head bodily, Col. 2. 9, and by whom manifefting. himfelf to the Ifraelites, and travelling over their country, God dwelled in the tents of Shem. To which John feems to allude, John 1. 14; the word was made flefb and sonhos tabernacled, dwelt among us, and Rev. 21. 3, behold, or O, the tabernacle of God is with men, and gunwo he will dwell with them. Onkelos, the Chaldee paraphraft, led the way to our writers in this explication: Who fpeaks thus: may God enlarge to Japheth, and may his SHECHINAH, majesty, dwell in the tents of Shem. Hence Erpenius's Arab interpreter, and may bis light, that is, the glory of God dwell in the tents of Shem. Which is, certainly, a beautiful explication, and contains a prophecy of Chrift's walking and dwelling in the land, given to the pofterity of Shem. XVII. They who explain this prophefy, not of How Ja- God, but of Japheth, who was to dwell in the tents dwelled of Shem, affirm, that it was fulfilled partly literally, in them. partly myftically. LITERALLY, because it is ap parent, that the Greeks and Romans, who defcended from Japheth, invaded a great part of Afia, the lot of Shem; as alfo Balaam prophefied, that Chittim, the pofterity of Japheth fhall afflict Afbur, and afflict Eber, that is, the Affyrians and Hebrews, the pofterity of Shem, Numb. 24. 24. MYSTICALLY, becaufe the pofterity of Japheth were, by the preaching of the Gofpel, brought to dwell in the fame church with the Jews who believed; or to fucceed the unbelieving Jews, who were caft off. And the church is compared to tabernacles; not only because the patriarchs lived in tabernacles or tents as ftrangers, Heb. 11.9; but also because this is the condition of all believers in this life, 2 Pet. 1. 13: 2 Cor. 5. 1. Moreover, thefe tabernacles are faid to be Shem's, because the church, even to the coming of Chrift, was confined to the family of Shem. And to them the believers of the Gentiles are united by him, who made both one, Eph. 2. 14, In fine, the poft erity of Japheth is the principal part of the church of the Gentiles. For, tho' God excludes neither the pofterity of Shem nor of Cham from the church, in which there is neither Greek nor Jew, Barbarian, Scy bieu; but Chrift is all and in all, Col. 3. 11: yet it is certain, that the faith of Chrift from the days of the Apofties, has chiefly flourished in Europe, and in thofe parts of Afia, which fell to Japheth's lot. commodi XVIII. But indeed, feeing both these things, the Both exhabitation of God by Christ in the tents of Shem, plications and the habitation of Japheth in the fame tents, oufly conhave been joined not only in time, but also that the joined. latter, is a confequent and effect of the former, that is no reafon, why we may not affirm, that both are included in the latitude of the words: and the meaning to be, that the time fhould come, when God would visibly dwell by Chrift in the church, defcended of Shem and this extraordinary grace be preached thro' the whole habitable world with fuch powerful perfuafion, that many nations, and among these, chiefly the defcendants of Japheth, hould, by a true faith, be united with the church of the Ifraelites. vant to XIX. Laftly, it is added, that Canaan fhould alfo be Canaan the fervant of Japheth. And history teftifies, that those also given parts of Afia, which had been long poffeffed by the as a ferCanaanites, were conquered by the Greeks and Romans. Japheth. And that if any remains of the Canaanites continued, fuppofing Tyre, built by the Sidonians; Thebes, by Cadmus, and Carthage by Dido, they were all of them deftroyed either by the Greeks or by the Romans. Here I again recommend to the reader Bochart's Phaleg, -lib. 3. c. I. in thefe XX. Let us now take a fummary view of the Doctrines doctrines, pointed out by this prophecy of Noah. ift. contained We find, that the praife of every virtue and of every bleflings. good action is to be afcribed to God, as the fupreme author thereof; whom therefore Noah bleffes, on account of the piety of his fon. 2dly. God, by a special covenant, laid claim to Shem and his pofterity, as The lon archs, fub as his peculiar people, fo as to be called their God. 3dly, In the election to grace and glory, and in the beltowing of fpiritual benefits, external prerogatives are of no manner of avail. For, Shem, who was younger than Japheth, is preferred to the elder. 4thly. The heinous crimes of parents are fometimes vifited on their defcendants unto feveral generations. For, Canaan, with his pofterity, is, on account of the fin of Cham, condemned to be flaves to the defcendants of Shem and of Japheth. 5thly. Godliness has the promises even of this life, as well as of that which is to come; and obtains for its reward not only bleffings for the foul, but alfo for the body: for a large part of the earth is promifed to Japheth, if we derive his naine from enlarging: and a large dominion over the Canaanites to Shem and to Japheth. 6thly. The word of grace, publifhed in the Gofpel, has a great power of alluring and perfuading. 7thly. Such is the condition of the church on earth, as to resemble tabernacles, expecting a fixed habitation in heaven made without hands. 8thly. The divine majefty, fhining forth in the Meffiah, who was to arife from the pofterity of Shem, was afterwards to dwell in his tents. And then, 9thly, the Gentiles, especially the defcendants of Japheth, who were before alien from the covenants of promife, were to be allured, by the preaching of the Gofpel, to the communion of the church of Ifrael. XXI. We are alfo here to take notice of the longgevity of evity of the Patriarchs in this period; by which the patri means, the doctrine of grace could be very convenifervient to ently and fafely propagated by them. For our father propagate Noah, not to mention now the others, lived to fee all and pre- the Antediluvians, excepting the first three: and his fon Shem, who alfo had feen the firft world, lived to the fifty first year of Jacob. But as thefe teftimonies, concerning the doctrine of the ancient church, were in that period, both more obfcure and fparing, (we have been the fuller in treating of them; we shall therefore study ferve the true doctrine. study more conciseness in the others, where the luftre of divine grace was made known in greater plenty and perfpicuity. CHA P. III. Of the Doctrine of Grace from Abraham to Mofes. I. W E are now got to the days of ABRAHAM, Summary to whom as God revealed himself at fundry of the times and in divers manners, fo, leaft our prefent work chapter. fhould exceed all proper bounds, we shall only briefly confider the principal heads: and firft, treat of the appearances made to Abraham; and then of the covenant folemnly entered into, and frequently renewed between God and him. For, both thefe contribute to fet the doctrine of the church, during that period, in a clearer light. Abraham. II. The fcriptures teftify, that God appeared The apeight times to Abraham I. At Ur of the Chaldees, pearance when he commanded him to leave his country and made to kindred, and go elsewhere. Gen. 12. 1, compared with Ats 7. 2. II. Near Sichem, at the oak of Mamre, Gen 12. 6, 7. III. In Bethel. Gen. 13. 3, 4. IV. When he promised him a fon and heir, Gen. 15. 1. V. When he gave him circumcifion, Gen. 17. 1. VI. When he entertained him as his gueft, Gen. 18. 1. VII. When he approved Sarah's propofal to caft out Hagar and Ifmael, Gen. 21. 12. 8thly. When he commanded him to offer up Ifaac in facrifice, Gen. 22. 1. III. There was, in thefe appearances fuch an The manevident manifeftation of the divine majefty made to ner of the conviction of confcience, that the godly could thefe apas eafily diftinguish them from the delufions of evil pearances. fpirits, as a fober man can diftinguish fleeping and waking. But the fcripture does not always deter 18 VOL. II. Cc mine, Many believe, that mine, in what form God appeared to Abraham. It is however clear, that fometimes it was in a human form, by way of prelude, it seems, and fymbol of the future incarnation. Nor are they mistaken, who imagine, that generally it was the Son of God, who appeared to Abraham, as he did afterwards to the other patriarchs, and to Mofes. To which may be referred, John 8. 56, your father Abraham rejoiced to fee my day: and he faw it and was glad. He faw that day in the promife of the feed, in illuftrious appearances, in Ifaac the type and pledge of the Meffiab, who was to come, and in fine by faith, the property of which is to exhibit things future, as if they were prefent in all these things he had a profpect of the incarnation of the Son of God. IV. Among the other appearances, that mentioned, in Gen.18. Gen. 18. 1, is very eminent. Where it is faid, that the Trini- Jehovah appeared unto Abraham, and v2 and simi ty appear- mediately fubjoined, that he faw three men whence ed to A- the pious ancients concluded, that the adorable braham. Trinity appeared to Abraham in a visible form. Ambrofe, in Proemio in lib. 2 de Spirtu Santo, fpeaks thus: but eyes; |