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The Pregnant Promife with her Iffue; or, the Children of Promife brought forth and defcribed,

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GAL. iv. 28. Now we, brethren, as Ifaac was, are the children of promife.

After taking a view of the words in their connection, dividing, explain- ing, and fixing the proper fenfe of them, the following general topics are treated at great length, viz.

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1. The promise whereof believers are the children, opened up, 2. This character, of their being the children of promife, unfolded; and in what refpects they are fo, inquired into,

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3. The comparifon ftated, or the parallel run, between them and Ifaac, and fo the truth of the propofition evinced, viz. that as he was, fo they are the children of promife,

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4. The grounds of the doctrine enumerated, both with reference to the prolific virtue of the promife for begetting children to God, and alfo the pleasure of the Promifer, why he will have people to be the children of promife,

A copious application of the whole, in four ufes,
Ufe 1. Of information, in twenty inferences,
2. Of examination and trial,

3. Of caution, by answering fifteen cafes,

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SERMON

LXXII.

The MEDIATOR'S Power in Heaven and Earth,

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4. Of exhortation, to three forts of perfons,

MATTH. XXViii. 18. And Jefus came, and spoke unto them, faying, All power is given unto me in heaven and earth.

After the words are divided and explained, and fummed up in a dectrinal propofition, the following general heads of method are handled, viz.

1. The truth of the propofition illustrated from parallel texts and fcripture inftances, 428 2. The power that is delegated to, and refides in the person of Chrift, enquired into,

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3. The extent of this power unfolded, as it is declared to be all power in heaven and earth,

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4. The divine donation thereof touched at, by fhewing when and how it was given to Chrift,

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5. The reafons of the doctrine affigned, why all power in heaven and earth is given to him.

6. Sundry inferences deduced for the application,

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The HAPPY CONGREGATION; or, The Great Gathering of the PEOPLE to SHILOH *.

GENESIS xlix. 10.

The fceptre fhall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between bis feet, until Shilob come; and unto bim Shall the gathering of the people be.

THE

HE twelve fons of Jacob were very remarkable in their day but the twelve tribes of Ifrael, that were defcended and denominate from them, were yet more remarkable and renowned: for we find their names upon the twelve gates of the new Jerufalem, Rev. xxi. 12. In the view hereof, their dying father, Jacob, fays fome things remarkable concerning each fon, and his tribe. Holy Jacob, the nearer he was to his death, the nearer to God; his foul had not only a kind of divinity, but of divination alfo, whereby he

* This fubject is the fubftance of eight difcourfes, preached at feveral places, on facramental occafions. The first three were delivered at -the facrament at Kinglaffie, June 5th, 6th, and 7th; and end about the middle of the third general head. The next three were preached at the facrament of Airth, June 19th, 20th, and 21ft; and end with the fifth general head. The laft two were delivered at the facrament of Carnock, July 4th, and 5th: all in the year 1725. † A

VOL. IV.

pro,

prophefies of what fhall take place concerning, them and come to pafs in the latter days. From Jacob's couch, and death-bed prophecy, we may learn fome new lessons, tho' it be an old story, and spoken more than three thoufand years ago. Many great things are faid to and of the feveral fons of Jacob, when now they were gathered together at his bed fide: but efpecially very glorious things are fpoken of Judah and his tribe; as, 1. That it fhould be an honourable tribe; ver. 8. “ Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren fhall praife." 2. That it fhould be a victorious tribe; "Thy hand fhall be in the neck of thine enemies." 3. That it fhould be a fuperior tribe to the reft; "Thy Father's children fhall bow down before thee." 4. That it fhould be a powerful and courageous tribe, ver. 9. "Judah is a lion's whelp." 5. That it fhould be a royal tribe, from which the Mel fias the Prince fhall come, ver. 10. "The fceptre fhall not depart from Judah, nor a law-giver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him fhall the gathering of the people be."

As Abraham faw Chrift's day afar off, fo did Jacob here though his bodily eyes were dim, yet fuch a clear-fighted foul hath he, that he fees that which the eye of mortality never faw, even an object at fuch a far dilance, that he fpake clearly of it more than fixtecn hundred years before the accomplishment thereof; and while there was nothing but fhadows, that interveened betwixt the prophecy and the event. And, notwithStanding all the legal interveening fhadows, and that his fun was going down in his hemifphere of nature, his eyes dim through infirmity of age; yet his mind being irradiated by the Spirit of God, he fees the Sun of righteousness, the Morning-ftar, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Light of the Gentiles, and the Glory of his people Ifrael. As Mofes, from the mount, beheld the land of Canaan afar off; fo Jacob from the mount of his divine contemplation, even when his heart and eye. ftrings are breaking, fees to the furtheft end and period of all the prophets.

This text is the more remarkable, that it is the third promife of grace and of Chrift to mankind finners after

the

"The

the fall. The firft promife was, Gen. iii. 15. feed of the woman fhall bruife the head of the ferpent." The fecond was, Gen. xxii. 18. where God fays to Abraham, "In thy feed fhall all the nations of the earth be bleffed." But this is the third, both fuller and plainer than the former two; for thefe fhew that it fhall be, but this fhews, when it fhall be; pointing out the very precife period of time when Chrift fhall come: So that, if any one demand, When fhall this Meffias be revealed? The answer is, When the fceptre is departed from Judah.

This text hath two parts: the firft pertaining to the Jews, The fceptre fhall not depart from Judah, ror a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh come; the fecond pertaining to the Gentiles, To bim fhall the gathering of the people be. He fhall come to the Jews, and be received by the Gentiles: for Chrift, the King of the Jews, came to them; "He came to his own, and his own received him not." The Gentiles fall be fubject to the King of the Jews, and at laft the Jews fhall be fubject to the King of the Gentiles. The former part of the verse fpeaks forth the conviction of the Jews, the latter part the converfion of the Gentiles.

Now, in the first part of the words, relating to the Jews, you may notice two things, firft, a Sign; and, fecondly, an Event. The fign is, the departing of the fceptre from Judah, and the government. The event is, the coming of Chrift the Shiloh.

tor.

1. You have the Sign; and this fign, if it be not doubled, is at leaft twice mentioned in the text; for the fame may be understood by the fceptre and the lawgiver; where there is a fceptre, there must be a legisla、 They may be either confidered to be the fame, namely, the fceptre, or the law-giver; or feparately, as fome read it, the fceptre of the law-giver; making C the one the principality, and the other the magiftracy, as it were, at the feet of the former; as Paul at the feet of Gamaliel. Jacob here forefaw, that the fceptre and government would come to the tribe of Judah, which was fulfilled in David, on whofe family the crown was intailed. He forefaw alfo that the fceptre would

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continue in that tribe, at leaft a government of their own, till the coming of the Meffias, in whom, as the King of Zion, and great High-prieft, it was fit that both the priesthood, and royalty, fhould terminate and

centre.

I know it is objected here, efpecially by the Jews, who deny that the Meflias is come, that in the captivity of Babylon, Where was the fceptre of Judah? And that the Maccabces were of the tribe of Levi; Where then was the tribe of Judah? For clearing of this, you are to remember, that when the fceptre entred upon Judah, it remained there. You may fee Judges i. 1, 2. "That after the death of Jofhua, the children of Ifrael afked the Lord, faying, Who fhall go up for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them? The Lord anfwered, Judah fhall go up, because I have delivered the land into his hand." But when it is faid, The fceptre Shall not depart from Judab, it is not meant, the fceptre hall ftill remain there in the fame fplendor and glory: it is not taken away, when it pleases God to eclipse the glory, and obfcure the fplendor of it, as a punishment of their fins. Now, as until the captivity, all along from David's time, the fceptre was in Judah; fo in their captivity they had their princes exiles. You fee the king of Babylon lifting up the head of Jehoiakim king of Judah, when he was his captive, and advancing him above the other kings that were with him in Babylon, 2 Kings xxv. 27. And after the captivity, their rulers were either by the father or mother's fide, defcended from the tribe of Judah. They had ftill a governor of that tribe, or of the Levites, that adhered to it, which was equivalent, till Judah became a province of the Roman empire, juft at the time of our Saviour's birth, and was at that time taxed, as one of the provinces of that empire, Luke ii. 1. And though the act of government might, at fome time or other, ceafe, yet the right of government was ftill in Judah; the crown ftill did belong to Judah, and the principality had its denomination from Judah: and to this day, they have the name of Jews from Judah, and will ever be fo called; the name fhall not wear out, till Chrift's fecond coming:

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