XVIII. The manifestation of the spirit is given to XIX. Work out your own salvation XX. The end of all things is at hand XXI. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump XXII. Do not sound a trumpet before thee XXIII. Without faith it is impossible to please God 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 shall treat the subject in the Apostle's order; and endeavour to shew you, first, what is meant by God's speaking at sundry times, and in divers manners unto the fathers, by the prophets-and, secondly, what is meant by his speaking in these last days, to us by his Son. VOL. I. B With With regard to the first of these heads, the word which in our translation is rendered sundry times, signifies more properly, different parts or different portions. The general meaning therefore of the expression is, that God had vouchsafed to give mankind from the beginning, a revelation of his will, and of the redemption of the world by Jesus Christ, in such different portions, as to open it by degrees, and always to leave behind some new discovery, 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 observe the dawning of this sun of righteousness from age to age; age; and how it brightened through each succeeding period, till at length it broke out in all its splendor. The intimation to Adam that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head, was undoubtedly very obscure. But yet it contained some foundation for a hope, that the great evil, introduced by the fall of man, should hereafter be repaired. The serpent's head should be bruised: it should be crushed, and deprived of the power of injuring again. So that a triumph was to be at length obtained over the serpent, or whatever evil spirit lay concealed under its form.But still this promise, whatever it meant, was conceived in such general terms, as to leave its meaning exceedingly uncertain. And yet, that it was the vehicle of some hope, is very plain; for Eve, as was natural, believed it was fulfilled by the birth of Cain. I have now, said she, gotten a man from the Lord. In this, however, she soon found herself mistaken; and indeed nothing more could be gathered from this prediction, but that the promised deliverance was to arise from some human being from the seed of the woman. From this time, nothing passed on this head, that we read of, till the time of Abraham; except indeed the prophetic institution of the rite of sacrifice, which seems to have been appointed to preserve among mankind the idea of an atone ment. If nothing farther however had passed, the promise of bruising the serpent'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 seed of the woman should arise from his posterity; and farther, that this promised seed should be a blessing to all the nations upon earth. This was both a farther advance of prophecy; and in some degree a confirmation of the first prediction. The posterity of Abraham increasing, 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 Messiah should descend*. And on this hope the world seems to have rested 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 institutions †: but I am now speaking chiefly of such intimations as were given unto the fathers by the prophets; among whom we must not pass over Moses, who told the Jews that the Lord would raise up a prophet like unto him -that is, a 'prophet, who should deliver themnot from an Egyptian bondage; but from a much greater that of sin and Satan. When David ascended the throne of Israel, 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 discourse. tribe |