The first we meet with in the gospel who called our Lord Jesus of Nazareth, or the Nazarite, was Satan, when he said, "Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God." (Mark i. 21.) Next we find the apostles giving in their testimony to the same blessed truth, John i. 45. "We have found him (saith Philip) of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth. the son of Joseph." When the band of men and officers from the chief priests came to apprehend Christ in the garden, they enquired after the Lord under the same name, Jesus of Nazareth, (John xviii. 5.) The servant maid in the hall of Pilate spoke of our Lord by the same name; for charging Peter as an accomplice, she said, "And this fellow also was with Jesus of Galilee." (Matt. xxvi.71.) And yet more, the Roman governor, as if constrained by an overruling power, in giving a testimony to Christ the very reverse of the ignominy he meant to put upon him, both subscribed to his regal authority, at the same time he proclaimed him the Nazarite to God; and wrote a superscription in three different languages, and put it on the cross, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." (John xix. 19.) Still farther, the angels which attended the Lord's sepulchre, when he arose from the dead, announced to the pious women the resurrection of Christ by the same name, "Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified; he is risen, he is not here; behold the place where the Lord lay." (Mark xvi. 6.) In like manner, the apostles, after our Lord's ascension to glory, continually dwelt upon this name. Jesus Christ of Nazareth, said Peter, in his sermon on the day of Pentecost, a man approved

of God among you; as if to insist upon this glorious feature of the man, the Nazarite. (Acts ii. 22.) So again, when he healed the cripple at the gate of the temple, the blessed words he used were, "In the name of Jesus of Nazareth." (Acts iii. 6.) So again Acts iv. 10. And lastly, to mention no more, the Lord Jesus himself, when calling to Paul from heaven, called himself by this name, "I am Jesus of Nazareth," or, as it might be rendered, I am Jesus the Nazarite, not a Nazarite, but the Nazarite, the very identical, yea, the only one. (Acts xxii. 8.)

From the whole then, I hope the reader will think with me, that God the Holy Ghost had all along a design, from the first dawn of revelation, with an eye to the Lord Jesus in this most important character; and to this end and purpose directed his servants' minds, Jacob and Moses, to point to this great Nazarite, by type and figure, in the separation of Joseph from his brethren. And I trust that the reader will also see with me from the Lord's own teaching, that the law of the Nazarites, (Num. vi.) and especially the striking typical representation in the case of Samson, had no other meaning but to set forth the feature of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is not enough, in my view, to allow these things to be typical of Christ, if at the same time we allow them to have any secondary and subordinate reference to themselves. They only spake of Jesus; they only ministered to him. Any sanctity or supposed sanctity in themselves, or any Nazarites under the law, is foreign to the very spirit of the Gospel of Christ. The word of God not only insists upon it, that there is salvation in no other but Jesus, but it includes all other under sin. "The imagination, yea, every imagination of the

thoughts of man's heart is only evil, and that continually," (Gen. vi. 5.) consequently there could be no real Nazarite to God but this one. Every thing that we read of concerning holy vows and dedications, as far as they were true, were all typical of Christ. And by this exclusive personal right in our Jesus to this Nazarite of God, we plainly discover this sweet feature of character in our Lord, which endears him to his people, and shews the solemn dedication of himself for them to God. Hail, thou precious blessed Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth! Blessings for ever be on the head of him that was separated from his brethren! Verily, "thy father's children shall bow down before thee :" here, and to all eternity, thou shalt be called the Nazarite of God!

NAZARENES. Some of the early Christians, in contempt, were branded with this name; hence Paul is called a ringleader of the sect, every where spoken against. (Acts xxviii. 22.) NAZARITES-Or Nazarim, from Nezer or Nazar, separated. All were called by this name who vcluntarily made themselves Nazarites, by their dedicating themselves to God. We have the law at large concerning Nazarites, (Num. vi.) to which I refer. I only beg to observe concerning Nazarites, that it is evident the design and good pleasure of God the Holy Ghost, in disposing the minds of his people to the vow of the Nazarite, and forming laws so particular as this chapter contains, had all along an eye to Christ, the one great and only true Nazarite. As if the Holy Ghost in this order would keep up in Israel the constant thought of this sauctification and separation towards God, until he came who for their sakes sanctified himself," is made of God to them sanctification and redemption. (John xvii. 19. and 1 Cor. i. 30.)

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We find in the most degenerate state of the church, there were still persons of this order. The prophet Jeremiah speaks of them in his Book of Lamentations in a very affecting manner: "Her Nazarites (saith he) were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was of sapphire, their visage is blacker than a coal, they are not not known in the streets." (Lam. iv. 7, 8.) So the

prophet Amos: “I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? saith the Lord. But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink ; and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not." (Amos ii. 11, 12.) Nothing can be more plain than that this order was altogether typical, when we consider the wretched condition of Israel in both those periods when Jeremiah and Amos exercised their ministry. The whole of both those men's preaching is reproof; and therefore, if at such a time the order of the Nazarites was preserved, and as the Lord himself saith, it was of his raising up, surely it proves to a demonstration, that God the Holy Ghost intended from it, like all the sacrifices under the law, to be continued only until he came in whom all types, shadows, sacrifices, and ordinances centered, and in whom all had their completion, and were done away.

NEAH. A city of Zebulun. (Josh. xix. 13.) The word Neah or Noch, means a city.

NEAPOLIS. We read of this place, Acts xvi. 11. perhaps so called from being then newly formed, meaning a new city.

NEARIAH. One of the sons of Shechaneah,

(1 Chron. iii. 22.) From Naarah, youth or child. NEBAJOTH. Ishmael's eldest son. (Gen. xxv. 13.) The name signifies fruits, if from Nubai, fruits.

NEBALLAT. A city of Benjamin. (Neh, xi. 34.) NEBAT. The father of Jeroboam, (1 Kings xi. 26.) from Nubai, that beholds.

NEBO. We meet with this name for three different places. There was a city of the Reubenites called Nebo, (Num. xxxii. 38.)—and according to Jeremiah, in his days the Moabites had it in possession. (Jer. xlviii.) There was also a city of Judah of this name in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah. (Ezra ii. 29. Neh. vii. 33.) And the famous mountain on which Moses died was called Nebo. (Deut. xxxiv. 1.5.) One of the idols of Babylon bore the name of Nebo. (Isa. xlvi. 1.) The root of the name seems to be much the same as that of Nebat. NEBUCHADNEZZAR. King of Babylon. We have much said in Scripture concerning this monarch, in the book of Daniel. His name is formed from several words not of Hebrew, but of the Chaldean. The idol name of Nebo forms a part in it, for the Babylonians were much disposed to this. Various have been the opinions of men concerning the wonderful change wrought upon Nebuchadnezzar, as related Dan. iv. 28.33; but, after all that hath been said on this subject, the matter stands just where the Scriptures have left it. And those who do not desire to be wise above what is written, will do well to accept of this and all the other parts of sacred Scripture in the Lord's own way, referring all into his sovereign decree," who worketh all things according to the purpose of his own will. My counsel (saith he) shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. (Isa. xlvi. 10.) Let the reader read the close of the forty-fourth chapter of Isaiah, and form his conclusions accordingly. NEBUSHASBAN. One of those princes who was sent from Babylon at the taking of Jerusalem.