ment, but Satan acted as principal, therefore the prin cipal part of the curfe must be defigned against him; and as Satan made use of the serpent as the most fit inftrument to deceive our firft parents, fo God made use of the fame to de nounce his curfe against him, thereby, as Job faith, he took th wife one in his own craftiness. The judicious Dr. Gill oblerves in his defence of the prophecies being accomplished in CHRIST, page 7. "For it muft not be fuppofed that this curfe only re "gards this brute creature ((peaking of the ferpent) but that "it was chiefly defigned againft Satan, the fole projector and conductor of the whole affair; for it would not be agreeable to the juftice of God, to inflict this upon the inftrument, and "let the principal go free; nor would there be any proportion "between the fentence againft man and the ferpent, if this "concerned the ferpent only."

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Friendly. What might I apprehend by the ferpent going upon his belly, and eating duft all the days of his life?

Truth. By this it appears probable that the ferpent, beforeTM it was concerned in feducing our firft parents, went, erect, or upright, which fhews that they have fomething of their original nature in them. They will now erect themfelves upon the hinder part of their bodies, and go a confiderable way in that pofition; and that which in its primordial ftate lived upon the fruit of the trees of the garden of Eden; is now a vile reptile, and lives upon the duft. And even in this Bishop Patrick thinks, "is illuftrated the mifery of Satan, who is, like "the ferpent, funk by this tranfgreffion into a lower degree of "milery than ever he was before the fall of man" which is emblematically fet forth by the ferpent going upon his belly, and eating the duft, which fome think is to the ferpent painful, as well as fordid.

Likewife, It might be an emblem of the mean and defpicable condition he brings his fervants and inftruments into. The ferpent acted for the Devil in beguiling our firft parents, and the Devil acts for the ferpent in debating him to the duft, and from his erect and stately pofition makes him crawl upon the earth like a worm; and this is the cafe of all his flaves, who, like the ferpent, feed upon the duft of this world.

Friendly. But is it not faid, Rom. xvi. 20. The God of peace ball bruife Satan under your feet fhortly? Does not this feem to imply, that Satan is not yet bruised.

Truth. By Satan being bruifed, we are not to apprehend his annihilation, or ceafing to be, but his power and authority being taken from him; for an enemy may be fubdued,

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and yet give a deal of difturbance afterwards. This is the cafe. of the Devil, though he cannot triumph, yet he will disturb the Saints in their paffage to glory, therefore the Apottle fays, by way of encouragement to them, The God of peace hall fhortly bruife Satan under your feet, alluding to the custom of conquerors putting their feet upon the neck of their enemies; the Apoftle thereby intimating, that the GoD of peace would give them a like victory over fin, death and hell; that they should fhortly put their feet of faith upon the neck of all their spiritual

enemies.

. Friendly. Here is one thing in this tranfaction very remarkable; the LORD afketh the man and the woman, what they had done, but did not afk the ferpent, though he was the first aggreffor, by way of temptation?

Truth. This fhews God's diftinguishing love to man; he enquires of man what he had done, that he might bring him to repentance, and make the promife of mercy precious to him, But he makes no enquiry of the ferpent, which was poffeffed by Satan, because there was no mercy defigned for him, nor his, Jude 6. The Angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath refer ved in everlasting chains, under darkness until the judgment of the great day.

My dear Friendly, as you have advanced one thing remarkable in this tranfaction, give me leave to obferve another, which was, the LORD's coming to Adam in the cool of the day. This was an emblem of grace and mercy to him, and fhewed that he came in all the coolness and pacification of love. There is likewife a third thing remarkable, for Adam had fcarce finned, but a promife of falvation appears; no fooner had the ferpent bruised their heel, but a SAVIOUR, the feed of the woman, is promifed to bruife his head. This, I have fometimes thought, fets forth the LORD's quick appearances of mercy to fouls in diftrefs: no fooner did the prodigal fay, I will return to my Father, and fay, Father, I have finned against Heaven and in thy fight, &c. Luke xv. 20. And be arofe and came to his Father; but when he was a great way off his Father faw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kiffed him. Likewife the Goaler no fooner cried out, Sirs, what must I do to be faved?. But mercy fteps to the door; believe on the Lord Jefus, and thou shalt be faved. And he rejoiced, believing in God with all his house. Some have observed a fourth appearance of love in this tranfaction, that as Eve was an inftrument (in the hands of Satan) of Adam's tranfgreffion, it might (as we are too apt to quarrel with the

inftruments of our unhappiness) beget an uneafinefs between Adam and his wife; but to cure this evil, the LORD promised that her feed fould bruife the ferpent's head; which would certainly if any thing of that took place) caufe a re-engagement of affection and delight in each other; fo that it appears, that this promife, in all its branches, is verified in CHRIST. As fancy feems at this time a little fruitful, I would obferve one thing more, which is, that as a woma. was (by tranfgreffion) the inftrumental caufe of our condemnation, fo CHRIST, being the feed of the woman, proves a woman likewife to be an inftrumental caufe of our falvation; the remembrance of which, fome have thought an inducement to the human mind to respect them the more; but I forbear, left fancy fhould become too fertile.

Friendly. I think the next promife we have of CHRIST is in Gen. xxii. 18. where God faith unto Abraham, In thy feed fall all nations of the carth be bleffed!

Truth. Here let it be obterved, that in the first promife which was made of CHRIST, it was not difcovered out of what people or nation the Meffiah fhould spring, but only in general faid, that he should be the feed of the woman; but in the above text, it is plainly expreffed, that he fhould be of the pofterity of Abraham, which appears to be remarkably verified in CHRIST, in that, faith the Apoftle, he took not on him the nature of angels, but the feed of Abraham, Heb. ii. 16. therefore the HOLY GHOST calls him the Son of Abraham, Matt, i. 1.

Friendly. But how do you prove that this feed here spoken of was CHRIST?

Truth. The truth of which appears to a demonstration in Gal. iii. 16. Now to Abraham and his feed avere the promifes made. He faith not, unto feeds, as of many, but unto thy feed, which is Chrift. Obferve, the Apoftle faith, the promifes were made to Abraham and his feed. Now thefe promises were the promifes of the new covenant, fuch as contain in them life and falvation, grace here, and glory hereafter, that were made to Abraham and his feed; that is, to a particular and diftinguished feed of his, for he faith, not unto feeds, as of many; that is, not unto his natural feed, which were many, but unto thy feed, that is, thy diftinguifhed peculiar feed, which is Chrift. I know moft commentators understand the two feeds here fpoken of, to be Abraham's natural feed, and his fpiritual feed, fuch who are bleffed with the faith of Abraham; but the diftinction which the HOLY GHOST makes in the text, points,

out one of the feeds to be meant of CHRIST, for he faith, not unto feeds, as of many, but of one; which cannot be faid of his fpiritual feed, becaufe they are (as well as his natural feed) many, but may with propriety be applied to CHRIST, as the word feed is often used in the fingular number, Gen. iv. 25. and xv. 3. which makes it agree with what the LORD faith unto Abraham, in thy feed fhall all nations of the earth be blessed; and what can be a greater demonftration of the truth of all nations being bleffed in his feed, than having all the promises made to it, which the Apoftle applies to CHRIST, 2 Cor. i. 20. For all the promises of God, in him are yea, and amen, &c.

Friendly. But may not these two feeds denote Ifaac and Ifhamael, Ifaac by the peculiar feed, as of one, and Ishmael, with the rest of the children, by not of feeds, as of many, as Abraham had many children after he had Ifaac?

Truth. The appellation which is here given to this feed, puts the matter out of doubt, not unto feeds, which are many, but of one; ana to thy feed, which is Chrift. Had it been meant of Ifaac, the Apoftle would have faid, not of feeds, as of many, but of one, and to thy feed which is Ifaac, as when he diftinguishes the children of the flesh from the children of the promife, Rom. ix. 7, 8. Neither because they are the feed of Abraham, are they all children; but, in Ifaac fhall thy feed be called: that is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promife are counted for the feed. Its being faid, in Ifaac fhall thy feed be called, principally denotes, that CHRIST fhould, according to the Aefh, fpring from Ifaac; and Secondly, it may denote, the elect, or the Ifrael of GOD, in his loins. And by the children of the promife being counted for the feed, I apprehend is meant the children of GOD, who are by him chofen in CHRIST, and bleffed with all fpiritual bleffings; to whom, as they are confidered in CHRIST, all the promises of grace are made over, Heb. viii. 10, 12. These children are counted for the feed, that is, they are counted for CHRIST's feed, Ifa. liii. 10. he fall fee his feed. Likewife they are Abraham's fpiritual feed, as he is the Father of the faithful; for there is no diftinction between CHRIST'S feed, and Abraham's fpiritual feed, Gal. iii. 29. If ye be Chrift's, then are ye Abraham's feed, and heirs according to the promife. I have been the longer, Friendly, upon this head, because there are fo many godly people, that have good judgment in the gofpel, in other things, who are always dark and confufed when they are judging who are the children of the promife; as it is a received notion from one to

another, that the children of the promife are confined to the children of believing parents, at least that they are all included in the covenant of grace; when, alas! nothing can be more evident, than that the children of the promite are not confined either to the children of believing parents, or unbelieving parents, but are fuch whom the LORD our GOD hath chofen in CHRIST before the foundation of the world, as a peculiar people to himself, 2 Cor. vi. 16, 18. As God hath faid, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people; and I will be a Father unto you, and ye Shall be my fons and daughters, faith the Lord Almighty.

Friendly But is it not faid, Acts ii. 39. For the promise is to you and to your children?

Truth. Yes, but this is fo far from proving that the promife of falvation is confined to the children of believers, that it proves the contrary; for the perfons, to whom the Apoftie here addreffes himself, were unbelievers, fuch as were concerned in crucifying CHRIST, v. 36. Therefore let all the house of Ifrael know affuredly, that God hath made the fame fus, whom se crucified, both Lord and Chrift. Upon this they feemed to be under concern of foul, but that they were believers, when the Apostle faid, the promife is unto you, and to your children, is not plain; but it rather feems, that they did not believe tili afterwards, for thefe words were fpoken to encourage their belief in CHRIST. And granting ll that can be defired, that they were believers, it is no proof that the promife was confined to their children, for it is added, to them that are afar off, and to as many as the Lord our God fhall call. But let us make no farther digreffion.

Friendly. As you have made it appear, that by Abraham's feed, mentioned Gen. xxii. 18. is meant the Meffiah; pray inform me, wherein does it appear, that all the nations of the earth are bleffed in him?

Truth. As the bleffings here fpoken of are fpiritual and eternal bleffings, we are not to apprehend that they extend to every individual perfon of all nations, but as the Apostle has explained the text, in Gal. iii. 8. In thee all nations of the earth fhall be blefled; then he draws this conclufion, v. 9. So then they that be of faith, are blessed with faithful Abraham; as faith the Pfalmift, Pfal. Ixxii. 17. all nations shall call him bleffed. Not all, or every individual perfon, of all nations fhall call him bleffed; no, too many there be, we have reason to fpeak of it with the deepest lamentation, that fay to him, depart from us, we defire not the knowledge of thy ways.