1 And it fhall be when the fons of Jacob attend to the law, and obferve the precepts, they fhall impose the yoke of fervitude upon thy neck; but when they fhall turn themfelves away from ftudying the law, and 'neglect the precepts, behold then thou fhalt thake off the yoke of fervitude from thy neck.' David impofed the yoke, and at that time the Jewish people obferved the law. But the yoke was very galling to the Edomites from the firft: 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 raifed fome difturbances,(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 Edomites revolted from under the dominion of Judah, and made themselves a king. Jehoram made fome attempts to fubdue them again, but could not prevail. So the Edomites revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day, faith the author of the books of Chroni cles: (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 fhould be greatly fuperior, and be the happy inftrument of conveying the bleffing to all nations. In thee and in thy feed fhall all the families of the earth be blessed: and hitherto are to be referred in their full force thofe expreffions, Let people ferve thee, and nations bow down to thee; Curfed be every one that curfeth thee, and blessed be he that bleffeth thee. The fame promife was made to Abraham in the name of God, I will bless them that bless thee, and curfe him that curfeth thee: (Gen. XII. 3.) and it is here repeated to Jacob, and is thus paraphrafed in the (8) Jerufalem Targum, He who curfeth thee, fhall be curfed, as Balaam the fon of Beor; and he who blef (7) Jofeph, Antiq. Lib. 8. Cap. 7. Sect. 6. p. 361. Edit. Hudfon. (8) Quifquis maledixerat tibi JaFob fili mi, erat maledictus ficut Balaam filius Beor: quifquis autem • feth feth 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 laft the Saviour of the world. This was the peculiar privilege and advantage of Jacob, to be the happy inftrument of conveying these fpiritual bleffings to all nations. This was his greatest fuperiority over Efau; and in this fenfe St. Paul understands and applies the prophecy, the elder shall 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 beft judge of fitness and expedience, and hath an undoubted right to difpenfe his favors as he fhall 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 compaffion on whom I will have compaffion. And when the Gentiles were converted to Chriftianity, the prophecy was fulfilled litterally, Let people ferve thee, and nations bow down to thee; and will more amply be fulfilled, when the fulness of the Gentiles shall come in, and all Ifrael Jhall 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 hiftory. 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 Nabathæan 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 (9) See Prideaux Connect. Part 1. Book 5. Anno izgi were 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, (III. 19.) Amos, (I. 11. &c.) and Obadiah. And at this day we fee the Jews subsisting 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 houfe of Efau, for the Lord hath Spoken it. IV. JACOB'S PROPHECIES CONCERNING HIS SONS, T is an opinion of great antiquity, that the nearer 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) afferts the fame opinion. • But now, faith he, I am defirous to prophefy to you who have condemned me, what will happen hereafter. For now I am arrived at that ftate, in which men prophefy moft, when they are about to die.' His (1) Hom. Iliad. XVI. 852. et Iliad. XXII. 158. (2) Το δε η μελα τετο επιθυμω μιν χρησμώδησαι, ο καταψηφισαμενος με. και γαρ ειμι ηδη ενταύθα ἐν ᾧ μαλις ανθρωποι χρησμώδεσιν, •TA MEλλwσir amoðaveiodai. Jam vero, O vos, qui me condemnatis, VOL L E cupio vobis earum rerum, quæ vobis funt eventuræ, cafus quafi oraculo prædicere: in illum enim temporis ftatum jam perveni, in que homines divinandi facultate maxime pollent, quando nimirum mortituri funt. Platonis Apolog. Socr. Op. Vol. 1. p. 39. Edit. Serrani fcholar 2 fcholar (3) Xenophon introduces the dying Cyrus declaring in like manner, that the foul of man at the hour of death appears moft divine, and then forefees fomething of future events.' Diodorus Siculus. (4) allegeth great authorities upon this fubject: Pythagoras the Samian and fome others of the ancient naturalifts have demonftrated that the fouls of men are immortal, and in confequence of this opinion that they alfo fore'know future events, at the time that they are making • their feparation from the body in death.' Sextus Empiricus (5) confirms it likewife by the authority of Ariftotle; the foul, faith Ariftotle, forefees and foretels future events, when it is going to be feparated from the body by death.' We might produce more testimonies to this purpofe from Cicero, and Euftathius upon Homer, and from other authors, if there was occafion; but thefe are fufficient to fhow the great (6) antiquity of this opinion. And it is poffible, that (7) old experience may in fome cafes attain to fomething (3) ή δε τα ανθρωπος ψυχη τότε δηπε θειοτατη καταφαινεται, και τότε τι των μελλόντων προορᾳ. ac ho minis animus tum fcilicet maxime divinus perfpicitur, et tum futurorum aliquid profpicit. Xenoph. Cyrop. Lib. 8. prope finem. p. 140. Edit. Henr. Steph. 1581. (4) Πυθαγορας ὁ ΣαμιΘ και τινες ἕτεροι των παλαιων φυσικών απεφηναυτό τας ψυχάς των ανθρωπων ύπαρχειν αθανατές, ακολύθως δε τῳ δοξματι τετῷ και προγιγνώσκειν αυτας τα μέλλοντα, καθ' όν αν καιρον εν τη τελευτη τον απο το σωματα χωρισ μου ποιωνται. Pythagoras Samius, et quidam phyficorum veterum alii, immortales effe hominum animas confirmarunt: et quod hujus fententiæ confectarium eft, prænofcere futura, cum, imminente vitæ exitu, janjam a corpore fegregantur. initio Lib. 18. Tom. 2. p. 586. Edit. Rhodomani. In. (5) Η ψυχή, Φησιν Αρισοτέλης, προμαντεύεται και προαγορεύει τα μέλλοντα ἐν τῷ κατα θανατον χως ριζεσθαι των σωμάτων. Adv. Mathem. P. 312. (6) Shakespear alludes to this notion in Henry IV. First Part. -O, I could prophesy, But that the earthy and cold hand of death Lies on my tongue. The fame notion is alfo happily expreffed in a moft excellent Latin poem, De Animi Immortalitate, which is deferving of a place among claffic authors, in richners of poetry equals Lucretius, and in clearners and frength of argument exceeds him. Namque ubi torpefcunt artas jam morte propinqua, Acrior eft acies tum mentis, et entheus ardor; Tempore non alio facundia fuavior, like prophecy and divination. In fome inftances alfo God may have been pleafed to comfort and inlighten departing fouls with a prefcience of future events. But what I conceive might principally give rife to this opinion, was the tradition of fome of the patriarchs being divinely inspired in their laft moments to foretel the ftate and condition of the people defcended from them; as Jacob upon his death-bed fummoned his fons together that he might inform them of what fhould befall them in the latter days or the last days; by which phrafe fome commentators understand the times of the Meffiah, or the laft great period of the world; and Mr. Whifton particularly (8) afferts, that it is generally, if not always, a characteristic and xpilnpion of prophecies not to be fulfilled till the coming of the Meffiah; and accordingly he supposes that thefe prophecies of Jacob more properly belong to the fecond coming of the Meffiah, at the restoration of the twelve tribes hereafter. But the phrafe of the latter days or laft days in the Old Teftament fignifies any time that is yet to come, though fometimes it may relate to the times of the Meffiah in particular, as it comprehends all future time in general: aud hence it is used in prophecies that refpect different times and periods. I will advertise thee, faid Balaam to Balaak, (Numb. XXIV. 14.) what this people fhall do to thy people in the latter days: but what the Ifraelites did to the Moabites, was done long before the times of the Meffiah. I know, faith Mofes, (Deut. XXXI. 29.) that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn afide from the way which I have commanded you, and evil will befall you in the latter days where the latter days are much the fame as the time after the death of Mofes. There is a God in heaven, faith Daniel, (II. 28.) that revealeth fecrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar, what shall be in the latter days: but feveral particulars are there foretold of the four great monarchies of the earth, which were fulfilled before the coming of the Meffiah. And in like manner thefe prophecies of Jacob were, many or most of them, accomplished under the (8) Boyle's Lectures, Vol. 2. p. 311. E 2 Mofaic |