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DISCOURSE V.

To what purposes the ancient prophecies were

given, and upon what foot religion ftood from the beginning to the restoration, or new establishment of the world, in Noah and his pofterity, has been already confidered. We are now advancing to times of greater light, to clearer and more diftinct prophecies, and more nearly relating to God's great difpenfation of mercy and goodness towards mankind, manifefted by the revelation of his Son. This period begins at the call of Abraham, and runs through the Law and the Prophets, ending where the Gospel of Chrift Jefus commences. It contains such a variety and number of prophecies, that I cannot propose to myself fo large and extenfive a fubject to be the matter of short discourses from this place. But it may perhaps be of fome ufe to inquifitive minds, to suggest to them the great and general defign of Providence in the prophecies of this period; to fhew them the ftate of religion during this feafon; and how well the light of prophecy, afforded to this generation, correfponded to the state and neceffity of the times. If in this method of inquiring we can arrive at the knowledge of God's defign in giving the word of prophecy to the old world, we fhall the more

eafily discern of what use these ancient oracles are to the prefent world; and how far the truth of the Gofpel, which we believe and profefs, depends upon the authority and evidence of ancient prophecy. In order to this inquiry, it is neceffary, firft, to confider the state of true religion, and the supports it had during this period; for prophecy being relative to the ftate of religion in the world, we must know the one to understand the other.

How foon the world after the deluge corrupted their ways, and loft the knowledge of the true God, and changed the glory of the incorruptible-into an image made like to corruptible man, we cannot certainly know; but this we certainly know, that in Abraham's time idolatry had spread far and wide, and taken deep root even in the family of Shem, and in that branch of it particularly from which Abraham defcended. This being the cafe, it is highly probable that true religion had entirely failed in the world, had not God vifibly interposed to preferve fuch a sense of it as was neceffary for the accomplishment of his great defign to reftore mankind.

Neceffary I say to this end; for most evident it is, that it was not the intention of Providence in the call of Abraham, or in giving the law of Mofes, to propagate or reftore true religion among all nations of the old world; fo far from it, that the covenant with Abraham is founded upon the condition, not of reforming, but of destroying the idolatrous nations in the land of Canaan; and the fign of circumcifion was given to feparate Abraham and his pofterity from the reft of mankind; which fhews that the reft of mankind were not called to that covenant, of

which circumcifion was the fign or facrament. Moreover, the law of Mofes was established in fuch rites and ceremonies, and many of them to be performed only in the land of Canaan, that there is no room to suppose that it was ever intended to be a general law for mankind. Add to this what Paul and Barnabas tell the people at Lyftra, that God in times paft fuffered all nations to walk in their own ways, Acts xiv. 16 and what St. Paul fays to the people of Athens; God winked at the times of ignorance; but now commandeth all men every where to repent, Acts xvii. 30. And it will be moft evident, that the call of Abraham, and the law of Mofes, consequent to it, were not intended as general calls to mankind, but were fubfervient to fome other view and defign of Providence.

If we confider now the whole world loft to all fense of religion, estranged from God, and void of all hopes towards him; and suppose one family chofen out merely for their own fakes to be delivered from the general corruption and misery, without any view or defign towards the general good of mankind, it gives fo mean, fo partial a view of God, that I think no religion can confift with fuch a notion.

But if the law of Mofes was neither intended to be a general law for mankind, nor yet intended as a partial favour and benefit to the Jews only, exclufive of all mankind, what remains, but that we must confider it as a method of Providence, working towards the great end always in view, the general reftoration of mankind from the curfe of the fall? as the opening of that scene which was to bring a blefling upon all nations of the earth? Accordingly we find this

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to be the cafe; when Abraham was called and received the promises, he had affurance given him, not only of peculiar bleffings to himself and pofterity, but likewife of a general bleffing to be conveyed through him to all mankind: I will make of thee, fays God, a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blefing. And I will blefs them that bless thee, and curfe him that curfeth thee. Immediately it follows, And in thee fhall all families of the earth be blessed, Gen. xii. 2, 3. It is of great importance in the present queftion to diftinguish rightly these promises.

The promise of temporal profperity to Abraham and his pofterity is fufficiently explained in the course of his ftory: at the feventh verse of this chapter, God tells him, he would give to his feed the land of Canaan; and in chap. xv. 18. that he would give the land unto his feed, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates. In the feventeenth chapter, that he would multiply him exceedingly; that he should be a father of many nations, and kings fhould come out of him. These were great promises, and great inducements to obedience; but, except the particular gift of the land of Canaan, (and there were probably other parts of the world as good as that,) there was nothing in them peculiar to Abraham and his pofterity only. There were be. fore Abraham's time, and have been fince, many great and powerful nations of another kindred; the fons of Ham and Japhet, and those defcended by other branches from Shem, have arrived to great profperity, and left a numerous iffue behind them, in virtue of the common bleffing bestowed on their

ancestors after the flood, to whom God faid, Be ye fruitful and multiply, and bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein; to them likewise he gave the promise of fruitful feafons, and fuftained them with corn and with wine. Thus far then the promise to Abraham was derived from the temporal covenant eftablished with Noah and his fons after the flood, in which other nations and people had a share as well as himself, and fome of them in fome respects a much greater; as he must needs judge, who knows any thing of the ancient or prefent empires of the east and weft. But, if we look forward, we fhall fee the diftinction between the feveral promises grow plain, when God renews the covenant, and limits the peculiar bleffing of Abraham to the fon which fhould be born of Sarah his wife. In the feventeenth of Genefis the Lord appears to Abraham, and fays, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect: then follows, I will make my covenant between me and thee, and I will multiply thee exceedingly-and thou shalt be a father of many nations. At the feventh and eighth verfes God promifes to eftablish an everlasting covenant with him and his seed after him, to give him and them all the land of Canaan for an everlasting poffeffion, and to be their God. Here are either two covenants mentioned together in the compafs of a few lines, or elfe the fame covenant repeated with this difference; that in the laft place it is styled an everlasting covenant, and the land of Canaan is affigned for an everlasting poffeffion, with this remarkable addition, that God promises to be the God of Abraham, and of his feed after hìm. And this is the first time that this peculiar

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