A continuation of the exposition of the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the…

My Conjecture is, that he was a Person of the Posterity of Japheth, who was principally to be regarded, as the Father of the Gentiles that were to be called. Noah had Prophesied, that God should enlarge the Heart of Japheth, or persuade him so, as that he should return to dwell in the Tents of Shem, Gen. 9. 27. Unto Shem he had before granted the present Blessing of the Covenant, in those words, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem, ver. 26. and thereby the bringing forth of the Promised Seed was confined unto his Posterity. Hereon among them was the Church of God to be continued, and ⟨p. 94⟩upon the matter confined, until the Shiloh came, unto whom the gathering of the Gentiles was to be, in the enlargement of Japheth, and his Return to dwell in the Tents of Shem. And whereas the Land of Canaan was designed of God for the seat of the Church in his Posterity, he suffered it to be possessed first by the Seed of Cursed Canaan that in their dispossessing and destruction he might give a Representation and Security of the Victory and final Success of the Lord Christ and his Church over all their Adversaries. Before this came to pass, God, as I suppose, brought this Melchizedek and some others of the Posterity of Japheth into the Land of Canaan, even before Abraham himself, in pursuit of the Promise made unto Shem, had possession of it, and placed him there in a Condition of Office Superior unto Abraham himself. And this might be done for two ends. (1.) That a claim might be put in on the behalf of Japheth unto an Interest in the Tents of Shem in the Type of the Privilege, for a while confined unto his Family. This Right and Rule of Melchizedek in those places which were to be the Seat of the Church enjoying the Promise made to Shem; took, as it were, Livery and Seisin for the Gentile Posterity of Japheth, which was in due time to be brought into the full possession of all the Rights and Privileges of it. (2.) That he might manifest that the state of Gentile Converts in the Promise and Spiritual Privileges of the Church, should be far more Excellent and better than was the state and Privileges of the Posterity of Shem whilst in their separate condition, God having provided some better things for us that they without us should not be made perfect. But these things are submitted to the judgment of every Candid Reader.

My Conjecture is, that he was a Person of the Posterity of Japhet, who was principally to be regarded, as the Father of the Gentiles that were to be called. Noah had Prophesied, that God should enlarge the Heart of Japhet, or perswade him so, as that he should return to dwell in the Tents of Shem,