new fruit according to his months, and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine, Ezek, xlvii. 12. So on, either side of John's river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations, Rev. xxii. 2.

These descriptions agree so exactly in all points with each other, that it is reasonable to suppose the subject of the prophecies and of the vision is the same: Wherefore, as John saw the new heaven and the new earth, and the heavenly Jerusalem, and the pure river of water of life issuing out of the throne of God, and the tree of life growing on its banks, after the resurrection of the dead and general judgment, and punishment of the wicked, (Rev. xx. 11.-15.) I think it probable, that the prophecies, in which all these particulars are mentioned, foretell the state of things after the resurrection, and general judgment; consequently, that Isaiah's new heaven and new earth, and Ezekiel's country and city, are the heavenly country promised to Abraham, and to his spiritual seed, in the covenant.

3. In the third place, St. Peter hath directed us to interpret Isaiah's prophecy and John's vision, of the heavenly country in which the righteous are to live after the resurrection and judgment. For, after describing the utter destruction of the present heavens and earth by fire, he adds, 2 Pet. iii. 13. Nevertheless we, according to his promise, expect new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. These great events, he tells us, will happen when Christ returns from heaven to raise the dead and judge the world: and calls it, the restitution of all things; and affirms, that God hath spoken of it by all his holy prophets since the world began. Acts iii. 19. Repent ye, therefore and be converted, thaty our sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. 20. And he shall send Jesus Christ, who before was preached to you, 21. Whom the heavens must receive, till the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. But where hath God promised to create new heavens and a new earth, wherein righteousness is to dwell, except in the covenant with Abraham, in which he promised an heavenly country to Abraham's spiritual seed? And where do we find, that God hath spoken of the restitution of all things, by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world

began, unless it be in that covenant, and in the prophecies which foretell the fulfilment of the promises in that covenant.

Of the form and constitution of the heavenly country, to be created for an everlasting habitation to Abraham's seed by faith, we know little, except, 1. That it will be a material habitation. For, as the righteous are to be raised with glorious, incorruptible, and immortal bodies, their everlasting habitation must be suited to the corporeal part of their nature, raised from the dead in the greatest perfection of which it is capable. See 1 Cor. xv. 44. note. Hence the propriety of representing the heavenly country, under the image of the earthly Canaan.-2. The new heavens and the new earth, being destined for an habitation to all the virtuous and the good, who have lived and who are to live in the world from first to last, they must be such as are capable of containing them, and with them such of the angelical natures as are to live with them in their new abode.-3. In scripture there are passages which lead us to believe, that God will dwell with the righteous in the heavenly country, by some visible manifestation of his presence, unspeakably more resplendent than the glory by which he manifested his presence among the Israelites. Now, although God can receive no addition to his happiness from the excellency of his own works, we may suppose that the new heavens and earth will be so much the more exquisitely contrived, and so much the more glorious, that he himself is to be sensibly present with his people. Wherefore, if the present earth, even as it lieth under the curse, and is the habitation of sinners, affords its inhabitants such a variety of enjoyments, how full of pleasures must the heavenly country be, which God's wisdom hath contrived, and his power created, for the entertainment of his favourite people. Isa. lxv. 18. Be you glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. 19. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people. See Spectator, vol. 8. No. 580. where the future habitation of the righteous, and their happiness in that abode, are elegantly described.

SECTION V.

Of the fifth Promise in the Covenant with Abraham.

This promise we have Gen. xii. 2. I will bless thee and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing: 3. And in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.-xviii. 18. Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him.

Concerning this promise let it be observed, that although at the time it was spoken, Abraham may have thought it a promise of great temporal felicity only, to him and to the families of the earth through him, in some manner which he did not understand; yet afterwards, when God counted his faith to him for righteousness, and constituted him the father of many nations, he might conjecture, that the counting of his faith to him for righteousness, was what God meant by blessing him, as was observed page 8; And that by constituting him the father of many nations, he was to make his name great; And that the blessing of all the families of the earth in him, consisted in their having their faith counted to them for righteousness, by virtue of the promise which God made to him as their father.

But whether Abraham understood this to be the meaning of the promise or not, what Paul wrote to the Galatians, shews that it is its true meaning, Gal. iii. 13. Christ hath bought us off from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, that the blessing of Abraham might come on the nations through Jesus Christ. For what blessing belonging to Abraham, can come on the nations through Christ's buying them off from the curse of the law, unless it be the blessing of justification mentioned ver. 8. that is, the blessing of having their faith counted to them for righteousness, called the blessing of Abraham, because it was first promised to him personally by a covenant; and because in that covenant, God promised to him to bestow the same blessing on men of all nations, who imitated him in his faith and obedience, and who, on that account, are considered by God as his children. For, as was shewn page 17, Abraham was constituted the father of many nations, for the express purpose of receiving the promises in the covenant on their behalf, and in their name. Wherefore, seeing the counting of Abraham's faith to him for righteousness implied, as was shewed p. 9, that his sins were to be pardoned, and that he was to be rewarded as a righteous person, God's blessing all the families of the earth in him, implied, that all who imitated him in his faith and obedience, were to have their sins in like manner pardoned, and to receive the reward due by God's promise to righteous persons; and that they are to be thus blessed, in consequence of the promise made to Abraham as the father of all believers.

This blessing of faith counted to them for righteousness, will assuredly come on all the families of the earth. For, as was shewed in the Illust. of Rom. ii. p. 198, Vol. I. sect. 2, if faith

ESSAY V. does not consist in the belief of things which one hath no opportunity of knowing, but in the belief of such things as are made known to him, whether by the light of nature, or by revelation, and in a sincere disposition to know and do the will of God, men in every age and nation may exercise true faith, and may have that faith counted to them for righteousness, on account of what Christ hath done to procure that great blessing for them, whether they have lived in, or out of God's visible church. But it will not be bestowed on them till the general judgment, when their trial being ended, their state will be settled by the sentence of their Judge. For, seeing the pardon of sin consisteth in a complete deliverance from death the punishment of sin, and seeing the rewarding one as a righteous person, implieth his actually receiving the reward due to a righteous person, it is evident that neither of these can take place till the judgment is ended. At that period of the divine government, the promise to bless all the families of the earth in Abraham, will be performed in the full extent of its meaning. Because then, every one who is found to have feared God and to have wrought righteousness, shall be accepted with him, whether they have lived in any visible church of God, or not; for the Judge of all the earth is no respecter of persons, Acts x. 34.

The foregoing interpretation of God's promise to bless all the families of the earth in Abraham, is confirmed by St. Paul, as was hinted above. For he hath declared, that the blessing of the nations in Abraham, consisteth in God's justifying them by faith, Gal. iii. 8. Now the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the nations by faith, preached the gospel (the good news) to Abraham, saying, In thee shall all the nations be blessed. 9. Wherefore they who are of faith, are blessed with believing Abraham. After this testimony of an inspired apostle, can there be any doubt concerning the meaning of God's promise to bless all the families of the earth in Abraham ?

SECTION VI.

Of the sixth Promise in the Covenant with Abraham.

This promise was made to Abraham, after he had laid Isaac on the altar, with an intention to offer him as a burnt-offering; and is recorded, Gen. xxii. 18. In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Because Isaiah had said to the Israelites, chap. Ix. 3. The Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy ris

ing, the Jewish doctors affirmed, that the Gentiles were to be enlightened with the knowledge of the true God, and of his commandments, by the Jews converting them to Judaism. Also they affirmed, that this is the blessing of all the nations of the earth in Abraham's seed, which was promised to him in the covenant. But these interpretations St. Paul hath confuted, Gal. iii. 16. by observing, that the words of the promise, are not, and in seeds, as speaking of many persons, but and in thy seed, as speaking of one person only. For from this circumstance he argued, that the blessing of all the nations of the earth in Abraham's seed, was to be accomplished by one person only, who is Christ.

This argument, at first sight, may perhaps appear inconclusive; especially, as in the other promises, the word seed is used collectively, to denote a multitude of persons. Yet, when it is remembered, that at the fall God said to the serpent, I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed, it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel, we cannot doubt, that by the seed of the woman, one person only was meant; and that the bruising the head of the serpent, signified that one person's defeating the malicious scheme which the devil (who, because he assumed the form of a serpent when he deceived Eve, is called that old serpent, the Devil and Satan, Rev. xii. 9.) had contrived for destroying the human race, and not the killing of serpents by men; for that was too trifling an event, to be so solemnly foretold on so important an occasion. Besides, such an interpretation would imply, that Eve was deceived by a natural serpent, which is not to be supposed. Wherefore the restorer of the human race, having been foretold at the fall, under the appellation of the seed of the woman, Abraham would naturally think of him, and of the purpose for which he was to be born, when God said to him, In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. And the apostle reasoned justly when, from its being said to him, And in thy seed, he concluded, that the nations were to be blessed in one person, who is Christ. For if God had meant to tell Abraham, that the nations were to be blessed in the Israelites, his natural seed, collectively, he would have said, and in thy seeds, or sons, to prevent him from interpreting the promise of the person foretold at the fall, under the appellation of the seed of the woman, who was to bruise the head of the serpent.

This promise hath been signally fulfilled in Christ, as the apostle hath affirmed; for, 1. In the prospect of Christ's coming