SERMON I.

HEBREWS, i. 1.

GOD, WHO AT SUNDRY TIMES, AND IN DIVERS MANNERS, SPAKE IN TIME PAST UNTO THE FATHERS BY THE PROPHETS;HATH, IN THESE LAST DAYS, SPOKEN UNTO US BY HIS SON.

IN these words the Apostle gives us a short account of the manner, in which God Almighty was pleased to open the gospel to mankind, from the earliest period of the world. I fhall treat the fubject in the Apostle's order; and endeavour to shew you, firft, what is meant by God's fpeaking at fundry times, and in divers manners unto the fathers, by the prophets—and fecondly, what is meant by his speaking, in these laft days, to us by his fon.

VOL. I.

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With

With regard to the first of these heads, the word which in our tranflation is rendered fundry times, fignifies more properly, different parts, or different portions. The general meaning therefore of the expreffion is, that God had vouchfafed to give mankind from the beginning, a revelation of his will, and of the redemption of the world by Jefus Christ, in fuch different portions, as to open it by degrees, and always to leave behind some new difcovery, which was to enlighten and encourage the hopes of future ages; and thus to prepare mankind for the full reception of the gospel.

Let us then look into the Bible; and observe how all this is effected-let us obferve the dawning of this fun of righteousness from age to age; and how it brightened through each fucceeding period, till at length it broke out in all its fplendor.

The intimation to Adam-that the feed of the woman should bruife the ferpent's head, was undoubtedly very obfcure. But yet it contained fome foundation for a hope, that the great evil, introduced by the fall of man, should hereafter be repaired. The ferpent's head fhould be bruifed: it should be crushed, and deprived of the power of injuring again. So that a triumph was to be at length obtained over the ferpent, or whatever

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evil

evil spirit lay concealed under its form. But ftill this promife, whatever it meant, was conceived in such general terms, as to leave its meaning exceedingly uncertain. And yet, that it was the vehicle of fome hope, is very plain; for Eve, as was natural, believed it was fulfilled by the birth of Cain. I have now, faid fhe, gotten a man from the Lord. In this however fhe foon found herself mistaken; and indeed nothing more could be gathered from this prediction, but that the promifed deliverance was to arife from fome human being from the feed of the woman.

From this time, nothing paffed on this head, that we read of, till the time of Abraham; except indeed the prophetic inftitution of the right of facrifice, which feems to have been appointed to preferve among mankind the idea of an atone

ment.

If nothing farther however had paffed, the propromise of bruifing the ferpent's head would, no doubt, have died away. But to Abraham the prophecy was renewed, and enlarged. To him it was revealed that the promised feed of the woman fhould arife from his pofterity; and farther, that this promifed feed fhould be a bleffing to all the

nations

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nations upon earth. This was both a farther advance of prophecy; and in fome degree a confirmation of the first prediction.

The pofterity of Abraham increafing, and branching into various tribes, the prophecy was now farther opened to Jacob, the grandson of Abraham. To him the particular tribe was marked out-that of Judah-from which the Meffiah. should defcend*. And on this hope the world feems to have refted till the time of David.

Not but in the mean time, various intimations were given of this great event by types in the Jewish history, and inftitutions §: but I am now speaking chiefly of fuch intimations, as were given unto the fathers by the prophets; among whom we must not pass over Mofes, who told the Jews that the Lord would raise up a prophet like unto him—that is, a prophet, who should deliver them -not from an Egyptian bondage; but from a much greater-that of fin and Satan.

When David afcended the throne of Ifrael, the tribe of Judah was branched into many families. A new prophecy therefore now took place, and the family was marked out-the family of David in the

GENESIS xlix. 10.

See the next difcourfe.

tribe

tribe of Judah, from which the Meffiah fhould

be born.

Obferve now, I pray you, how gradually this great promife of a Meffiah was opened through thefe different periods of time. To Adam this redemption was merely promifed through the feed of the woman. To Abraham it was promised, that the Meffiah should arife among his pofterity. To Jacob the tribe was pointed out; and to David the family. At the fame time, intimation was all along given, that the benefit of this Saviour was not confined to a family, a tribe, or a nation; but was extended to all mankind.-Thus gradually did the course of prophecy increase from a fountain scarcely visible, into an overflowing stream. As this great event approached ftill nearer, the notices of it became ftronger. To the prophet Micah the very place of the Meffiah's birth was revealed. Thou Bethlehem, tho' thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come who is to be ruler in Ifrael.

To Ifaiah this great event was still more plainly opened. This evangelical prophet, as he is called, defcending to more minute particulars, foretold the Meffiah's birth should be miraculous; and his mother a virgin. Hear ye now, O houfe of David. The

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