III. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them V. Behold, now we are the fons of God, &c. XXI. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump XXII. Do not found a trumpet before thee XXIII. Without faith it is impoffible to please God 389 SER. SERMON I. GOD, WHO AT HEBREWS, i. 1. SUNDRY TIMES, AND IN DIVERS MANNERS, SPAKE IN TIME PAST UNTO THE FATHERS BY THE PROPHETS; HATH, IN THESE LAST DAYS, SPOKEN UNTO US BY HIS SON. IN thefe words the Apostle gives us a fhort ac count of the manner, in which God Almighty was pleased to open the gofpel to mankind, from the earlieft period of the world. I fhall treat the fubject in the Apostle's order; and endeavour to fhew you, first, what is meant by God's Speaking at fundry' times, and in divers manners unto the fathers, by the prophets-and fecondly, what is meant by his fpeaking in thefe ·last days, to us by his fon. 1 With regard to the first of these heads, the word which in our translation is rendered fundry times, fignifies more properly, different parts, or different portions. The general meaning therefore of the expreffion is, that God had vouchfafed to give mankind from the beginning, a revelation of his will, and of the redemption of the world by Jefus Christ, in fuch different portions, as to open it by degrees, and always to leave behind some new discovery, which was to enlighten and encourage the hopes of future ages; and thus to prepare mankind for the full reception of the gospel. Let us then look into the Bible; and obferve how all this is effected-let us obferve the dawning of this fun of righteousness from age to age; age; and how it brightened through each fucceeding period, till at length it broke out in all its fplendor. The intimation to Adam-that the feed of the woman fhould bruife the ferpent's head, was un doubtedly very obfcure. But yet it contained fome foundation for a hope, that the great evil, introduced by the fall of man, fhould hereafter be repaired. The ferpent's head fhould be bruifed! it fhould be crushed, and deprived of the power of injuring again. So that a triumph was to be at length obtained over the ferpent, or whatever |