through Natural impoffibilities. I 155 with Abraham, Andwas it not thus with 7ofeph? (I thall not have time to ipeake of the Patriarchs all of them ) yofeph you know had a promife by way of vifion , That hisAeafe Gen. 37. Amid be higher then all the Heaves , andall the "heaves of his Trethi-en Aould bore down to his , the Snnne and the Moone fhould bow down before him ( his Father and Mother;) this promife was afterward fulfilled when his Brethren went down into Egypt, and bowed before him there, and his Fa- ther went down into Egypt; but firft of all 7ofeph is fould in- toEgypt , the fentence of death put upon the Mercy ; the promife did bring forth, but it had a fore and ahard labour firft. And was it thus not with the Peopleof lfrael? they had a promife ofgreat increafe like the fands upon the fea,and that they fhould be brought into the Land of Canaan ; firft the fentence of death is put upon both thefe , their Males are to be cutt off from Egypt, and before they come into Canaan, they muff; go into a howling wilderneffe ; thus the fentence of death paffes firft upon the mercy before they do come to it. And was it not thus withDavid? David had a Kingdome promifed him,that he fhould be theKtng of lfrael,but firft of all Davidmuft be thruft out of the Kingdome , he muff into the wilderneffe , he muff be huntedup and down there like a partridge, David muff be a Traitor firft before he can be a King, and David muff be a Rebell firft in the eyes of the King before he can come to the Kingdome and to the Throne;he had the mercy afterward, but firft the fentenceof deathwas put upon it. So 706; a griat and a large and a comfortable Effate that God gave unto him , but firff he is plundered and fpoiled of all, a fentence of death paffes upon all his comforts; And is not this Gods dealingwith his People ftill?look I pray into the i i. of the Revelation, and ye limit fee how the two w it- neffes are to fare; After three days and an half, (at the a T. v.) the Spirit of life from god entred into them, and they flood upon their feet,andgreat fearfelluponthemwhichfan, them: and V 3 they
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