of the earth after the flood, and a new blessing given to it in virtue of God's covenant; and without this supposition it is difficult to account for some passages in Scripture, which speak of the goodness of the earth, and the great plenty it affords. How comes it that this very earth, cursed with barrenness, and to be a nursery for thorns and thistles, is afterwards represented as flowing with milk and honey, &c.? Only by the curse of the

fall being expiated at the flood.

The state of prophecy after the flood is next considered; and on what ground the religion of the new world subsisted.

No new prophecy is given to Noah after the flood, nor to any of his children, till the call of Abraham; the reason of which seems to be this: the power and sovereignty of God were so manifestly displayed in the deluge, and made such strong impressions on the few persons then alive, and came so well attested to succeeding generations, that religion wanted no other support. When idolatry and wickedness prevailed, the word of prophecy was renewed.

It may seem surprising that God should say nothing to the remnant of mankind about the punishments and rewards of another life, but should make a new covenant with them relating merely to fruitful seasons, &c. All that can be said to this difficulty is, that a gradual working of Providence towards the restoration of mankind is apparent; that the temporal blessings were first restored, as an earnest and pledge of better things to follow this point enlarged on; and the law of Moses, which was founded on no other express promises and threats but temporal ones, referred to it.

It is shown that, if men had hopes of future blessings before the flood, grounded on the prophecy consequent to the fall, the coming in of the flood could not destroy them, and the covenant of temporal blessings with Noah must greatly have confirmed them.

That Noah had expectations of future deliverance from all

the effects of the curse, and transmitted them to his posterity, seems evident from the peculiar blessing which he gave to Shem. Blessed, says he, be the God of Shem, &c. Gen. ix. 26. 27. Why the God of Shem, and not the God of Japhet, who was the elder, and equally pious towards his father, &c.? This blessing farther commented on to the end.

DISCOURSE IV.

WE have seen the beginning of prophecy, and its first entrance into the world, and what measure of light and hope it brought with it. The next inquiry is, to examine by what degrees this promise was opened and unfolded in the succeeding ages of the world, and to trace the methods of divine Providence in preparing all things for its accomplishment.

If we consider the first prophecy as the foundation of those hopes in which all the sons of Adam have an interest, in which the ages yet to come, as well as the present and those already past, are concerned; we shall not wonder to find that the administrations of Providence have had in all ages relation to this prophecy, and shall have, till the end of all things brings with it the appointed time for the full accomplishment.

One thing, I presume, will be easily granted, because it cannot be easily denied; that if the ancient prophecies which concern the general state and condition of man with regard either to this world or the next, are indeed divine oracles, there must be a consistency in the whole; and how dark or obscure soever some part of them might be at the first delivery and for generations afterwards, yet must they in the event conspire and centre in that great end which was always in the view of Providence : 'known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world:' Acts xv. 18.

Taking then this prophecy to contain the purpose of God with respect to mankind, the administrations of Providence, together with such farther declarations as God has thought fit to make, must needs be the best comment to help us to its meaning.

The account we have of the antediluvian world is very short, and conveys but little knowlege to us of the religion of those times, or of the hopes and expectations then entertained;

yet something there is to show that the curse of the fall was remembered and felt during that period; and that those who preserved a sense of religion, had an expectation of being delivered from the curse; which could be grounded, as far as appears, on nothing but the prophecy already mentioned.

Noah was born in the eleventh century after the fall, and at the time of his birth his father Lamech, by the spirit of prophecy, declared, this same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed:' Gen. v. 19.

This passage is a very material one, and, considered in all its views, will give some light to the state and condition of the world during this period. We may, I think, from hence fairly collect: 1. that the curse on the ground subsisted in all its rigor to the days of Lamech; and that the work and toil necessary to raise from the ground a sufficient support for life, was à grievous and irksome burden. There is no reason to imagine but that Lamech had as good a share of the things of the world as any other in his time; and yet he speaks of the labor and toil of life much more like a man reporting what he had felt than what he had only seen. 2. That there was an expectation in his time, at least among those who had not quite forgotten God, of a deliverance from the curse of the fall. Lamech's prophecy does not introduce this expectation, but is grounded on it he seems to speak to such as had the same common hope with himself of a deliverance to come, and points out to them the child then born as the instrument designed by Providence to ease them of their burden. THIS SAME shall comfort us :' that is, this is the seed of the woman, the heir of the promise, the effect of which shall be seen in his time. 3. That the ancient expectation, founded on the prophecy given at the fall, was not of an immediate and sudden deliverance. Above a thousand years were passed from the curse to the birth of Noah, and yet the expectation of deliverance continued ; whereas, had the notion been that the prophecy was to be immediately fulfilled, the delay had been long enough to tire out their patience and their hopes. 4. That the ancient expectation was not that the world should be delivered all at once from the whole curse of the fall. Lamech, who so well

remembered the Lord's curse on the ground, cannot be supposed to forget the greater curse on man: dust thou art, and to dust thou shalt return' and yet from this part of the curse he gives no hopes of deliverance. Noah was not the seed who should bring life and immortality to light; of him he only foretells that he should save them from the labor and toil of their hands,' and leaves the hopes of deliverance from the greater curse to stand as they did, on the faith of the first prophecy. This notion of a gradual deliverance from the old curse is agreeable to all that has happened since, and to the present state of things under the gospel: it is frequently to be met with in the inspired writers, particularly in St. Paul, who tells us, THE LAST enemy that shall be destroyed is death.' In consequence of this exposition of the prediction of Lamech, it must be maintained that the prophecy has been verified in the event; that the earth has been restored from the curse laid on it at the fall, and now enjoys the effect of the blessing bestowed on Noah. There will arise many prejudices, I am sensible, against this notion now advanced. In the first

place, the prophecy which was given at the fall has been usually appropriated to Christ Jesus, and to the deliverance we expect from him by the restoration of life and immortality; and it may be thought perhaps no good service to give any other person a share in this prophecy.

In answer to this I have some few observations to offer : 1. that the curse of the fall manifestly consists of several parts. Man was doomed to a life of labor and sorrow here, the ground cursed for his sake, and he condemned to seek his food in the sweat of his brow; and after this life ended, he was sentenced to return to the dust from whence he was taken. 2. The prophecy given as a support to man under this curse, mentions no kind of deliverance particularly, but conveys a general hope, which is limited to no one circumstance of the curse more than another, and is therefore naturally understood to relate to the whole. 3. Should there appear reason sufficient to induce us to think that this prophecy has already in part had its completion, and that the one part of the curse has been already removed; it will be so far from weakening, that it will mightily support and strengthen our hopes of seeing the whole removed