manner by the apostle Paul, who fcrupled not to say to Feftus and king Agrippa, in the hearing of the chiefs of the Jews, Acts xxvi. 6. And now, I ftand and am judged for the hope of the promife made of God unto our fathers. 7. Unte which promise, our twelve tribes inftantly ferving God day and night, hope to come. But to what promise made to the fathers did the twelve tribes hope to come, which they were not in poffeffion of at the time the apostle faid this, unless it was the promife in the covenant, that God would raise Abraham's feed by faith from the dead, to poffefs the heavenly country, of which Canaan was the emblem. Accordingly, to fhew that that was the promife which the apoftle had in his eye, he immediately added, for which hope's fake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews. 8. Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead ?—The fame apoftle openly affirmed in the hearing of Felix, and of the Jewish council, that the refurrection of the dead is a thing written in the law and the prophets, Acts xxiv. 14. But this I confefs unto thee, that after the way which they call herefy, So worfhip I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and the prophets. 15. And have hope towards God, which they themselves alfo allow, that there shall be a refurrection of the dead, both of the just and of the unjust. But the refurrection of the dead is no where written in the law of Mofes, except in the covenant with Abraham, where God promised to count Abraham's faith for righteousness, and to give to him and to his feed the everlasting poffeffion of Canaan.-And with refpect to the prophets, the resurrection of the dead is not written by them, any otherwise than as they have foretold the accomplishment of the promises in the covenant, according to their fecond and highest meanings, by fpeaking of them as the accomplishment of these promises according to their first or literal meaning. For example, Isaiah hath foretold the multiplication of Abraham's spiritual feed by the great increase of his natural progeny: Chap. xlix. 18-26. liv. 1-3. lx. 1.-5.-And the converfion of the natural feed to the faith of the gospel, and their salvation, by their restoration to the land of Canaan. Chap. li. 9.—16. lii. 9.-12. And their happiness in their converted state, by the building and adorning of its cities. Chap. Ixi. 4, 5, 6.— And the excellency of the heavenly country, and the happiness of Effay V. of the fpiritual feed in that country, by the creation of a new heaven and a new earth, for the habitation of the natural feed; in which new earth, there is to be neither pain nor forrow. Chap. lxv. 17.-20.-And the worship of God in the heavenly country, by the restoration of the Mofaic worship in its purity in the new earth. Chap. Ixvi. 20.—24. Laftly, The prevalence of the hope of the refurrection of the dead, among the Ifraelites in the earliest times, may be underftood from this well known fact, that the nations who fprang from Abraham by Hagar and Keturah, entertained the fame hope, and communicated it to their neighbours; fo that the refurrection of the dead, in one shape or another, was believed by the greatest part of the inhabitants of the east. Hence Job who was an Arabian, expreffed his hope of the refurrection in the ftrongeft terms, chap. xix. 25. I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he fhall ftand at the latter day upon the earth. 26. And though after my skin, worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh fhall I fee God. 27. Whom I fhall fee for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another, though my reins be confumed within me. The particulars contained in this section merit attention, as they fhew how much the Deists and others are mistaken, who think the immortality of the foul and the retributions of a, future ftate, were not made known to the Jews by Mofes and the prophets. SECT. IV. Of the fourth Promife in the Covenant with Abraham, This promife is recorded, Gen. xvii. 7. I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy feed after thee, in their generations, for an everlasting covenant. 8. And I will be their God. -This promise, though expreffed in the most fimple language, comprehends deep meanings. It confifts of two articles... 1. The first article is contained in verfe 7. I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy feed after thee, in their generations, for an everlasting covenant. This establishment of God's covenant with Abraham and his feed in their generations for an everlasting covenant, in its firft or literal meaning implied, that Abraham's natural feed were to remain a diftinct people in their fucceffive generations, without ever being destroyed: because, if they they were to be deftroyed, God's covenant with them would not have been everlasting. To this interpretation we are led by Mofes, who declared, that if God destroyed Abraham's natural feed, it would be a breaking of his covenant with them, Levit. xxvi. 44. 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 deftroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them. Agreeably to this promife, God declared by Jeremiah, that he would utterly deftroy the nations who had oppreffed the natural feed of Abraham, but would never make a full end of his pofterity, Jerem. xlvi. 28. Fear not, O Jacob my fervant, faith the Lord, for I am avith thee: for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee, but I will not make a full end of thee. In this promise, according to its first and literal meaning, an event is foretold of a very fingular nature; namely, that Abraham's natural feed are always to continue a diftinct race, and are never to be loft by mixing with other nations. To this nothing fimilar hath ever happened. For where are the people, who being scattered over the face of the earth, have preserved themselves diftinct from the reft of mankind, fo that after continuing in a state of difperfion for thousands of years, the individuals, in their fucceffive generations, are known to be of that people. The Affyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Grecians, and the Romans, have all in their turns conquered, and been conquered, but have not kept themselves diftinct from their conquerors, although they were not carried captives from their own country, far lefs were they scattered over the face of the earth, as the Ifraelites have been. All these nations are now fo mixed with their conquerors, that the individuals of them cannot be diftinguished. To the reason and experience of mankind, the continuance of Abraham's natural feed diftinct from all the réft of the world, foretold in this promife, muft, before it happened, have appeared an event utterly improbable. Yet this improbable event hath actually taken place, through a long fucceffion of ages. For from the time of their going down into Egypt, to this day, the Ifraelites, notwithstanding the many calamities which befel them, have still been preferved a diftinct and numerous people, as was formerly fhewed in the explication of the fecond promife in the covenant, p. 17. and they will be continued continued a distinct and numerous people, till the fulness of the Gentiles is come in, and their exiftence as a separate race is no longer needed to ftrengthen the evidences of the gospel. At that period, they also shall be converted to the faith of Chrift, and entering into the Christian church, they will with the other difciples of Chrift, affift in preferving the knowledge and worfhip of God among mankind, to the end of the world. Thefe things their own prophets have foretold, under the idea of their being reftored to their own land, and of their worshipping God there, according to the Mofaic ritual. But God's promise to establish his covenant with Abraham's feed in their generations for an everlasting covenant, in its second and higher meaning, imported that his fpiritual as well as his natural feed, fhould be continued in the world, and be separated from the wicked for ever. Accordingly, notwithstanding Abraham's fpiritual feed, the fincere worfhippers of God have, from the beginning, been perfecuted, and often worn out by the feed of the ferpent, they have never been utterly destroyed. There have always been, in every nation, many good men who feared God and wrought righteousness, and who, notwithflanding they were not distinguished from the wicked by any external mark, as Abraham's natural feed always have been, are nevertheless fufficiently distinguished from them by their faith and holiness, and will continue a diftinct people to all eternity. To render God's covenant with them everlasting in the ftrictest fenfe, Matt. xiii. 49. At the end of the world, the angels fhall come forth, and fever the wicked from among the juft. And being separated, Chrift will carry them with him into heaven, and form them into one great community, called, Heb. xxi. 27. The general affembly and church of the first-born; and Rev. xii. 23. There fball in nowife enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie, but they who are written in the Lamb's book of life. In this holy community, the spiritual feed of Abraham will remain to all eternity, feparated from the wicked, and united to one another by the indiffoluble bond of the warmeft love and friendship for ever. The fecond article of the fourth promife is contained in these words: I will be their God. This implies, 1. That 1. That Abraham's natural feed were in general to know and acknowledge the true God as their God. Moreover, this promife being connected with their poffeffion of Canaan, in the following manner, Gen. xvii. 8. I will give to thee, and to thy feed after thee, the land wherein thou art a firanger, all the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God, it signified that the title of Abraham's feed to poffefs Canaan, depended on their continuing to worship and obey God.-How this promife, in its first or literal meaning, was accomplished, we learn from Mofes, who infinuates that Abraham's pofterity in Canaan and in Egypt, acknowledged and worshipped the God of their fathers, by those natural acts of piety which reason dictated, till they came to Sinai, where, by the ministry of Mofes, God gave them a ritual of his worship, formed according to a pattern fhewed to Mofes on the mount. From that time forward, Abraham's pofterity, while they remained in Canaan, continued to worship the true God, according to that ritual. On fome occafions, indeed, they deviated into idolatry. But they were always foon reclaimed, by the punishments which God fent on them. Befides, at no time did the whole nation to a man follow after idols. In the times of the greatest corruption, there were many who abhorred idols. Thus it was in the reign of Ahab, when Elijah thought himself the only worshipper of the true God remaining in Ifrael. For there were even then feven thousand men left, who had not bowed the knee to Baal, 1 Kings xvii. 19. Thus it was likewife during the Babylonish captivity, when Shadrach and his companions were cast into a burning furnace, for refufing to worship the image which Nebuchadnezzar fet up. Moreover, by the punishments fent on the Ifraelites for departing from the law of Mofes, they were at length so thoroughly cured of their propenfity to idolatry, that after their return from Babylon, even to this day, their abhorrence of idols hath been extreme. They have long ago been driven out of Canaan by the Romans, and have continued in a state of difperfion ever fince. But thefe evils did not befaf them, because they had forfaken the law of Mofes, being more zealous of it then than ever; but because they crucified the Chrift, and rejected the gofpel. In fhort, notwithstanding they have continued long in this laft difperfion, and have fuffered in numerable |