PREFACE.

NO Volumes equally deserve our attentive perusal as the inspired Oracles of God. By these men live, and in them is the life of our soul. They are the inestimable Testament of God our Saviour; the blessed means of all true and spiritual wisdom, holiness, comfort, and eternal felicity. Let us then daily search the scriptures, and understand what we read; for these are they that testify of Christ. Since they are one of the most valuable talents committed to us, and for which we must give an account at the great day of the Lord, let us, with all our getting, get the understanding of them; let us hide them in our hearts, believing what they assert, receiving what they offer, and doing whatsoever they To assist in the perusal of these divine Volumes, is the following Work offered to the public. How far it differs from these of the kind, published by Illyricus, or Wilson, in one, or by Simon in two, or by Ravanell, or Calmet, in three volumes folio; and of the last of which, a kind of abridgment has been lately published at London, will be easily perceived, by a comparison of a small part of any of them herewith; especially on the larger articles of ANGELS, ANTICHRIST, APOCRYPHA, ARABIA, CHURCH, GOD, GOSPEL, HEBREWS, &c.

command us.

THE principal significations of emblematic words are here briefly hinted. The gospel-signification of types, personal or real, is shortly touched. Whatever I knew of, in history, correspondent to scripturepredictions, relative to persons, nations, churches, or cities, is briefly related; and, except where the predictions were exceeding numerous, as in the article CHRIST, CHURCH, HEBREWS, have quoted the prophetic passages, that the readers, by viewing them in their Bibles, and comparing them with the history here exhibited, may perceive the exactness of their accomplishment.

PERHAPS it may be necessary to observe (1.) That I have only hinted the significations which words have in the Bible. (2.) That I have omitted many words, which could be rendered no plainer; or that ex-pressed the name of a person or city, of which almost nothing was known; or no more than is plainly hinted in the inspired passage where it is found. (3.) That the mark at the end of an article, signifies, that there are other persons, or things of the same name, but of which nothing important is known. (4.) That a word, different from that of the article, printed in capitals, often refers the reader to its own article. (5.) That the mark † in quotations, signifies a marginal reading. (6.) That, by observing what words in a text are most hard to be understood, and observing the first three letters of a word, and their order in the alphabet, and seeking for the like word here in the same order, one is to expect to have it explained. (7.) Where two or more words, and names of persons or places, are almost alway connected, one will ordinarily find the explication or account, under the word that is first in order in the scripture-text; and where the same person or thing has different names, the explication is to be expected under that which is most common, or which comes first in the order of the alphabet. (8.) Few fancies of the Christian fathers, or of the Jewish or Mahometan writers, are here inserted, as I knew not how they could be of use: nor have I insisted on criticisms of the original words, as these could have been of small use to of the readers; and the learned can find plenty of them in the later editions of Leigh's Critica Sacra; or in Gussetius's Hebrew Commentaries; Hiller's Onomasticon; Glassius, Whitby, &c. (9.) I have not wilfully kept back the solution of any difficulty; but it is often given, especially in historical articles, without the least critical noise of parade.

many

I HAVE bestowed no small pains in rendering this edition considerably more perfect thau the former. If God bless it for promoting the knowledge of his word, and the edification of his church, I shall esteem my labour richly rewarded.

A

DICTIONARY

OF THE

HOLY BIBLE.

offered sacrifice for the congregation of Israel; and, while he and his bro

sacred fire descended from heaven, and consumed what lay on the brazen altar, id. ix. His two eldest sons, perhaps intoxicated with wine, drunk at their consecration, instead of taking sacred fire from the brazen altar, took common fire to burn the incense with on the golden altar: provoked with their inattention and disobedience, God immediately consumed them with a flash of lightning; and ordered, that thenceforth no priest should taste wine when he was going to officiate in holy things. Aaron was entirely resigned to this just but awful stroke: nor did he and his surviving sons make any lamentation for them, except in forbearing to eat the flesh of the people's sin-offering that day, id. x.

mount; and, without receiving any hurt, had very near and distinct views of the glorious symbols of the divinether Moses blessed the people, the presence, when the Lord talked with Moses, id. xxiv. 1, 2, 9-11. Almost immediately after, he and his posterity were divinely chosen, to execute the office of priesthood among the Jews, till the coming and death of the promised Messiah, id. xxix.Scarce was this distinguished honour assigned him, when, to mark his personal insufficiency for recommending others to the favour of God, he himself fell into the most grievous crime. The Hebrews solicited him to make them gods, to be their directors, instead of Moses, who still tarried in the mount. He ordered them to bring him all their pendants and ear-rings: these were brought, perhaps more readily than he expected: Having collected them into a bag, he caused them to be melted down into a golden calf, in imitation of the ox Apis, which the natives, and probably too many of the Hebrews, had adored in Egypt. This idol he ordered them to place on a pedestal, to render it the more conspicuous: he appointed a solemn feast to be observed to its honour, and caused to be proclaimed before it, "These be thy gods, O Israel, which "brought thee out of the land of E"gypt." While he was thus occupied, Moses descended from mount Sinai, and sharply reproved him for his horrid offence. Amidst the deep-restored to health, Numb. xii. It was est confusion, he attempted to excuse not long after, when KORAH and his himself, by laying the blame on the company, envying the honours of wickedness of the people; and by a Aaron, thought to thrust themselves false and stupid pretence, that he had into the office of priests. These rebels but cast the ear-rings into the fire, and being miraculously destroyed by God, the golden calf had been formed out the Hebrews reviled Moses and Aaron of them by mere chance, id. xxxii. as guilty of murdering them: the Aaron heartily repented of this scan-Lord, provoked herewith, sent a dedalous crime; and, with his four sons, was, about two months after, solemnly invested with his sacred robes, and consecrated by solemn washing, unction, and sacrifices, to his office of priesthood, Lev. viii. He immediately

It was perhaps scarce a year after, when Aaron and Miriam envying the authority of Moses, rudely upbraided him for his marriage with Zipporah the Midianitess; and for overlooking them in the constitution of the seventy elders. Aaron, whose priestly performances were daily necessary, was spared; but Miriam was smitten with an universal leprosy. Aaron immediately discerned his guilt, acknowledged his fault, begged forgiveness for himself and his sister; and that she might speedily be

structive plague among the people, which threatened to consume the whole congregation. Aaron who had lately, by his prayers, prevented their being totally ruined along with Korah, now generously risked his own

life for the deliverance of his ungrate-struction of his Jewish and other eneful and injurious brethren: he ran in mies; the marvellous budding of his between the living and the dead, and, gospel ROD, in the conversion and by offering of incense, atoned for their sanctification of men abundantly contrespass, and so the plague was stay- firm it. He is the leader of his peoed. To reward this benevolent deed, ple from their spiritual bondage; and and prevent future contention about he guides, justifies, and sanctifies the priesthood, God confirmed it to them in their wilderness-journey.— Aaron, by making his rod, all of a He is their great prophet, who can sudden, when laid up before the mer-speak well to their respective cases cy-seat, blossom and bear almonds; and doubts. He is their distinguished while the rods for the other Hebrew tribes continued in their withered condition, Numb. xvi. and xvii.

dience, he publicly and willingly, on Calvary, surrendered himself unto death; bequeathing his robes of fi nished righteousness to his spiritual seed.

High Priest, and the spiritual Father of all the innumerable company of men, who are made priests unto God. We hear no more of Aaron, till at With unequalled purity, patience, Meribah he and his brother Moses pity, courage, and labour, he, amidst, sinned, in not sufficiently expressing inconceivable injuries and temptatheir confidence in God's providing tions, faithfully executes his work. water for the congregation. To pu- At the expense of his life, he averted nish this and to mark the insufficiency the burning plague of endless venof the Aaronic priesthood, for bring-geance from his unreasonable foes: ing men to the heavenly inheritance, and having finished his work of obeAaron was debarred from entering Canaan. About a year before the Hebrews entered that country, and while they encamped at Mosera, he, at the commandment of the Lord, went up to mount Hor; and his sacred robes being stripped off him by Moses, and put on Eleazar his son and successor, he suddenly expired in the Lord, aged 123 years, A. M. 2552: His own sons and brother buried him in a cave, and all the Israelites mourn-death of Aaron: on the 9th a fast ed for him thirty days, Numb. xx. Deut. x. 6. His offspring were called AARONITES; and were so numerous, as to have thirteen cities assigned them out of the tribes of Judah, and Benjamin, 1 Chron. xii. 27, and vi. 54, 60. Joshua xxi. 13,-19.

Some good authors think the story of the Heathen Mercury to have been hammered out of Aaron's. But may we not, with far more edification, consider him as a personal type of Jusus Christ? Heb. v. 4, 5. Whose call to his office of priesthood, was seasonable and divinely solemn: an unmeasurable unction of the Holy Ghost, and perfect purity of nature, prepared him for the execution thereof: miracles unnumbered; the de

AB, the eleventh month of the Jewish civil year, and the fifth of their sacred. It answered to the moon that begins in July, and consisted of thirty days. On the first day, the Jews observe a fast for the

for the debaring of the murmuring Hebrews from the promised land, and for the burning of the first and second temple: on the 18th, a fast for the extinction of the evening lamp during the reign of Ahaz: on the 24th, a feast in memory of the abolishment of the Sadducean law, which required sons and daughters to be equal heirs of their parents' estate.

ABADDON, which signifies destruction; and APOLLYON the destroyer, is the name of the king and head of the apocalyptic LOCUSTS, under the fifth trumpet. His name is marked both in Hebrew and Greek, to intimate, that he is a destroyer both of Jews and Gentiles. But who he is, is not so universally agreed..