these Hagarenes should stand out still against the Romans, when all the rest about them had yielded: But he had no better success than Trajan; and Dio, who gives an account of this expedition, as well as of that under Trajan, again remarks that God preserved the city; who, by the emperor, called back the soldiers, when they could have entered it, and again restrained the emperor from taking it when he was willing, by his soldiers. And well might the historian make this remark, for it appears that the emperor, being at first repulsed with the loss of men and ammunition, made great preparations for a second assault, in which (after a great loss of his soldiers) he overthrew part of the city wall, so that an entrance lay open into the city: but just at that time the emperor caused a retreat to be sounded, imagining that the besieged would come to entreat for peace; to obtain which, he thought they would discover where the vast treasures, supposed to belong to their temple of the sun, were laid; and which he thought might be lost, if the city was sacked, and the inhabitants destroyed. But the Hagarenes continued resolute the whole day, giving no intimation of any desire of a treaty of peace. On the morrow following, when the emperor would have renewed the attack, the European soldiers, before most resolute, would make no attempt to enter at the breach; and the Syrians, enforced to take the service, had a grievous repulse.

No persuasions, no promises, no threats, could engage the Europeans to renew their attacks; so that though after the breach in the walls, the conquest in martial esteem appeared so easy, that one of Severus's captains confidently undertook to effect it if he could have but 550 European soldiers assigned to the attack; yet the emperor could do no more than reply in a distracted rage, where shall I find so many soldiers? and so departed into Palestine. And yet this very emperor was beloved and revered by his soldiers almost to adoration, and was so severe in discipline, and so high in authority, that he could, a little before this, turn back his army at a word, in the midst of flight and fear; but could not now influence them to assault the enemy, when they were almost at their mercy.

Á fact so extraordinary, that it appears to be manifestly the interposition of that mighty Being, who at his pleasure pours contempt upon princes, and bringeth the counsel of the heathen to naught. It may be added, that the Hagarenes stood single in this extremity, against the whole Ro

man power; for Dio expressly declares, that not one of their neighbours would assist them. And we may likewise observe, that the spirit of freedom, which was the declared characteristic of Ishmael before he was born, was extraordinarily remarkable at this time, in these his descendants, since they seem to have been fully determined either to live absolutely free, or to die so; disdaining to have any treaty, or make any terms, even with the emperor of the world!—I shall now take notice of another particular foretold of Ishmael, viz.—That he should become a great nation. This has in some measure been treated of, but this is nothing to what they became in later ages; for under Mahomet, they laid the foundations of a most mighty empire. Their conquests then were amazingly rapid. In a few years they overrun more countries, and subdued more people, than the Romans did in centuries, under the name of Saracens; and after their empire was dessolved, and they were reduced within the limits of their native country, they still maintained their liberty. The Turks, who are lords of all the country around, are to this day obliged to pay them an annual tribute for the safe passage of the Pilgrims who go to Mecca. They still retain many of the customs which the scriptures relate of them to this day. Two English gentlemen, Dr. Shaw and Dr. Pococke, have lately travelled among them, and confirm this; and that they are, their religion excepted, the same people they were two or three thousand years ago; and still remain oft he same character as was foretold of their father Ishmael, fierce, savage, intractable, free, and independent, different from most of the wordl besides. We cannot but consider it as wonderful, that the same people should retain the same dispositions for so many ages, without changing their manners at all in so long a course of years. Their countenance is still more astonishing: the great empires around them have all in their turns fallen to ruin, while they have continued the same from the beginning, and are likely to continue the same to the end. And this, in the natural course of human affairs, was so highly improbable, if not altogether impossible, that as nothing but a divine providence could have foreseen it, so nothing but a divine power could have accomplished it. We may with more confidence believe the particulars related of Abraham and Ishmael, when we see them verified in their posterity at this day: This is having as it were ocular demonstration for our faith. This is proving by plain matter of fact, that

the Most High ruleth in the kingdoms of men, and that his truth, as well as his mercy, endureth forever.

2d. Three Travellers.-Uyflwsieaotd. 3d. The first Grand Offering.

How infinitely wise does the command given to Abraham, to offer up his son Isaac, appear, considered as having reference to Jesus Christ, being made an offering for our sins, and the faith we are called to in him. If we attend to it, we may discern that the command to offer up Isaac, and his deliverance, was as near a representation of the death and resurrection of Jesus as could be.-Isaac, we find, is styled in a very emphatical manner, "the only son of Abraham," that is, him to whom the power of every thing was to be given, who was to be his heir, for he had at that time another son, Ishmael, by Hagar, the Egyptian bondwoman. Isaac is likewise declared, by sacred authority to be the son whom Abraham loved. Jesus is styled the only son of God, him to whom all power is given, the heir of God, the son whom God loved, in whom he was well pleased. Abraham is commanded to offer up this only son, the son whom he loved.-God so loved the world, that he gave his only beloved son to be a ransom for it.

Isaac was not to be offered up at Beersheba, though Abraham dwelt there, but is to be carried to a mountain in the land of Moriah, to be made a sacrifice, and there, in the fulness of time, Jesus, the great sacrifice, was offered up. Three days was Abraham travelling on this sad errand, and so long was Isaac under condemnation of death-Three days did our Saviour endure in the grave under the power of death-Isaac carried himself the wood he was to be sacrificed with-Jesus himself carried the cross on which he was sacrificed for us. God delivered Isaac from death-God raised up Jesus from the dead, and suffered not death to have dominion over him, and would not suffer his holy one to see corruption.-Isaac was led quietly to be made a sacrifice of Jesus was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before his shearer is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.-Isaac was to be made a sacrifice of, without any particular demerit of his own, in obedience to the will of God-Jesus, who was blameless, and who knew no sin, was made a sacrifice for sin, in obedience to the determined councils of God; we likewise find that God provided himself a lamb for a burnt offering on this occasion, and we are informed God provided and appointed the lamb Jesus to be

B

slain from the foundation of the world. Thus greatly alike are the circumstances attending the command given to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, and those attending the real sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our blessed Saviour. This made a very ingenious mason, one of our grand masters, declare as his opinion, which he has supported with great reason and propriety, that the primary or chief intention of God, in giving this command to Abraham, was to give him information by action, instead of words, in what manner salvation was to come to mankind, though the divine wisdom knew how so to order all the circumstances of this information, that it became a trial to Abraham, and made him a most illustrious example of those, who, in the fulness of time, were to be called to the same faith. It seems very natural, and highly probable, that Abraham was very desirous to know what this great and peculiar promise was, in which all nations should be blessed in his seed, and the more he advanced in life, when he without doubt saw and felt how little temporal blessings, even in their greatest fulness, could bestow true and solid happiness on man, he was the more solicitous to know this further blessing which was intended for mankind; and we can scarcely suppose, but that he most earnestly entreated God that he would be pleased, before he went hence, and was no more seen, to shew him his salvation which was to come. God opens the scheme of his dispensations by exact and regular steps, and the revelations follow one another gradually and in order. Abraham is first commanded to go into a land which should be shewed him, then that land to be possessed by his numerous posterity is exhibited to him, its distinct boundaries are afterwards marked out; he is next assured, while yet childless, . that his posterity, to which so much was promised, should not be from an adopted son, but from one out of his own loins; he is then told that his son should be born of Sarah, which is followed by the formal execution of the covenants confirmed by the seal of circumcision; after all this, the birth of Isaac is predicted, who being born at the appointed time, Ishmael is ordered to be sent away to design with more certainty the other son's succession. Here we may see throughout, a gradual opening and fit preparation for some further revelation, which in pursuance of this regular scheme of progressive dispensations, could be no other than that of the redemption of mankind by the Messiah; the completion of the whole of God's economy, and the expla

nation of his first and fundamental revelation, that in Abraham should all the families of the earth be blessed. Though Abraham did not indeed receive Isaac restored to life after a real dissolution, yet the son being in this action to represent Christ suffering death for the sins of the world, when the father brought him safe from mount Moriah after three days, during which time, he was in the state of condemnation for death, he plainly received him under the character of Christ's representative, as restored from the dead, for as his coming to the mount, and binding and laying on the altar, figured the sufferings and death of Christ, so his being taken from thence alive, as properly figured Christ's resurrection from the dead. With the greatest propriety, therefore, and elegance of speech, might Abraham be said to receive Isaac from the dead, in a parable, or in representation.

4th. The second Grand Offering.

The place that David was commanded to erect an altar on for an offering to the Lord, which the Almighty was pleased to accept, when he stopped the pestilence which then raged amongst his people, owing to his having imprudently numbered them, was the threshing floor of Arauna the Jebusite. This same threshing floor was the mount Moriah, the place where Abraham offered up his son; and it is probable that David concluded from his command of rearing an altar unto the Lord here, that this was the place which God had chosen to have his house built on, and accordingly we find that our noble grand master, king Solomon fixed it here. King David's friendship was one of the most noble in the world, a friendship worthy of every mason to imitate: a friendship which could inspire him with the generous confidence of trusting the secret of his divine designation to the kingdom, to that very man who was to be immediately affected by it; such friendship implies every thing that generosity and magnanimity can inspire, and that Jonathan was fully in this secret, appears clear from the sacred historian. A friendship superior to the rivalship of empire, needs no higher praise, nor fears no rival! It is true, Jonathan's unparalleled generosity gave him a noble claim to this confidence, and on the other hand, the unparalleled generosity of this confidence, exacted a suitable return, and found it, and was in truth almost suflicient to inspire it into a soul less noble and enlarged than that of Jonathan, but David's generosity was not confined to friendship,