• off the yoke of fervitude from thy neck.' It was David who impofed the yoke, and at that time the Jewish people obferved the law. But the yoke was very galling to the Edomites from the first: and toward the latter end of Solomon's reign, Hadad the Edomite of the blood royal, who had been carried into Egypt in his childhood, returned into his own country, and raised some disturbances, (1 Kings. XI.) but was not able to recover his throne, (7) his fubjects being overawed by the garrifons which David had placed among them. But in the reign of Jehoram the fon of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, the E omites revolted from under the dominion of Judab, and made themselves a king. Jehoram made fome attempts to fubdue them again, but could not prevail. So the Edomites revolted from under the band of Judah unto this day, faith the author of the books of Chronicles: (2 Chron. XXI. 8, 10.) and hereby this part of the prophecy was fulfilled about nine hundred years

after it was delivered.

VI. But in all fpiritual gifts and graces the younger should be greatly fuperior, and be the happy

bunt mandata, imponentjugum fervitutis fuper collum tuum: quando autem averterint fe filii Jacob, ut non ftudeant legi, nec fervaverint mandata, ecce tunc VOL.

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abrumpes jugum fervitutis eorum a collo tuo. Targ. Hieros.

(7) Jofeph. Antiq. Lib. s. Cap. 7. Scct. 6. p. 361. Edit. Hudíon.

(8) Quif

happy inftrument of conveying the bleffing to all nations. In thee and in thy feed shall all the families of the earth be blessed: and hitherto are to be referred in their full force those expreffions, Let people ferve thee and nations bow down to thee; Curfed be every one that curfeth thee, and blessed be be that bieffeth thee. The fame promife was made to Abraham in the name of God, I will bless them that bless thee, and curfe bim that curfeth thee: (Gen. XII. 3.) and it is here repeated to Jacob, and is thus paraphrased in the (8) Jerufalem Targum, He who curfeth thee, shall be curfed, as Balaam the fon of Beor; • and he who bleffeth thee, fhall be bleffed, as

Mofes the prophet, the lawgiver of Ifrael.' It appears that Jacob was a man of more religion, and believed the divine promifes more than Efau. The pofterity of Jacob likewife preferved the true religion and the worship of one God, while the Edomites were funk in idolatry. And of the feed of Jacob was born at last the Saviour of the world. This was the peculiar privilege and advantage of Jacob, to be the happy instrument of conveying these spiritual bleffings to all nations. This was his greatest fuperiority over Efau; and in this fenfe St. Paul

(8) Quifquis maledixerit tibi Jacob fili mi, erit male

dictus, ficut Balaam filius Beor: quifquis autem benedixerit ti

bi,

Paul understands and applies the prophecy, the elder fhall ferve the younger. (Rom. IX. 12.) The Chrift, the Saviour of the world, was to be born of fome one family: and Jacob's was, preferred to Efau's out of the good pleasure of almighty God, who is certainly the best judge of fitness and expedience, and hath an undoubted right to difpenfe his favors as he shall fee proper; for he faith to Mofes (as the apostle proceeds to argue ver. 15,) I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compaf fion on whom I will have compaffion. And when the Gentiles were converted to Christianity, the prophecy was fulfilled litterally, Let people Serve thee, and nations bow down to thee; and will more amply be fulfilled, when the fulness of the Gentiles fhall come in, and all Ifrael fhall be faved.

We have traced the accomplishment of the prophecy from the beginning; and we find that the nation of the Edomites hath at feveral times been conquered by and made tributary to the Jews, but never the nation of the Jews to the Edomites, and the Jews have been the more confiderable people, more known in the world, and more famous in

bi, erit benedictus, ficut Mofes rum. Targ. Hieros. propheta, legislator Ifraelita

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history.

(9) See

history. We know indeed little more of the hiftory of the Edomites than as it is connected with that of the Jews: and where is the name or the nation now? They were fwallowed up and loft, partly among the Nabathaan Arabs, and partly among the Jews; and the very name was (9) abolished and difufed about the end of the first century after Chrift. Thus were they rewarded for infulting and oppreffing their brethren the Jews, and hereby other prophecies were fulfilled of Jeremiah, (XLIX. 7. &c.) of Ezekiel, (XXV. 12 &c.) of Joel, (HI. 19.) Amos, (I. 11 &c.) and Obadiah. And at this day we fee the Jews fubfifting as a diftinct people, while Edom is no more. For agreeably to the words of Obadiah (ver. 10.) For thy violence against thy brother Jacob, fhame fhall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever: and again (ver. 18.) there fhall not be any remaining of the bufe of Efau, for the Lord hath spoken it.

(9) See Prideaux Connect. Part 1. Book 5. Anno 129.

IV. JACOB'S

IV.

JACOB's prophecies concerning his fons, particularly JUDA H.

Τ

IT is an opinion of great antiquity, that the

nearer men approach to their diffolution, their fouls grow more divine, and difcern more of futurity. We find this opinion as early as (1) Homer, for he represents the dying Patroclus foretelling the fate of Hector, and the dying Hector denouncing no lefs certainly the death of Achilles. Socrates in his Apology to the Athenians a little before his death (2) asserts the fame opinion. 'But now, faith he, I am defirous to prophefy to you who have condemned me, what will happen hereafter. For

now

(1) Hom. Iliad. XVI. 852. earum rerum, quæ vobis funt et Iliad. XXII. 358. eventuræ, cafus quafi oraculo prædicere: in illum enim tem(2) Το δε δη μελα τετο - poris ftatum jam perveni, in quo θυμω ύμιν χρησμῳδησαν, w nata-homines divinandi facultate ψηφισαμενοι με ya yap maxime pollent, quando nimi non nauda ir i padis avopamos rum morituri funt. Platonis χρησμώδεσιν, όταν μελλωσιν αποθ- Apolog Socr. Op. Vol. 1. p. 39. avoda. Jam vero, O vos, qui Edit. Serrani. me condemnaftis, cupio vobis

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(4)