who defcended from Shem, invading the land of Canaan, vanquished above thirty kings of the Canaanites, and having utterly destroyed the greatest part of the inhabitaints, made flaves of the reft, laying a heavy tribute upon them. And they em ployed the Gibeonites in cutting wood, and drawing water for the fervice of the tabernacle, down to the days of David who changing their name called them Nethinim, that is, dedititious, or perfons given or offered, Ezra viii. 20. because they willingly furrendered themfelves. See Bochart. Phaleg. lib.

2. C. I.

XIII. What is faid to Japheth is variously explained. The verb from whence Japheth is derived, as alfo the term Japht, which Noah here ufes by an elegant paronomafia, or illufion, fignifies in Chaldee to enlarge. Hence in the Chaldee paraphrafe on Pf.civ. 25. is the wide fea; and 1 Kings iv. 29. largeness of heart. But in Hebrew, the fame verb fignifies in kal to be allured, in piel to allure, and is generally taken in a bad sense, to denote an alluring or feducing into error: tho' fometimes in a good fenfe, as Jer. xx. 7. thou haft perfuaded me, and I was per-r fuaded, and Hof. ii. 14. or according to another divifion, v. 16. behold, I will allure her or perfuade her. Both fignifications are applied by great men to this paffage.

XIV. They who contend, that the fignification is to enlarge, infift on the following arguments. Firft, that Noah makes ufe of the conjugation hiphil, which is never ufed to fignify alluring; nor does it elfe where occur in hiphil but in the Chaldee, where x fignifies to enlarge. Secondly, that n is a verb of a common fignification, nevertheless it is almoft always taken in a bad fenfe, excepting in one or two places. The Greeks generally render it arara by a manifeft allufion, but which rightly expreffes the force of the word. Thirdly, that when it fignifies to allure, always governs an accufative: but here it is joined to the dative, for lamed, prefixed to Japheth is the fign of the dative. Seeing therefore it cannot be faid, God fhall allure to Japheth, we must render it, God fhall enlarge to Japh eth place or habitation being to be underflood. For, thus the Hebrews fpeak as Gen. xxvi. 22. the Lord hath made room for us, and to the fame purpofe generally elfewhere. Moreover this explication is very confonant to the event. For, in the divifion of the earth, the largeft portion fell to be inhabited by Japheth. For befides Europe in all its extent, Afia the lefs belongs to the portion of Japheth; and Media and a part of. Armenia, and Iberia and Albania, and thofe vaft regions towards the north, which the Scythians formerly occupied, and the Tartars poffefs at this day; to fay nothing about the new VOL. II.

world

world, to which, it is not improbable, that the Scythians formerly paffed over by the ftraits of Anian, as Fuller in his Mifcellan. Scar. lib. 2. c. 4. has fhewn at large.

XV. But others, who contend for the fignification to allure. can make use of these reasons. Ift, That Noah did not speak in Chaldee, but in Hebrew, in which language na has fcarce if at all, any other fignification, but to allure. 2dly, That not without reafon he ufed the conjugating hiphel, though occuring no where elfe in fcripture; namely, to render the paronomafia or allufion the more elegant, which in piel cannot come so near to the name Japheth. And that a change of conjugation does not neceffarily infer a change of fignification. 3dly, That from. the inftances above alledged, it appears n is alfo taken in a good fenfe: and that it is not to the purpose, whether more rarely or more frequently fo. And indeed, the word uw, ufed by the apoftle, 2 Cor. v. 11. when he speaks of the doctrine of the gospel has a greater affinity with n than the verb axaraw. 4thly, Buxtorf fhews, by many examples, that the change of the dative, for the accufative, with active verbs is frequent. Thefaur. Grommat. lib. 2. c. 12. And more especially, that though verbs of commanding are indeed often conftrued with the accufative. yet alfo fometimes with the dative, as Numb. ix. 8. Ifa. xxxviii. 1. As is alfo xun to feduce, construed fometimes with the accufative, Jer. xlix. 16. at other times with the dative, Jer. iv. 10. And why not the fame thing hold in an? 5thly, That neither did the event difagree with this explication; fecing upon rejecting the Jews, the gofpel, by which they are allured to the communion of God in Chrift, was more than to all others revealed to the pofterity of Japheth, and that in their own language. And as this was a far greater bleffing than the poffeffion of the whole earth, why not rather think, that by thofe words was predicted what they may moft conveniently fignify?

XVI. Now what follows, and let him davell, or he fall dwell in the tents of Shem, may be applied either to God, or to Japheth. They who apply it to God, as among the ancients Theodoret, in Gen. quæft. 58; among the moderns, Fuller in Mifcellan. Sacr. lib 2. c. 4. Mufculus in commentar and others, have a regard to the word whence now, Shekinah oxyvwoię; by which words, the inhabitation of the divine majefty, is generally fignified. The Shechinah was in the tabernacle of the Ifraelites, in mount Sion, and in the temple built there; of which God faid, that he would dwell in the thick darknefs," that is, in an amazing cloud, the fign of the divine glory, which filled the house, Kings viii. 11, 12. And the city, where either

the

the tabernacle or temple ftood, was called the "place which the Lord chofe to place his name there;" Deut. xiv. 23. But above all the Shechinah is in Chrift, in whom " dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily," Col. ii. 9. and by whom manifeiting himself to the Ifraelites, and travelling over their country, God dwelled in the tents of Shem. To which John seems to allude, John i. 14; "the Word was made flesh and" sexvwce tabernacled, " dwelt among us," and Rev. xxi. 3. behold, ★ cxryn Të Os, the tabernacle of God is with men, and oxnvwos: 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, majefty, dwell in the tents of Shem." Hence Erpenius's Arab. interpreter, and may his 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 God, but of Japheth, who was to dwell in the tents of Shem, affirm, that it was fulfilled partly literally, partly myftically. LITERALLY, because it is apparent, 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 Afur, and afflict Eber, that is, the Affyrians and Hebrews, the pofterity of Shem, Numb. xxiv. 24. MYSTICALLY, because the pofterity of Japheth were, by the preaching of the gofpel, brought to dwell in the fame church with the Jews who belived; 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. xi. 9.; but alfo becaufe this is the condition of all belivers in this life, 2 Pet. i. 13. 2 Cor. v. 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. ii. 14. In fine, the pofterity of Japheth is the principal part of the church of the Gentiles. For, though God excludes neither the pofterity of Shem nor of Cham from the church, in which "there is neither Greek nor Jew, Barbarian, Scythian; but Chrift is all and in all," Col. iii. 11.: yet it is certain, that the faith of Chrift from the days of the apoftles, has chiefly flourished in Europe, and in thofe parts of Afia, which fell to Japheth's let.

XVIII. But Indeed, feeing both thefe things, the habitation of God by Chrift in the tents of Shem, and the habitation of

Japheth in the fame tents, and having joined not only in time, but alfo that the 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 vifibly dwell by Christ in the church defcended of Shem: and this extraordinary grace be preached through the whole habitable world with fuch powerful perfuafion, that many nations, and among thefe, chiefly the defcendants of Japheth, fhould by a true faith be united with the church of the Ifraelites.

XIX. Laftly, it is added, that Canaan fhould also be the fervant of Japheth. And history teftifies, that thofe parts of Afia, which had been long poffeffed by the Canaanites, were conquered by the Greeks and Romans. 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. 1.

XX. Let us now take a fummary view of the doctrines pointed out by this prophecy of Noah. 1ft, We find that the praife of every virtue and of every good action is to be afcribed to God as the fupreme author thereof; whom therefore Noah blefies on account of the piety of his fon. 2dly, God by a fpecial covenant, laid claim to Shem and his pofterity, as his peculiar people, fo as to be called their God. 3dly, In the election to grace and glory, and in the beftowing 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 promifes 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 name from enlarging: and a large dominion over the Canaanites to Shem and to Japheth 6thly, The word of grace, published 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 aliens from the

Covenants

covenants of promife, were to be allured by the preaching of the gofpel to the communion of the church of Ifrael.

XXI. We are also here to take notice of the longevity of the patriarchs in this period; by which means, the doctrine of grace could be very conveniently and fafely propagated by them. For our father Noah, not to mention now the others, lived to fee all the Antediluvians, excepting the first three: and his fon Shem who alfo had feen the first world, lived to the fiftyfirst 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 ftudy more conciseness in the others, where the luftre of divine grace was made known in greater plenty and perfpicuity.

I.

CHA P. III.

Of the Doctrine of Grace from Abraham to Mofes.

WE

E are now got to the days of ABRAHAM, to whom as God revealed himself at fundry times and in divers manners, fo leaft our prefent work fhould exceed all proper bounds, we fhall only briefly confider the principal heads: and, first 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.

V.

II. The fcriptures teftify, that God appeared eight times to Abraham I. At Ur of the Chaldees when he commanded him to leave his country and kindred, and go elfewhere. Gen. xii. 1. compared with Acts vii. 2. II. Near Sichem, at the oak of Mamre, Gen. xii. 67. III. In Bethel, Gen. xiii. 3, 4. IV. When he promifed him a fon and heir, Gen. xv. I. When he gave him circumcifion, Gen. xvii. 1. entertained him as his gueft, Gen. xviii. 1. approved Sarah's propofal to caft out Hagar and Ifmael, Gen. xxi. 12. 8thly, When he commanded him to offer up Ifaac in facrifice, Gen. xxii. 1.

VI. When he VII. When he

III. There was, in thefe appearances fuch an evident manifeftation of the divine majefty made to the conviction of confcience, that the godly could as eafily diftinguish them from the delufions of evil fpirits, as a fober man can diftinguish

fleeping