the kingdom of his church might be continued in his family for ever, may, in some respects, be regarded as an anointing of Christ himself. Christ was, as it were, anointed in him; and therefore Christ's anointing and David's anointing are spoken of under one in Scripture. Psalm 89: 20. "I have found David my servant: with my holy oil have I anointed him." And David's throne and Christ's are spoken of as one. Luke, 1:32. “And the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David." Acts, 2: 30." David-knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne."

Thus God's beginning the kingdom of his church

in the house of David, was, as it were, a new establishing of the kingdom of Christ the beginning of it in a state of such visibility, as it thenceforward continued in. It was planting the root whence that branch of righteousness was afterwards to spring up, the everlasting king of his church; and therefore this everlasting king is called "the branch from the stem of Jesse." Isa. 11: 1. "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots." Jer. 23:5. "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise up unto David a righteous branch, and a king shall reign and prosper.' So chap. 33: 15. "In those days, and at that time, I will cause the branch of righteousness to grow up unto David, and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land." So Christ, in the New Testament, is called the root and offspring of David. Rev. 22: 16.

It is observable that God anointed David after Saul to reign in his room. He took away the crown from him and his family, who was higher in stature than any of his people, and was, in their eyes, fittest to bear rule-to give it to David, who was low of stature, and in comparison of despicable appearance. So God was pleased to show how Christ, who appeared without form or comeliness, and was despised and rejected of men, should take the kingdom from the great ones of the earth. And also it is observable that David was the youngest of Jesse's sons, as Jacob the younger brother supplanted Esau, and got the birthright and blessing from him; and as Pharez, brother of Christ's ancestor, supplanted Zarah in the birth; and as Isaac, another of the an cestors of Christ, cast out his elder brother Ishmael: