World's Wilderness, who had wander'd long there, fafe to an eternal Paradife of Reft. Mean while, they, plac'd in their earthly CANAAN, fhall dwell a long Time, and profper; but when national Sins interrupt their publick Peace, provoking GOD to raise them up Enemies, from whom, upon their being penitent, he as often faves them; first by Judges, (a) then under Kings; of whom the fecond (renown'd both for Piety and warlike Deeds) fhall receive an irrevocable Promife, that his regal Throne fhall endure for ever: All the Prophets fhall prophecy the like; that of the Royal Stock of DAVID (U) (for fo I name this King) fhall rife a Son, which is the Seed of the WOMAN, which has been foretold to thee; and which, as I have already inform'd thee, fhall be foretold to ABRAHAM, as one in whom all Nations fhall put their Truft; he fhall be foretold to Kings, and himfelf fhall be the laft of Kings; for of his Reign there shall be no End. But, firft there must enfue a long

(a) Judges; Lat. The Hebrews call them Sophehim; from whence the Carthaginians, Atkenians, and others, called their civil Magiftrates Suffetes. Thole Judges were Men of extraordinary Piety, Virtue, and Valour, raifed up upon extraordinary Occafions, for the Deliverance and Defence of the People. They were 22 in Number, (but others reckon only 12, beginning with Othniel, Judg. 3.9.) and continued, from Mofes to Saul, their first King, about the Space of 426 Years.

After

them there were 22 Kings of Judah, in the Space of 500 Years, to the Babylonifh Captivity.

(b) David; Heb. i. e. Beloved; because he was pious, upright, and beloved of God. He

Suc

was the Son of Jefe of Bethlebem, a Shepherd; the 2d King of Ifrael, anointed King about 15 Years of Age, A. M. 2881. and after many Troubles came to the Throne, being 30 Years old; he reigned 40 Years and 6 Months. He died in the 70th Year of his Age; and was buried moft magnificently by King Solomon. Hircanus, the High Priest, found 3000 Talents in his Sepulchre, 3co Years afterwards, and Herod found a vaft Treasure in it, many Ages after that. Three thoufand Talents were worth 5073 15 s. 7 d. But his vaft Treafure amounted to 547,500,cool. Sterling; and in Silver to above 342,000,000 1. See Chron. 22. 14.

Succeffion; and his next Son, fam'd for Wealth and Wifdom, fhall enfhrine the Ark of GoD in a glorious Temple; 'till then refting under the Cloud, or wandering in Tents. Such Kings follow him, as Part fhall be chronicled bad, Part good; but moftly bad; whofe foul Idolatries, and other Faults added to the Sins of the People, will fo incenfe GoD, that he will leave them, and expofe their Land, their City, his Temple, and his holy Ark, with all his facred Things, a Prey and a Scorn to that proud City, whofe high Walls thou faweft left in Confufion; thence call'd BABYLON. There he lets them live in Captivity the Space of feventy Years; then brings them back again; remembring Mercy, and his Covenant fworn to DAVID. Being return'd from BABYLON, by the Leave of Kings who were their Lords, whofe Hearts GoD difpos'd, they first rebuild the Houfe of GoD, and live for a while moderate, in mean Estate; 'till grown rich and populous, they grow factious. But the Diffention firft fprings among the Priests; MEN who attend upon the Altar, and who moftly fhould endeavour to keep Peace: Their Strife brings Pollution upon the Temple itfelf; at laft they feize upon the Scepter, and pay no Regard to the House of DAVID: Then they lofe it to a Stranger, to HEROD, (c) that the true anointed King, the MESSIAH, might be born, debarr'd of his Right: Yet a Star appearing at his Birth, which had never before been feen in Heaven, proclaims him come; and guides the wife MEN of the Eaft to him, who enquire the Place where he was, to offer Incenfe, Myrrh, and Gold: A folemn Angel tells the Place of his Birth to the fimple Shepherds, as they kept watch by Night; they gladly hafte thither, and there was a Multi

(c) Here Herod the Great, an Afcalonite or Idumaan. He was the first foreign Prince that ever reign'd in Judæa, deputed there

in by the Romans, who had subdued the Jews; for then the Scepter actually departed from the Houfe of King David,

Multitude of the Hoft of Heaven, praifing GOD, and finging Songs of Joy. A Virgin fhall be his Mother, but he fhall be begot by the Power of the MOST HIGH! He fhall afcend his hereditary Throne, and the Bounds of his Kingdom fhall be that of the whole Earth; but his Glory fhall extend to the utmost Heavens.

MICHAEL left fpeaking; perceiving ADAM fo full of Joy, that if he had not vented it with Words, it would, like Grief, have occafion'd him to burst out into Tears; fo he addrefs'd thefe to the Angel:

O PROPHET! foretelling Gladnefs and future Good, to the utmoft that can be defir'd or hop'd for; now I understand clearly, what with all the Power of my Thoughts I have often fearch'd in vain; why the great REDEEMER that we expect, fhould be call'd the Seed of WOMAN: Hail Virgin Mother, high in the Love of Heaven! yet thou fhalt proceed from my Loins, and from thy Womb fhall, proceed the SoN of the most high GOD; fo GOD unites with MAN. Now is the Time for the Serpent to expect his final Defeat, with mortal and everlasting Pain. When, and where, will their Fight be? And tell me, I pray thee, what Stroke fhall bruife the Heel of the Conqueror?

To whom MICHAEL made this Answer: Do not imagine, that they are to fight as it were in a Duel, or that there will be real Wounds given or received, in fuch Places as the Head or Heel: The SON of GOD does not join Manhood to the Godhead, that fo he may overthrow thy Enemy with more Strength: Nor is SATAN fo to be overcome, whofe Fall from Heaven (which was a deadlier Bruife) did not difable him from giving thee thy Death's Wound; which he, who comes to be thy SAVIOUR,

fhall

fhall cure again; not by deftroying SATAN, but by deftroying his Works in thee, and in thy Seed. Nor can this be, but by fulfilling that (which in thee was wanting) Obedience to the Law of GoD, impos'd on Penalty of DEATH; and by fuffering DEATH, which is the Penalty due to thy Tranfgreffion, and due to all them that fhall proceed from thee: It is by this only, that high Juftice can be fully fatisfied. He fhall exactly fulfill the Law of GOD, both by Cbedience and by Love; though Love alone is the fulfilling of the Law: He fhall undergo thy Punishment, by coming in the Flesh to a reproachful Life, and to a curfed Death; proclaiming Life to all thofe, who fhall believe in his Redemption; and that his Obedience is imputed to them, becoming theirs by Faith, that they are fav'd by his Merits, and not their own Works, though they may keep the moral Law. For this he fhall live hated, be blafphem'd, feiz'd on by Force, have Judgment pafs'd on him, and be condemn'd to a fhameful and ignominious DEATH; be nail'd to a Crofs by his own Nation, and flain for having been fo gracious as to bring Life: But with him are crucified thy Enemies, that is, the Law that is againft thee, and the Sins of all MANKIND; which never more fhall do them Hurt, who righteously pur their Truft in this his Satisfaction. So he dies, but foon rifes again from the Dead: He shall not remain long under the Power of DEATH; before the Morning of the third Day, he fhall be feen to rife out of his Grave, bright as the Light of Day; having paid the Ranfom which redeems MANKIND from DEATH; his Death for MAN, to as many as don't neglect the Offer of Life, and will embrace the Benefit of Faith accompanied by Works. This godlike Act repeals thy Doom, the Death thou fhould'ft have died; having through Sin, loft and forfeited Life for ever: This Act fhall bruife the Head of SATAN, crush his Strength, by defeating SIN and DEATH, the two

main Inftruments of his Power; and fix their Stings far deeper into his Head, than temporal DEATH fhall bruife the Conqueror's Heel, or theirs whom he redeems: How little will that be to fuffer? A Death like Sleep! a gentle and fafe Paffage to a glorious and immortal Life! Nor will the REDEEMER after his Refurrection stay longer upon Earth, than to appear certain Times to his Difciples; MEN, who in his Life-time continued to follow him: To them he fhall leave in charge, to teach all Nations what they had learnt of him and his Salvation; baptizing all them who fhall believe, with Water, to be as a Sign of washing them from the Guilt of Sin to pure Life, and prepare their Minds for Death; even fuch Death (if it fhould fo happen) as the REDEEMER himself had died. They fhall teach all Nations; for, from that Day forward, Salvation fhall not be preach'd only to the Sons of ABRAHAM, but to the Sons of ABRAHAM's Faith, wherever they may be difpers'd through out the whole World; fo, in his Seed fhall all Nations be bleffed: Then he fhall afcend with Victory up to the Heaven of Heavens, triumphing through the Air over his Foes and thine: There he fhall furprize the Serpent, the Prince of the Power of the Air; drag him in Chains through all his Region, and leave him there confounded: Then enter into Glory, and take his Seat again at the Right-hand of GoD, honour'd and exalted above all Names in Heaven; and thence, when the Time fhall be for the Diffolution of the World, he fhall come with Glory and Power to judge both the Quick and the Dead; to condemn the Unfaithful, but to reward the Faithful, and receive them into Blifs, whether in Heaven or Earth; for then the Earth fhall be all a PARADISE, a far happier Place than this of EDEN, and where there fhall be far happier Days.

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