Obrazy na stronie
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The fame Promife was renewed to Ifaac, which God had before made to his Father. For when Ifaac was preparing to go into Egypt to avoid the Famine, God appeared to him, and forbidding him to take that Journey, commanded him to abide in the Land of Canaan: And left Ifaac, who was then fearful and deftitute of Provifion, fhould make any Hefitation in this Matter, God repeated that Promise which he had already made to Abraham, and diftinguished it with the Solemnity of an Oath (c. xvi. 3.) Sojourn in this Land and I will be with thee, and will bless thee, for unto thee, and unto thy Seed, I will give all thefe Countries, and I will perform the Oath which I fware unto Abraham thy Father.

Ifaac tranfmitted this Promife to Jacob and his Seed, (c. xxxv. II, 12.) and God himself confirmed the fame to Jacob, when having changed his Name into Ifrael, he faid unto him, I am God Almighty, (c. xlviii. 3, 4.) the Land which I gave Abraham, and Ifaac, to thee will I give it, and to thy Seed after thee will I give the Land. This promifed Inheritance was afterwards transferred with the fame Right and Title, in the Name of the omnipotent God, to Jofeph and his Seed for a perpetual Poffeffion. And lastly Jofeph when he was dying delivered and handed down this Gift of God to his Children and Brethren, the Heads of the Tribes of Ifrael. (Gen. i. 24.)

Thus this Promife was gradually confirmed at divers Times, and by various Repetitions. God obliged himself to perform these things by the Force of a Promife, Covenant and Oath, (Chron. xx. 7. Pf. cv. 8. cxxxii. 11, &c.) than which nothing is esteemed more facred or inviolable. A Promife is a Security for private Faith, and a Covenant for that which is public; but an Oath (Heb. vi. 13, 17.) compre

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hends whatsoever can be imagined neceffary for either, be it human or divine.

Hitherto we have difcourfed about the Promifes of God formerly made to the Patriarchs, (as well feparately as jointly) (Exod. vi. 4, 8 Deut. i. 8.) and their Sons, of their Poffeffing the Land of Canaan. It is to be obferved, that the Ifraelites afterwards poffeffed the Land, and fo far thefe Promises were fulfilled; but they were often driven from thence and reftored again, till the laft and moft terrible Expulfion which they have fuftained for near seventeen Ages, and which they ftill groan under. Now. fince the Land of Canaan was given to the Ifraelites for a perpetual Inheritance, this Question neceffarily arifes, Whether they shall at last be restored to their ancient Country, that fo the Promises of God may not be void?

Indeed the Prophets often foretold the Captivities and Restaurations of the Children of Ifrael; and the Event of Things was anfwerable to their Prophecies; and fo the divine Promifes remained unhurt and entire.

For the Nature of the Promife did not require that the Ifraelites fhould at all times poffefs that Land for a continual and never interrupted Series of Years, but only that they fhould at leaft, after long Captivity, return to the Heritage abovementioned. And fo they fhould always have a juft Title to that Land whofoever actually poffeffed it. I fay always and to the laft, by Virtue of the divine Donation, which can never be extinguished. With God there is no Time, no Prescription.

God no where promifed that he would never punish the Ifraelites, either at home or abroad (by Wars, Banishment and Captivity) on the contrary he threatened them with all Sorts of Punishments, as often as they should prefumptuously rebel against

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him. Thus Mofes (Lev. xxvi. and Deut. xxviii.) and the other Prophets frequently gave Warnings of this Nature, that fo the Danger might be prevented. But at prefent we are treating about the perpetual Expulfion, Captivity and Defolation, in like manner as the perpetual Inheritance was promiled in the Paffages beforementioned. Now Mofes in the Place juft now cited, and elsewhere, (Deut. iv. 30, 31.) promises them a Reftauration by Virtue of this primitive Covenant which we have been fpeaking of, after they should have fuffered the most piercing Calamities. For thus he concludes his

Difcourfe about thofe Punishments which he had been denouncing, (Lev. xxvi. 40, 41, 42.) If they Shall confefs their Iniquity, and the Iniquity of their Fathers, with their Trespass which they trefpaffed against me, and that alfo they have walked contrary to me. And that I also have walked contrary to them, and have brought them into the Land of their Enemies; if then their uncircumcifed Hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the Punishment of their Iniquity. Then will I remember my Covenant with Jacob, and also my Covenant with Ifaac, and also my Covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the Land. (v. 44, 45.) And yet for all that when they be in the Land of their Enemies, I will not caft them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my Covenant with them: For I am the Lord their God. But I will for their Sakes remember the Covenant of their Ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the Land of Egypt, in the Sight of the Heathen, that I might be their God, I am the Lord.

He repeats the Promifes given to their Fathers, and fays that he will be mindful of them, when the Ifraelites fhould fojourn in a strange Land. (See alfo, Deut. xxx. to v. 10)

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But perhaps you will fay that Mofes makes the Repentance and Converfion to God, of thefe ba-· nifhed and afflicted Ifraelites, the neceffary Qualifications and Conditions of their receiving this divine Mercy: I confefs this is true, but thefe alfo God will bestow in his appointed Time, as we fhall fhew hereafter. He who promifes the End, will perform the Means, fince he is God Almighty. However this Queftion feems to grant that upon their Repentance the Children of Ifrael fhall be reftored and return into their own Country; therefore we ought not to defpair concerning their Fortune, Welfare, and future Reftitution. The Fate of the Jews was moving in this Circle; They fin and are punished, they repent and are reftored. Examples of which we fhall fee in the following Differ

tation.

Hitherto we have confidered thofe Paffages which refer (as it were on the first Glance) to this Argument in the Mofaic Writings. But we must farther confult the Oracles of other Prophets, that so by their Consent and fuller Explication, the preceding Affertions may be strengthened, and a brighter Hope arife concerning the Reftauration of the If

raelites.

Now it is evident that Ifaiah, Jeremiah, and the reft of the Prophets, chiefly treat about the Condition of the Jews, and delineate their profperous and adverse Fortune, fluctuating like the Waves of the Sea. Now they rejoice in Peace and Plenty, and then they are oppreffed by their Enemies, and be ing carried away into foreign Countries, they groan for a while under the Yoke of Captivity: From whence being at length fet free by the divine Compaffion, they are brought to their ancient Land and Patrimony; and thefe Revolutions were very fre quent. (Deut. xxviii, and xxx.) But among all

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thefe Viciffitudes, one is eminent above the reft, first foretold by Mofes, and confirmed afterwards by the fucceeding Prophets; by which when the Jews fhould be difperfed and fcattered thro' all the Nations, even to the Ends of the Earth, they were to be gloriously recalled and established in their own Land, attended with an excellent Government and abundance of perpetual Peace and Felicity. Now the chief Queftion about this principal Reftauration of the Jews is, Whether it be already past and accomplished, or not? This is to be learned from those Descriptions which the Prophets have given us of it.

Ifaiah in his fecond Chapter foretels Judah and Jerufalem of the coming of the Meffiah; and defcribes his righteous Judgments on the Heathen, and thofe pacific Times wherewith Ifrael fhould then be bleffed in the following Words. (v. 4.) And be fhall judge among the Nations, and shall rebuke many People; and they shall beat their Swords into PlowShares, and their Spears into Pruning-Hooks; Nation fhall not lift up Sword against Nation, neither fhall they learn War any more.

He then describes the terrible Majesty of God when he comes to shake the Earth. (v. 5.) Now we have not as yet feen thefe peaceable Times among all Nations, nor this dreadful Day, as it is here reprefented. But fince Prophecies of this Nature frequently occur, not only in this but other Prophets alfo, we fhall have an Opportunity afterwards of difcourfing upon them.

In the mean time we may obferve, that as the Prophet here promifes and foretels Peace to the Jews, fo in the fourth Chapter he defcribes the Glory and majeftic Presence of God, which fhall appear at the fame coming of the Meffiah; for fo I understand thefe Words of his. And the Lord will create upon every

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