Si Jn Expofation of the CH A P. r. blifh hit Kingdom: ( Or as rChron. r7. r r. And it(hall come to pafi when thy days be ex.. Aired, that thou muffgo to be with thyfathers, that I will raife up thy Redefier thee, which fhall be oftryfuns, and Iwill effablifb his kingdom. ) v.13. Hefhall build an houfefor my name, andI will effablifh the throne of bis kingdomfor ever. (chap. 13. v. t z. be frall build me an hoe, and'will effablifh bis throneforever.) v.1q..Iwill be his Father, and he/tall be myfon; ifhe commit iniquity, Ìwillchaffifehim with the rodofmen, and with the Jfripes of the children ofmen. v. 15. But mymeryfhall not depart awayfrom him, as I took it from Saul, whom Iput away beforethee. (r Chron. 13./ will be his Father, and he fhall be mxon, andIwill not sake my mercy y awayfrom him, as I took it from him that was before thee.) v.16. And thyhoufe and thy kingdom (hallbe eftablifhed for ever before me; thy throne frailbe effablifhedfor ever. (1 Chron. ) But Iwill fettle him in minehoufe, and in my king- domfor ever, and his throne[hall be effablifhedfor evermore. This is the whole Divine Oracle, from whence the Apofile takes the testimony Under confideration ; and the difficulty wherewith it is attended arifeth from hence, that it is not eafie to apprehend, how any thing at all in thefe words fhould be appro- priated unto the Lord Chrilt ; feeing Solomon feems in the whose to be dircetly and onlyintended. And concerning this difficulty, there are three Opinions among In. . terpreters. I. Some cutting that knot, which they fuppofe could not otherwife be loafed, af- firm, that Solomon is not at all intended in thefe words, but that they are a direct and immediateProphefie ofChrjl, who was tobe the Son ofDavid, and to build the Spiritual Houleor TempleofGod. And for the confirmation ofthis Affection, they produce fundry Reafonsfrom theOracle it Pelf: As, I. It is faid,That God would raife up toDavida feed, or fon ; intimating that he was nòt as yetborn, being foretold tobe railed up ; whereas Solomon was born at the time efthisProphetic. 2. It is alto affirmed; that this Son or feed fhould reign and fit upon the throne ofDa- vid after his deceafe, and being gathered untohis fathers ; whereas Solomon was made King, and fast upon the Throne whilft David was yet alive, and not entred into sell with his fathers. 3. TheThroneof thisSon is to be efiabliíhed for ever, or as the fame promifc is ex- preffed, Pfal. 89. whilJf the Sunand Moon continue. The Throneof Solomon and his pofterity failingwithina few Generations. 4. The Title theregiven untohimwho is directly prophefied of, thews him, as our Apoffle intimates, to be preferred above all the Angels; and none will fay that Solo- mon was fo, who ashe was inferiour to them in Nature and Condition, fo byfin he greatly provoked the Lord againfl himfelfand his polieritp. But yet all thefe Obfervations, though they want not force appearance and proba- bilityof reafon, come fhort' of proving evidently what they are produced for, as we may briefly manifeft: for, r. ItBoth not appear that Solomon was born at the time ofthe giving forth of this Oracle; if we mutt fuppofe thatGod intimated in it unto David, that none of the fons which he then had fhould fucceed him in his Kingdom > yea, it is mania from theRory thathewas not. Betides, railing up doth not denote the Birth or Nativityof theperfon intended, buthis Defignation or Exaltation tohis Throne and Office, as is the ufual meaningof thatexpre1lion in the Scripture ; fo that Solomon mightbe intended, though now born, yea and grown up, ifnot. yet by the providenceof God marked and taken out fromamongfi his brethren to be King, as afterwards he was. 2. Although afar days before the deathofDavid, toprevent Sedition and Divifïon about Titles' and Pretentious to the Kingdom, Solomon by his appointment waspro- claimed King, or Heir to the Crown, yet hewas not aîtuab) vetted with the whole Power of the Kingdom, until afterhis natural deceafe. Moreover alto, David being then very weak and feeble, and rendred unable for Publick Adminifration, the short remainder ofhisdays after the Inauguration of Solomon needed no Obfervation in the Prophetic. The other two remaining Reasons mull be afterwards fpokenunto. And for the prefent removal ofthis Expolition, I (hall onlyobferve, That, to affirm Solomon not at all to be intended in this Oracle, nor the Houle or Temple which afterwards he built, is tomake the whole Answer ofGod by the Prophet unto David to beEqui- vocal. For David enquiredofNathan about building an Houfe or materialTemple unto God. Nathan returns him anfwer fromGod, that he (hall not dofo, but that his fon
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