man we are to understand Chrift myftical, Chrift the head and all his fpiritual feed confidered as in him. Now, this feed is exprefsly diftinguished from that of the ferpent. Who, then, can these be but the reprobate world left to perish in their fins? Doth God fay, Doth God fay, "I will put enmity "between thy feed and her feed?" This enmity, then, must be mutual. The teftimony of God implies, on the one hand, that he permits the feed of the ferpent to continue under the power of that natural enmity against Christ and his feed, which is the fruit of their original apoftacy in Adam; and, on the other, that he actually implants a principle of enmity in the hearts of the feed of the woman againft the devil and his interefts. This he does, in communicating the gracious principle of fupreme love to himself. For we cannot love God without hating Satan and his works. Enmity against this old ferpent neceffarily takes place of our natural" enmity "againft God." Such is the ftate of matters with refpect to the members of Chrift's myftical body, and can we fuppofe that it is reversed as to the Head? Does God put enmity between them and the feed of the ferpent; and hath Chrift the fame love to them that he hath to his own feed? Does not the promise respect him as well as his members? How then can he be an adversary to the feed of the ferpent, and yet die for their falvation? In confequence of this enmity, does Chrift bruise the head of the ferpent; and from the fame principle, does he purchase

purchase redemption for all his feed? The very contrary, furely. In the bruifing of his head, we have an awful prelude of their eternal deftruction, as adherents to his devoted interefts, and as irreconcilable enemies to the Redeemer.

The Apostle Paul teaches us the fame doctrine, when explaining the promise made to Abraham. "He faith not, And to feeds, as of many; but as "of one, And to thy feed, which is Chrift.” Here he speaks of Chrift myftical, as including the Head himself, and all his fpiritual feed; who are called "the feed of Abraham," to what nation foever they belong; as being eventually made partakers of like precious faith, and interested in the bleffings of that covenant which was revealed to him. But the promise would be to feeds, in the strangest sense conceivable; if the bleffing promised, an everlasting salvation, had been purchafed for the feed of the ferpent, no less than for the feed of the woman.

II. The fame doctrine receives the fulleft elucidation from the temporal redemptions of Ifrael. That these were meant as fucceffive figures of the fpiritual falvation of the Church, is fo evident as fcarcely to require illuftration. They are all exhibited as branches of his great work of mercy towards her, and as confirmations of his covenant with Abraham, which covenant had a fpecial refpect to fpiritual and eternal bleffings. "He fent redemption unto his people, he hath Cc 2 "commanded

x Gal. iii. 16.

"commanded his covenant for ever.-He remem"bered his holy promife, and Abraham his ferAnd he brought forth his people with

"vant.

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'joy; and his chofen with gladnefs ." This is the very language used with refpect to our falvation by Chrift. "Bleffed be the LORD God of Ifrael, for he hath visited and redeemed his

people to remember his holy covenant, the "oath which he fware to our father Abraham 2." These figurative redemptions were all accomplished by the fame divine Person, who at length gave himself a ranfom. "The Angel of his presence "faved them." They contained a difplay of the fame, divine and gracious characters: “ In "his love and in his pity he redeemed them, and "he bare them, and carried them, all the days "of old a." They were alfo, as fhall be seen, procured in the way of purchase.

46

The redemption of Ifrael was entirely of a particular kind; and in this respect a fhadow of our redemption by Chrift. None but the feed of Jacob were partakers of this mercy. Hence David fays; "What one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Ifrael, whom God went "to redeem for a people to himself, and to make “him a name, and to do for you great things, "and terrible, for thy land, before thy people which thou redeemedft to thee from Egypt, "from the nations and their gods?" Similar is the language of Mofes; "Thou in thy mercy

y Pía. cxi. 9.; cv. 42, 43. a Ifa. Ixiii.

9.

"haft

z Luke i. 68. 72, 73.

b 2 Sam. vii. 23.

"haft led forth thy people which thou haft re"deemed "."

This was wholly the fruit of diftinguishing love. Love and redemption are terms used in Scripture as correlates. We never read of God's redeeming a people, even in a temporal refpect, but as the fruit of love to hem as a peculiar people: and the redemption is always limited according to the extent of this love. "Because he loved thy fathers, therefore-he brought thee out in his fight with his mighty power out of Egypt ."

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This typical redemption, fo far from being extended to others, was conferred on Ifrael at their expence. When he faved them, the nations that were in a state of enmity were deftroyed. He bought them as his peculiar people with the price of blood; and thus gave a ftriking emblem of the means by which he. fhould, in the fulness of time, redeem all his chofen people. In this fenfe is it faid that they were purchafed; as the Ifraelites fung with refpect to the Egyptians: "Fear "and dread fhall fall upon them; by the great"nefs of thine arm they fhall be as ftill as a "ftone till thy people pafs over, O LORD, till "the people pafs over, which thou haft purcha"fed." To the fame purpose JEHOVAH, when revealing himself in the character of a Saviour, reminds his peculiar people of this wonderful evidence of his love: "I am the LORD thy God, the holy One of Ifrael, thy faviour;"— not the faviour of Egypt, but in a way of dif

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Cc3

d Deut. iv. 37.

e Exod. xv. 13.

tinction,

e Exod. xv. 16.

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tinction, nay of exclufion, thy faviour. And how does he prove his claim to this character?—" I gave Egypt for thy ranfom, Ethiopia and Seba "for thee. Since thou waft precious in my fight, "thou haft been honourable, and I have loved "thee therefore will I give men for thee, and "people for thy life." The meaning of the promife here added is clear from what follows: "Thus faith the LORD your Redeemer, the holy "One of Ifrael, For your fake I have fent to Ba"bylon, and brought down all their nobles f." Afterwards, when he hath pointed out Cyrus by name, and particularly defcribed the redemption to be accomplished by his inftrumentality, he fhows the fpecial defign of all this work, in the call given to finners of every nation to believe in him as a fpiritual Redeemer ; "Look unto me, "and be ye faved, all the ends of the earth s."

So clearly was the character of redemption impreffed on the whole of God's conduct towards the Ifraelites, that it does not merely diftinguish the termination of their controverfy with the Egyptians at the Red Sea, but the preceding events. Every plague, which was inflicted upon Egypt, in the limitation affigned to it, marked out the Ifraelites as a peculiar people. Thus where we read, with refpect to the flies, "I will put a di"vifion," the expreffion literally fignifies; "will put a redemption between my people and "thy people h."?

" I

This

f Ifa. xliii. 3, 4. 14.

g Ifa. xlv. 22.

h Exod. viii. 23.