A history of the work of redemption. Containing the outlines of a body of…

XIII. The next thing I would take notice of, was God's wonderfully preserving that people, from this time forward, when all the ma•es went up▪ three times in the year, to the place were God's ark was. The people of Israel were generally surrounded with enemies, that sought all opportunities to destroy them, and dispossess them of their land; and till David's time there were great numbers in the land of the remains of the Canaanites, and the other former inhabitants of the land, that were b••ter enemies to the people of Israel: and these had from year to year, three times in the year, a fair opportunity of over-running their country, and getting possession of their cities, when all the ma•es were gone, and only the women, and those who were not able to go up, were left behind. Yet they were remarkably preserved throughout all generations at such seasons, agreeable to the promise that God had made Exod. xxxiv 24. "Neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the Lord thy God thrice in the year." So wonderfully did God order affairs, and influence the hearts of their enemies, that though they were so full of enmity against Israel, and desired to dispossess them of their land, and had so fair an opportunity so often in their hands, that the whole country was left naked and empty of all that could resist them, and it would have been only for them to have gone and taken possession, and they could have had it without opposition, and they were so eager to take other opportunities against them; yet we never read, in all their history, of any of their enemies taking these opportunities against them: which could be no less than a continual miracle, th•• God, for the preservation of his church, kept up for so many generations even throughout the ages of the Old Testament. It was surely a wonderful dispensation of divine providence to maintain and promote God's great design of redemption.

XIII. The next thing I would take notice of, was God's wonderfully preserving that people, from this time forward, when all the ma•es went up▪ three times in the year, to the place were God's ark was. The people of Israel were generally surrounded with enemies, that sought all opportunities to destroy them, and dispossess them of their land; and till David's time there were great numbers in the land of the remains of the Canaanites, and the other former inhabitants of the land, that were bter enemies to the people of Israe: and these had from year to year, three times in the year, a fair opportunity of over-running their country, and getting possession of their cities, when all the maes were gone, and only the women, and those who were not able to go up, were left behind. Yet they were remarkably preserved throughout all generations at such seasons, agreeable to the promise that God had made Exod. xxxiv 24. "Neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the Lord thy God thrice in the year." So wonderfully did God order affairs, and influence the hearts of their enemies, that though they were so full of enmity against Israel, and desired to dispossess them of their land, and had so fair an opportunity so often in their hands, that the whole country was left naked and empty of all that could resist them, and it would have been only for them to have gone and taken possession, and they could have had it without opposition, and they were so eager to take other opportunities against them; yet we never read, in all their history, of any of their enemies taking these opportunities against them: which could be no less than a continual miracle, th God, for the prservation of his church, kept up for so many generations even throughout the ages of the Old Testament. It was surely a wonderful dispensation of divine providence to maintain and promote God's great design of redemption.