to God and his worship At the fame time, to prevent their being infected with the idolatries and vices of the reft of the world, as they certainly would have been, had they mingled with them, they were to be diftinguifhed and feparated from all other people by their diet, their drefs, and divers civil and religious rites and ceremonies; but more particularly by a fecret mark in the flesh, by which they might be certainly known from all other men. Thus they would be kept together in a body, and hindered from mixing with, and being corrupted by, their idolatrous neighbours, and in every refpect fitted to be an example and inftruction to them under the various difpenfations wherewith they were vifited. And further, their laws and religious inftitutions being originally recorded in books, would more certainly be preferved and known in all future ages and generations. Thus God provided a ftore-houfe of religious knowledge, a whole nation of priefts, Exod. xix. 6. a fchool of inftruction and wifdom for all the world. Or the nation of Ifraelites may be confidered as a piece of leaven which in procefs of time was to leaven the whole lump or mafs of mankind.

Abraham, a person of the most eminent piety and virtue, was chofen to be the head and father of this nation; that, as he would always be held in great veneration among them, he might always fhine before their eyes as an illuftrious pattern of godliness.

The ground of this scheme, and of God's fingular regards to Abrabam and his pofterity, was the COVENANT OF GRACE, the PROMISE or grant of favour and bleflings to mankind in Jefus Christ our Lord. Who verily was fore-ordained before the foundation of the world, though not manifefted till the last times. 1 Pet. i. 20. This Covenant or grant was first published to Adam. Gen. iii. 15. Her, the woman's, feed fhall bruife thy head, O ferpent, and thou shalt bruife his heel. Nor could it be wholly unknown to the Patriarchs; but it was much more clearly revealed to Abraham. Gen. xii. 3. xvii. 7, xviii. 18. xxii. 16, 17, 18. And this is the fubject which now requires our particular attention. [See the Treatife on the Covenant of Grace, &c.]

CHAP. XXVII.

The Methods of DIVINE WISDOM in raising up a new and religious

Tid

NATION.

O return to the age in which Abraham lived. The delufions of idolatry were fo ftrong, and the human understanding fo weak, that all nations feem to have run into it at once and alike; and fuch was the infatuating and fpreading nature of the infection, that there was no rational profpect of the reformation of any one of them.

Violence

could

could not be used, argument and reasoning would have no effect, the moft dreadful judgments were forgotten, or difregarded *. The knowledge and worship of the one living and true God, the great principle of moral goodness, and of public and private happinefs, would have been totally loft in the earth. But the Father and Governor of men provided a remedy. Inftead of deftroying all nations, as at the deluge, it was the merciful fcheme of Divine Wifdom to create, out of one pious and faithful perfon, Abraham, a new and religious nation, feparated from all the reft, in order to afcertain among them, and at length among all na tions, right fentiments of his Being, Perfections, and Providence. And it is greatly worth our while to obferve the fteps and Methods by which God was pleafed to train them up for this purpose.

First, Abraham is required to caft himfelf wholly upon God's Pro vidence, by removing, at God's command, from his own kindred and country, to an unknown diftant land, which God would fhew him; affuring him of his prefence and fpecial bleffing. Genefis xii. 1, 2, 3. Thus God took him under his immediate care and protection. In this ftrange land he wandered about as long as he lived, but God was with him every where. God appeared to him, and converfed with him frequently and familiarly. By extraordinary interpofitions, and express declarations, from time to time, God encouraged, directed, profpered, guarded and provided for him. He became very rich, great, and honourable; but all was most visibly the gift and operation of God. God gave him repeated affurances, that he would make of him a great nation, give his pofterity the whole land of Canaan, and that in his feed all the nations of the earth fhould be bleffed. But he was not to have a fon, till the birth of that fon was manifeftly the extraordinary miraculous effect of Divine Power, and infured the performance of the promifes. What could be more engaging than all these circumftances? What more proper to excite in a man, duty, affection, and confidence towards God? The fame encouragements, bleffings, and promifes are repeated to Ifaac, and afterwards to Jacob, and the fame heavenly correfpondence is kept open with them during their lives. Egypt, then a plentiful country, of genius and learning, [Acts vii. 22.] the refort of the curious and inquifitive, was chofen to be the nursery of this family. Thither was Jofeph first carried by a fingular Providence, fold for a flave, and most unjustly caft into prifon, but only that God might fhew himself in his enlargement. By means which God only could provide and direct, he was at once releafed from a jail, and raised to almoft regal honour and authority. And in high dignity and efteem, and with astonishing fuccefs, which none but God could give, in the most important affairs, he continued all the days of his life.

By him God predicted feven years of prodigious plenty in Egypt, and feven fucceeding years of the moft diftreffing famine in the land, and in all the adjacent countries. By this event, Jacob's whole family, in all feventy-two fouls, were brought to refide, with the great good-will of the king, and of the whole nation, in Goshen, the richeft province in

the

Reckoning by the age of man, the world was 20 years old; for God called Abraham in the year of the world 2083.

the land of Egypt, Gen. xlviii. 6. where their fituation, manners, and way of living, would keep them feparate from their idolatrous neighbours. Gen. xliii. 32. xlvi. 34. Thus God, by a furprifing train of events, introduced the family of Abraham into the nursery where they were to grow up into a nation. At length a prince arofe, who knew, or regarded, not Jofeph, Exodus i. 8. Then they fell into a state of flavery, and the feverett oppreffion and fuffering, for about 140 years. But this was only to render the power of God more confpicuous in their prefervation and deliverance. The more they are opprefied, and the more cruelly they were ufed, the more they increafe and flourish, till they were numerous enough to be formed into a nation. Mofes was miraculously preferved, educated by Pharaoh's daughter in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and raifed up to be their deliverer. And now the vials of Divine Wrath are poured out one after another upon Egypt. God made bare his arm, or gave the moft fignal and ftriking demonftrations of his Being and Power, infinitely fuperior not only to all human ftrength, but also to all the pretended Deities in which the Egyptians trufted. Exodus xii. 12.

Then

To this end (1.) the Divine Wisdom permitted, on this fpecial occafion, Pharaoh's magicians, poffibly by the miniftry of evil fpirits, or by extraordinary powers immediately communicated to the enchanters, to imitate fome of the miracles which Mofes wrought, in order to difplay more clearly his own Divine Power; and to convince both Egyptians and Ifraelites of the vanity of fuch arts, by controling and defeating them, even when exercised in the highest degree. So a man was born blind, and Lazarus died, on purpofe to give our Lord an opportunity of demonftrating his power, and the truth of his miffion. John ix. 3. xi. 4. And for that reason, an extraordinary power might be permitted to evil fpirits to poffefs the bodies of men, that our Saviour's dominion over the devil and his angels might be more evidently fhewn. The invifible world of fpirits may undergo many variations, and be fubject to different reftraints and regulations in different ages, fo as to interfere more or less, or not at all in human affairs. Fortin.

(2.) God hardened Pharaoh's heart, by granting him refpite from one plague after another, that he might multiply, and fo render more confpicuous, the demonftrations of his Being and Supreme Dominion. And this is all that God did towards hardening Pharaoh's heart. See Exodus viii. 15. ix. 34, 35, and verfe 15, 16. For now, faith the Lord, I have firetched out my hand [in the preceding plague of boils and blains,] and I have fmitten thee, and thy people, with the peftilence, and [by this plague] thou mightest have been cut off from the earth. But in. very deed for this caufe I have raifed thee up, [I have reftored thee to health, by removing the peftilential boils,] that by refpiting thy deftruction, I'may Shew in thee more and greater proofs of my Almighty Power.

All the miracles which God wrought in Egypt, were fuch as must be feen and acknowledged to come from him alone, and not from any poffible

power of man, or fromany natural accidents. This is true of all the ten plagues, but efpecially of the last. The peftilence, in ordinary cafes, Iweeps away multitudes promifcuously; but, when it fingleth out only the firft-born in every family, it must plainly appear to be a judg

ment

ment immediately from the hand or direction of God; [Exodus xii. 29.] as it was to the Ifraelites a juft retribution of the cruelty of the Egyptians in endeavouring to deftroy all their male children. Exodus i. 16. [Note-In thofe ages and circumftances of the world, when men were not fo capable of being convinced by abftract reafoning, and probably underflood nothing of the perfections of God a priori, his fupreme authority and omnipotence would be beft demonftrated by facts, which experimentally proved his uncontroled dominion over all other powers, and over univerfal Nature.] At laft Pharaoh and his people give up the caufe. God's fuperior power is owned, becaufe fo dreadfully experienced. The Egyptians urge them to depart, and to remove all objections that might hinder their departure, willingly give them the most precious and valuable of their poffeffions, [which, by the way, might be but equal payment for the labour of fo great a multitude, for 140 years.] See Exodus xii. 33, &c. Verse 35. And the children of Ifrael-A afked of the Egyptians jewels, &c. i. e. asked the Egyptians to give them jewels, &c. [ fignifies to afk to give, as well as to lend. Jofh. xv. 18, 19. xix. 50. Jud. v. 25. viii. 25, 26. Pfal. ii. 8. See Hebrew English Concordance.] Verfe 36. So that they lent unto them, &c. t So that they readily gave them, &c. in Hiphkid to make to afk, i. e. to encourage, to gratify afking by freely giving. [NoteUpon the occafion of the death of all the firft-born among the Egyptians, and the departure of the Ifraelites out of Egypt, a commemorative festival, the paffover, is inftituted; an ordinance very proper for preferving the perpetual memory of the power and goodnefs of God among the Ifraelites.

The Ifraelites leave Egypt, in number no less than twenty-four hundred thousand, Num. i. 45, 46. and all Nature giveth way before them. A paffage is open for them through the Red- fea, which clofes upon, and overwhelms Pharaoh and his pursuing army. Pillars of cloud and fire, alternately appearing in the air, direct their march. Bitter fountains are made fweet. In a dry, thirsty, barren country, they are fupplied with water from the hard and flinty rock, and with food from the fky for forty years together. With all the appearances of glory and dreadful majefty, God, as their King and Sovereign, eftablished his Covenant, or entered into a folemn contract, with them in mount Horeb; choofing them for a peculiar treasure above all people, Exodus xix. 5. and engaging himself to be their God and King, and to bestow on them all national bleffings upon condition they were obedient, adhered to his worship, and kept clear of idolatry, with which they had been tinctured in Egypt, (Lev. xvii. 7. Jofh. xxiv. 14. Ezek. xx. 8.) otherwife they might expect the fevereft judgments, Deut. xxix. 10, &c. At the fame time he gave them a fyftem of laws and ftatutes, moft excellent in themselves, fitted to their prefent temper and circumftances, as well as to the future intents and purposes of the Gofpel difpenfation. Here God took up his refidence among them in the tabernacle, afterwards in the temple, fetting himself at the head of their affairs, and upon all important occafions directing them as an oracle. And all this, to attach and unite this one nation to himself.

At

At length, through a train of very striking miracles, (Jordan divided, the walls of Jericho thrown down) he brought them into the promised land, with a commiffion to deftroy all the inhabitants, the meafure of whofe iniquity was then full; and who probably were more corrupt than any of their neighbours, and as deferving of deftruction as Sodom and Gomorrha, for all the idolatrous, brutish, cruel, inceftuous, and unnatural crimes, which univerfally prevailed amongst them. Had the Ifraelites been mixed with the idolatrous Canaanites, they would foon have loft the knowledge of God, and been involved in all their corruptions; but being made the inftruments of their deftruction, this would give them the greater horror of thofe crimes, which they knew (for Mofes had told them, Deut. ix. 4, 5.) were thus dreadfully avenged by their arms. Moreover, thus they would give themselves a clear demonftration, that idol gods had no power to defend and preferve their votaries. Therefore it was not unjust in God to command the deftruction of the Canaanites, nor cruel in his fervants to execute that command, (any more than it is to extirpate outlaws, and the worst of criminals, by legal authority) but in the views of Divine Wisdom, the propereft way of extirpating them, confidering the effects it would have upon the minds of the Ifraelites.

Here we may obferve, (1.) That the Ifraelites made no claim to the land of Canaan in their own right. The right was in God, who gave it them. (2.) We may obferve a good reafon why the Divine Wisdom erected this fcheme for preferving true religion, only in the one nation of the Ifraelites. Becaufe, had he felected a pious perfon and his family, as he felected Abraham and his pofterity, out of every nation upon earth, then, to make room for them, every nation upon earth must have been devoted to deftruction, as the Canaanites were. But feeing the whole earth was not filled with violence, injuftice, rapine, and oppreffion, God in much lenity and forbearance was pleafed to wink at, or overlook, the ignorance and error of other nations, without punishing them as they deferved, Acts xvii. 30. leaving them to the light of Nature, Acts xiv. 16. to feel, or grope after his exiftence and perfections, Acts xvii. 26, 27. and to the dictates of confcience, for their conduct in life; while he continued his providential care in giving the fupplies of life, and vifiting them with fuitable difpenfations; and will, at laft, judge them in perfect equity, making allowance for all unavoidable defects. Rom. ii. 6, 10, 11, 12.

Even after the Ifraelites were fettled in the land, the danger of idolatry was not over. They were ready on every occafion to catch the infection from their neighbours; and ftill there was need of further Divine Interpofitions. And through a long courfe of years they were exercised with various difpenfations, according as they did or did not adhere to the worship of God. When they clave unto the Lord, they were profperous and triumphant; when they forfook him, and followed ftrange gods, they were in great diftrefs, in fervitude, and captivity; till by repeated calamities, and fignal deliverances, accompanied with the clearer light, and more rational convictions, which, at length, they were prepared to receive from their prophets, they were at laft weaned from idoVOL. I.

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latry,