A history of the work of redemption. Containing the outlines of a body of…

V. The next particular I would observe, is the addition made to the canon of the scriptures soon after the captivity by the Prophets Haggai and Zechariah, who were prophets sent to encourage the people in their work of rebuilding the city and temple; and the main argument they made use of to that end, is the approach of the time of the coming of Christ. Haggai foretold that Christ should be of Zerubbabel's legal posterity, last chap. last verse. This seems to be the last and most particular revelation of the descent of Christ, •oll the angel Gabriel was sent to reveal it to his mother Mary.

V. The next particular I would observe, is the addition made to the canon of the scriptures soon after the captivity by the Prophets H•ggai and Zechariah, who were prophets sent to encourage the people in their work of rebuilding the city and temple; and the main argument they made use of to that end, is the approach of the time of the coming of Christ. Haggai foretold that Christ should be of Zerubbabel's legal posterity, last chap. last verse. This seems to be the last and most particular revelation of the descent of Christ, •oll the angel Gabriel was sent to reveal it to his mother Mary.

VI. The next thing I would take notice of, was the pouring out of the Spirit of God that accompanied the ministry of Ezra •he ⟨p. 117⟩priest after the captivity. That there was such a pouring out of the Spirit of God that accompanied Ezra's ministry, is manifest by many things in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Presently after Ezra came up from Babylon, with the ample commission which Artaxerxes gave him, whence Daniel's seventy weeks began, […] set himself to reform the vices and corruptions he found among the Jews; and his great success in it we have an account of in the 10th chapter of Eza; so that there appeared a very general and great mourning of the congregation of Israel for their sins, which was accompanied with a solemn covenant that the people entered into with God; and this was followed with a great and general reformation, as we have there an account. The people about the same time, with great zeal, and earnestness, and reverence, gathered themselves together to hear the word of God rea by Ezra; and gave diligent attention, while Ezra and the other priests preached to them, by reading and expounding the law, and were greatly affected in the hearing of it. They wept when they heard the words of the law, and set themselves to observe the law, and kept the feast of tabernacles, as the scripture observes, after such a manner as it had not been kept since the days of Joshua the son of Nun; as we have account in the 8th chapter of Nehemiah: after this, having separated themselves from all strangers, they solemnly observed a fast, by hearing the word of God, confessing their sins, and renewing their covenant with God; and manifested their sincerity in that transaction, by actually reforming many abuses in religion and morals; as we learn from the 9th and following chapters of Nehemiah.