three Hebrew tenfes; the preterite, fignifying the time paft; the prefent, fignifying what is now; and the future, fignifying the time to come: and imports that defignation given to Chrift, Rev. i. 4. 8. Which is, and which was, and which is to come. Thus he is the I AM THAT I AM, as he is called, Exod. iii. 14. The ALPHA and OMEGA, the First and the Laft: the firit, without beginning; and the laft, without end. O but they who have fuch a glorious General to follow, need not fear to take the field against the nations! He is JEHOVAH.

This

2dly, Ifrael's Captain-general is here defcribed by his relation to them, THY God; the Lord THY God. relation is flated upon the ground of a new-covenant difpenfation, even a covenant of promife in Chrift Jefus. Of this covenant there was an Old-Teftament difpenfation, under which this people of Ifrael were; and a New-Teftament difpenfation, under which we are: the former was a darker, and this is a clearer and brighter difpenfation of the fame new covenant. The old covenant of works being broken and violated by the fin of man, God could not, in honour, come under this relation again to finners, but upon the ground of a new covenant, eftablifhed in Chrift.-This covenant of promife was firft difcovered to Adam in paradise, afterwards to Abraham, and others. The promise of that new covenant, was fealed by the blood of Christ, typically, under the Old Teftament, by the facrifices then offered; and actually at Jerufalem, when he gave his life a ransom for many. Upon the footing of this covenant, I fay, it is, that he afferts this relation, The Lord THY God. But more particularly, for explaining this relative defignation, THY God; we may take a fourfold view thereof.

1. As it is expreffive of the antient federal relation betwixt God and Ifrael of old, the church of the Jews under that difpenfation. He became their God, and they were chofen of him to be his peculiar people, beyond all other people in the world; as you fee, Deut. vii. 6. “For thou art a holy people to the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chofen thee to be a fpecial people to himself, above all people on the face of the earth."

He

403 He made known his mind with refpect to the way of falvation to them, and they to others; "He fhewed his word unto Jacob, and his ftatutes and judgments to Ifrael; he hath not dealt fo with any nation," Pfalm cxlvii. 19, 20. And having taken them vifibly into a covenant-relation, he eftablithes his covenant with them and their feed; "The Lord had delight in thy fathers. to love them, and he chofe their feed after them," Deut. x. 15. And thus he faid to Abraham, Gen. xvii. 7. "I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy feed after thee, to be a God to thee and thy feed." Hence fays God to them, "You only have I known of all the families of the earth." All this is faid of them, even with refpect to their church-ftate, abstract from the fingular faving privileges of true believers among them, who, through grace, were enabled to improve thefe great advantages they enjoyed above other people. By virtue of this relation that he flood in to them, he egaged, as the Lord their God, to put out the nations of the Canaanites before them by little and little.

2. You may view it as expreflive of the present federal relation that God ftands in to the vifible church under the New Teftament, even to us the Gentiles, as fucceeding to the Jews in their church-privileges, together with fuperadded advantages, in fo far as the New Teftament difpenfation does excel that of the Old. As it was faid to the Jewish church, "The promife is to you, and to your children," Acts ii. 39. And that to them. belong the adoption, and the glory, the covenant, and the promife, Rom. ix. 4.: So, in like manner, do they belong to the Chriftian church, we being grafted in among them, to partake of the root and fatnefs of their olivetree, Rom. ix. 17. Hence flows a common intereft that all the members of the vifible church have in God, as their God; and Christ, as their Head: not only as a head of eminency, but as an head of influence and government. All the common influences fhed among the members of the vifible church come from this fource; and from thence refult alfo many excellent privileges, all which are fealed in baptifm, which fucceeds to the feal of circumcifion among the Jews. Baptifm feals to us, and

to all the visible church, a common general right to God's covenant, fo as we may warrantably plead the promises, and that promife in particular, I will be your Gud, and ye shall be my people; which is the fundamental promife. Great are the privileges that belong to the vifible church, which do not belong to these that are without God commits to them his miniftry, his oracles, and ordinances; by the means of which, he brings forth children, and gathers his elect; fɔ as out of the church vifible there is no ordinary poffibility of falvation,' Acts ii. 47. As all the baptized members of the vifible church have a fealed intereft in the covenant of promife, fuch as lays them under a special obligation to believe in Chrift; fo they have a claim, beyond the reft of the world, to God as their God in Chrift, and as their Saviour: yea, all the church vifible are faid to be in Chrift, John xv. 2.; even thefe branches that bear not fruit, and that fhall be taken away, and caft into the fire. Baptifm feals our ingraftment into Christ; that is, an ingraftment common to all that are members of the visible church, befides the faving fpiritual ingraftment of true believers. Now, that common relation that you all have to God, as church-members, though it be common to believers and unbelievers; yet it is, in itself, a fpecial privilege, whereby you are ex

alted above the reft of the world that are without the church; and gives every one of you a right to plead this promife to be accomplished to you in a fpiritual fenfe, The Lord thy God will put out these nations before you, by little and little; even fuch nations of fpiritual enemies as were typified by the Canaanites that Ifrael had to deal with. But then,

3. You may view this relative defignation, Thy God, as expreffive of the fpecial relation he ftands in to the church invifible, militant here upon earth; I mean, to true believers, the living members of Chrift, and true Ifrael of God, whom he makes fo, by becoming their God, in a way of fovereign free grace, in and through Jefus Chrift, in whom they have a peculiar interest in God as their God, and a fpecial title to, all the promifes of the new covenant as their charters all the pro

mifes being rea and Amen in Chrift Jefus. Now, it is in this fenfe efpecially that I confider this defignation, The Lord thy God, because it is the fpiritual intent of the text that I treat, namely, as it does typify and reprefent the fpiritual deliverance of the true Ifrael of God from their fpiritual enemies, in order to the poffeffion of the heavenly Canaan; yet not excluding the great appearances the Lord makes for his church vifible on earth, collectively confidered. And here it is proper you obferve, that though this title, The Lord thy God, be oftentimes in Scripture fpoken of with respect to a visible church, a mixt people of good and bad; as when he fays to Ifrael," I am the Lord thy God, that brought thee out of the land of Egypt, and house of of bondage;" and whereas in many inflances it is spoken collectively of the whole body of the church: yet this rule is to be noticed, that where the Lord is mentioned in relation thus to a mixt people, all the privileges that flow from fuch a relation of God to that people, are but common privileges; I mean, common to all that visible church. Thus the privilege of bringing out of the land of Egypt, was a common privilege, common to all that people, good and bad among them; and fo was this privilege of cutting off the nations of the Canaanites before them in a literal fenfe, and poffeffing them of the earthly Canaan: and, therefore, though God be called the God of a church or people collectively, which infers many excellent privileges, though common to them all, as was fhewed above; yet, he is not their God, in the fame refpect, as he is the God of the believer, or of the true Ifrael. As they are not all Ifrael that are of Ifrael, (for the whole vifible church, God's profeffing people, are of Ifrael; but only true believers are Ifraelites indeed, and Jews inwardly, the true fpiritual circumcifion ;) fo thefe true Ifraelites have a courfe by cominon, having a special and peculiar propriety in God as their God; which infers fpecial and peculiar privileges. And hence,

4. You may view this defignation, Thy God, as expreffive of all the bleffings that are imported in this fpecial relation that he ftands in to this true Ifrael. And,

indeed, the privileges imported thus in the word, Thy God, are innumerable and unfpeakable. His being their God, imports, that they have, an interest in all that he is, and all that he hath, and all that he can do, and is wont to do for these whofe God he is. Here is a field that would take a long eternity to travel through:

Happy is the people whofe God is the Lord." All happiness in time, and for ever, is imported in it: his being their God, imports all the relations that he can be in to them, for making them holy and happy for ever in himfelf; that he is, and will be, their Sun, to enlighten them; their Portion, to enrich them; their Father, to pity them; their Righteoufnels, to clothe them; their Guide, to conduct them; their Glory, to crown them; and their ALL in all. But the text confines me to the fe relations imported in this title, Thy God, which hath a refpect to his deftroying their enemies before them by little and little. I only mention two of thefe: 1. His being their God, imports, that he is their Friend, though their enemies be many. 2. His being their God, imports, that he is their Shield, though their enemies be mighty.

[1.] Amidst the multitude of enemies, their God is their Friend. And, indeed, no matter who be our enemies, if God be our friend: If God be for us, fays the apostle, who can be against us? Rom. viii. 31. And he is a friend to all thefe to whom he is a God in a peculiar manner. And his being their friend, imports, the removal of fewd and enmity; his anger being turned away, and reconciliation made up through Chrift, whatever was the former difference. It imports the acceptation of their perfons into favour, and the obligation he lies under, as a friend, by virtue of the new covenant of grace and promife, to help them in every time of need; and to do all their works in them and for them; and to fight all their battles. Therefore,

[2] Though their enemies be mighty, his being their God, imports, that he is their Shield: The Lord God is a fun and fhield to them, Pfal. lxxxiv. 11. The fhields of the earth are his; and his being their fhield, is to be underftood both in a defenfive and offenfive way. (1.) He is the Lord their God and fhield, to defend

them;