into, was laid in a general persuasion, that there was a way for the recovery of the favor of God; but what that was they knew not, and therefore wandered in woful uncertainties.

§15. But we have farther expositions of this first promise, and farther confirmations of this grace, in the scripture itself. For, in process of time, it was renewed to Abraham, and the accomplishment of it confined to his family. For his gratuitous call from superstition and idolatry, with the separation of him and his posterity from all the families of the earth, was subservient only to the fulfilling of the promise before treated of. The first mention of it we have Gen. xii, 1-3; "Now, "the Lord had said to Abraham, get thee out of thy "country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's "house, to a land that I will shew thee. And I will "make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and "make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing. "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them "that curse thee; and in thee shall all the families of the "earth be blessed." And this is again expressed, Gen. xviii, 18, "All the nations of the earth shall be blessed "in him." And chap. xxii, 18; "And in thee shall all "the nations of the earth be blessed." And when he doubted of the accomplishment of this promise, because he was childless, and said, "behold to me thou hast "given no seed," as knowing that therein lay the promise, chap. xv, 3, God tells him, that he who should come "forth of his own bowels should be his heir," ver. 4, which was afterwards restrained to Isaac, chap. xvii, 21. Thus he is called and separated from his own family and kindred, and from all other nations, and a peculiar portion of the earth assigned him and his for their habitation. Now, the special end of this Divine dispensation was, to be a means of accomplish

ing the former promise, or the bringing forth of him who was to be the deliverer of mankind from the curse; for,

1. It is said, that Abraham hereupon should be (5) a blessing; not only blessed thyself, but also the means of conveying blessings, the great blessing, unto others. And how was this done in Abraham? it can be nothing, but that he was separated to be the peculiar channel, by which the promised blessing seed should be brought forth into the world.

2. It is said, that all the "families of the earth (3) "shall be blessed in him," Gen. xii, 3; that is, not in his person, but in his seed, chap. xxii, 18; the promised seed that should come of him. And chap. xxii, 18, 17, in Hithpael, "bless themselves." And this is spoken of all nations, all families, the posterity of Adam in general, and not any one nation exclusively. They are all cursed in Adam, as hath been declared, and God here promiseth, that they shall be blessed in the seed of Abraham, and by him, "the seed of the woman." And this blessing must involve in it all the good things of which, by the curse, they were deprived. In this promise was the ore laid up, which, after many generations, was brought forth and stamped with the image of God.

3. The curse to Satan is here again renewed; "I "will bless them that bless thee, and I will curse him "that curse thee." The blessing is to many; but the curse respecteth one principally; that is, Satan, as the scripture generally expresseth the opposite apostate power under that name. Neither is there any just cause of the variation of the number, unless we look on the words as a pursuit of the first promise, which was accompanied with an especial malediction on Satan, and who acts his enmity in all obloquy and cursing

against the blessed seed, and those that are blessed therein.

$16. After the giving of this promise, the whole Old Testament beareth witness, that a person was to be born of the posterity of Abraham, in whom the nations of the earth should be saved; that is, delivered from sin and curse, and made eternally happy. It is said,

to him shall be the gathering of the" (לו יקדש עמים)

"people;" the people of the world, distinct from Judah, shall gather themselves to him; that is, for safety and} deliverance, or to be made partakers of the promised blessing. Hence Balaam, among the Gentiles, prophesied of him, Numb. xxiv, 17-19. And Job, among the children of the East, that were not of the posterity of Isaac, professed his faith in him, Job. xix, 25; “I "know that my Redeemer liveth, or () is living; and "afterwards he shall stand on the earth," or rise on the dust. He believed that there was (1) a Redeemer promised, one that should free him from sin and misery. Though he was among the Gentiles, yet he believed the promise, and expected his own personal redemption, by the blessed seed. And thus, although God confineth the posterity of Abraham after the flesh, to the land of Canaan, yet, because in the promised seed he was to be "heir of the world,” he gives to the Messiah, "the heathen to be his inheritance, and the "uttermost parts of the earth for his possession," Psal. ii, 8. And upon the accomplishment of the work assigned him, he promiseth, that "all the ends of the world "shall remember, and turn to the Lord; and all the "kindreds of the nations shall worship before him," Psal. xxii, 27; a plain declaration of the Gentiles coming in for an interest in the redemption wrought by him; See Psal. xlv, 16. For these rebellious ones was he to receive gifts, that the "Lord might dwell among them,"

Psal. lxviii, 18; so, that by him "Egypt and Ethiopia "were to stretch forth their hands to God," ver. 31; yea, "all kings were to bow down to him, and all na❝tions to serve him," Psal. lxxii, 11-17. In the last days, the days of the Messiah, many people, yea, all nations, are to be brought to the house of the Lord, and to worship him acceptably, Isa. ii. 2-4; and expressly, chap. xi, 10. The root of Jesse, which the Jews grant to be the Messiah, is to stand for an ensign to the people, and to it shall the Gentiles seek; even for that salvation and deliverance which he had wrought; and they are preferred therein, before Israel and Judah, ver. 12, Egypt and Assyria; that is, the other nations of the world are to be brought into the same covenant of the Messiah with Israel, Isa. xix, 25. For all flesh was to see the glory of the Lord, and not the Jews only; and the Isles, or the utmost parts of the earth, were to wait for the law of the promised Messiah, chap. xlii, 4. And the whole of what we assert is summed up, chap. xlix, 6; where God speaks to the promised seed, and says, “It is a light thing, that thou shouldst be my ser"vant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the "preserved of Israel; I will also give thee for a light to "the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation to the "end of the earth;" where he is as fully promised to the Gentiles, to be their salvation, as ever he was to Abraham or his posterity. See Isa. li, 5; and liii, 12. And on this account doth God call to men in general, to come into his covenant; promising to them an interest in the mercies of David, because he hath given this seed as a witness to them, as a leader and commander, or a captain of their salvation, Isa. lv, 1—4.

§17. Thus do both the law and the prophets bear witness to the promised Deliverer, and the deliverance to be wrought by him. And this is he, whom Jews

and Christians call (n) Messiah, the Anointed. Those who were of old consecrated to God in the great offices of kings, priests, and prophets, were by his appointment to be anointed; at least some of them on special occasions were so. Thence they were called (D) anointed ones. And because this anointing with oil was not appointed for its own sake, but for somewhat signified thereby, those who received the thing signified, although not actually and literally anointed with oil, are all called "anointed ones;" also, Psal. cv, 15. Now, this promised seed, this Savior or deliverer, being appointed of God, to perform his work in the discharge of a triple office, of king, priest, and prophet to his people, and being furnished with those gifts and endowments which were signified by the anointing oil is, by an antonomasia, called "the Messiah." Or (nph) "Messiah the king." Dan. ix, 25; (7) “Messiah the prince," ruler, or leader; and ver. 26, Messiah absolutely.

This name is but twice, or thrice at most, used in the Old Testament, directly and immediately to denote the promised seed; namely, Dan. ix, 25, 26; whereto, Psal. ii, 2; may be added. But this name, on the reasons before given, prevailing in the Judaical church, it is frequently made use of in the Targums, and some other of their chief writings where he is treated of; although he be not expressly named in the original. Elias, (in his Methurgamim) reckons up fifty of those places, whereunto one and twenty more are added by Buxtorfius. A few here follow:

§18. On Gen. iii, 15; Targ. Jonath. "The seed of "the woman shall bruise the head of the serpent, and

"they shall obtain healing, or a plaister for the heel, in "the days of Messiah the king." On Gen. xxxv, 21; "Which is the place (i. e. Edar, which was near Beth