56 lines
3.7 KiB
XML
56 lines
3.7 KiB
XML
<div2 id="Mic.i" n="i" next="Mic.ii" prev="Mic" progress="86.43%" title="Introduction">
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<h2 id="Mic.i-p0.1">Micah</h2>
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<hr/>
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<pb id="Mic.i-Page_1302" n="1302"/>
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<div class="Center" id="Mic.i-p0.3">
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<p id="Mic.i-p1" shownumber="no"><b>AN</b></p>
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<h3 id="Mic.i-p1.1">EXPOSITION,</h3>
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<h4 id="Mic.i-p1.2">W I T H P R A C T I C A L O B S E
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R V A T I O N S,</h4>
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<h5 id="Mic.i-p1.3">OF THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET</h5>
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<h2 id="Mic.i-p1.4">M I C A H.</h2>
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<hr style="width:2in"/>
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</div>
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<p class="indent" id="Mic.i-p2" shownumber="no"><span class="smallcaps" id="Mic.i-p2.1">We</span> shall
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have some account of this prophet in the first verse of the book of
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his prophecy; and therefore shall here only observe that, being
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contemporary with the prophet Isaiah (only that he began to
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prophesy a little after him), there is a near resemblance between
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that prophet's prophecy and this; and there is a prediction of the
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advancement and establishment of the gospel-church, which both of
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them have, almost in the same words, that out of the mouth of two
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such witnesses so great a word might be established. Compare
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<scripRef id="Mic.i-p2.2" osisRef="Bible:Isa.2.2-Isa.2.3 Bible:Mic.4.1-Mic.4.2" parsed="|Isa|2|2|2|3;|Mic|4|1|4|2" passage="Isa 2:2,3,Mic 4:1,2">Isa. ii. 2, 3, with Mic.
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iv. 1, 2</scripRef>. Isaiah's prophecy is said to be concerning
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<i>Judah and Jerusalem,</i> but Micah's concerning <i>Samaria and
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Jerusalem;</i> for, though this prophecy be dated only by the
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reigns of the kings of Judah, yet it refers to the kingdom of
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Israel, the approaching ruin of which, in the captivity of the ten
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tribes, he plainly foretels and sadly laments. What we find here in
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writing was but an abstract of the sermons he preached during the
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reigns of three kings. The scope of the whole is, I. To convince
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sinners of their sins, by setting them in order before them,
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charging both Israel and Judah with idolatry, covetousness,
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oppression, contempt of the word of God, and their rulers
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especially, both in church and state, with the abuse of their
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power; and also by showing them the judgments of God ready to break
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in upon them for their sins. II. To comfort God's people with
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promises of mercy and deliverance, especially with an assurance of
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the coming of the Messiah and of the grace of the gospel through
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him. It is remarkable concerning this prophecy, and confirms its
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authority, that we find two quotations out of it made publicly upon
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very solemn occasions, and both referring to very great events. 1.
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One is a prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem (<scripRef id="Mic.i-p2.3" osisRef="Bible:Mic.3.12" parsed="|Mic|3|12|0|0" passage="Mic 3:12"><i>ch.</i> iii. 12</scripRef>), which we find
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quoted in the Old Testament, by <i>the elders of the land</i>
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(<scripRef id="Mic.i-p2.4" osisRef="Bible:Jer.26.17-Jer.26.18" parsed="|Jer|26|17|26|18" passage="Jer 26:17,18">Jer. xxvi. 17, 18</scripRef>), in
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justification of Jeremiah, when he foretold the judgments of God
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coming upon Jerusalem, and to stay the proceedings of the court
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against him. "Micah (say they) foretold that <i>Zion should be
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ploughed as a field,</i> and Hezekiah did not put him to death; why
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then should we punish Jeremiah for saying the same?" 2. Another is
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a prediction of the birth of Christ (<scripRef id="Mic.i-p2.5" osisRef="Bible:Mic.5.2" parsed="|Mic|5|2|0|0" passage="Mic 5:2"><i>ch.</i> v. 2</scripRef>) which we find quoted in the
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New Testament, by the <i>chief priests and scribes of the
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people,</i> in answer to Herod's enquiry, <i>where Christ should be
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born</i> (<scripRef id="Mic.i-p2.6" osisRef="Bible:Matt.2.5-Matt.2.6" parsed="|Matt|2|5|2|6" passage="Mt 2:5,6">Matt. ii. 5, 6</scripRef>);
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for still we find that to him bear all the prophets witness.</p>
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</div2> |