H

NUMBER IV.

an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian. He fuffered a long imprisonment in Egypt, through the ftratagems of a wanton and cruel woman, his mafter's wife, and a train of other miferies incident to a state of flavery, in a ftrange land, exiled from his country and friends.

At

AVING already adverted to the perfection of God's work in the difpenfation of his grace to man, in three particulars, in the events of his common proy-length, however, Pharaoh was idence-in the objects of divine led, by the mysterious operations mercy-and in the difcipline which of divine providence, to advance God has chofen to train up his Jofeph over all the land of Egypt, people for the heavenly inheri- and to place him next to his own tance; I proceed to trace the fame perfon; in which elevated station, perfection, he preferved to his family a pofterity in the earth, and faved their lives by a great deliverance.

4. In the inftruments divine wildom has employed, in fome of the remarkable falvations wrought out for his people, at various periods, which were intended as types of the great falvation of the gofpel; and, efpecially, in that great falvation." What I have chiefly in view is to fhow, that "Out of weakness they were made frong," as the apoftle Paul teftifies of fome of them in the xi. chapter of his epiftle to the He-inent type of Chrift as a Saviour brews.

Mofes was expofed in his infancy, in an ark of bulrufhes, and left to perish. He was exiled into a barbarous land, from the land of his nativity, and from his nation and kindred, forty years; and was, as he himself teftifies, flow of fpeech and of a flow tongue; but, by appointment and commiffion from God, he was a moft em

and as a lawgiver, and as a Mediiator between God and his people, in all the offices of prophet, priest and king; and there arofe not a

prophet like unto Mofes, whom | prevailed against the champion of

the Lord knew face to face, until his great antitype appeared.

There were many circumftances of apparent weakness in the expedition of Deborah and Barak, with the ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali, and of the children of Zebulon, against the hoft of Jabin king of Canaan, with nine hundred chariots of iron; but they waxed valiant in fight, their victory was glorious, and their deliverance complete.

Gideon's family was poor in Manaffeh, and himself the least in his father's houfe; yet, being commiffioned of God, he, with his three hundred men armed with trumpets, empty pitchers and lamps, vanquished the hoft of the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the children of the Eaft; flew the two princes of the Midianites Oreb and Zeeb, and their two kings Zebah and Zalmunna. He alfo effectually taught the princes of Succoth with thorns of the wilderness and briers, and brake down the tower of Penuel, and flew the men of the city, for their unbelief and cruelty.

Gath, with a fling and a stone, and cut off his head with his own fword, and obtained for Ifrael a glorious victory. Saulbeing ftung with envy at the praise given to David, by those who fang to their harps, and anfwered one another, faying, "Saul has flain his thou"fands and David his ten thou"fands," ever after fought his life, and never ceafed perfecuting him, till he had driven him from the inheritance of God. But the Lord preferved David whitherfoever he went. The kingdom of Ifrael was his from the Lord; and after the death of Saul, the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker, and the house of David ftronger and ftronger. Many eminent men were raifed up to be helpers of David, to turn the kingdom of Saul to him. And there came to him, from day to day, to help him, until it was a great hoft, like the hoft of God. Being establifhed in his kingdom, he fought and prevailed againft all his enemies, until he had recovered his border at the river Euphrates, and had extended his dominion from fea to fea. Add to this, he was a great prophet; and the fweet pfalmift of Ifrael; he made great preparations for building the temple; was a fecond lawgiver of the Jewish church and people; added to the ritual of divine fervice, and fet in order the future temple worship.

David was the youngest in his father's houfe, and while his brethren were employed in the army, he was occupied in the humble bufinefs of a fhepherd, and kept his father's fheep. Being fent by his father to the army, on an office of kindness to his brethren, and making fome enquiry of what should be done to the perfon who should kill Goliath of Gath, who had defied the armies of Ifrael, he was defpifed and fharply reproved by his eldeft brother, for his fuppofed weakness and impertinence; but, animated with zeal in the caufe of God who had been de-kings and the children of Ifrael: fied, and in the exercise of faith, And we can be at no lofs for the he accepted the challenge, and reafons of his choice, fo contrary

Chrift chofe for his conftant attendants and companions, during his public miniftry, certain illiterate fishermen of Gallilee an obfcure part of Palestine, and afterwards commiffioned them to bear his name among the Gentiles and

was through life compaffed with infirmity. He was defpifed and rejected of men; a man of for rows and acquainted with grief, He bore our griefs and carried our forrows, yet he was esteemed fricken, Smitten of God and afflict ed. His vifage was fo marred more than any man, and his form more than the fons of men. Though he was the heir of all things, yet he had not where to lay his head; and during his pub

to all the maxims of human wif dom, fince the fcriptures have told us, "That this treasure was put in earthen vessels, that the excellenef of the power might be of God.". The great apoftle of the Gentiles was fubject to more and great, er infirmities and afflictions than any other apostle or minifter of Chrift ever was, fince the firft promulgation of the gofpel, which, in the xi. Chap. of his 2d epiftle to the Corinthians, he recounts, with fome amplification. Helic miniftry he was fupported prinadds to thefe in the xii. chapter what he calls a thorn in the flesh, a meffenger of Satan, given to buffet him, left he fhould be exalted above measure, through the abundance of the revelations made him ; which he befought the Lord, thrice, that it might depart from him, and received for anfwer, "My grace is fuffi"cient for thee: for my ftrength "is made perfect in weakness." This confideration completely fat-fpit upon, compelled to bear his isfying his mind, he adds, "Moft "gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the "power of Chrift may reft upon

"me."

Above all, the man Chrift Jefus was born in a low condition; he fprang indeed from the ancient and honorable stock of David, but at a time when the family of David was become obfcure, and his tabernacle was fallen down. He was born in a ftable and laid in a manger, though his birth was announced by a choir of angels, and by the vifit of the eaftern Magi, who paid theirhomage to the newborn king. His reputed father Jofeph worked at the trade of a carpenter, and he is thought to have followed the fame employ. ment. In his infancy he was compelled to fly into Egypt from the perfecution of Herod, and

cipally by the charity of a few pious friends. His last scene of fufferings was extreme; he was falfely accufed by the rulers and principal men of his nation before the Roman governor, was arraigned and condemned, tho' acknowledged to be innoncent by the judge who pronounced fentence; he was fet at nought by the foldiers, clothed in mock majefty, crowned with thorns, fcourged,

own crofs to the place of execution, crucified between two thieves, and in his expiring moments, he was reviled as an impoftor, and his thirft was mocked with vinegar mingled with gall. But his fufferings and death were voluntary, he submitted to them in obedience to the will of his Father; being found in fashion as a man he became obedient unto death, the death of the crofs; he was wounded for our tranfgreffions, he was bruifed for our iniquities, the chaftifement of our peace was upon him, and by his ftripes we are healed. He was made fin for us, who knew no fin, that we might be made the righteoufsnefs of God in him; and being made perfect through fufferings, he became the author of eternal falvation unto all them that obey him. Though this man was made a curfe for u

and was compaffed with infirmity | wife in their own craftinefs, and

the counfel of the froward is carried headlong. He is the king anointed of God, like fpiritual David, whom God had decreed to fet, and in fpite of the vain im

through his whole life, yet the fecond perfon in the adorable Trinity took him, from his miraculous conception in the womb of his virgin mother, into a perfonal union with himfelf. God repeat-aginations and impotent rage of

his enemies, hath fet upon his holy hill of Zion; and who, by the immutable purpofe of God, fhail reign, until he has fubdued all his enemies under his feet. He is the Lord of angels and of men. He is the head of all principality and power, and might and dominion and every name that is named. He is the conftituted judge of the quick and the dead; in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead, bodily. He is the heir of all things. He is the brightnefs of God's glory and the exprefs image of his perfon. He is the beginning, the first begotten from the dead, who in all things hath the pre-eminence. He is the Saviour of the body the church, the mediator between God and man, and the interceffor with the Father for all whom the Father hath given him, and by whom alone they have access to God. He is formed in the fouls of all who love him, there he maintains his kingdom of truth, peace and righteousness. He is in himself, by the Spirit the Comforter, the principle and earneft, and will be the confummation of eternal life within them. He is the eternal word, by whom all things were created and in whom they fubfift. He is the Wonderful, the Counfellor, the Mighty God, the Everlafting Father, the Prince of Peace. He is the medium of divine communication to creatures. He alone hath declar

edly bore witness, by a voice from heaven, that he was his beloved fon, in whom he was well pleased: his miraculous works bore witnefs to the fame truth, and he was declared to be the fon of God with power, according to the fpirit of holinefs, by the refurrection from the dead. He is the great teacher who came from God. He is the great prophet like unto Mofes, whom, according to his prediction, God hath raised up. He is the great high-prieft after the order of Melchifedec, who has entered into the holieft through his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption for us. He is the fcope of the Mofaic ritual. He is the perfon to whom all the proph. ets bear witness from the beginning; fo that the fpirit of prophecy is but the fame thing as the teflimony of Jefus. He is the antitype of all thofe worthies whom God in former ages had raifed up to accomplish any great and excellent things in favor of his people. He is the promised feed of the woman deftined to bruife the head of the ferpent. In his fufferings and death, in which nothing was visible but weakness and wretchedness, he vanquished him that had the power of death, that is the devil; and as David killed Goliath with his own fword, he overthrew the devil with the crofs the fuppofed fatal inftrument of his own triumph. Thus the weakness of God is ftronger, and the foolishnefs of God is wi-ed the nature and counfels of God, fer, than his foes, whether men and hath unfcaled the book of his devils; and thus he takeththe eternal decrres: and he is the Lamb

of God, who is feated in the fame throne with God the Father; and the holy inhabitants of Heav-mony of fcripture, that the good