that matter, that he may be the better able to judge of the whole feries of his defign.

I have heretofore fhewed, that Mofes's intention was to establish two things in the book of Genesis.

The one, that all men have derived their original from Adam, whom God created.

The other, that man having finned, God promised to reinftate him by one of his own pofterity.

The firft of thefe was then folidly proved by a plain matter of fact, when I fhewed that such a tradition as Mofes relates about the creation of the world, cannot reasonably be doubted of.

As for what concerns the other, viz. the promise of the Meffiah, which was the chiefeft object of man's hope and comfort, I have alfo fhewed, I think, that the notion and expectation of it was very ftrong and lively, and the original caufe of all the extraordinary actions recorded by Mofes.

But as this promife was not to be fulfilled for many ages, fo God made it only in very general terms, and had ftill referved to him felf the revelation for after ages, as he thought fit, both as to the manner and time of its accomplishment. It is therefore abfolutely neceffary that we fhould confider alfo how God preferved all along the diftinct knowledge of it amongst men.

Now, in reading my reflexions upon Genefis, one muft needs have obferved that God, even in those early times of the world, did restrain the privilege of accomplishing that promife by little and little to fome particular men; till at laft he openly declared, that he had fettled it in the tribe of Judah, as we read in Gen. xlix.

Thus we fee, that God in the very beginning of the world reftrained that prerogative to Seth's family, and excluded Cain's from it; then afterwards, of all Seth's family, he reftrained it to Noah alone and his family; then, of Noah's family, to Shem alone; then, afterwards, of all Shem's pofterity, to Abraham alone; then, of Abraham's fons, to Ifaac alone; and of Ifaac's, to Jacob alone, whofe fon Judah was alone invested with that privilege, and all his brethren excluded.

It is moreover obfervable, that in those seven forementioned reftrictions which God made, he feems to have affected to prefer the youngest to the eldeft; as it is evident in his choice, if not of Neah, and Shem, who was elder than the other fons, yet certainly in that of Seth, who was younger than Cain; of Abraham, who was the youngest of Terah's fons; of Ifaac, who was younger than Ifmael; of Jacob, who was younger than Efau; and of Judah, who was one of the youngest of Leah's

fons.

So likewife, if the reader would judge of God's design by the event alone, he might juftly conclude that God, by this affected choice, intended to raile continual jealoufies betwixt the eldeft (who pretended. that the privilege of accomplishing the promife did belong to them because of their birthright) against their youngest brothers, whom they faw preferred by God's immediate choice.

One may alfo further add, that God feems to have ftrengthened these jealoufies, by introducing fometimes a fort of conformity amongst the

pretenders

pretenders to the execution of this promife: thus, for inftance, as Abraham had two children, fo Lot had two; as Jacob had twelve fons, fo Efau had alfotwelve: and fometimes one may find, that thofe particular perfons who are preferred, are charged with very fevere accufations.

Now, after all thefe general reflexions, it is natural for us to confider, what care God hath upon all occafions particularly taken to diftinguish and protect those whom he had invefted with the right of accomplishing the promife, that their ftate and fucceffion might never be uncer

tain.

It was this defign, no doubt, which obliged God to make Seth the depofitary of his fervice and worfhip, that he might thereby fave Noab from the flood, and fo procure to Shem his father's bleffing.

It was for this reafon that he called Abraham out of his own country, and made him travel from place to place, to make him thereby famous in the world, and to invite men by that means to inquire after his profeffion, his hopes, and his religion.

Again, it was for this that he obliged this Patriarch to the practice of circumcifion, which was a real diftinction, and an indelible character; and that he likewife confined him to a certain place, by fixing him in fome fort to the cave of Machpelah, which he had purchased of the children of Hamor.

Laftly, it was for that reason that God would have the posterity of Jacob diftinguished from all other nations of the world, and that he prohibited all alliance with them, as alfo all imitations of the customs and religious ceremonies practifed amongst them.

Now all this being fuppofed, I fay, that whether we confider the end and principal defign of Mofes's laws, or whether we examine his feveral prophecies, which do particularly characterife the Meffiah, we shall find that God did all along continue in his firft defign of diftinction, and confequently of keeping up the jealoufies of thofe that had any pretenfions to the privilege of accomplishing the promife; or, which is all one, that he hath profecuted the fame defign to Jefus Chrift's time, in whom Chriftians do maintain that the firit promife was accomplished, God having then, and not till then, both put an end to all thofe differ ences and diftinctions, which were only intended to make the Meffiah the better known, and the more certainly difcerned at his coming, and then to cease; juft as fcaffolds are taken away as foon as the building is finished; and having alfo on the other hand rectified the principles from which flowed that spirit of jealoufy, amongst those who had the fame pretenfion.

We fee, that accordingly God excluded all other nations from the right of accomplishing this promife.

We fee, that even in the family of Judah, who was himself the youngest of the first fet of Leah's children, he reftrained the execution of it to the youngest brothers.

We fee, that he raifed occafions of jealoufies, even amongst the tribes of Ifrael.

In a word, we fee, that of all thofe means which can diftinguifh any one people from all other nations of the world, or one tribe from twelve, one family from all other families of the fame tribe, and one particular

perfon

CH. XIII. perfon from all the reft of his family, none were omitted, but (on the contrary) all made ufe of by God, to follow this his first defign.

This I intend firmly to establish, by examining the thing gradually from Mofes's time, (by whofe miniftry God enacted and published thofe Jaws by the means whereof he intended the Meffiah might certainly be known) to the coming of our Lord Jefus Chrift, in whom we believe that the promise was accomplished.

That the Manner of God's promulgating his Law amongst the ISRAELITES, did much conduce to the diflinguishing them from all other Nations.

I

DO not barely defign here at firft to obferve the feveral refemblances which are obfervable betwixt the things related by Mofes in Genefis, and those which one finds in the following books.

Neither will I merely establish here that, as Jacob's going down into Egypt with all his children, and the protection they all received there, from Jofeph, did ferve to fulfill the prediction which God made of that event by Jofeph's dreams, fo we may fay in general, that the fending of Mofes, his miracles, and his whole miniftry to the time of his death, when he intrufted Joshua with the conduct of the Jews, were a literal accomplishment of the first part of the promife which God had formerly made to Abraham, to deliver the fourth generation of his pofterity out of the captivity which it was to fall into, and then to bring it into the land of Canaan to poffefs it.

Mofes indeed reprefents that people, according to the tenor of the prophecy, as groaning under the hard preffure of a cruel captivity in Egypt, when Jofeph and his eminent fervices were both forgotten.

Afterwards, he tell us how they were miraculously delivered out of that captivity.

And then, laftly, he informs us, that after he had carried them through many difficulties in the wilderness, he brought them at laft to the very borders of Canaan, and fo left them ready to conquer and poffefs it, according to God's promifes, and their pretenfions grounded upon those promifes which had been fo often repeated to them ever fince Abraham's time.

Joshua, Mofes's fucceffor, and in all likelihood the author of the defcription of his death, is he that accomplished the other part of God's promise to Abraham, by introducing the Ifraelites into Canaan, and actually poffeffing them of it: fo there is nothing can be imagined more precife in this whole matter.

But it is not all this only that renders both the perfon and miniftry of Mofes fo glorious: there are feveral other things in Exodus, and his other following books, which do much better deferve our confideration.

Thofe

Thofe books contain, as I have already obferved, an exact history of all that God did, in order to give a certain form to the commonwealth of Ifrael, a fixed place, and a particular fervice; that is, in order to follow his great defign of having the Meffiah known without mistake, whenever he should be born amongst the Jews: and this is my chiefest, aim in the reflexions upon Exodus and the other books of Mojes.

Firft, we might fay in general, that the obfervance of the fabbath, and the use of circumcifion, did diftinguish the Jews; but yet, I have fhewed, that the fabbath was a law common to all nations in the world, and that circumcifion on the other hand was common both to the Ifmaelites and Edomites: and this will oblige us to make fome particular obfervations upon that matter; and we must confider how God took care to diftinguifh that people, by giving them his law.

It is in general evident, that the care which God took to give the moral law to that whole people, did eminently diftinguish them from all other nations, whom he permitted to walk in their own ways, as St. Paul expreffes it: to be fure, it fhews them that he refolved to fix them to himfelf, and to hinder them from following both the idolatries of other nations, and thofe inundations of vice which ruin all focieties. And, without doubt, the furprifing pomp which accompanied the promulgation of God's law, and which was recorded by his order, before thofe that had been the eye-witnefies of it, did much contribute to perfuade them that God had a particular regard and kindness for their nation, and that he honoured them with his particular guidance.

We may make the fame obfervation upon God's giving them a political law, and upon the care that he was also pleased to take of regu lating their civil government, and preventing the difficulties which are commonly occafioned by fuch accidents as cannot be foreseen by any human legiflators, which caufe great revolutions and changes in all governments; all which fhew fufficiently, that his defign was to raise them up to, and to maintain them in as great profperity and welfare, as poffibly could be procured to a nation by perfect laws, and a well conftituted government: even the many ceremonies which God gave them, are a further demonftration of God's defign to diftinguish them from other nations.

It seems not to have been God's intention at firft to lay upon them fuch numbers of ceremonies; for it was only after the commiffion of the fin of the golden calf, that God laid upon them that heavy and troublefome yoke, on purpose to employ all their time, and fo keep them from falling into idolatry again. But, however, Tanchuma (c), a famous Jewish author, obferves, that there was nothing left in the world, but what God took care to give the Ifraelites fome laws about: as, for instance, if any Jew went out to plough, he was forbidden to do it with an ox and an ass'; if to fow, he was forbidden to fow his field with feveral kinds of feed; if to reap, he was forbidden to reap the whole crop: if any one went about to bake bread, he was commanded to take out of his dough, fo much as to make a cake thereof to confecrate it; if any one did facrifice any animal, he was charged to give away to the prieft, the right fhoulder of it, with both the cheeks and inwards; when any one found

(c) Jalkut. in Pent. fol. 228. col. 3.

out

out a neft of birds, he was obliged to let the old one fly away; if any one went a hunting, he was to fhed the blood of his game, and then to cover it with duft; when any one had planted any fruit-trees, he was to count the first thereof as uncircumcifed for the three first years; when any one found a fepulchre, even there certain cautions were prefcribed; if any one fhaved himself, he was forbidden to mar the corners of his beard; when any one built a house, he was to take care there should be rails, and mezouzoth made, to prevent all danger; they were obliged to put particular threads in their garments: and there are many other things which were apparently commanded to diftinguish the Jews, by obliging them to the practice of thefe, and fuch other laws as took up all their time. But if we may fay, in general, that the whole fcope of the ceremonial law was to employ the Jews, we may yet more juftly fay, that it was in particular intended by God to infpire into his people a horror against all idolatrous practices, and an averfion against all commerce with idolaters; and this may be further difcerned, if we examine thofe laws in particular.

One fees this perfectly by the manner of God's pronouncing fome meats unclean, and his forbidding to eat the flesh of fome animals; for we may find that the greatest part of thefe animals were worshipped amongst the heathens. Thus the more learned amongst the Jews prove that the goat and the ram were of that number; but io, no doubt, were all the animals which were ufually offered in facrifice to God, as particularly the bull. Now there is nothing which alienates two nations from one another more, than when one of them eats or facrifices that which the other makes the object of his religion.

One of the moft learned authors that ever the Jews had, hath diligently obferved, that God gave many ceremonial laws directly contrary to thofe rites which the Zabij ufed in their fuperftitions; and a learned English Doctor (d) hath lately proved it very largely, as to the ceremonies which God commanded to be ufed in the facrifice of the pafchal lamb, and in the manner of their building of the altar, and of their going up to it; in the prohibition of feething a kid in his mother's milk, and of offering honey in their facrifices; in the prohibition of their forcing their children to pass through the fire to Moloch; in the law which prohibited their eating blood, and rounding the corners of their heads, and making any marks in their flefh; and in i do not know how many other laws of that nature, the defign of whofe inftitution is not fo evident now, fince the rites of all thofe ancient idolaters are utterly abolished, and but imperfectly recorded in fome ancient authors.

Thus we fee, that we need only make a very little reflexion upon God's conduct, in giving all his laws to the Ifraelites, thereby to judge, that the main scope of thofe laws was to put a bar betwixt the people of Ifrael and all other idolatrous nations, which fhould be a vifible and a conftant diftinétion, till the Meffiah fhould be born, who was to make all thofe marks of difcrimination to ceafe entirely.

(d) Spencer de Leg. Mof. lib. 2.

CHAP. XIV.