And it shall be when the fons of Jacob attend to the • law, and observe the precepts, they shall impose the ' yoke of fervitude upon thy neck; but when they shall

!

turn themselves away from studying the law, and ' neglect the precepts, behold then thou shalt shake off 'the yoke of fervitude from thy neck. David imposed the yoke, and at that time the Jewish people observed the law. But the yoke was very galling to the Edomites from the first: and toward the latter end of Solomon's reign, Hadad the Edomite of the blood royal, who had been carried into Egypt in his childhood, returned into his own country, and raised some disturbances, (1 Kings XI.) but was not able to recover his throne, (7) his fubjects being overawed by the garrifons which David had placed among them. But in the reign of Jehoram the fon of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, the Edomites revolted from under the dominion of Judah, and made themselves a king. Jehoram made some attempts to fubdue them again, but could not prevail. So the Edomites revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day, faith the author of the books of Chronicles: (2 Chron. XXI. 8, 10.) and hereby this part of the prophecy was fulfilled about nine hundred years after it was delivered.

VI. But in all fspiritual gifts and graces the younger should be greatly fuperior, and be the happy instrument of conveying the bleffing to all nations. In thee and in thy feed shall all the families of the earth be blessed: and hitherto are to be referred in their full force those expreffions, Let people ferve thee, and nations bow down to thee; Curfed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that bleffeth thee. The fame promise was made to Abraham in the name of God, I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: (Gen. XII. 3.) and it is here repeated to Jacob, and is thus paraphrafed in the (8) Jerufalem Targum, He who curseth thee, shall be * cursed, as Balaam the son of Beor; and he who blef

* feth thee, shall be bleffed, as Mofes the prophet, the lawgiver of Ifrael. It appears that Jacob was a man of more religion, and believed the divine promises more than Efau. The pofterity of Jacob likewife preserved the true religion and the worship of one God, while the Edomites were funk in idolatry. And of the feed of Jacob was born at last the Saviour of the world. This was the peculiar privilege and advantage of Jacob, to be the happy inftrument of conveying these spiritual blessings to all nations. This was his greatest fuperiority over Efau; and in this sense St. Paul understands and applies the prophecy, the elder shall serve the younger. (Rom. IX. 12.) The Christ, the Saviour of the world, was to be born of fome one family: and Jacob's was preferred to Esau's out of the good pleasfure of almighty God, who is certainly the best judge of fitness and expedience, and hath an undoubted right to difpense his favors as he shall fee proper; for he faith to Mofes (as the apostle proceeds to argue ver. 15.) I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have Compaffion on whom I will have compaffion. And when the Gentiles were converted to Chriftianity, the prophecy was fulfilled litterally, Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee; and will more amply be fulfilled, when the fulness of the Gentiles shall come in, and all Ifrael Shall be javed.

:

We have traced the accomplishment of the prophecy from the beginning; and we find that the nation of the Edomites hath at several times been conquered by and made tributary to the Jews, but never the nation of the Jews to the Edomites, and the Jews have been the more confiderable people, more known in the world, and more famous in history. We know indeed little more of the hiftory of the Edomites, than as it is connected with that of the Jews: and where is the name or the nation now? They were swallowed up and loft, partly among the Nabathæan Arabs, and partly among the Jews; and the very name was (9) abolished and disused about the end of the first century after Christ. Thus

(9) See Prideaux Connect. Part 1. Book 5. Anno 1291

For

were they rewarded for infulting and oppressing their brethren the Jews, and hereby other prophecies were fulfilled of Jeremiah, (XLIX. 7. &c.) of Ezekiel, (XXV. 12. &c.) of Joel, (III. 19.) Amos, (I. 11. &c.) and Obadiah. And at this day we fee the Jews fubfifting as a distinct people, while Edom is no more. agreeably to the words of Obadiah (ver. 10.) For thy violence against thy brother Jacob, shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever: and again, (ver. 18.) there fhall not be any remaining of the house of Efau, for the Lord hath spoken it.

IV.

JACOB'S PROPHECIES CONCERNING HIS SONS,
PARTICULARLY JUDAH.

IT T is an opinion of great antiquity, that the nearer men approach to their diffolution, their fouls grow more divine, and difcern more of futurity. We find this opinion as early as (1) Homer, for he represents the dying Patroclus foretelling the fate of Hector, and the dying Hector denouncing no less certainly the deathr of Achilles. Socrates in his Apology to the Athenians a little before his death (2) afferts the same opinion. • But now, faith he, I am defirous to prophesy to you • who have condemned me, what will happen hereafter. 'For now I am arrived at that state, in which men 'prophesy most, when they are about to die.' His

cupio vobis earum rerum, quæ vobis funt eventuræ, cafus quasi oraculo prædicere: in illum enim temporis statum jam perveni, in quo homines divinandi facultate maxime pollent, quando nimirum mortituri funt. Platonis Apolog. Socr. Op. Vol. 1. p. 39. Edit. Serranis

scholar (3) Xenophon introduces the dying Cyrus declaring in like manner, 'that the foul of man at the ' hour of death appears most divine, and then foresees 'something of future events.' Diodorus Siculus. (4) allegeth great authorities upon this subject: 'Pythagoras 'the Samian and fome others of the ancient naturalifts have demonstrated that the fouls of men are immortal, ' and in consequence of this opinion that they alfo fore'know future events, at the time that they are making 'their separation from the body in death.' Sextus Empiricus (5) confirms it likewife by the authority of Aristotle; 'the foul, faith Aristotle, forefees and foretels

future events, when it is going to be feparated from the body by death.' We might produce more teftimonies to this purpose from Cicero, and Euftathius upon Homer, and from other authors, if there was occafion; but these are fufficient to show the great (6) antiquity of this opinion. And it is poffible, that (7) old experience may in fome cafes attain to something

(3) ἡ δε τε ανθρωπε ψυχη τότε δηπε θειοτατη καταφαινεῖαι, και τολε τι των μελλοντων προορα. ac hominis animus tum fcilicet maxime divinus perfpicitur, et tum futurorum aliquid profpicit. Xenoph. Cyrop. Lib. 8. prope finem. p. 140. Edit. Henr. Steph. 1581.

(4) Πυθαγορας ὁ Σαμιού και τινες ἕτεροι των παλαιων φυσικων απεφηναντὸ τας ψυχας των ανθρωπων ὑπαρχειν αθανατές, ακολέθως δε τῳ δοςματι τετῳ και προγιγνωσκειν αυτας

τα μελλοντα, καθ' ὃν αν καιρον εν τη τελευτη τον απο τε σωματα χωρισμον ποιωνται· Pythagoras Sainius, et quidam physicorum hysicorum veterum alii, immortales effe hominum animas confirmarunt: et quod hujus fententiæ confectarium est, prænofcere futura, cum, imminente vitæ exitu, janjam a corpore fegregantur. In initio Lib. 18. Tom. 2. p. 586. Edit. Rhodomani.

(5) Η ψυχη, φησιν Αρισοτελης, πρυαδόρευει τα

1

Namque ubi torpescunt artus jam morte propinqua,

Acrior eft acies tum mentis, et entheus ardor;

Tempore non alio facundia fuavior, atque

Fatidicæ jam tum voces morientis ab ore.

(7) Alluding to these lines of Mil

like prophecy and divination. In fome instances also God may have been pleased to comfort and inlighten departing fouls with a prefcience of future events. But what I conceive might principally give rife to this opinion, was the tradition of fome of the patriarchs being divinely inspired in their last moments to foretel the state and condition of the people defcended from them; as Jacob upon his death-bed fummoned his fons together that he might inform them of what should befall them in the latter days or the last days; by which phrase some commentators understand the times of the Meffiah, or the last great period of the world; and Mr. Whifton particularly (8) afferts, that it is generally, if not always, a characteristic and κρίθηριον of prophecies not to be fulfilled till the coming of the Meffiah; and accordingly he supposes that these prophecies of Jacob more properly belong to the second coming of the Meffiah, at the restoration of the twelve tribes hereafter. But the phrafe of the latter days or last days in the Old Testament fignifies any time that is yet to come, though fometimes it may relate to the times of the Messiah in particular, as it comprehends all future time in general: and hence it is used in prophecies that respect different times and periods. I will advertise thee, faid Balaam to Balaak, (Numb. XXIV. 14.) what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days: but what the Ifraelites did to the Moabites, was done long before the times of the Meffiah. I know, faith Mofes, (Deut. XXXI. 29.) that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn afide from the way which I have commanded you, and evil will befall you in the latter days: where the latter days are much the fame as the time after the death of Mofes. There is a God in heaven, faith Daniel, (II. 28.) that rewealeth fecrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar, what shall be in the latter days: but feveral particulars are there foretold of the four great monarchies of the earth, which were fulfilled before the coming of the Messiah. And in like manner these prophecies of Jacob were, many or most of them, accomplished under the

(8) Boyle's Lectures, Vol. 2. p. 31.

E2

Mofaic