Expository discourses on the Book of Genesis : interspersed with practical reflections

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A DONATION

Beceiucd

EXPOSITORY DISCOURSES

ON THE BOOK OF

GENESIS,

Sjc. Sfc.

\

EXPOSITORY DISCOURSES

ON THE BOOK OF

GENESIS,

[NTERSPERSED WITH

PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS.

BY ANDREW FULLER.

NEW EDITION.

LONDON :
THOMAS TEGG AND SON, 73, CHEAPSIDE

R. GRIFFIN AND CO. GLASGOW;

T. T. AND H. TEGG, DUBLIN:

J iND S. A. TEGG, SYDNEY AND HOBART TOWN.

1836,

T. C. JOHXS,

Kcd Lion-court, Fleet -stretU

TO THE

BAPTIST CHURCH OF CHRIST

AT

KETTERING.

My dear brethren,

It is now upwards of twenty-two years since I tirst
took the oversight of you in the Lord. During the
last fifteen years, it has, as you know, been my prac-
tice to expound amongst you on a Lord's-day morning
some part of the Holy Scriptures, commonly a chapter.
From all that I have felt in my own mind, and
heard fi'om you, I have reason to hope these exercises
have not been in vain. They have enabled us to take
a more connected view of the Scriptures than could be
obtained merely by Sermons on particular passages ;
and I acknowledge that as I have proceeded, the work
of exposition has become more and more interesting to
my heart.

I have not been in the habit of writing Dedications
to what I have pubhshed ; but in this instance I feel
inclined to deviate from my usual practice. Consi-
dering my time of life, and the numerous avocations on
my hands, I may not be able to pubhsh any thing
more of the kind ; and if not, permit me to request
that this Family book may be preserved as a Memorial
of our mutual affection, and of the pleasures we have

Vi OEDICATION.

enjoyed together in exploring the treasures of the
lively Oracles.

You will consider these Discourses as the result of
having once gone over that part of the Scriptures to
which they relate. Were we to go over it again, and
again, such is the fulness of God's word, that we should
still find interesting and important matter, which had
never occurred in reading it before ; and this should en-
courage us not to rest in any exposition, but to be con-^
stantly perusing the Scriptures themselves, and digging
at the precious ore.

x\s the Exposition was delivered in public worship,
it was not my wish to dwell upon particular words, so
much as to convey the general scope and design of
the Scriptures. Whether I have in any considerable
degree caught the spirit which runs through them, is
^'00 much for me to decide: but this 1 can say, that
such has been my aim. I know by experience, that,
with respect to this, when I have been the most spi-
ritually minded, I have succeeded the best ; and there-
fore conclude, that if I had lived nearer to God, the work
had been better executed. But such as it is, I com-
mend it to the blessing of God, and your candid
acceptance.

And remain.

Your affectionate Pastor,

THE AUTHOR.

Kettering,
October 19, 1805.

CONTENTS.

DISCOURSE I.

Page.
Chap. i. 1—4.

On the book in general, and the first day's creation ... 1

DISCOURSE II.

Chap. i. 6 — 31.
On the five last days' creation 5

DISCOURSE III.

Chap. ii.
Creation reviewed 9

DISCOURSE IV.

Chap. iii. 1 — 7.
The Fall of man. 16

Vlll CONTENTS.

DISCOURSE V.

Page
Chap. iii. 8—14.
The trial of tlie transgressors 20

DISCOURSE VI.
Chap. iii. 15—24.
The curse of Satan including a blessing to man — effects
of the fall '25

DISCOURSE VIL

Chap. iv. 1-8.

The offerings of Cain and Abel 32

DISCOURSE VIII.

Chap. iv. 9-24.

Cain's punishment and posterity 37

DISCOURSE IX.

Chap. iv. 25, 26 ; and chap. v.
The generations of Adam 42

DISCOURSE X.

Chap. vi. 1—7.
Tiie cause of tiic (k'luge 46

DISCOURSE XI.

Chap. vi. ft— 22.
Noah finds favour witii (iod, and is directed to build
the ark ^<>

DISCOURSE XII.

Chap. vii.
The riood ^ 59

CONTENTS. IX

DISCOURSE XIII.

Page
Chap. viii.
The Flood (continued) 64

DISCOURSE XIV.

Chap. ix. 1-24.

God's covenant with Noah 69

DISCOURSE XV.

Chap. ix. 25—27.
Noah's prophecy 75

DISCOURSE XVI.

Chap. X.
The generations of Noah 80

DISCOURSE XVII.

Chap. xi. 1—9.
The confusion of tongues 84

DISCOURSE XVIII.

Chap. xi. 10—32 ; xii. 1—4.

The generations of Shem, and the call of Abram 92

DISCOURSE XIX.

Chap. xii. 6—20.
Abram dwelling in Canaan, and removing to Egypt on
account of the famine 89

DISCOURSE XX.

Chap. xiii.
The separation of Abram and Lot 101

X CONTENTS.

DISCOURSE XXI.

Page
Chap. xiv.

Abram's slaughter of the kings 106

DISCOURSE XXII .

Chap. XV. 1 — 6.
Abrani justified by faith 114

DISCOURSE XXIII.

Chap. XV. 7—21.

Renewal of promises to A bram 119

DISCOURSE XXIV.

Chap. xvi.
Sarai's crooked policy for the accomplishment of the
promise 123

DISCOURSE XXV.

Chap. xvii.

God's covenant with Abram and his seed 128

DISCOURSE XXVI.

Chap, xviii.
Abraham entertaining angels, and interceding for
Sodom 137

DISCOURSE XXVII.

Cliap. xix.

The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah 144

DISCOURSE XXVIII.

Chap. XX.
Abraham and Abiraelech l5l

CONTENTS. XI

DISCOURSE XXIX.

Page
Chap. xxi.

The birth of Isaac, &c 156

DISCOURSE XXX.

Chap. xxii.
Abraham tempted to offer up his son Isaac 163

DISCOURSE XXXI.

Chap, xxiii.
The death and burial of Sarah 170

DISCOURSE XXXII.

Chap. xxiv. 1—28.
Abraham sending his servant to obtain a wife for
Isaac 173

DISCOURSE XXXIII.

Chap. xxiv. 29—67.
Abraham sending his servant to obtain a wife for
Isaac (continued) 179

DISCOURSE XXXIV.

Chap. XXV.

Abraham's marriage with Keturah, and death; Ish-
mael's posterity, and death ; with the birth and
characters of Esau and Jacob 187

Xll CONTENTS.

DISCOURSE XXXV.

Page
Chap. xxvi.

Isaac and Abiraelech 197

DISCOURSE XXXVI.

Chap, xxvii.

Jacob's obtaining the blessing 206

DISCOURSE XXXVII.

Chap, xxviii. •
Jacob's departure from Beersheba 216

DISCOURSE XXXVIII.

Chap. xxix.
Jacob's arrivalat Haran 223

DISCOURSE XXXIX.

Chap. XXX. xxxi. 1 — 16.
Jacob in Haran 229

DISCOURSE XL.

Chap. xxxi. 17 — 55,
Jacob's departure from Haran 236

DISCOURSE XLL

Chap, xxxii.
Jacob's fear of Esau — His wrestling with the Angel... 246

DISCOURSE XLII.

Chap, xxxiii.
Jacob's interview with Esau, and arrival in Canaan ...253

CONTENTS. XIU

DISCOURSE XLIII.

Page
Chap, xxxiv.

Dinah defiled, and the Shechemites murdered 259

DISCOURSE XLIV.

Chap. XXXV. XXX vi.
Jacob's removal to Bethel — God's renewal of Covenant
with him — the death of Deborah, Rachel, and Isaac
— Esau's generations 266

DISCOURSE XLV.

Chap, xxxvii.
Joseph sold for a slave 276

DISCOURSE XLVI.

Chap, xxxviii. xxxix.
The conduct of Judah — Joseph's promotion and temp-
tation 285

DISCOURSE XLVII.

Chap. xl.
Joseph in prison 294

DISCOURSE XLVIII.

Chap. xli.
Joseph's advancement 299

DISCOURSE XLIX.

Chap, xlii.
The first interview between Joseph and his brethren ..30G

h

XIV CONTENTS.

DISCOURSE L.

Chap, xliii.
The second interview between Joseph and his brethren 316

DISCOURSE LI.

Chap.xliv. 1—17.
The cup in Benjamin's sack .324

DISCOURSE LII.

Chap. xliv. 18—34.
Judah's intercession 330

DISCOURSE LIII.

Chap. xlv.
Joseph making himself known to his brethren 335

DISCOURSE LIV.

Chap. xlvi.
Jacob's going down into Egypt , 341

DISCOURSE LV.

Chap, xlvii.
Joseph's conduct in the settlement of hi*s brethren, and
in the affairs of Egypt 347

DISCOURSE LVI.

Chap, xlviii.
Joseph's interview with his dying father, with the
bic'sjaiing of his sons 354

CONTENTS. XV

DISCOURSE LVII.

Page
Chap. xlix.

Jacob's blessings on the tribes 360

DISCOURSE LVIII.

Chap. 1.
The burial of Jacob, and the death of Joseph 372

Conclusion 3

EXPOSITORY DISCOURSES,

4-c.

DISCOURSE I.

On the hook in general, and the first days Creation.
Genesis i. 1 — 4.

It is common for the writers of* other histories to go
back in their researches as far as possible; but Moses
traces his from " the beginning.'' The whole book is upon
the oriffin of things, even of all things that had a begin-
ning. The visible creation, the generations of man, moral
evil among men, the spiritual kingdom of the Messiah,
the new world, the church in the family of Abraham, the
various nations and tribes of man ; every thing, in short,
now going on in the world may be traced hither as to its
spring head. Without this history the world would be in
total darkness, not knowing whence it came, nor whither
it goeth. In the first page of this sacred book a child
may learn more in an hour than all the philosophers in the
world learned without it in thousands of years.

There is a majestic sublimity in the introduction. No
apology, preamble, or account of the writer : you are
introduced at once into the very heart of things. No
vain* conjectures about what Avas before time, nor whg
things were done thus and thus: but simply so it was.

In this account of the creation nothing is said on the
being of God: this great truth is taken for granted. May
not this apparent omission be designed to teach us, that
those who deny the existence of a Deity are rather to be
rebuked than reasoned with ? All reasoning and instruction
must proceed upon some principle or principles, and

2 First Daifs Creation. [Dis. 1.

what can be more proper than this? Those writers
who have gone about to prove it, have, in my opinion,
done but little, if any good ; and in many instances have
only set men a doubting upon a subject which is so mani-
fest from every thing around them, as to render the very
heathens without excuse.^

The foundation of this vast fabric is laid in an adequate
cause — Elohim, The Almighty. Nothing else would
bear it. Man, if he attempt to lind an adequate cause for
what is, to the overlooking of God, shall but weary him-
self with very vanity.

The writer makes use of the plural term Elohim ^ which "
yet is joined to singular verbs. This has been generally
thought to intimate the doctrine of a plurality in the unity
of the Godhead. It is certain, the scriptures speak of the
Son, and Holy Spirit, as concerned in creation, as well
as the Father. f Nor can I on any other supposition affix
a consistent meaning to such language as that which after-
wards occurs : " Let us make man in our image, after our
likeness — Behold, the man is become like one of us.''

The account given by Moses relates not to the whole
creation, but merely to what immediately concerns us to
know. God made angels ; but nothing is said of them.
The moon is called one of the greater lights, not as to
what it is in itself, but what it is to us. The scriptures are
written not to gratify curiosity, but to nourish faith. They
do not stop to tell you howy nor to answer a number of
questions which might be asked ; but tell you so much as
is necessary, and no more.

Ver. 1, 2. The first act of creations seem to have been
general, and the foundation of all that followed. What
the heavens were when first produced, previous to the
creation of the sun, moon, and stars, did not greatly con-
cern us to know, and therefore we are not told. What
the earth was, we are informed in ver. 2. It was a chaos,
-' without form, and void ;" a confused mass of earth and

* Rom. i. 20. fJohn i. 1. Gen. i. 2.

Gen. I.] First Days Creation, 3

water, covered with darkness, and void of all those fruits
which afterwards covered the face of it. As regeneration
is called d^creation^ this may fitly represent the state of the
soul while under the dominion of sin. — " The Spirit of God
moved upon the face of the waters." The word signifies
as much as brooded ; and so is expressive of " an active,
effectual energy, agitating the vast abyss, and infusing
into it a powerful vital principle." Hence those lines of
Milton :

'' And chiefly thou, oh Spirit

That with mighty wings outspread.

Dove like, satt'st hrooding on the vast abyss,
And mad'st it pregnant,"

Thus also God hath wrought upon the moral world,
which, under sin, was without form and void ; and thus he
operates upon every individual mind, causing it to bring
forth fruit unto himself.

Ver. 3. From a general account of the creation , the sacred
writer proceeds to particulars; and the first thing mentioned
is the production of light. The manner in which this is
related has been considered as an example of the sublime.
It expresses a great event in a few simple words, and exhibits
the almighty God perfectly in character : He speaks, and
it is done ; lie commands and it stands fast. The work
of the Holy Spirit upon the dark soul of man is fitly set
forth in allusion to this great act of creation : God, who
commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shifted
into our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge, of the
glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ."^ As soon
might chaos have emerged from its native darkness, as our
benighted world, or benighted souls, have found the light
of life of their own accord. Nor was it sufficient to have
furnished us with a revelation from heaven : the same
almighty power that was necessary to give the one a being
in the world, was necessary to give the other a being in the
heart.

* 2 Cor. iv. 6.

4 First Day's Creation. [Dis. 1.

The light here mentioned was not that of the sun, which
was created afterwards. From hence a late infidel writer has
raised an objection against the scriptures, that they speak
of light, and even of night and day, which are well known
to arise from the situation of the earth towards the sun»
before the sun was made. But he might as well have
objected, that they speak of the earth in ver. 1,2; and
yet afterwards tell us of the dry land, as separated from
the waters, constituting the earth, (ver. 9, 10.) The
truth seems to be, that what the chaos was to the earth,
that the light was to the sun : the former denotes the
general principles of which the latter was afterwards com-
posed. A flood of light was produced on the first day of
creation ; and on the fourth it was collected and formed
into distinct bodies. And though these bodies when made,
were to rule day and night ; yet prior to this, day and
night \^•ere ruled by the Creator's so disposing of the light
and darkness as to divide them. (ver. 4.) That which
was afterwards done ordinarily by the sun, was now done
extraordinarily by the division of darkness and light.

Ver. 4. " God saw the light that it was good." Light
is a wonderful creature, full of goodness to us. This is
sensibly felt by those who have been deprived of it, either
by the loss of sight, or by confinement in dungeons or mines.
How pathetically does our blind poet lament the loss of it :

" Seasons return ; but not to me returns
Day, or the sweet approach of ev'n or morn.
Or sight of vernal bloom, or summer's rose.
Or flocks, or herds, or human face divine :
But cloud instead, and ever-during dark
Surrounds me ! From the cheerful ways of men
Cut off"; and for the book of knowledge fair,
Presented with a universal blank
Of nature's works, to me expunged and rased,
And wisdom at one entrance quite shut out ! "

If such be the value of material light, how much more
of that which is mental and spiritual ; and how much are

Gen. I.] Pive last Days Creation. 5

we indebted to the Holy Spirit of God for inditing the
scriptures, and opening our benighted minds to understand
them !

DISCOURSE 11.

On the Five last Day's Creation,
Genesis i. 6 — 31.

Ver. 6 — 8. We here enter upon the second day,
which was employed in making a firmament or expanse.
It includes the atmosphere, and all that is visible, from the
position of the sun, moon, and stars, down to the surface
of the globe. Ver. 14, 15—20.

The use of it was to "divide the waters from the wa-
ters :" that is, the waters on the earth from the waters in
the clouds, which are well known to be supported by the
buoyant atmosphere. The " division" here spoken of is
that of distribution. God having made the substance of
all things, goes on to distribute them. By means of this
the earth is watered by the rain of heaven, without which
it would be unfruitful, and all its inhabitants perish. God
makes nothing in vain. There is a grandeur in the firma-
ment to the eye ; but this is not all : usefulness is combined
with beauty. Nor is it useful only with respect to animal
subsistence : it is a mirror, conspicuous to all, displaying
the glory of its Creator, and shewing his handy works.*
The clouds also, by emptying themselves upon the earth,
set us an example of generosity ; and reprove those who,
full of this world's good, yet keep it principally to
themselves, t

Ver. 9 — 13. God having divided the heavens and the
earth, he now on the third day proceeds to subdivide the
earth, or chaos, into land and water. The globe became
terraqueous ; partly earth, and partly sea.

* Psal. xix. L t Eccles. xi. 1—3.
B 3

6 Five last Days Creation. [Dis. 2.

It is easy to perceive the goodness of God in this dis-
tribution. Important as earth and water both are, yet
while mixed together they afford no abode for creatures :
but separated, they are each a beautiful habitation, and
each subserves the other. By means of this distribution
the waters are ever in motion, which preserves them and
almost every thing else from stagnancy and putrefaction.
That which the circulation of the blood is to the animal
frame, that the waters are to the world : were they to stop,
all would stagnate and die.* — See how careful our hea-
venly Father was to build us a habitation before he gave
us a being. Nor is this the only instance of the kind :
our Redeemer has acted on the same principle, in going
before to prepare a place for us.

Having fitted the earth for fruitfulness, God proceeds to
clothe it with grass, and herbs, and trees of every kind.
There seems to be an emphasis laid on every herb and tree
" having its seed in itself." We here see the prudent
foresight, if I may so speak, of the great Creator, in providing
for futurity. It is a character that runs through all his
works, that having communicated the first principles of
things, they should go on to multiply and increase ; not
independent of him, but as blessed by his conservative
goodness. It is thus that true religion is begun and car-
ried on in the mind, and in the world.

Ver. 14 — 19. After dividing this lower world, and
furnishing it with the principles of vegetation, the Creator
proceeded on the fourth day, to the producing of the
heavenly bodies. First, they are described in general as
he ''lights of heaven ;" (ver. 14, 15.) and then more
particularly, as the sun, moon, and stars, ver 16 — 19.

The use of these bodies is said to be not only for divid-
ing the day from the night, but " for signs and seasons,
and days and years.'* They ordinarily afford signs of
weather to the husbandman ;f and prior to the discovery

* Ecclesiastes i. 7. t Matthew xvi. 3.

Gen. I.] Five last Days Creation, 7

of the use of the loadstone, were of great importance to
the mariner.* They appear also on some extraordinary
occasions to have been premonitory to the world.
Previous to the destruction of Jerusalem, our Lord fore-
told that there should be " great earthquakes in divers
places, and famines, and pestilences, and fearful sights^ and
great signs from heaven.f And it is said by Josepbus,
that a comet like a flaming sword was seen for a long time
over that devoted city, a little before its destruction by the
Romans. Heathen astrologers made gods of these crea-
tures, and filled the minds of men with chimerical fears
concerning them. Against these God warns his people ;
saying, " Be ye not dismayed at the signs of heaven."|
This however does not prove but that he may sometimes
make use of them. Modern astronomers, by accounting
for various phenomena, would deny their being signs of
any thing : but to avoid the superstitions of heathenism,
there is no necessity for our running into atheism.

The heavenly bodies are also said to be for seasons, as
winter and summer, day and night. We have no other
standard for the measuring of time. The grateful vicissi-
tudes also which attend them are expressive of the goodness
of God. If it were always day or night, summer or
winter, our enjoyments would be unspeakably diminished.
Well is it said at every pause, " And God saw that it
was good /"

David improved this subject to a religious purpose. § He
considered " day unto day as uttering speech, and night
unto night as shewing knowledge." Every night we retire
we are reminded of death, and every morning we arise of
the resurrection. In beholding the sun also, "which as a
bridegroom cometh out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a
strong man to run his race," we see every day a glorious
example of the steady and progressive " path of the just,
which shineth more and more unto the perfect day."

* Acts xxvii. 20. f Luke xxi. 11. \ Jer. x. 2. § Ps. xix.

S FivelastDays Creation, [Dis. 2.

Ver. 20 — 25. We are next led to review the animal
creation ; a species of being less resplendant, but not less
useful than some of greater note. In one view, the small-
est animal has a property belonging to it which renders it
superior to the sun. It has life, and some degree of
knowledge. It is worthy of notice too, that the creation
begins with things without life, and proceeds to things
possessing vegetative life, then to those which have annual
life, and after that to man, who is the subject of rational life.
This shews that life is of great account in the Creator's
estimation, who thus causes the subject to rise upon us as
we proceed.

Ver. 26 — 31. We are now come to the sixth and last
day's work of creation, and which is of greater account to
us than any which have gone before, as the subject of it
is man. We may observe,

1. That the creation of man is introduced differently
from that of all other beings. It is described as though it
were the result of a special counsel, and as though there
were a peculiar importance attached to it ; " God said, let
us make man." Man was to be the lord of this lower
world, under the great Supreme. On him would depend
its future well-being. Man was to be a distinguished link in
the chain of being ; uniting the animal with the spiritual
world, the frailty of the dust of the ground with the breath of
the Almighty ; and possessing that consciousness of right
and wrong which sho.uld render hmi a proper subject of
moral government.

2. Man was honoured in being made after his Creator's
image. This is repeated with emphasis : "God created
man in his own image ; in the image of God created he
him." The image of God is partly natural, and partly
moral; and man was made after both. The former con-
sisted in reason, by which he was fitted for dominion *
over the creatures : the latter in righteousness and true
holiness, by which he was fitted for communion with his

* James iii, 9.

Gen. ir."] Five last day s Creation. D

Creator. The figure of his body, bj^ which he was distin-
guished from all other creatures, was an emblem of his
mind : " God made man upright." I remember once, on
seeing certain animals which approached near to the
human form, feeling, a kind of jealousy shall I call it, for
the honour of my species. What a condescension then,
thought I, must it be for the eternal God to stamp his
image upon man !

" God made man upright." He knew and loved his
Creator, living in fellowship with him, and the holy angels.
Oh, how fallen! How is the gold become dim, and the
most fine gold changed !

DISCOURSE III.

Creation Reviewed.
Genesis ii.

This chapter contains a review of the creation, with the
addition of some particulars ; such as the institution of the
sabbath, the place provided for man, the law given him,
and the manner of the creation of woman.

Ver. 1 . There is something impressive in this review :
" Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the
host of them " — wisely, mightily, kindly, gradually, but
perfectly. Man's work, especially when great, is com-
monly a work of ages. One lays the foundation, and
another the top-stone ; or what is worse, one pulls clown
what another had reared : but God finishes his woi-k.
" He is a rock, and his work is perfect."

Ver. 2, S. The conclusion of so divine a work required
to be celebrated, as well as the Creator adored, in all
future ages : hence arose the institution of the sabbath.
We are not to imagine that God was weary, or that he was '
unable to have made the whole in one day ; but this was
done for our example.

10 Creation Mevietded. [Dis. 2.

The keeping of a sabbath sacred for divine worship, has
been a topic of much dispute. Some have questioned
whether it was kept by the patriarchs, or before the
departure of Israel from Egypt; supposing that Moses,
who wrote the book of Genesis about that time, might be
led to introduce God's resting from his works on the
seventh day as a motive to enforce what was then enjoined
upon them. But if there were social worship before the
flood, and during the patriarchal ages, one should think
there must be a time for it. We expressly read of time
being divided into weeks during these ages : * and as early,
as the flood, when Noah sent out the dove once and again
from the ark, the term of " seven days " is noticed as the
space between the times of sending her.-(- Add to this, the
division of time into weeks is said to have been very com-
mon in heathen nations in all ages ; so that, though they
ceased to worship God, yet they retained what was a
witness against them, the time of its celebration.

The sabbath was not only appointed for God, but to be
a day of rest for man, particularly for the poor. It was
enjoined on Israel for this reason, " That thy man servant
and thy maid servant may rest as well as thou : and
remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt.";]:
Those who would set it aside are no less the enemies of the
poor, than of God and religion ; they consult only their
worldly interest. If such sordid characters could so order
it, their servants would be always in the yoke. Nor would
their being so in the least tend to increase their wages ;
every day's Avork would be worth a little less than it is
now, and the week's work amount to much the same. To
those who fear God it is also a rest to the mind; a time of
refreshing, after the toils of worldly care and labour.§
The reason for keeping the sabbath was drawn not only

* Gen. xxix. 27, 28. f Gen. viii. 10, 12. \ Dent. v. 14, 15.

§ Exod. xxxi. 17.

Gen. II.] Creation Reviewed. 11

from God's having rested, but from the rest which Israel
felt from the yoke of Egypt.* And we have since that
time another reason ; namely, " Christ having rested from
his works, as God did from his."-|- Hence, according to
the practice of the primitive christians, the day was
altered ;% and by how much more interesting the work of
redemption is than that of creation, by so much is this
reason greater than the other.

Finally : It is a Jewish tradition, and seems to have
generally prevailed, that as there is a harmony of times in
the works of God, this seventh day of rest is prefigurative
of the seven thousandth year of the world being a rest to
the church. We know that years were divided into sevens?
and seven times sevens. Every seventh year the land was
to have its sabbath, and every fiftieth year its jubilee : and
thus it may be with the world. If so, we are not at a
great distance from it ; and this will be the period when a
great number of prophecies of the universal spread of the
gospel shall be fulfilled.

Ver. 4 — 7. After reviewing the whole in general, and
noticing the day of rest, the sacred writer takes a special
review of the vegetable creation, with an intent to mark
the difference of its first production, and ordinary pro-
pagation. Plants are now ordinarily produced by rain
upon the earth, and human tillage, but the first plants were
made before there was any rain, or any human hand to till
the ground. After this, a mist or vapour arose, which
engendered rain, and watered the earth, (ver. 6.) So
also after this, God formed man to till the ground, (ver.
7.) It is God's immediate work to communicate the first
principles of things ; but their growth is promoted by the
instrumentality of man. And now, having made mention
of man, he tells us of what he was made. His body was
formed " of the dust of the ground." Humbling thought ;
and which was afterwards alleged in Ms doom.§ His soul

*Deut, V. 14, 15. t Heb. iv. 4—10. \ Aets xx. 7.

§ Gcii. iii. 19.

12 Creation Reviewed. [Dis. 3.

proceeded from the inspiration of the Almighty. What a
wonderful compound is man ! There seems to be some-
thing in the additional phrase : " And man became a living
soul." God is said to breathe the breath of life into all
animals ; and we sometimes read of the soul of every living
thing : but they are never said to be living souls, as men
are. God hath stamped rationality and immortality upon
men's souls, so as to render them capable of a separate
state of being, even when their bodies are dead. Hence the
soul of a beast, when it dies, is said to go downward ; but
the soul of a man upward.*

Ver. 8. Next we have an account of the place provided
for man ; not only the world at large, but a pleasant part
of it. It was situated in the country of Eden, in Asia;
probably among the mountains of the East. It was near
the origin of several rivers, which always proceed from
mountainous parts of the country. It is spoken of as rich
and fruitful in a high degree, so as even to become pro-
verbial.f

Ver. 9. Things were also adapted to accommodate man,
trees and fruits for pleasure and use, are ready to his hand.
Amongst the trees of Eden there were two in particular
which appear to have been symbolical, or designed by the
Creator to give instruction, in the manner which is done
by our positive institutions. One was " the tree of life,"
to which he had free access. This was designed as a
symbol to him of that life which stood connected with his
obedience : and therefore when he sinned, he was debarred
from eating it, by the flaming sword and cherubim, whicli
stood every way to guard it. The other was " the tree of
knowledge of good and evil," and which was the only tree
of the fruit of which he was forbidden to eat. As the
name of the first of these trees is given it from the effect
which should follow obedience, so that of the last seems to
have been from the effect which should follow on dis-

* Kcclcs. xii. 7. f Gon. xiii. 10. Isa. li. 3.

Gex. II.] Creation Reviewed. 13

obedience. Man on the day he should eat thereof should
know good in a way of loss, and evil in a way of suffer-
ance.

Ver. 10 — 14. Besides this, it was a well-watered
garden. A river rose among the mountains of the country
of Eden, which directed its course through it ; and after-
wards divided into four heads, or branches. Two of them
are elsewhere mentioned in scripture ; viz. the Hiddikel or
Tigris, and the Euphrates, both rivers of Asia. With the
others we are less acquainted.

Ver. 15. Among the provisions for man's happiness was
employment. Even in innocence he was to dress the
garden, and heep it. Man was not made to be idle. All
things are full of labour ; it is a stupid notion, that happi-
ness consists in slothful ease, or in havinsr nothing to do.
Those who are so now, whether the very rich or the very
poor, are commonly among the most worthless and misera-
ble of mankind.

Ver. 16, 17. The trial of man by a special prohibition
was singularly adapted to tbe end. To have conformed
to his Creator's will, he must always have been contented
with implicit obedience, or satisfied in abstaining from a
thing on the mere ground of its being forbidden of God,
without perceiving the reason of his being required to do
so. In truth, it was a test of his continuing in the spirit
of a little child, that should have no will of its own ; and
this is still the spirit of true religion. The consequences
attached to a breach of this positive law, teach us also
not to trifle with the will of God in his ordinances, but
implicitly to obey it.

More particularly: Observe (1.) The fulness of the
grant. Here was enough for man's happiness, without the
forbidden fruit ; and so there is now in the world, without
transgressing the boundaries of heaven. (2.) The posi-
tiveness of the prohibition : " Thou shalt not eat of it."
So long as this was kept in mind, it was well ; and it

14 Creation Revietved, [Dis. 3.

appears to have been deeply impressed, from the first
answer of the woman to the serpent.* It was this im-
pression which he aimed to deface by his devilish question,
*' Yea, hath God said it ?" And when once she began to
doubt of this, all was over. Let us learn to keep God's
words in our minds, and hide them in our hearts, that we
may not sin against him. It was with thus and thus "it
is written," that our Lord repelled all his temptations.
(3.) The penalty annexed : " thou shalt die/' or " dying
thou shalt die." Some think this means corporeal death,
and that only; and that if the threatening had been-
executed, man must have been immediately struck out of
existence. But the death h^re threatened, whatever it
was, is said to have " passed upon all men," which implies
the existence of all men, and which would have been pre-
vented if Adam had at that time been reduced to a state of
non-existence. The original constitution of things pro-
vided for the existence of every individual that has since
been born into the world, and that whether man should
stand or fall. The death here threatened doubtless included
that of the body, and which God might execute at pleasure
— the day he should eat, he would be dead in law. But
it also included the loss of the Divine favour, and an ex-
posedness to his wrath. If it were not so, the redemption
of Christ would not be properly opposed to it, which it
frequently is.-j- Nor is Adam to be considered as merely
a private individual : he was the public head of all his
posterity, so that his transgression involved their being
transgressors from the womb, and alike exposed to death
with himself. Such has been the character of all mankind ;
and such is the account of things given in the Scriptures.
If men now find fault with this part of the Divine govern-
ment, it is what they will not be able to stand to at the
last day. The Judge of all the earth will in that day

• Genesis iii. 3. f Rom. v. 12—21. Heb. ix. 27, 28.

s.

Gen. II.] Creation Reviewed. 15

appear to have done right, whatever may be thought of
him at present. (4.) The promise of life implied by it.
There is every reason to believe that if man, had obeyed
his Creator's will, he would of his own boundless goodness
have crowned him with everlasting bliss. It is his delight
to impart his own infinite blessedness as the reward of
righteousness ; if Adam, therefore, had abode in the truth,
he and all his posterity should have enjoyed what was
symbolically promised him by the tree of life. Nor is
there any reason to suppose, but that it would have been
the same for substance as that which believers now enjoy
through a Mediator : for the Scriptures speak of that
which the law could not do, in that it was weak through
the Jiesh, that is, through the corruption of human nature,
as being accomplished by Christ.*

Ver 18 — 25. The subject closes with a more particular

account of the creation of woman. We had a general one

before :f but now we are led to see the reasons of it. —

Observe, (1.) It was not only for the propagation of the

human race, but a most distinguished provision for human

happiness. The woman was made " for the man :" not

merely for the gratification of his appetites, but of his

rational and social nature. It was not good that man

should be alone ; and therefore a helper that should be

" meet," or suitable, was given him. The place assigned

to the woman in heathen and Mahometan countries has

been highly degrading ; and the place assigned her by

modern infidels is not much better. Christianity is the

only religion that conforms to the original design, that

confines men to one wife, and that teaches them to treat

her with propriety. Go you among the enemies of the

Gospel, and you shall see the woman either reduced to

abject slavery, or basely flattered for the vilest of purposes:

but in Christian families, you may see her treated with

honour and respect ; treated as a friend, as naturally an

* Romans viii. 3, 4. t Genesis i. 27.

16 Fall of Man. [Dis. 4.

equal, a soother of man's cares, a softener of his griefs, and
a partner of his joys. (2.) She was made after the other
creatures were named; and consequently, after Adam,
having seen and observed all the animals, had found none
of them a fit companion for himself, and thus felt the want
of one. The blessings both of nature and grace are
greatly endeared to us by our being suffered to feel the
want of them before we have them. (3.) She was made
out of man, which should lead men to consider their wives
as a part of themselves, and to love them as their own
flesh. The woman was not taken, it is true, from the
head ; neither was she taken from the ieet ; but from
somewhere near the heart ! (4.) That which was now
done would be a standing law of nature. Man would
'' leave father and mother, and cleave to his wife, and they
should be one flesh." Finally : It is added, " They were
both naked and were not ashamed." There w-as no
guilt, and therefore no shame : shame is one of the fruits
of sin.

DISCOURSE IV.

The Fall cf 3Ian.
Genesis hi. 1 — 7.

We have hitherto seen man as God created him, upright
and happy. But here we behold a sad reverse ; the
introduction of moral evil into our world, the source of all
our misery.

There can be no doubt but that the serpent was used as
an instrument of Satan, who from hence is called " that
old serpent, the devil." The subtilty of this creature might
answer his purposes. The account of the serpent speaking
to the woman might lead us to a number of curious
<|uestions, on which after all we might be unable to obtain

Gen. II.] Fall oj Man. 17

satisfaction. Whether we are to understand this, or the
temptations of our Lord in the wilderness, as spoken in an
audible voice, or not, I shall not take upon me to decide.
Whatever may be said of either case, it is certain from the
whole tenor of Scripture, that evil spirits have, by the
Divine permission, access to human minds : not so indeed
as to be able to impel us to sin without our consent ; but
it may be in some such manner as men influence each
other's minds to evil. Such seems to be the proper idea
of a tempter. We are conscious of loliat we cliooie ; but
are scarcely at all acquainted with the things that induce
choice. Weare exposed to innumerable influences; and
have therefore reason to pray, " Lead us not into tempta-
tion, but deliver us from evil !"

With respect to the temptation itself, it begins by
calling in question the truth of God. ' Is it true, that
God has prohibited any tree ? Can it be ? For what
was it created ?' Such are the enquiries of wicked men to
this day. ' For what are the objects of pleasure made,
(say they) but to be enjoyed ? Why did God create
meats and drinks, and dogs and horses ? What are appe-
tites for, but to be indulged ?' We might answer, among
other things, to try them who dwell on the earth.

It seems also to contain an insinuation, that if man
must not eat of " every tree," he might as well have
eaten of none. And thus discontent continues to over-
look the good, and pores upon the one thing wanting.
" All this avails me nothing, so long as Mordecai is at the
gate."

Ver. 2, 3. The answer of Eve seems to be very good at
the outset. She very properly repels the insinuation
against the goodness of God, as though, because he had
withheld one tree, he had withheld, or might as well have
withheld all. ' No, (says she) we may eat of the fruit of
the trees of the garden ; there is only one withheld.' She
also, with equal propriety and decision, repelled the doubt
which the tempter had raised respecting the prohibition of

18 Fall of Man, [Dis. 4.

that one. The terms by which she expresses it, shew how
clearly she understood the mind of God, and what an
impression his command had made upon her mind : " Of
the fruit of this tree, God hath said, ye shall not eat of it;
neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die !" We do not read
that they were forbidden to touch it : but she understood
a prohibition of eating to contain a prohibition of touching.
And this exposition of the woman while upright affords a
good rule to us. If we would shun evil, we must shun the
appearance of it, and all the avenues which lead to it. To
parley with temptation is to play with lire. In all this
Eve sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

Ver. 4, 5. The wily serpent now proceeds to a second
attack. Mark the progress of the temptation. At the
outset he only suggested his doubts : but now deals in
positive assertion. In this manner the most important
errors creep into the mind. He who sets off with ap-
parently modest doubts, will often be seen to end in down-
right infidelity.

The positivity of the tempter might be designed to
oppose that of the woman. She is peremptory : he also
is peremptory, opposing assertion to assertion. This arti-
fice of Satan is often seen in his ministers. Nothing is
more common than for the most false and pernicious
doctrines to be advanced with a boldness that stuns the
minds of the simple, and induces a doubt : ' Surely I must
be in the wrong, and they in the right, or they could not
be so confident.'

Yet the tempter, it is observable, does not positively
deny that God might have said so and so ; for this would
have been calling in question the veracity of Eve, or
denying what she knew to be true, which must have
defeated his end. But he insinuates, that whatever God
might have said, which he would not now dispute, it
would not in the end prove so. Satan will not be so im-
polite as to call in question either the honour or the
understanding of Eve, but scruples not to make God a

Gen. III.] FallofMan. 19

liar : yea, and has the impudence to say that God knew
that instead of proving an evil, it would be a benefit.
Alas, how often has man been flattered by the ministers of
Satan at God's expense ! Surely we need not be at a loss
in judging whence those doctrines proceed which invalidate
the Divine threatenings, and teach sinners, going on still
in their trespasses, " Ye shall not surely die." Nor those
which lead men to consider the Divine prohibitions as
aimed to diminish their happiness, or, which is the same
thing, to think them rigid or hard, that we should be
obliged to comply with them. And those doctrines which
flatter our pride, or provoke a vain curiosity to pry into
things unseen, proceed from the same quarter. By
aspiring to be a god, man became too much like a devil ;
and where human reason takes upon itself to set aside
revelation, the eflfects will continue to be much the same.

Ver. 6. This poison had eflfect — the woman paused —
looked at the fruit — it began to appear desirable — she felt
a wish to be ivise — in short, she took of the fruit — and did
eat ! But was she not alarmed when she had eaten ? It
seems not ; but, feeling no such consequences follow as she
perhaps expected, ventured even to persuade her husband
to do as she had done ; and with her persuasion he com-
j)lied. The connexion between sin and misery is certain ^
but not always immediate : its immediate effect is de-
ception, and stupefaction, which commonly induce the
party to draw others into the same condition.

It does not appear that Adam was deceived; but the
woman only.* He seems to have sinned with his eyes
open ; and perhaps from love to his wife. It was the first
time, but not the last, in which Satan has made use of the
nearest and tenderest parts of ourselves to draw our hearts
from God. Lawful affection may become a snare. If the
nearest relation or friend tempt us to depart from God, we
must not hearken. When the woman had sinned against

* 1 Tim. ii. 14.

20 The Transgressor s Trial. [Dis. 5.

God, it was the duty of her husband to have disowned her
for ever, and to have left it to his Creator to provide for
his social comfort ; but a fond attachment to the creature
overcame him. He " hearkened to her voice," and plunged
headlong into her sin.

Ver. 7. And now, having both sinned, they begin to be
sensible of its effects. Conscious innocence has forsaken
them. Conscious guilt, remorse, and shame possess them.
Their " eyes are now opened " indeed, as the tempter had
said they would be ; but it is to " sights of woe." Their
naked bodies, for the first time, excite shame ; and are
emblems of their souls, which, stripped of their original
righteousness, are also stripped of their honour, security,
and happiness.

To hide their outward nakedness, they betake them-
selves to the " leaves of the garden." This, as a great
writer observes, was " to cover, not to cure." And to what
else is all the labour of sinners directed ? Is it not to con-
ceal the bad, and to appear what they are not, that they are
continually studying and contriving? And being enabled
to impose upon one another, they with little difficulty im-
pose upon themselves, " trusting in themselves that they
are righteous, and despising others." But all is mere
shew ; and when God comes to summon them to his
bar, will prove of no account.

DISCOURSE V.

The Trial of the Transgressors.
Genesis iii.8 — 14.

Ver. 8. Wc have seen the original transgression of our
first parents; and now we see them called to account, and
judged. Tiie Lord God is represented as " walking in the
garden in the cool of the day," that is, in the evening.
This seems to denote the ordinary and intimate com-

Gen. III.] The Transgressor s Trial. 21

munion which man enjoyed with his Maker, while he kept
his first estate. We may be at a loss in forming an idea how
God could walk in the garden, and how he spake ; but he
was not at a loss how to hold communion with them that
loved him. To accommodate it to our weak capacities,
it is represented under the form of the owner of a garden
taking his evening walk in it, to see, as we should say
" how the vine flourished, and the pomegranate budded ;"
to see and converse with those whom he had placed over it.
" The cool of the day," which to God was the season
for visiting his creatures, may, as it respects man, denote
a season of reflection. We may sin in the day time ; but
God will call us to account at night. Many a one has done
that in the heat and bustle of the day, which has afforded
bitter reflection in the cool of the evening ; and such in
many instances has proved the evening of life.

The voice of God was heard, it seems, before any thing
was seen : and as he appears to have acted towards man
in his usual way, and as though he knew of nothing that
had taken place till he had it from his own mouth, we may
consider this as the voice of kindness, such, whatever it
was, as he had used to hear beforetime, and on the first
sound of which he and his companion had been used to
draw near, as sheep at the voice of the shepherd, or as
children at the voice of a father. The voice of one whom
we love conveys life to our hearts : but alas, it is not so
now ! Not only does conscious guilt make them afraid,
but contrariety of heart to a holy God renders them averse
to drawing near to him. The kindest language to one who
is become an enemy will work in a wrong way. "Let
favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn right-
eousness : in th6 land of uprightness will he deal un-
justly, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord."*
Instead of coming at his call as usual, they " hide them-
selves from his presence among the trees of the garden.''

* Lsai. xxvi. 10.

22 The Transgressors Trial. [Dis. 5.

Great is the cowardice which attaches to guilt. It flies
from God, and from all approaches to him in prayer or
praise ; yea, from the very thoughts of him, and of death
and judgment when they must appear before him. — But
wherefore flee to the trees of the garden ? Can they
screen them from the eyes of Him with whom they have
to do ? Alas, they could not hide themselves and their
nakedness from their own eyes ; how then should they
elude discovery before an omniscient God ! But we see
here to what a stupid and besotted state of mind sin had
already reduced them.

Ver. 9. God's general voice of kindness receiving" no
answer, he is more particular; calling Adam by name, and
enquiring, " Where art thou ? " In vain does the sinner
hide himself: the Almighty will find him out! If he
answer not to the voice of God in his word, he shall have
a special summons served upon him before it be long I
Observe what the summons was : Where art thou ? It
seems to be the language of injured friendship. As if he
should say, ' How is it that I do not meet thee as hereto-
fore ? What have I done anto thee ; and wherein have I
wearied thee ? Have I been a barren wilderness, or
a land of drought? How is it that thou hailest not
my approach as on former occasions ?' It was also lan-
guage adapted to lead him to reflection. Where art
thou? Ah, where indeed! God is thus interrogating
sinful men. Sinner, where art thou ? What is thy condi-
tion ? In what way art thou walking, and whither will it
lead thee ?

Ver. 10. To this trying question man is compelled to
answer. See with what ease God can bring the offender
to his bar. He has only to s})eak, and it is done. " He
shall call to the heavens and the earth, that he may judge
his people." But what answer can be made to him ? "I
heard thy voice in the garden.'' Did you? Then you
cannot plead ignorance. No, but something worse : " 1
was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.'' Take

Gen. III.] The Transgressor's Trial. 23

notice, he says nothing about his sin, but merely speaks of
its effects ; such as fear, and conscious nakedness, or guilt.
The language of a contrite spirit would have been, /
have sinned! But this is the language of impenitent
misery. It is of the same nature as that of Cain : " My
punishment is heavier than I can bear !" This spirit is
often apparent in persons under first convictions, or when
brought low by adversity, or drawing near to death ; all
intent on bewailing their misery, but insensible to the evil of
their sin. To what a condition has sin reduced us ! vStripped
naked to our shame, we are afraid to meet the kindest and
best of Beings ! Oh reader ! We must now be clothed with
a better righteousness than our own, or how shall we stand
before him ?

Ver. 11. Adam began, as I have said, with the effects
of his sin; but God directed him to its cause. 'Naked !
q. d. How came such a thought into thy mind? The
nakedness of thy body, with which I created thee, was no
nakedness : neither fear nor shame attached to that.
What meanest thou by being naked ?' Still there is no
confession. The truth will not come out without a direct
enquiry on the subject. Here then it follows — "Hast
thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that
thou shouldest not eat ?" Thus the sinner stands convicted.
Now we might suppose he would have fallen at the feet of
his Maker, and have pleaded guilty: 'Yes, Lord; yes!
This is the cause !' But oh, the hardening nature of sin I

Ver. 12. Here is, it is true, a confession of his sin.
It comes out at last, / did eat ; but with what a circuitous,
extenuating preamble, a preamble which makes bad worse.
The first word is, " the woman," aye the woman ; it was
not my fault, but her's. The woman whom " thou gavest
to be with me" — It was not me; it was thou thyself / If
thou had'st not given me this woman to be with me, I
should have continued obedient. Nay, and as if he suspected
that the Almighty did not notice his plea sufficiently, he
repeats it emphatically : "She gave me, and I did eat !"

24 The Transgressor a Trial. [Dis. 5.

Such a confession was infinitely worse than none. Yet such

is the spirit of fallen man to this day. It was not me

it was my wife, or my husband, or my acquaintance, that
persuaded me ; or it was my situation in life, in which thou
didst place me ! Thus " the foolishness of man perverteth
his way, and his heart fretteth against the Lord."*

It is worthy of notice, that God makes 7io answer to
these perverse excuses. They were unworthy of an
answer. The Lord proceeds, like an aggrieved friend who
would not multipl}'- words ; < I see, (q. d.) how it is: stand
aside !'

Ver. 13. Next the woman is called, and examined,
What is this that thou hast do?ie ? The question implies,
that it was no trifling thing ; and the effects which have
followed, and will follow, confirm it. But let us hear the
woman's answer. Did she plead guilty ? The circum-
stance of her being first in the transgression, and the
tempter of her husband, one should have thought, would
have shut her mouth at least; and being also of the
weaker sex, it might have been expected that she would
not have gone on to provoke the vengeance of her Creator.
But lo, she also shifts the blame — The serpent beguiled
me, afid I did eat, ' I was deceived. I did not mean
evil ; but was drawn into it through the wiles of an evil
being.' Such is the excuse which multitudes make to this
day, when they can find no better ; 'the devil tempted me
to it !' Still God continues his forbearance, makes no
answer ; but orders her, as it were, to stand aside.

Ver. 14. And now the serpent is addressed : but mark
the difierence. Here is no question put to him, but merely
a doom pronounced. Wherefore ? Because no mercy
was designed to be shewn him. He is treated as an avowed
and sworn enemy. There was no doubt wherefore he had
done it, and therefore no reason is asked of his conduct.

The workings of conviction in the minds of men are
called the " strivings of the Spirit," and afiord a hope of
* Prov. xix. 3.

Gen. III.] The Transgressors' Trial. 25

mercy. Though they are no certain sign of grace received,
(as there was nothing good at present in our first parents,)
yet they are the workings of a merciful God, and prove
that he has not given over the sinner to hopeless ruin.
But the serpent has nothing to expect but a fearful looking
for of judgment.

The form under which Satan is cursed is that of the
serpent To a superficial reader it might appear that the
vengeance of heaven was directed against the animal, dis-
tinguishing him from all cattle, subjecting him to a most
abject life, condemning him to creep upon his belly, and
of course to have his food besmeared with dust. But was
God angry with the serpent ? No : but as under that
form Satan had tempted the woman, so that shall be the
form under which he shall receive his doom. The spirit
of the sentence appears to be this— < Cursed art thou above
all creatures, and above every being that God hath made.
Miserable shalt thou be to an endless duration !' Some
have thought, and the passage gives some countenance to
the idea, that the state of fallen angels was not hopeless
till now. If it had, the curse could only have added a
greater degree of misery.

DISCOURSE VI.

The curse of Satan including a blessing to man —
effects of the fall.

Genesis iii. 15 — 24.

Ver. 15. By all that had hitherto been said and done,
God appears to have concealed from man who was his
tempter ; and for this reason among others, to have
pronounced the doom on Satan under the form of a curse
upon the serpent. By this we may learn, that it is of no
account as to the criminality of sin, whence it comes, or

c

26 Effects of the Fall [Dis. 6.

by whom or what we are tempted to it. If we choose it,
it is ours ; and we must be accountable for it.

But mark the wisdom and goodness of God : as under
the form of cursing the serpent, he had pronounced a most
tremendous doom on tiie tempter, so under the form of this
doom is covertly intimated a design of mercy the most
transcendent to the tempted ! If man had been in a
suitable state of mind, the promise might have been direct,
and addressed to him : but he was not ; for his heart,
whatever it might be afterwards, was as yet hardened
against God. It was fit therefore, that whatever designs
of mercy were entertained concerning him, or his posterity,
they should not be given in the form of a promise to him,
but of threatening to Satan. The situation of Adam and
Eve at this time was like that of sinners under the preaching
of the Gospel. The intimation concerning the Woman's
Seed would indeed imply that she and her husband should
live in the world, that she should bring forth children, and
that God would carry on an opposition to the cause of evil ;
but it does not ascertain their salvation : and if there
appear nothing more in their favour in the following part
of the history than what has hitherto appeared, we shall
have no good ground to conclude that either of them are
gone to heaven. The Messiah might come as the Saviour
of sinners, and might descend from them after the flesh ;
and yet they might have no portion in him.

But let us view this famous passage more particularly,
and that in the light in which it is here represented, as a
threatening to the serpent. This threatening does not so much
respect the /3er507i of the grand adversary of God and man, as
\i\s cause and kingdom in this world. He will be punished
in his person at the time appointed ; but this respects the
manifestation of the Son of God to destroy his works. —
There are four things here intimated M'hich are each worthy
of notice. — (1.) The ruin of Satan's cause was to be
accomplished by one in human nature. This must have
been not a little mortifying to his pride. If he must fall.

Gen. III.] Effects of the Fall 27

and could have had his choice as to the mode, he might
rather have wished to have been crushed by the immediate
hand of God ; for however terrible that hand might be, it
would be less humiliating than to be suMued by one of a
nature inferior to his own. The human nature especially
appears to have become odious in his eyes. It is possible
that the rejoicings of eternal wisdom over man was known
in heaven, and first excited his envy ; and that his attempt
to ruin the human race was an act of revenge. If so, there
was a peculiar fitness that from man should proceed his
overthrow. — (2.) It was to be accomplished by the seed of
the woman. This- would be more humiliating still. Satan
had made use of her to accomplish his purposes, and God
would defeat his schemes through the same medium : and
by how much he had despised and abused her, in making
her the instrument of drawing her husband aside, by so
much would he be mortified in being overcome by one of
her descendents. (3.) The victory should be obtained
not only by the Messiah himself, but by all his adherents.
The seed of the woman, though it primarily referred to
him, yet being opposed to " the seed of the serpent,"
includes all that believe in him. And there is little or no
doubt that the account in Rev. xii, 17 has allusion to this
passage, — " And the dragon was wroth with the woman,
and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, who
keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus."
Now if it were mortifying for Satan to be overcome by
the Messiah himself^, considered as the seed of the
woman, how much more when in addition to this every
individual believer shall be made to come near, and as it
w^ere set his feet upon the neck of his enemy ? Finally ;
though it should be a long w^ar, and the cause of the
serpent would often be successful, yet in the end it should
be utterly ruined. The " head" is the seat of life, which
the " heel" is not : by this language therefore is intimated,
that the life of Christ's cause should not be affected by any
part of Satan's opposition ; but that the life of Satan's
c2

28 Effects of the Fall [Dis. 6.

cause should by that of Christ. For this purpose is he
manifested in human nature, that he may destroy the works
of the devil : and he will never desist till he have utterly
crushed his power.

Now as the threatenings against Babylon conveyed good
news to the church, so this threatening against the old
serpent is full of mercy to men. But for this enmity
which God would put into the woman's seed against him,
he M'ould have had every thing his own way, and every child
of man would have had his portion with him and his
angels.

From the whole, we see that Christ is the foundation
and substance of all true religion since the fall of man ;
and therefore, that the only way of salvation is by faith in
him. We see also the importance of a decided attachment
to him, and his interest. There are two great armies in
the world, Michael, and his angels, warring against the
dragon, and his angels ; and according to the side we take,
such will be our end.

Ver. 16 — 19. The sentence of the woman and of the
man which follows, like the rest, is under a veil. Nothing
but temporal evils are mentioned : but these are not the
whole. Paul teaches us, that by the offence of one,
judgment came upon all men to condemnation ; and such
a condemnation as stands opposed to justification of life*
The woman's load in this life was sorroiv in bearing chil-
dren, and subjection to her husband. The command to be
fruitful and multiply might originally, for ought I know,
include some degree of pain ; but now it should be greatly
multiplied: and there was doubtless a natural subordina-
tion in innocency ; but through sin woman becomes com-
paratively a slave. This is especially the case where
sin reigns uncontrolled, as in heathen and Mahometan
countries. Christianity however, so far as it operates,
counteracts it ; restoring woman to her original state, that

* Rom. v. 18. See tbe note on ch. iv. 11, 12.

Gen. III.] Effects of the Fall. 29 '

of a friend and companion. (See on ch. ii. 18 — 25.) The
sentence on man points out to him wherein consisted his
sin ; viz. in hearkening to the voice of his wife, rather than
God. What a solemn lesson does this teach us against
loving the creature more than the Creator, and hearkening
to any counsel to the rejection of his. And with respect
to his punishment, it is worthy of notice, that as that of
Eve was common to her daughters, so that of Adam ex-
tends to the whole human race. The ground is cursed
for his sake, cursed with barrenness. God would, as it
were, take no delight in blessing it ; as well he might not,
for all would be perverted to, and become the food of
rebellion. The more he should bless the earth, the more
wicked would be its inhabitants. He also himself is
doomed to wretchedness upon it ; he should drag on the
few years that he might live in sorrow and misery, of
which the thorns and thistles, which it should spontaneously
produce, were but emblems. God had given him before
to eat of the fruit of t/ie trees of the garden ; but now he
must be expelled from thence, and take his portion with
the brutes, and live upon the herb of the field. He was
allowed bread ; but it should be by the sweat of his face :
and this is the lot of the great body of mankind. The
end of this miserable state of existence was, that he should
return to his native dast.^ Here the sentence leaves him.
A veil is at present drawn over a future world : but we
elsewhere learn, that at what time "the flesh returns to
dust, the spirit returns to God who gave it ;" and that the
same sentence which appointed man "once to die,'' added,
"but after this the judgment."*

It is painful to trace the different parts of this melan-
choly sentence, and their fulfilment in the world to this
day, yet there is a bright side even to this dark cloud.
Through the promised Messiah a great many things per-
taining to the curse are not only counteracted, but become
blessings. Under his glorious reign, "the earth shall

*Heb. ix.27.

30 Effects of the Fall. [Dis. 6.

yield its increase, and God, our own God, delight in
blessing us." And while its fruitfulness is withheld, it has
a merciful tendency to stop the progress of sin : for if the
whole earth were like the plains of Sodom in fruitfulness,
which are compared to the garden of God, its inhabitants
would be as Sodom and Gomorrha in wickedness. The ne-
cessity of hard labour too in obtaining a subsistence, which is
the lot of the far greater part of mankind, tends more than a
little, by separating men from each other, arid depressing
their spirits, to restrain them from the excesses of evil. All
the afflictions of the present life contain in them a motive
to look upwards for a better portion : and death itself is a
monitor to warn them to prepare to meet their God.
These are things suited to a sinful world : and where
they are sanctified, as they are to believers in Christ, they
become real blessings. To them they are light afflictions,
and last but for a moment ; and while they do last, " work
for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight of
glory." To them, in short, death itself is introductory to
everlasting life.

Ver. 20. Adam's wife seems hitherto to have been
known only by the name of woman ; but now he calls her
Eve^ i. e. /i/e, living or the mother of all living. He might
possibly have understood from the beginning that the
sentence of death would not prevent the existence of the
human race ; or if not, what had been said of the woman's
seed would at least satisfy him on this subject. But it is
generally supposed, and there seems to be ground for the
supposition, that in calling his wife life, or living, he
intended more than that she would be the mother of all
mankind ; that it is expressive of his faith in the promise
of her victorious Seed destroying what Satan had accom-
plished in introducing death, and that thus she should be
the means of immortal life to all who should live in him.
If sucii were his meaning, we may consider this as the
first evidence in favour of his being renewed in the spirit
of his mind.

Gen. III.] Effects of the Fall. 31

Ver. 21. By the coats of skins, wherewith the Lord God
clothed them, it seems to be implied that animals were
slain ; and as they were not at that time slain for food, it
is highly probable they were slain for sacrifice ; especially
as this practice is mentioned in the life of Abel. Sacri-
fices therefore appear to have been ordained of God to
teach man his desert, and the way in which he must be
saved. It is remarkable, that the clothing of Adam and
Eve is ascribed to the Lord God, and that it appears to
have succeeded the slender covering wherewith they had
attempted to cover themselves. Is it not natural to con-
clude, that God only can hide our moral nakedness, and
that the way in which he doth it is by covering us with
the righteousness of our atoning sacrifice ?

Ver. 22. This ironical reflexion is expressive of both
indignation and pity. ' Man is become wonderfully wise !
Unhappy creature ! He has for ever forfeited my favour,
which is life ; and having lost the thing signified, let him
have no access to the sign. He has broken my covenant :
let neither him nor his posterity from henceforward expect
to regain it by any obedience of theirs.'*

Ver. 23, 24. God is determined that man shall not so
much as dwell in the garden where the tree of life grows ;
but be turned out, as into the wide world. He shall no
longer live upon the delicious fruits of Eden, but be
driven to seek his food among the beasts of the field :
and to shew the impossibility of his ever regaining that
life which he had lost, cherubim and a jiaming sword are
placed to guard it. Let this suffice to impress us with
that important truth : " by the deeds of the law shall no
flesh living be justified," and to direct us to a tree of life
which has no flaming sword to prevent our access ! Yet
even in this, as in the other threatenings, we maj'^ perceive
a mixture of mercy. Man had rendered his days evil, and
God determines they shall be hwt few. It is well for us that
a life of sin and sorrow is not immortal.

*See on Ch. ii, 9.

32

DISCOURSE VII.

The Offerings of Cain and Abel.
Genesis iv. 1 — 8.

Having seen the origin of sin in our world, we have
now the origin and progress of things as they at present
are amongst mankind, or of the world as it now is.

Ver. 1. Adam has a son by his wife, who is callad
Cain : viz, a possession or acquisition : for said Eve, /
have gotten a man from the Lord ! Many learned men
have rendered it, a man, the Lord ; and it is not verj'-
improbable that she should understand the seed of the
woman^ oi her immediate offspring: but if so, she was
sadly mistaken I However it expresses what we have not
seen before, i. e. ^ves faith in the promise. Even though
she should have had no reference to the Messiah, yet it
shews that she eyed God's hand in what was given her ;
and viewed it as a great blessing, especially considering
what a part she had acted. In this she sets an example to
parents, to reckon their children an heritage from the
Lord. But she also affords an example of the uncertainty
of human hopes. Cain, so far from being a comfort to
his parents, proved a wicked man ; yea, a pattern of
wickedness, held up like Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, as a
warning to others — Not as Cain, who tvas of that wicked
one, and slew his brother /* The joys attending the birth of a
child require to be mixed with trembling; for who knoweth
whether he shall be a wise man, or a fool '^

Ver. 2. Eve bears Adam another son, who is called
AbeU or Hebel. In these names we probably see the
partiality of parents to their first-born children. Abel
signifies vanity, or a vanishing vapour. Probably he was

« 1 John iii. 12.

Gen. IV.] Cain and Abel. 33

not so goodly a child in appearance as Cain, and did not
seem likely to live long. The heart and hopes of the
parents did not seem to centre in him, but in his brother.
But God seeth not as man seeth. In bestowing his bles-
sing he has often crossed hands as Jacob did in blessing
Ephraim and Manasseh. He chooseth the base things
of the world, that no flesh should glory in his presence. —
These two brothers were of different occupations ; one a
husbandman, and the other a shepherd : both primitive
employments, and both very proper.

Ver. 3 — 5. In process of time the two brothers each
present his offering to God : this speaks something in
favour of their parents who had brought them up in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord. Ainsworth renders
it, "at the end of the days," and understands it at the end
of the year, which 'was then in Autumn, the time of the
gathering in of the harvest and the vintage. The insti-
tution of a solemn feast among the Israelites on this
occasion, (Exod. xxiii. 16.) seems therefore to have
borne a near resemblance to that was practised from the
beginning.

In the offerings of these two first-born sons of man, we
see the essential difference between spiritual worship and
that which is merely formal. As to the matter of which their
offerings v/ere composed, it may bethought there was nothing
particularly defective; each brought what he had. There
is indeed no mention made of Cain's being of the best of the
kind, which is noticed of Abel's. And if he neglected
this, it was a sign that his heart was not much in it. He
might also no doubt have obtained a lamb out of his brother's
flock for an expiatory sacriflce. But the chief difference,
is that which is noticed by the apostle : " JB^ faith Abel
offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.'' (Heb. xi. 4.)
Cain's offering was just what a self-righteous heart would
off'er: it proceeded on the principle that there was no
breacli between him and his Creator, so as to require any
confession of sin, or respect to an atonement. Such offer-

c3

34 Cain and Abel, [ D i s . 7 .

ings abound amongst us ; but they are without faith, and
therefore it is impossible they should please God. The
offering of Abel I need not describe : suffice it to say,
It was the reverse of that presented by Cain. It was the
best of the kind ; and included an expiatory sacrifice.

The result was, the Lord had respect to Abel and to his
offering : but unto Cain and his offering he had not
respect. The one was probably consumed by fire from
heaven : the other not so. This we know was afterwards
a common token of the divine acceptance. (Lev. ix. 24.
Psal. XX. 3, margin.) The order of things is worthy ef
notice. God first accepted Abel, and then his offering.
If he had been justified on the ground of his good deeds,
the order should have been reversed : but believing in the
Messiah, he was accepted for his sake ; and being so, his
works were well-pleasing in the sight of God. And as
Abel was accepted as a believer; so Cain was rejected as
an unbeliever. Being such, the Lord had no respect to
him : he was under the curse, and all he did was abhorred
in his eyes.

The rejection of Cain and his offering operated upon
him very powerfull3^ "If the love of God had been in
him, he would have fallen before him, as Joshua and his
brethren did when Israel was driven back; and have
pleaded, " Shew me wherefore thou contendest with
me ?" But he was wroth, and his countenance fell. This
is just what might be expected from a self-righte-
ous, proud spirit, who thought so highly of his offer-
ing as to imagine that God must needs be pleased
with it, and with him on account of it. He was " very
wroth" — so Ainsworth ; and that no doubt against' God
himself, as well as against his brother. He went in high
spirits, like the pharisee to the temple ; but came away
dejected, and full of all foul passions, of which his "fallen
countenance" was but the index.

Ver. 6, 7. Cain liaving returned home, the Lord,
perhaps in a dream or vision of the night, expostulated

Gen. IV.] Cain and Abel. 35

%vi

th him. Why art thou wroth ? What cause is there for
this enmity against thy Maker, and envy against tliy bro-
ther? Doubtless he thought that he had a cause ; but \vhen
interrogated of God, he found none. If thou doest ivell,
shalt thou not he accepted ? A7id unto thee shall be his desire,
and thou shalt rule over him. By doing well he means
doing as Abel did, offering in faith, ^vhich is the only
well-doing among sinful creatures. If Cain had believed
in the Messiah, there was forgiveness for him no less than
for his brother ; and he should also have had the excel-
lency attached to the first-born, which he reckoned he had
a right to, and the loss of which galled him. Jf thou .
doest not ivell, sin lieth at the Joor;* unforgiven, to go \
down with thee to the grave, and to rise with thee, and \
appear against thee in judgment. y

Observe how things are ordered in the dealings of God
with men. Abel was not accepted of God for his well- \
doing ; neither faith nor obedience was that on account of )
which he was justified ; but the righteousness of him in
whom he believed. Yet it was in well-doing that he
obtained eternal life. (Rom. ii. 7.) Though faith was not
the cause of the Lord's having respect to him, nor his
having offered in faith, of his having respect to his works ;
yet each was a necessary concomitant. And this, while
it secures the interests of righteousness in the righteous,
serves to silence the wicked, and make them feel the
justice of their condemnation. Thus at the last judgment,
though every one who is saved will be saved by grace
only, yet all will be judged according to their works.
Things will be so ordered, that the righteous will have
nothing to boast of, and the wicked nothing to complain
of, inasmuch as the decision in both cases will proceed
according to character.

* This clause, which is in the middle of ver, 7, I suppose should
be in a parenthesis. I have therefore placed the first and last in
connexion, and introduced this after them, by which the sense is
clear.

36 Cain and Abel [Dis. 7,

But though Cain was silenced by the Almighty,, yet his
malice was not subdued, but rather inflamed. If the life
of God had been within his reach, he would have killed
him : but this he could not do. From that time therefore
his dark soul meditated revenge upon Abel, as being God's
favourite, his own rival, and the only object within his
power. This is the first instance of the enmity of the Seed
of the Serpent breaking out against the Seed of the Woman :
but not the last ! Observe the subtlety and treachery with
which it was accomplished : Cain talked xviih Abel his
brother. He talked with him, probably upon business,
and in a very familiar manner, as though he had quite for-
gotten the affair which had lately hurt his mind ; and when
they were engaged in conversation, persuaded him to take
a walk with him into his field : and having got him away
from the family, he murdered him ! Oh, Adam, thou didst
murder an unborn world ; and now thou shalt see some af
the fruits of it in thine own family ! Thou hast never
before witnessed a human death : go, see the first victim
of the king of terrors in the mangled corpse of Abel thy
son ! — Poor Abel ! Shall we pity him ? In one view
we must, but in others he is an object of envy, He was
the first of the noble army of martyrs, the first of human
kind who entered the abodes of the blessed, and the first
instance of death being rendered subservient to Christ.
When the serpent had drawn man into sin, and exposed
him to its threatened penalty, he seemed to have obtained
the power of death : and had man been left under the ruins of
the fall, he would have been continually walking through
the earth arm in arm, as it were, with the monster, the one
taking the bodies and the other the souls of men. But the
Woman's Seed is destined to overcome him. " By death
he destroyed him who had the power of death, and de-
livered them who must otherwise, through fear of death,
have been all their lifetime subject to bondage." Heb>
ii. 14, 15.

37

DISCOURSE vm.

Cain's Punishment and Posterity.
Genesis iv. 9 — 24.

Ver. 9. We have seen the tragical end of righteous
Abel ; but what becomes of the murderer ? Probably he
had hid the dead body of his brother, to elude detection :
but God will find him out. Jehovah said unto Cain,
Where is Abel, thy brother ? What a cutting question \
The words, thy brother, would remind him of the tender
ties of flesh and blood which he had broken ; and if he
had any feeling of conscience left in him, must pierce him
to the quick. But oh, how black, how hardened is the
state of his mind ! Mark his answer. First, the falsehood
of it — / know not. We feel astonisl.»ed that a man can
dare to lie in the presence of his Maker : yet how many
lies are uttered before him by formalists and hypocrites!
Secondly, the insolence of it — Am I my brother s keeper?
This man had no fear of God before his eyes : and where
this is wanting, regard to man will be wanting also.*
Even natural affection will be swallowed up in selfishness.
Supposing he had not known where his brother was, it did
not follow that he had no interest in his preservation, but
he did know, and instead of being his keeper, had been
his murderer !

Ver. 10. And he said^ What hast thou done ? Ah, what
indeed ! This was the question put to Eve : this question
will be put to every sinner sooner or later, and conscience
must answer to it too ! But Cain refuses to speak, be it so,
there needs no confession to substantiate his guilt. His bro-
ther s blood had already done this! Blood has a voice that
will speak ; yea that will cry to heaven from the ground for
vengeance on him who sheds it ; and a brother's blood espe-
* Luke xviii.

38 Cains Punishment. [Dis, 8.

cially. — What a scene will open to view at the last judgment,
when the earth shall disclose her blood, and shall no more
cover her slain ! And if such was the cry of Abel's blood,
what must have been that of the blood which was shed on
Calvary ? We should have thought that blood must have
called for vengeance seven-fold : and in one view it did
so : but in another it speaks better things than that of Abel,
Ver. 11, 12. But let us notice the doom of Cain. He
was cursed from the earth ; it should in future refuse to
yield him its wonted fruits, and he should be a fugitive
and a vagabond in it. Three things are here observable ;
First, by the sovereign will of the Lord of All, his life was
spared. Afterwards a positive law was made by the same
authority, that whosoever should shed mans blood, bymari
should his blood be shed. But at present, for reasons of
state in the breast of the King of kings,* the murderer
shall be reprieved. — Secondly ; The curse which attached
to his life, like that of our first parents, is confined to the
present state. There is no reason in the world to suppose
that the punishment of such a crime would actually be so,
any more than others, nor others any more than this ; but
a future life was at that time sparingly revealed, and almost
every thing concealed under the veil of temporal good and
evil. — Thirdly ; It contains a special addition to that which
was denounced on Adam. The earth was cursed to him ;
but Cain was cursed from the earth. It had been his
brother's friend, by affording a kind of sanctuary for his
blood which he had pursued ; but to him it should be an
enemy, not only refusing its wonted fruits, but even a place
whereon to rest his foot, or in wliich to hide his guilty
head !

*- If ho had died hy the hand of man, it must have been either by
an act of private revenge, which would have encreased bloodshed ;
or Adam himself must have been the executioner of his son, from
which trial of " quenching the coal that was left," God might graci-
ously exempt him.

Gen. IV.] Cams Punishment. t^9

Ver. 13, 14. This tremendous sentence draws forth
an answer from the murderer. There is a great change
since he spoke last, but not for the better. All the differ-
ence is, instead of his high tone of insolence, we perceive
him sinking into the last stage of depravity, sullen despe-
ration. Behold here a finished picture of impenitent
misery. What a contrast to the fifty-first psahii ! There
the evil dwelt upon and pathetically lamented is sin ; but
here it is only punishment. See how he expatiates upon

it Driven from the face of the earth deprived of

God's favour and blessing, and in a sort, of the means of

hope* a wanderer and an outcast from men to all

which his fears add, < Wherever I am by night or by day,
my life will be in perpetual danger !' Truly it was a terri-
ble doom, a kind of hell upon earth. " It is a fearful thing
to fall into the hands of the living God !"

Ver. 15. From the last part of what his fears foreboded,
however, God was pleased to exempt him ; yet not in
mercy, but in judgment. He shall not die, but live, a
monument of divine justice. If he had died, his example
might soon have been forgotten : but mankind shall see
and fear. Slay them not, lest my people forget: scatter
them by thy poicer, and bring them down, oh Lord ! (Psal.
lix. 11.) God is not obliged to send a sinner to the place of
the damned, in order to punish him : he can call his name
Magormissabib, and render him a terror to himself and to
all about him ! (Jer. xx. 3, 4. ) What the 77iarh was
which was set upon Cain, we know not, nor does it be-
hove us to enquire : whatever it was, it amounted to a safe
passage through the world, so far as respected a punish-
ment from man for his present crime.

Ver. 16. And now having obtained a reprieve, he re-
tires in the true spirit of a reprobate, and tries to forget his
misery. It shocked him at first to be driven out from God's
face, by which perhaps he meant, from all connexion with
the people and worship of God, from the means of grace,

* See verse 16.

40 Cain's Punishment. [Dis. 8.

and so from the hope of mercy : but in a little time the
sensation subsides, and he resolves to enjoy the present
world as well as he can. He goes out from the presence of
the Lord, takes a final leave of God and his worship, and
his people, and cares no more about them. If this be the
meaning of the words, (and 1 know of no other so probable)
it wears a very favourable appearance with respect to the
state of things in Adam's family. It shews that the worship
of God was there carried on, and that God was with them.
Indeed, if it were not carried on there, it appears to have
had no existence in the world, which there is no reason to
believe was ever the case when once it had begun. With
respect to Cain, the country whither he went is called
Nodi or I^aid, which signifies a vagabond. It was not so
called before, but on his account ; as who should say, the
land of the vagabond.

Ver. 17. He was married before this, though we are
not told to whom. Doubtless it was to one of Adam's
daughters, mentioned in chap. v. A, M'hich near affinity,
though since forbidden, was then absolutely necessary. Of
her, in the land of the vagabond, he had a son whom he
called Enoch ; not him who walked with God, but one of
the same name. It signifies taught, or dedicated ; it is
rather difficult to account for his calling the child by the
this name, after what had taken place. Possibly it might
be one of those effects of education which are often seen in
tiie ungodly children of religious parents. When he him-
self was born, he was as we have seen, accounted an acqui-
sition, and was doubtless dedicated, and as he grew up
taught by his parents. Of this it is likely he had made
great account, priding himself in it, as many graceless
characters do in being the children of the righteous ; and
now having a child of his own, might wish to stamp upon him
this mark of honour, though it was merely nominal. After
this, Cain built, or was building, a city ; a very small one
no doubt, as need required. He began what his family, as
they encreased, perfected, and called after the name of his

Gen. IV.] Coins Punishment, 41

son. Thus he amused himself as well as he could. The
divine forbearance probably hardened him in his security,
as it commonly does the ungodly. Because sentence against
an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the hearts of
the sons of men are fully set in them to do evil. Eccles.
viii. 11.

Ver. 18 — 24. Next follow the generations of Cain,
which present a few general observations, — (1.) Nothing
good is said of any one of them ; but heathen like they ap-
pear to have lost all fear of God, and regard to man. — (2.)
Two or three of them become famous for arts ; one was a
shepherd, another a musician, and another a smith ; all
very well in themselves, but things in which the worst of
men may excel. Some have supposed that we are indebted
to Revelation for all this kind of knowledge. Had it
been said, we are indebted to our Creator for it, it
had been true ; for to his instruction the discretion of
the husbandman is ascribed. (Isai. xxviii. 26.) But
revelation was given for greater and better objects;
namely, to furnish not the man, but the man of God. (3.)
One of them was infamous for his wickedness, namely
Lamech. He was the first who violated the law of marriage ;
a man giving lose to his appetites, and who lived a kind of
lawless life. Among other evils he followed the example
of his ancestor, Cain. It is not said who he slew; but he
himself says it was a young man. This is the first instance,
but not the last, in which sensuality and murder are con-
nected. Nor did he barely follow Cain's example; but
seems to have taken encouragement from the divine for-
bearance towards him, and to have presumed that God
would be still more forbearing toAvards him. Thus one
sinner takes liberty to sin from the suspension of judgment
towards another.

Here ends the account of cursed Cain. We hear no
more of his posterity, unless it be as tempters to the sons
of God, till they were all swept away by the deluge I

42

DISCOURSE IX.

The Generations of Adam.
Genesis iv. 25, 26. and chap. v.

We have of late met with little else than the operations
of sin and misery; here I hope we shall find something that
will afford us pleasure. Adam had lived to see grievous
things in his family. At length, about 130 years after tlie
creation. Eve bare him another son. Him his mother
called Seth ; i. e. set or appointed ; for God, said she,
hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom
Cain slew. The manner in which the mother of mankind
speaks on this occasion is much in favour of her personal
religion. The language implies, that though at first she
had doted upon Cain, yet as they grew up, and discovered
their dispositions, Abel was preferred. He was the child
in whom all the hopes of the family seem to have concen-
trated; and therefore when he fell a sacrifice to his brother's
cruelty, it was considered as a very heavy loss. She was
not without a son before Seth was born, for Cain was yet
alive : but he was considered as none, or as worse than
none ; and therefore when Seth was born, she hopes to
find in him a successor to Abel : and so it proved ; for this
appears to have been the family in which the true religion
was preserved in those times. At the birth of Enos, which
was ] 03 years after that of his father Seth, it is remarked
with emphasis by the sacred historian, then began men
TO CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LoRD. This cheer-
ing information doubtless refers to the families in connexion
with which it is spoken, and denotes, not that there had
been no calling upon the Lord till that time, but that from
thence the true religion assumed a more visible form ; the
Seed of the Woman, afterwards called the sons of God, as-

Gen. IV.] Generations of Adam, 43

sembling together to worship him, while the seed of the
serpent might very probably be employed in deriding
them.

From the genealogy in chapter v. I shall barely offer
the following remarks : —

1. It is a very honourable one. Not only did patriarchs
and prophets, and the church of God for many ages,
descend from it, but the Son of God himself according to
the flesh"; and to shew the fulfilment of the promises and
prophecies concerning him, is the principal reason of the
genealogy having been recorded.

2. Neither Cain nor Abel have any place in it. Abel
was slain before he had any children, and could not ; and
Cain by his sin had covered his name with infamy, and
should not. Adam's posterity therefore, after a lapse of

. 130 years, must begin anew.

3. The honour done to Seth and his posterity was of
grace ; for he is said to have been born in Adam's likeness,
and after his image; a phrase which, I believe, is always
used to express the qualities of the mind, rather than the
shape of the body. Man was made after the image of God;
but this being lost, they are born corrupt, the children of
a corrupt father. What is true of all mankind is here noted
of Seth, because he was reckoned as Adam's first-born.
He therefore, like all others, was by nature a child of
wrath ; and what he, or any of his posterity were different
from this, they were by grace.

4. The extraordinary length of human life at that period
was wisely ordered ; not only for the peopling of the world,
but for the supplying of the defect of a written revelation.
From the death of Adam to the call of Abram, a period of
about eleven hundred years, there were living either Enoch?
Lamech, Noah, or Sheni ; besides other godly persons who
were their contemporaries, and who would feelingly relate
to those about them the great events of the creation, the
fall, and recovery of man.

5. Notwithstanding the longevity of the antediluvians>

44 Generations of Adam. [Dis. 9.

it is recorded of them all in their turn that they died.
Though the stroke of death was slow in its approach, yet it
was sure. If a man could live to a thousand years, yet he
must die ; and if he die in sin he will be accursed.

6. Though many of the names in this genealogy are
passed over without any thing being said of their piety,
yet we are not from hence to infer that they were impious.
Many might be included among them who called upon the
name of the Lord, and who are denominated the sons of
God, though nothing is personally related of them.

7. Two of them are distinguished for eminent godliness ;
or, as it is here called, walking with God ; namely, Enoch
and Noah. Both these holy men are enrolled in the list of
worthies in the eleventh chapter of the epistle to the
Hebrews.

Let us look a little intensely at the life of the first of
these worthies, the shortest of all the lives, but surely the
sweetest: " Enoch walked with God after he begat Methu-
selah, three hundred years — He walked with God, and was
not ; for God took him." This is one of those brief im-
pressive descriptions of true religion with which the Scrip-
tures abound. Its holy and progressive nature is here most
admirably marked. Enoch walked with God— He must
then have been in a state of reconciliation with God ; for
two cannot walk together except they be agreed. He was
what Paul infers from another consideration, a believer.
Where this is not the case, whatever may be his outward
conduct, the sinner walks contrary to God, and God to
him. What an idea does it convey also of his setting God
always before him, seeking to glorify him in every duty,
and studying to shew himself approved of him, whatever
might be thought of his conduct by sinful men. Finally :
What an idea does it convey of the communion which he
habitually enjoyed with God ! His conversation was in
heaven, while dwelling on the earth. God dwelt in him,
and he in God.

Enoch walked with Gody after he begat Methuselah,

Gen. v.] Generations of Adam, 45

three hundred years, and perhaps some time before that
event. Religion with him then, was not a transient feeling,
but an habitual and abiding principle. In reviewing such
a character, what christian can forbear exclaiming in the
words of our christian poet :*

" Oh for a closer walk with God, a calm and heavenly frame ;
A light to shine upon the road, that leads me to the Lamb !"

Just so much as we have of this, so much we possess of
true religion, and no more.

Enoch walked with God, and he ivas not, for God took
him ; i. e. as Pauls explains it. He was translated, that h£
should not see death. This singular favour conferred on
Enoch, like the resurrection of Christ, might be designed
to afford a sensible proof of a blessed immortality, which
for the want of a written revelation, might then be
peculiarly necessary. He had warned the wicked of his
day, that the Lord would come with ten thousand of his
holy ones, to execute judgment ; (Jude 14.) and now, how-
ever offensive his doctrine might have been to them, God
will bear testimony that he hath pleased him, not only to
the mind of Enoch, but to the world, by exempting him
from the common lot of men. It is possible" also, that the
translation of this holy man might be conferred in order to
shew what should have been common to all, had man per-
sisted in his obedience ; a translation from the earthly to
the heavenly paradise.

With respect to Noah, we shall have an account of his
righteous life in the following chapters : at present we are
only told of the circumstances of his birth, (ver. 28 — 32.)
His father Lamech speaks on this occasion like a good
man,' and a prophet. He called his son Noah, which
signifies rest; for this same saith he, shall comfort us
concerning our work, and the toil of our hands, because of
the ground which the Lord hath cursed. Noah by building

* Covvper.

46 Generations of Adam. [Dis. 9.

the ark, saved a remnant from the flood : and by offering
an acceptable sacrifice, obtained the promise that the ground
should no more be cursed for man's sake. (Chap. viii. 21).
As Lamech could have known this only by revelation, we
may infer from thence the sweet rest which divine truth
affords to the believing mind from the toils and troubles of
the present life ; and if the birth of this child afforded
comfort in that he would save the world, and remove the
curse ; how much more His who would be a greater
Saviour, and remove a greater curse, by being Himself
an ark of salvation, and by offering himself a sacrifice to
God^for a siceet-smelling savour !

DISCOURSE X.

The cause of the Deluge.
Genesis vi. 1 — 7.

Ver. 1 — 3. When we read of men beginning to call
upon the name of the Lord, we entertained a hope of good
times, and of comfort as Lamech said, after toil and sorrow :
but alas, what a sad reverse ! A general corruption over-
spreads the earth, and brings on a tremendous deluge that
sweeps them all, one family only excepted, into oblivion.

In the first place, we may remark the occasion of this
general corruption, which was the increase of population.
When men began to mvltiply they became more and more
depraved : yet an increase of population is considered as
a blessing to a country, and such it is in itself ; but through
man's depravity it often proves a curse. When men are
collected in great numbers they whet one another up to
evil, which is the reason why sin commonly grows rankest
in populous places. We were made to be helpers ; but by
sin we are become tempters of one another, drawing and
being drawn into innumerable evils.

Gen. VI.] Cause of the Deluge. 47

Secondly : Observe the^r*-^ step towards degeneracy^
which was, the uniting of the world and the church hy mixed
marriages : — The sons of God, and the daughters of men ;
the descendants of Seth, and those of Cain : the seed of
the woman and the seed of the serpent. The ^reat end of
marriage in a good man should not be to gratify his fancy,
or indulge his natural inclinations, but to obtain a helper ;
and the same in a woman. We need to be helped on in our
way to heaven, instead of being hindered and corrupted.
Hence it was that marriages with idolaters were forbidden
in the law ;* and hence christian marriages were limited to
those in the Lord.j. The examples which we have seen of
the contrary have, by their effects, justified these injunctions.
I would earnestly entreat serious young people, of both sexes,
as they regard God's honour, their own spiritual welfare, and ,
the welfare of the church of God, to avoid being unequally
yoked together with unbelievers.

Thirdly : Observe the great offence that God took at
this conduct, and the consequences which grew out of it :
The Lord said, my Spirit shall not alivays strive ivith
man^ S^c. Had the sons of God kept themselves to them-
selves, and preserved their purity, God would have spared
the world for their sakes ; but they mingled together, and
became in effect one people. The old folks were in their
account too bigotted, and it seemed much better for them
to give in to a more liberal way of thinking and acting.
But this in the sight of God was worse than almost any
thing that had gone before it. He was more offended
with the religious than with the irreligious part of them.
Seeing they had become one people, he calls them all by
one name, and that is man, without any distinction : and in
giving the reason why his Spirit should not always strive
with man, special reference is had to their having become
degenerate — It was for that^e also, or these also tvere flesh ;
that is, those who had been considered as the sons of God

* Deut. vii. 3, 4. t 1 Cor. vii. 39.

48 Cause of the Deluge, [Dis. 10.

were become corrupt. God's Holy Spirit in his prophets*
had long strove or contended with the world ; and while
the sons of God made a stand against their wickedness,
God was with them, and the contest was kept up ; but they
having, like false allies, made a kind of separate peace, or
rather gone over to the enemy, God will give up the war ;
let sin have a free course, and let them take the con-
sequences ! Bread-corn is bruised] because he will not ever
be threshing it. Isai. xxviii. 28.

Fourthly: Observe the long-suffering of God amidst
his displeasure — His days shall be a hundred and twenty
years. This refers to the period of time which should
elapse before the drowning of the world, ivheii, as au
apostle expresses it, the long suffering of God luaitedin
the days of Noah, while the ark was preparing. (1 Pet.
iii. 20.) P^W this time God did strive, or contend with
them ; but it seems without effect,

Ver. 4. Amongst various other evils which at that
time prevailed, a spirit of ambition was predominant; a
thirst of conquest and dominion ; and of course a flood of
injuries, outrages, and oppressions. The case seems to
have been this : Previous to the unhappy junction between
the families of Cain and Seth, there were among the
former, giants, or men of great stature, who, tempted by
their superior strength, set up for champions and heroes,
and bore down all before them.f Nor was the mischief
confined to them : for also after that, when the two
families had become one, as the children that were born
unto them grew up, they emulated, as might be expected,
not the virtues of their fathers, but the vices of th«ir
mothers ; and particularly those of the gigantic and fierce
heroes among their relations. Hence there sprang up
a number of characters famous, or rather infamous, for

« See Neh. ix. 30. 1 Pet. iii. 19, 20.

f They are detiomiiiated obs:, from bs: to fall ; which in this
connexion has heen thought to mean, that they were a kind offellers,
causing men to fall before them like trees by the axe.

Gen. VI.] Cause of the Deluge. 49

their plunders and depredations. Such in after times was
Nimrod, that mighty hunter before the Lord.

Ver. 5. The church being thus corrupted, and in a
manner lost in the world, there is nothing left to resist
the torrent of depravity. Man appears now in his true
character. The picture which is here drawn of him,
though very affecting, is no more than just. If it had
been drawn by the pen of a prejudiced erring mortal, it
might be supposed to exceed the truth ; but that which is
written was taken from the perfect and impartial survey of
God. Hear ye who pretend that man is naturally virtuous I
That the wickedness of man has in all ages, though at
some periods more than others, been great upon the
earth, can scarcely be called in question : but that every
iinagination of the thoughts of his heart should be only evil,
and that continually, is more than men in general will
allow. Yet such is the account here given. — Mark the
affecting gradation. Evil: evil without mixture ; "only
evil" — evil without cessation; "continually" — evil from
the very fountain head of action; " the imagination of the
thoughts of the heart" — nor is it a description of certain
vicious characters only, but of " man," as left to himself —
and all this " God saw," who sees things as they are.
This doctrine is fundamental to the gospel : the whole
system of redemption rests upon it ; and I suspect that every
false scheme of religion which has been at any time advanced
in the world, might be proved to have originated in the
denial of it.

Ver. 6. The effect of this divine survey is described in
language, taken it is true from the feelings of men^ but
imusually impressive. It repented the Lord that he had
made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart !
We are not to attribute to an immutable mind the fickle-
ness of man, nor to suppose that the Omniscient Jeho-
vah was really disappointed : but thus much we learn, that
the wickedness of man is such as to mar all the works of
God over which he is placed, and to render them worse than

50 Cause of the Deluge, [Dis. 10.

if there were none ; so that if He had not counteracted it by
the death of Christ, there had better have been no world.
In short, that any one but himself, on seeing his work thus
marred and perverted would have really repented and wished
from his heart that he had never made them ! The words
express with an energy and impressiveness which it is
probable nothing purely literal could have conveyed, the
exceeding sinfulness, and provoking nature of sin.

Ver. 7. From this cause proceeded the divine resolution,
to destroy man from the face of the earth ; and to shew the
greatness of his sin, it is represented as extinguishing the
paternal kindness of God as his Creator. "The Lord
said, I will destroy man, ivhom I have created, from the
face of the earth." He that made them would
not have mercy on them, and he that formed them would
shew them no favour!"* And further, to shew his dis-
pleasure against man, the creatures which were subject to
him should be destroyed with him. Thus when Achan
had transgressed to render his punishment more impres-
sive upon Israel, " his sons and daughters, and oxen, and
asses, and sheep, and tent, and all that he had, were
brought forth, and with himself stoned with stones, and
burnt with fire."f However lightly man may make of
sin during the time of God's forbearance, it will prove
to be an evil and bitter thing in the end.

DISCOURSE XL

ISoah finds favour with God, and is directed to build the
ark.

Genesis vi. 8—22.

By the foregoing account it would seem as if the whole
earth had become corrupt. In the worst of times how-

* Isai. xxvii. 11. f Josh. vii. 24, 25.

Gen. VI.] Character of Noah, 51

ever, God has had a remnant that have walked with him ;
and over them he has in the most sore calamities directed
a watchful eye. When God said, " I will destroj^ man
whom I have created from the face of the earth," it
seemed as if he would make an end of the human race.
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. — Observe,
(1.) It is painful to find but one family, nay, it would seem
but one person, out of all the professed sons of God, who
stood firmly in this evil day. Some were dead, and others,
by mingling with the wicked, had apostatised. — (2.)
It is pleasant to find one upright man in a generation of
the ungodly : a lily among thorns, whose lovely conduct
would shine the brighter when contrasted with that of the
world about him. It is a great matter to be faithful among
the faithless. With all our helps from the society of good
men, we find it enough to keep on our way : but for an
individual to set his face against the whole current of pub-
lic opinion and custom, requires and implies great grace.
Yet that is the only true religion which walks as in the sight
of God, irrespective of what is thought or done by others.
Such was the resolution of Joshua when the whole nation
seemed to be turning aside from God : As for me and my
house, we will serve the Lord, — (3.) It is encouraging to find
that one upright man was singled out from the rest when the
world was to be destroyed. If he hadbeen destroyed with the
world, God could, have taken him to himself, and all would
have been well with him ; but then there had been no public
expression of what he loved, as well as of what he hated.

Ver. 9. As Noah was to be the father of the new
world, we have here a particular account of him. His
generations mean an account of him and his family; of what
he was, and of the things which befel him.* — The first
thing said of him, as being the greatest, is, " He was a
just, or righteous man, and perfect in his generations,
walking with God." Character is of greater importance
than pedigree. But notice particularly,

* See chap, xxxvii. 2.
D 2

52 Character of Noah. [Dis. 11.

1. He was just. He was the first man who was so
called, though not the first who was so. In a legal sense
a just man is one that doeth good, and sinneth not ; but
since the fall, no such man has existed upon earth, save
the man Christ Jesus. If any of us be denominated just,
it must be in some other sense ; and what this is the
Scriptures inform us when they represent the just as living
hy faith. Such was the life of Noah, and therefore he is
reckoned among the believing worthies.* And the faith
by which he was justified before God, operated in a way
of righteousness, which rendered him just before mcQ.
He is called a -preacher of righteousness, and he lived
according to his doctrine.f

2. He was perfect in his generations. The term in

this connexion is not to be taken absolutely, but as

expressive not only of sincerity of heart, but of a decided-

ness for God, like that of Caleb, who followed the Lord

fully. It does not merely distinguish good men from bad

men, but good men from one another. It is said of
Solomon, that his heart was not perfect with the Lord his
God, as was the heart of David his father."}; Alas, how-
much of this half-hearted religion there is amongst us !
Instead of serving the Lord with a perfect heart, and a
willing mind, we halt as it were between two, the love of
God, and the love of the world.

3. He ivalked with God. This is the same as was
said of Enoch. § It not only implies his being reconciled
to God, and denotes his acknowledging him in all his
ways, and enjoying communion with him in the discharge
of duties ; but is also expressive of the continuity and pjo-
gressive tendency of true religion. \Miatever he did,
or wherever he went, God was before his eyes ; nor did he
ever think of leaving off till he should have finished his
course.

Ver. 10. From Noah's character the sacred writer

* Heb. xi. 7. f 2 Pet. ii. 5. \ 1 Kings xi. 4.
§ See on chap. v. 23, 24.

Gen. v[.] Character of Noah. 5S

proceeds to his descendants. He had three sons, Shem,
Ham, and Japheth, These afterwards became the patri-
archs of the world, and between whose posterity the three
great divisions of Asia, Africa, and Europe have been
principally divided. Thus much at present for the
favoured family.

Ver. 11. Here we have the charge against the old
world repeated, as the ground of what should follow.
If succeeding generations enquire. Wherefore hath the
Lord done thus unto the work of his hands ? What mean-
eth the heat of this great anger ? Be it known that it was
not for a small matter : The earth was corrupt before God,
and the earth luas filled with violence. Here are two
words used to express the wickedness of the world, cm'-
ruption and violence^ both which are repeated, and dwelt
upon in verses 12, 13. — The former refers, I conceive, to
their having debased and depraved the true religion. This
was the natural consequence of the junction between the
sons of God and the daughters of men. Whenever the
church is become one with the world, the corruption of
true religion has invariably followed : for if wicked men
have a religion, it must needs be such as to accord with
their inclinations. Hence arose all the heresies of the
earty ages of Christianity ; hence the grand Romish
apostasy; and in short every corruption of the true
religion in past or present times. — The latter of these
terms is expressive of their conduct towards one another.
The fear of God, and the regard of man are closely con-
nected ; and where the one is given up, the other will
soon follow. Indeed it appears to be the decree of the
eternal God, that when men have cast off his fear, they
shall not continue long in amity one with another. And
he has only to let the laws of nature take their course in
order to effect it ; for when men depart from God, the
principle of union is lost, and self-love governs every thing:
and being lovers of their ownselves, they will be
covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to pa-

54 Character of Noah. [Dis. 11.

rents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce
breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of
those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of
pleasure more than lovers of God. Such a flood of wick-
edness is at any time sufficient to deluge a world with
misery. If these things did not then break forth in
national wars as they do with us, it was merely because
the world was not as yet divided into nations : the springs
of domestic and social life were poisoned, the tender ties
of blood and affinity violated, and quarrels, intrigues,
oppressions, robberies, and murders pervaded the abodes
of man.

From the influence of corruption in producing violence,
and bringing on the deluge, we may see the importance
of pure religion, and those who adhere to it, to the well-
being of society. They are the preserving principle, the
salt of the earth ; and when they are banished, or in any
way become extinct, the consequences will be soon felt.
While the sons of God were kept together, and continued
faithful, God would not destroy the world for their sakes ;
but when reduced to a single family, he would, as in the
case of Lot, take that away, and destroy the rest. The
late convulsions in a neighbouring nation may, I apprehend,
be easily traced to this cause : all their violence originated
in the corruption of the true religion. About one hun-
dred and thirty years ago the law which protected the
reformation in that country was repealed ; and almost all
the religious people were either murdered or banished.
The consequence was, as might have been expected, the
great body of the nation, princes, priests, and people, sunk
into infidelity. The Protestant religion, while it continued,
was the salt of the state ; but when banished, and super-
stition had nothing left to counteract it, things soon
hastened to their crisis. Popery, aided by a despotic civil
government, brought forth infidelity, and the child as soon
as it grew up to maturity murdered its parents. If the
principal part of religious people in this or any other

Gen. VI.] Character of Noah. 55

country were driven away, the rest would soon become
infidels, and practical atheists ; and what every order and
degree of men would have to expect from the prevalence
of these principles, there is no want of examples to inform
them.

Ver. 12, 13. The corruption and violence which over-
spread the earth attracted the notice of heaven. God
knows at all times what is doing in our world ; but his
looking upon the earth denotes a special observance of it,
as though he had instituted an enquiry into its affairs.
Thus he is represented as " going down to Sodom, to see
whether they had done altogether according to the
cry of it, which was come up unto him." (chap, xviii.
21.) Such seasons of enquiry are the " days of inquisi-
tion for blood," and are so many days of judgment in
miniature.

The enquiry being instituted, sentence is passed, and
Noah is informed of it. God said unto Noah, The end

of all flesh is come before me behold, I will destroy

them, with the earth. In cases where individuals only, or
even a majority, are wicked, and there is yet a great
number of righteous characters, God often inflicts only a
partial punishment : but where a whole people are be-
come corrupt, he has more than once made a full end of
them. Witness the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha,
and the seven nations of Canaan; and thus it will be
with the world when the righteous shall be gathered out
of it.

Ver, 14 — 16. As it was the design of God to make an
exception in favour of his faithful servant Noah, he is
directed to the use of an extraordinary mean, namely, the
building of the ark ; a kind of ship which, though not in
the shape of ours, as not being intended for a voyage,
should float on the surface of the waters, and preserve
him and his family alive in the midst of death. It is
possible that this was the first floating fabric that was ever
built. Its dimensions were amazing. Reckoning the

56 Character of Noak. [Dis. II.

cubit at only a foot and a half, which is supposed to be
somewhat less than the truth, it was a hundred and fifty
yards long; twenty five yards wide, and fifteen yards
deep ; containing three stories, or as we should call
them, decks, each five yards in depth. It had a window
also, it should seem, from end to end, a foot and a-half
deep, for light, and perhaps for air.*

Ver. 17. When Joseph was called to interpret the
dream of Pharaoh, he observed concerning its being
doubled, that it was " because the thing was established by
God, and God would shortly bring it to pass." (chap,
xli. 32.) And thus we may consider the repetition which
is here given of the sentence : Behold /, eve7i I, do bring
a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh where-
in is the breath of life from under heaven.

Ver. 18 — 2-2. But though it was the purpose of God to
make an end of the world that then was, yet he did not
mean that the generations of men should here be terminated.
A new world shall succeed, of which his servant Noah shall
be the father. Thus when Israel had offended at Horeb,
the Lord said unto Moses, "Let me alone that I may
destroy them, and I will make of thee a great nation.''
Hence pairs of every living creature were to go with him
into the ark, to provide for futurity.

The terms in which this gracious design is intimated are
worthy of special notice. With thee will I establish my
covenant. Observe three things in particular. — (1.) The
leading ideas suggested by a covenant are those of peace
and goodwill between the parties, and if differences have
subsisted, forgiveness of the past, and security for the
future. Such were the friendly alliances between Abram
and Abimelech, Isaac and another of the same name, and
between Jacob and Laban.-j- God was highly displeased
with the world, and would therefore destroy that genera-

* Noah's ark is said to have been equal to forty of our largest
men of war !

f Gen. xxi. 27—82. xxvi. 28. xxxi. 44.

Gen, VI.] Covenant with NoaK 57

tion by a flood, but when he should have done this, he
would return in loving-kindness and tender mercies, and
would look upon the earth with a propitious eye. Nor
should they be kept in fearful expectation of being so
destroyed again ; for he would pledge his word, no more
to be wroth with them in such a way, nor to rebuke them
for ever. — (2.) In covenants wherein one or both the
parties had been offended, it was usual to offer sacrifices^
in which a kind of atonement was made for past offences,
and a perfect reconciliation followed. Such were the
covenants before referred to; and such, as we shall see at
the close of the eighth chapter, was the covenant in ques-
tion. " Noah offered sacrifices, and the Lord smelled a
sweet sax'our, and promised to curse the ground no more
for man's sake." — (3.) In covenants which include a
blessing on many, and they umvorthij, it is God's ordinary
method to bestow it in reward, or for the sake of one ivho
was dear to him. God loves men, but he also loves righ-
teousness : hence he delights to bestow his blessings in
such a way as manifest his true character. If there had
been any dependence on Noah's posterity, that they would
all have walked in his steps, the covenant might have been
established with them as well as him ; but they would soon
degenerate into idolatry, and all manner of wickedness. If
therefore he will bestow favour on them in such a way as
to express his love of righteousness, it must be for their
father Noah's sake, and in reward of his righteousness.
To say. With thee will I establish my covenant, was say-
ing in effect, * I will not treat with thy ungodly posterity :
whatever favour I shew them, it shall be for thy sake.'

It was on this principle that God made a covenant with
Abram, * in which he promised great blessings to his
posterity. " As for me, (saith he) behold, my covenant is
with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations."
Hence, in a great number of instances wherein mercy was

* Gen. xvii, 4.
d3

58 Covenant with Noah. [D i s. 1 1 .

shewn to the rebellious Israelites, they were reminded that
it was not for their sakes, but on account of the covenant
made with their father Abraham^ and renewed with Isaac
and Jacoh.^ It was upon this principle also that God
made a covenant with David, promising that his seed should
sit upon his throne for ever. And this is expressed in
much the same language as that of Noah and Abraham :
" My covenant shall stand fast with him — Once have I
sworn by my holiness, that I will not lie unto David. His
seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before
him."f The Lord often reminded them that the favour's
which they enjoyed were not for their sakes, but for his
own Name sake, and for the covenant which he had made
with David his servant. J Solomon pleaded this at the
dedication of the temple : Hezekiah also derived advantage
from it ; and when the seed of David corrupted their way,
the Lord reminded them that the favours which they en-
joyed ^vere not for their own sakes, but for his Name sake,
and for the covenant which he had made with David his
servant. §

After these remarks, I scarcely need say, that by these
proceedings, God, even at this early period, was preparing
the way for the redemption of his Son by rendering the
great principle on which it should proceed, familiar to man-
kind. A very small acquaintance with the Scriptures will
enable us to perceive the charming analogy between the
language used in the covenants with Noah, Abram, David,
&c., and that which respects the Messiah. " I will give
THEE for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth,
to cause to inherit the desolate heritages — It is a light
thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the
tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel : I will

* Lev. xxvi.4-2. Dent. ix. 5. Psal. cv. 42, cvi. 45. Mic. vii.19, 20.
t Psal. Ixxxix. 28, 35, 3G. \ 1 Kings xi. 12.
§Psal. cxxxii. 10. 2 Cluon. vi. 42. Isai. xxxvii. 35.
1 Kings xi. 12, 13, 32, 34.

Gen. VI.] Covenant with Noah, 59

also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou may est
be my salvation to the ends of the earth — Ask of me, and
I will give THEE the heathen for thine inheritance, and the
uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession — He shall
see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied."* In
these, as in the former instances, God's covenant stands
fast with one, and many are blessed for his sake : their
salvation is his reward.

DISCOURSE XII.

The Flood,

Genesis vii.

We have seen the preparation of the ark, the warnings
of God by it, and his long-suffering for a hundred and
twenty years. Now we see it finished : now the end of all
flesh is come before him. — Observe, (1.) God gave special
notice to Noah, saying, Come thou and all thy house into
the ark ; for thee have I seen righteous. He who in well-
doing commits himself into the hands of a faithful Creator,
needs not fear being overtaken by surprise. "What have
we to fear, when he whom we serve hath the keys of hell
and of death ? This is not the only instance in which,
when impending ills have been ready to burst upon the
world, God hath in effect said to his servants, " Come my
people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors,
about thee; hide thyself as it were for a little moment,
until the indignation be overpast." — (2.) God gave him
all his household with him. We are not informed whether
any of Noah's family at present followed his example : it is
certain that all did not ; yet all entered with him into the
ark for his sake. This indeed was but a specimen of the
mercy which was to be exercised towards his distant pos-

* Isa. xlix. 6, 8. liii. 11. Psal. ii. 8.

60 The Flood. [Dis. 12,

terity on behalf of him, as we have seen in the former
chapter. But it is of importance to observe, that though
temporal blessings may be given to the ungodly children
of a godly parent, yet without walking in his steps they
will not be partakers with him in those which are spiritual
and eternal. — (3.) It is an affecting thought, that there
should be no more than Noah and his family to enter into
the ark. Peter speaks of them as feiv; and few they were,
considering the vast numbers that were left behind. Noah
had long been a preacher of righteousness ; and what, is
there not one sinner brought to repentance by his preach-
ing ? It should seem not one : or if there were any, they
were taken away from the evil to come. Not one that
we know of was found at the time, who had received his
warnings, and was desirous of casting in his lot with him.
AVe are ready to think our ministry has but little success ;
but his, so far as appears, was without any : yet like Enoch,
he pleased God. — (4.) The righteousness of Noah is re-
peated, as the reason of the difference put between him
and the world. This does not imply that the favour shewn
to him is to be ascribed to his own merit ; for whatever he
was, he was by grace ; and all his righteousness was re-
wardable only out of respect to Him in whom he believed:
but being accepted for his sake, his works also were
accepted and honoured. And while the mercy of God
was manifested towards him, the distinction between him
and the world being made according to character,
would render Mxs, justice apparent. Thus at the last day,
though the righteous will have nothing to boast of, yet every
man being judged according to his \vorks, the world will
be constrained to acknowledge the equity of the divine pro-
ceedings.

Ver. 2, 3. Of the animals which were to enter into the
arkwitli Noah, those that were clean, that is, those which
were fit for human food, and for sacrifice to God, were to go
in by sevens ; and those which were unclean, only by two of
a kind. It would seem as if this direction differed from that

Gen. VI.] The Flood. 61

in chapter vi. 19, 20, which mentions only two of every
sort; but the meaning there may be, that whatever num-
ber entered in they should be in pairs, i. e. male and female,
to preserve them alive ; whereas here the direction is more
particular, appointing the number of pairs that should be
admitted, according as they were clean or unclean. This
order is expressive of the goodness of God in providing
food for man, and of his regard for his own worship.

Ver. 4—9. Just one week was allowed for Noah to
embark. What a week was this ! What feelings must
it excite ! His neighbours had seen him busily employed
for the last hundred and twenty years in rearing the massy
fabric ; and doubtless had had many a laugh at the old
man's folly and credulity ; and now behold, he is going to
remove all his family into it ; with birds, and beasts, and
creeping things, and provisions for their accommodation I
' Well, let him go : a week longer, and we shall see what
will become of his dreams !' Meanwhile they eat and
drink, and buy and sell, and marry, and are given in
marriage. — As for Noah, he must have felt much in con-
templating the destruction of his whole species, to whom
he had preached righteousness in vain. But it is not for
him to linger; but to " do according to all that the Lord
commanded him." He had borne his testimony : he
could do no more. He, his sons, his wife, and his son's
wives, therefore, with all the inferior creatures, which
probably were caused to assemble before him by the same
power which brought them to Adam to be named, enter
into the ark. The same thing which is said of him in ver.
7, is repeated in ver. 13. He doubtless would have to
enter, and re-enter many times, in the course of the week :
but the last describes his final entrance, when he should
return no more.

Ver. 10 — IG. From the account taken together, it
appears that though God suffered long with the world
during the ministry of Noah, yet the flood came upon them
at last very suddenly. The words " after seven days," in

62 The Flood. [Dis. 12.

ver. 10, seem to mean on the seventh day ;* for that Avas
the day when Noah made his final entrance into the ark ;
namely, the seventeenth day of the second month, answer-
ing to our October or November, in the sixth hundredth
year of his life ; and on that same day were all the fountains
of tlie great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven
opened. What a scene of consternation and dismay must
that day have exhibited on the part of those who were left
behind ! The manner in which the rains set in would leave
little or no hope of their being soon over. It w^as not a
common rain ; it came in torrents, or as we should say, in
a manner as though heaven and earth were come together.
The waters of the subterraneous cavities from beneath, and
of the clouds from above, all met together at God's com-
mand, to execute his wrath upon guilty men.f — There is
one sentence concerning Noah which is worthy of special
notice; when he and all pertaining to him had entered
into the ark, it is said, And the Lord shut him in. The
door of such a stupendous building may be supposed to be
too large for human hands to fasten, especially so few as
they were, and all within side it. It is possible too there
might be by this time numbers crowding round it for
admittance, for those who trifle with death at a distance are
often the most terrified when it approaches. But lo, all is
over ! That act which shut Noah and his family in, shut

* Such a mode of speaking is usual in the Scriptures. Compare
rer. 6. with ver. 11, and chap, xl. 18, 20.

t The great deep seems to mean that vast confluence of watert;
which are said to have been gathered together on the third day of the
creation into one place, and were called seas. (ch. i. 9, 10.) These
waters not only extended over a great part of the surface of the earth,
hut prohahly flow, as through a number of arteries and veins, to its
most interior recesses, and occupy its centre. This body of waters,
which was ordained, as I may say, unto life, was turned, in just dis-
pleasure against man's sin, into an engine of destruction. Bursting
forth in tremendous floods, multitudes were hereby swept away; while
from above, the clouds poured forth their torrents, as though heaven
itself were a reservoir of waters, and God had opened its windows.'

Gen. VII.] The Flood. 63

them for ever out ! And let it be considered, that some-
thing very nearly resembling this will ere long be acted
over again. As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be
at the coming of the Son of Man, not only shall the world,
as then, be full of dissipation, but the concluding scene is
described nearly in the same words — And they that were
ready went in, and the door was shut !

Ver. 17 — 24. We hear no more of the inhabitants of
the world, except that *' all flesh died that moved upon the
earth, both of fowl and of cattle, and of beast, and of every
creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every
man ; all in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all
that was in the dry land, died," We are informed, however,
of the progress of the flood. For six weeks, within two
days, it continued to rain incessantly ; during which period
it was of sufficient depth to bear up the ark from the earth,
which after this floated upon the surface of the waters like
a ship on the sea. For some time however, there were
mountains and high hills which were out of water. Hither
therefore, we may naturally suppose, the inhabitants of the
earth would repair as to 'their last refuge : but by the end
of the forty days, these also were covered; the waters
rising above seven yards higher than the highest of them.
Thus every creature was swept away, and buried in one
watery grave, Noah and his family only excepted.

The waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and
fifty days ; that is about five months, before they began to
abate. This might seem to us unnecessary, seeing every
living creature would be drowned within the first six weeks;
but it would serve to exercise the faith and patience of
Noah, and to impress his posterity with the greatness of
the divine displeasure against man's sin. As the land of
Israel should have its sabbaths during the captivity, so the
whole earth, for a time, shall be relieved from its load, and
fully purified, as it were, from its uncleanness.

64

The Flood (conthnied.)

DISCOURSE XIII.

Genesis viii.

The close of the last chapter brought us to the crisis of
the flood, or to the period in which it had arrived at its
greatest height : from hence it began to abate. Observe
the form in which it is expressed : God rememhered
Noah, and those that were with him in the ark. A common
historian would only have narrated the event : but the
sacred writers ascribe every thing to God, and often to the
omitting of second causes. The term is figurative ; for
strictly speaking, God never forgot them : but it is one
of those modes of speaking which convey a great fulness
of meaning. It is expressive of tender mercy, of covenant
mercy, and of mercy after a strong expression of displeasure.
These are things which frequently occur in the divine pro-
ceedings. From hence a wind passes over the earth, and
the waters begin to assuage.

Ver. 2 — 4. The causes of the deluge being removed,
the effects gradually subside ; and the waters having per-
formed their work, returned into their wonted channels.
The ark, which had hitherto floated on the waters, now
finds land, and rests upon the top of one of the Armenian
mountains ; and this just five months after the entrance
into it. For a ship in the sea to have struck upon a rock
or land, would have been extremely dangerous ; but at this
stage of the flood we may suppose the heavens were clear,
and calm, and the waters still. Noah did not steer the ark,
it was therefore God's doing, and was in mercy to him and
his companions. Their voyage was now at an end. They
put in as at the first possible port. The rest which they
enjoy is a prelude to a more perfect one approaching.
Thus God places believers upon high ground, on which

Gen. VIII.] The Flood. ^b

they are already safe, and may anticipate a better countryy
even a heavenly one.

Ver. 3 — 13. The first objects that greet their eyes,
after having been nearly eight months a-board, are the
tops jof the mountains. They had felt one of them before ;
but now the waters are suflSciently abated to see several
of them. If we had been a long and dangerous voyage
at sea, we should be better able to conceive of the joy
which this sight must have occasioned, than we possibly
can be without it. Often has a ship's company been called
on deck to see a distant object, which promised to be land.
Often too have christians in their voyage been cheered by
the signs of approaching blessedness, and the happy fore-
tastes bestowed upon them, — After the lapse of forty days
more, the window of the ark was opened, and a raven sent
forth for the purpose of experiment, that they might see
whether it could subsist of itself or not ; and the event
was, that it could subsist, for it returned no more. This
was encouraging. — Seven days after this, Noah tries a more
delicate bird, the dove, which could not live unless the
ground was at least in some places dry : but she from
necessity returned. A proof this, that the waters as yet
were on the face of the whole earth. Tarrying yet other
seven days, Noah sends out a second time his faithful
messenger, the dove, which again returned to him in the
evening ; but lo, a sign is in her mouth which gladdens all
their hearts. It is an olive-leaf plucked off I An olive-
leaf might have floated upon the surface of the waters ; but
it was observable of this that the dove had plucked it off the
tree : a proof that the tops of the trees in some places were
out of water. I imagine it is from this event that the
olive-branch has ever since been considered as the emblem
of peace. — After seven days more, Noah sends forth the
dove again ; which, returning no more, he knew the earth
must in some places be dry. The repeated mention of
" seven days'' seems to imply, that from the beginning,
time had been divided into weeks; and which can no

66 The Flood. [Dis, 13.

otherwise be accounted for, that I know of, than by admitting
that from the beginning, those who feared God remembered
the sabbath day to keep it holy. — About a month after
this, the waters are dried up from off the earth, and the
covering of the ark is removed. Now they have the
pleasure to leok around them, and to see the dry land in
every direction ; but still it is not habitable. And as
Noah came into the ark by God's command, so he must
wait his time ere he attempts to go out, and which will be
nearly two months longer.

Ver. 14 — 19. At length the set time to favour ihis
little company is come. On the 27th day of the second
month, that is, just a year aad ten days after their entrance
into the ark, they are commanded to go forth of it, with
all that pertained to them, and to begin, not the world, as
we should say, again, but a new world. Obedient to the
heavenly vision, they take leave of the friendly vessel
which through many a storm had preserved them, and
landed them in safety.

Ver. 20 — 22. The first object of attention with a
worldly man, might have been a day of rejoicing, or the
beginning to build a house : but Noah begins by building
an altar to Jehovah, on which he offered " burnt offerings
of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl." I think this
is the first time we read of a burnt offering. It was so
called, as Moses says, " because of the burning upon the
altar all night unto the morning."* It was a substitutional
sacrifice for the purpose of atonement : the process is
described in Lev. i. 2 — 9. The sinner confessed his sin
upon its head— the animal was killed, or treated as if it
were the transgressor, and as if the sin had been actually
transferred to it— the blood of the creature being shed,
was sprinkled round about upon the altar — and to shew
the divine acceptance of it on behalf of the offerer, to
make atonement for him, it was consumed by fire, either
descending immediately from heaven, as was the case on

Lev. v). 9.

Gen. VIII.] The Flood. 67

some occasions, or kindled by the priest from the sacred
fire kept for the purpose.* — Finally : The sacrifice being
sprinkled with salt, and perhaps with odours, ascended up
in a sweet savour ; and God was propitious to the oflTerer.

The burnt offerings of Noah, according to this, must have
been designed for an atonement in behalf of the remnant
that was left ; and as Hezekiah said, after the carrying
away of the ten tribes, " for the making of a covenant with
the Lord"f This his off"ering was graciously accepted:
The Lord smelled a sweet savour, and bestowed upon him
and those who were with him a covenant promise not to
curse the ground any more for man's sake. The reason
given for this is singular : for the imagination of mans
heart is evil from his youth. If God had dealt with man
according to law and justice, this should have been a reason
for destroying rather than sparing him ; and was the rea-
son why the flood was brought upon the earth.:j: But here
he is represented as dealing with him through a substitute ;
(for the promise follows the acceptance of the burnt
offering) and in this view the wickedness of man however
offensive, should not determine his conduct. He would,
as it were, look off" from him, and rest his future conduct
towards him on another ground. He would in short,
knowing what he was, deal with him on a footing of mercy
and forbearance.

Surely I need not say, that this sacrifice of Noah was
one of those which bore a peculiar aspect to the oflTering
of the body of Jesus once for all. It is not improbable that
the apostle has a direct allusion to it when he says, " Christ
hath loved us and hath given himself for us, an offering and
a sacrifice to God,^r a sweet smelling savour. '^ Ephes. v. 2.

In reviewing the destruction of the world by a flood,
and the preservation of Noah and his family, we are fur-
nished with three important reflections :

* Lev. ix. 24. Psal, xx. 4. margin. f 2 Chron. xxix,
\ Chap. vi. 5—7.

G8 The Flood. [Dis. 13.

1. It is a solid proof of the truth of divine revelation.
" \\%3 are ac(|uaintod (says a late perspicuous and forcible
writer) with no ancient people who were without traditions
of this great event. From Josephus we learn that Be-
rosus, a Chaldean historian, whose works are now lost,
related tlie same things as Moses of the deluge, and the
preservation of Noah in an ark. Eusebius informs us that
the history of the flood was contained in the works of
Abydenus, an Assyrian writer. Lucian, the Greek writer
says, that tiie j)resent is not the original race of men ; but
is descended from Deucalion, who was preserved in an ark
from the universal deluge which destroyed men for their
wickedness. Varro, the Roman writer, divided time into
three periods, the first from the origin of men to the deluge.
The Hindoo puranas contain the history of the deluge, and
of Noah under the name of Satyavrata. They relate that
Satyavrata was miraculously preserved in an ark from a
deluge which destroyed all mankind.''* The same writer
adds, *' That the whole of our globe has been submerged
by the ocean, is proved, not by tradition only, but by its
mineralogical and fossil history. On the summits of high
mountains, and in the centres of continents, vast beds of
shells and other marine productions are to be found. Pe-
trified fishes and sea weed exist in the heart of quarries.
The vegetable and animal productions of the torrid zone
iiave been dug up in the coldest regions, as Siberia ; and
vice versa, the productions of the polar regions have been
found in warm climates. These facts are unanswerable
jjroofs of a deluge."

2. It is intimated by the apostle Peter, that the salvation
of Noah and his family in the ark, was a figure of our sal-
vation by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It was for a
time buried, as it were, in the floods of divine wrath from

• iMters on the Evidence8 of the Christian ReUfjion : by an En-
quirer. First printed in the Oriental Star at Calcutta, reprinted at
Serampore in 1802, and lately reprinted in Enj^^land, with additions
and corrections by the author.

Gen. VIII.] The Flood. 69

above and from beneath. It rose however, and weathered
the storm, safely landing those on dry ground wlio had been
comm'tted to its care. 1 need not make the application.
A like figure of the same thing is christian baptism, in
which believers are said to be baptised into the death of
Christ : " Buried Math him into death, that like as he was
raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, so they
also should walk in newness of life."

3. We are directed to consider the destruction of the
world by water as a presage and premonition of its being
destroyed in the end by fire. " The heavens and the earth
which now are, are kept in store, reserved unto fire against
the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men."
2 Pet, iii. 5—7.

DISCOURSE XIV.

God's covenant ivith Noah.

Genesis ix.

Ver. 1, 2. We have now the beginning of a new-
world, and various directions given to those who are to
people it. In several respects it resembles its first be-
ginning ; particularly in the command to be fruitful and
multiply, and in the subjection of the creatures to man.
But there is one great difference : all now must rest upon
a gracious covenant. Man by sin had forfeited, not his
existence indeed, for that was given him to hold on no
conditional tenure; but the blessing of God, and his
dominion over the creatures. Nevertheless, he shall be
reinstated in it. God will, as it were, make a covenant
for him with the beasts of the field, and they shall be at
peace with him, or at least shall be awed by his authority.
All this is out of respect to the mediation of Christ, and
for the accomplishing of the designs of mercy through
him.

70 Covenant with Noah. [Dis. 14,

Vcr. 3, 4. Here is also a special grant which does not
appear to have been given before : not only the herbs of
the field, but the animals are given to man for food. It is
however accompanied M'ith a special exception with regard
to hloocU whicli is the life. This being forbidden to Noah,
appears also to have been forbidden to all mankind : nor
ought this prohibition to be treated as belonging to the
ceremonies of tlie Jewish dispensation. It was not only
enjoined before that dispensation existed, but was enforced
upon the Gentile Christians by the decrees of the
apostles.* To allege, as some do, our Lord's words, that
" it is not that which goeth into a man which defileth
him," would equally justify the practice of cannibals to
eating human flesh. The reason of this jDrohibition
might be in part the prevention of cruelty : the eating of
blood implies and cherishes a ferocious disposition. None
but the most ferocious of animals will eat it in one
another; and one would think none but the most
ferocious of mankind can endure it. But there may be a
liigher reason. Blood is the life^ and God seems to claim
it as sacred to himself. Hence, in all the sacrifices, the
blood was poured out before the Lord ; and in the sacrifice
of Christ, he shed his blood, or poured out his soul unto
death.

Ver. 5, 6. As God was tender of animal blood, in not
suffering man to eat it, so on the other hand, he would be
especially tender of human blood. If any animal slew a
man, let him be slain on that account : or if any man slew
himself, (iod would require it: or if any man slew another
man, he should be put to death by man. This also appears
to be a new law, as we read of no executions for murder
among tin- antediluvians. The reason for this law is not
taken from tlu- well being of man, but man's being made
in tlic iiiKir/c of (Jod. The image of God is of two kinds,
natural and moral. The latter was lost by sin ; but the

* Acts XV. 20

Gen. IX.] Covenant with Noah, 71

former continues with man in every state, and renders it
peculiarly criminal to abuse him. To deface the king's
image is a sort of treason among men, implying a hatred
against him, and that if he himself were within reacli, he
would be served in the same manner: how much more
treasonable must it be to destroy, curse, oppress, or in any
way abuse the image of the King of kings ! James iii. 9.*

Ver. 7, The command to multiply is repeated, and
contains permission, not of promiscuous intercourse like
the brutes, but of honourable marriage. The same law
which forbad the eating of blood, under the gospel, for-
bad fornicatiort, which was common among the heathen ;
and alas, too common among those who call themselves
christians !

Ver. 8—17. Having given the foregoing precepts,
God graciously proceeds to enter into a solemn covenant
with Noah and his posterity, and every living creature
that was with them, no more to destroy them by water^
and of which the bow in the cloud was to be the token.
This covenant is an amplification of what was said at the

* In defending the principles of civil and religious liberty against
persecution for conscience sake, it has often been alleged, that civil
government has no right to restrain or punish men, but on account
of their injuring their fellow-men. That whatever is punishable by
man is injurious to man, is true ; because all sin in some way or
other is so : but to make this the sole ground, or reason of punish-
ment, is selfish and atheistical. It is making ourselves the chief
end ; whereas this is what God claims to himself at the hand of
every man, arid body of men. The cognizance of the civil
magistrate ought indeed to be confined to what is civil and moral ;
but in punishing men for immorality, he ought not merely to regard
his own safety, nor even that of the community, but the honour of
God ; and if he be a good man, he will do so. If he regard merely
his own safety, punishing crimes only in so far as they endanger it,
the people will soon perceive that he is a selfish tyrant, and cares
not for the general good : and if he regard only the public safety,
punishing crimes merely on account of their being injurious to men,
it is still a spirit of selfishness, only a little more extended, and God
will disapprove of this, as the people do of the other.

72 Covenant with Noah. [Dis. J 4.

altar, where the Lord smelled a sweet savonr ; and indeed
the first seventeen verses of this ciiapter are a continuation
<,f that subject.— We see here, (1.) The mercy and good-
ness of God, in proceeding with us in a way of covenant.
He might have exempted the world from this calamity,
and yet not have told them he would do so. The re-
membrance of the flood might have been a sword hanging
over their heads in terrorem. But he will set their minds
at rest on. this score, and therefore promises, and that with
an oath, that the waters of Noah should no more go over
the earth.* Thus also he deals with us in his Son.
Being willing that the heirs of promise should have
strong consolation, he confirms his word by an oath.-}- —
(2.) The importance of living under the light of revela-
tion. Noah's posterity by degrees sunk into idolatry, and
became " strangers to the covenants of promise." Such
were our fathers for many ages, and such are great
numbers to this day. So far as respects them, God might
as well have made no promise : to them all is lost. — (3.)
The importance of being believers. Without this, it will
be worse for us than if we had never been favoured with
a revelation. — Finally: We see here the kind of life
which it was God's design to encourage ; a life of faith.
"The just shall live by faith." If he had made no reve-
lation of himself, no covenants, and no promises, there
would be no ground for faith ; and we must have gone
through life feeling after him, without being able to find
him : but having made known his mind, there is light in
all our dwellings, and a sure ground for believing not only
in our exemption from another flood, but in things of far
greater importance.

With respect to the sign or token of this covenant,
//«• bo7c> in the cloud, as it seems to be the eff'ect of causes
which existed from the bi ginning, it is probable that that
also existed ; but it was not till now a token of God's

• Isiii. liv. 9. t Hob. vi. 17, 18.

Gen. IX.] Covenant with Noah. 73

covenant with the world. Such a token was extremely
suitable on account of its conspicuousness, and its ap-
pearance in the cloud, or at a time when the fears of man
would be apt to rise, lest they should be overwhelmed
with another flood. This being a sign of peace, the King of
Zion is described as having " a rain-bow about his throne."
Rev. iv. 3.

Ver. 18, 19. God having thus saved, counselled, and
covenanted with this little company, Moses proceeds to
narrate their history. In general, we are informed that
the fathers of the new world were Noah's three sons, Shem,
Ham, and Japheth, from whom the earth was peopled.
And having mentioned Ham, he says, " He was the
father of Canaan." This remark of Moses was doubtless
made with a special design : for living as he did, when the
Israelites who descended from Shen^, were about to take
possession of the land of Canaan, it was of peculiar impor-
tance that they should be informed that the people whose
country the Lord their God had given them to possess,
were under a curse from the days of their first father.
The particulars of this affair will appear in the sequel.

Ver. 20 — 23. Noah, as soon as he could get settled,
betook himself to the employment of husbandry ; and the
first thing he did in this way was to plant a vineyard. So
far all was right; man as we have seen, was formed
originally for an active, and not an idle life. Adam was
ordered to keep the garden and to dress it ; and when fallen,
to till the ground from whence he was taken, which now
required much labour. Perhaps there is no occupation
more free from snares. But in the most lawful employ-
ments and enjoyments, we must not reckon ourselves out
of danger. It was very lawful for Noah to partake of the
fruits of his labour ; but Noah sinned in drinking to excess.
He might not be aware of the strength of the wine, or his
age might render him sooner influenced by it : at any rate
we have reason to conclude from his general character that
it was a fault in which he was overtaken. But let us not

74 Covenant with Noah. [Dis. 14.

think lightly of the sin of drunkenness. <' Who hath woe ;
who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the
wine." Times of festivity require a double guard. Neither
age nor character are any security in the hour of temptation.
Who would have thought, that a man who had walked
with God, perhaps more than five hundred years, and
who had w ithstood the temptations of a world, should iall
alone ? This was like a' ship which had gone round the
world, being overset in sailing into port. What need for
watchfulness and prayer I One heedless hour may stain
tJic fairest life, and undo much of the good which we have^
l)een doing for a course of years I Drunkenness is a sin
which involves in it the breach of the whole law, which
requires love to God, our neighbour and ourselves. The
tirst as abusing his mercies ; the second as depriving those
who are in want of them of necessary support, as well as
setting an ill example ; and the last as depriving ourselves
of reason, self-government, and common decency. It also
commonly leads on to other evils. It has been said, and
justly, that the name of this sin is Gad — a troop cometh !

But sinful as it was for Noah thus to expose himself, it
was still more so for Ham, on perceiving his situation, to
go out and report it with malignant pleasure to his brethren.
None but a fool will make a mock at sin in any one : but
for children to expose and flout at the sin of their parents,
is wickedness of the most aggravated kind. It indicates a
lieart thoroughly depraved. The conduct of Shem and
Japheth on this unhappy occasion, was as commendable as
th(! other was censurable ; and as worth}' of our imitation
a.s that is of our abhorrence.

Vcr. 24. When Noah came to himself, he knew what
had been done by his younger son. Nothing is said of his
grief for his own sin. I hope his anger did not turn
merely against that of his son. Nor are wc to consider
what follows as an ebullition of personal resentment, but
as a prophecy, which was meant to apply, and has been
ever since applying to his posterity, and which it was not

Gen. IX.] Covenant with Noah. 75

possible for human resentment to dictate. But as this
prophecy is very comprehensive, and will lead us to take
notice of some of the great principles of revelation, I shall
reserve it for a future discourse.

DISCOURSE XV.

Noah's Prophecy.
Genesis ix. 23 — 27.

It was common among the patriarchs when about to
die, to pronounce a prophetic sentence on their children,
and which frequently bore a relation to what had been
their conduct, and extended to their remote posterity.
This prophecy however, though not immediately after the
flood, was probably many years before the death of Noah.
— I shall first attempt to ascertain its meaning, and agree-
ment with the great outlines of historic fact, and then
endeavour to justify the ways of providence in such dispen-
sations.

The prophecy is introduced with a curse upon the
posterity of one of Noah's sons, and concludes with a
blessing upon the other two, each corresponding with his
conduct on the late unhappy occasion.

Cursed be Canaan : a servant of servants, that is the
meanest of servants, shall he be unto his brethren — But why
is the name of Ham omitted, and the curse 'confined to his
son Canaan ? Some suppose that Canaan must have been
in some way partaker in the crime : but this is uncertain.
It is thought by several able critics, that instead of
Canaan we should read, as it is in ver. 22, Ham the father
of Canaan ; * and which seems very plausible, as other-

* Ainsworth says, " By Canaan may be understood or impHed
Canaan's father, as the Greek translation hath Ham, and as elsewhere
in Scripture, Goliath is named for Goliath's father. 2 Sam. xxi. 19,
compared with 1 Chron. xx. 5. See also Bishop Newton on the pro-
phecies. Disser. 1.

E 2

70 Noah's Prophecy, [Dis. 15.

wise there is nothing said of Ham, except in the person of
his son ; and what is still more, the curse of servitude
actually came, though at a remote period, upon other
branches of the posterity of Ham, as well as Canaan. It
is manifest however, that it was directed principaUij against
him in the line of Canaan, and intended by Moses for the
encouragement of Israel in going up against his descendants,
the Canaanites. Canaan is under a curse of servitude to
both Shem and Japheth : the former was fulfilled in the
conquest of the seven nations of Israel ; and the latter in
the subjugation of the Tyrians and Carthaginians, who^
were the remainder of the old Canaanites, by the Greeks
and Romans.

So far as the curse had reference to the other descendants
of Ham, it was a long time, as I have said, ere it came upon
them. In the early ages of the world they flourished*
They were the first who set up for empire ; and so far
from being subject to the descendents of Shem or Japheth,
the latter were often invaded, and driven into corners by
them. It was Nimrod, a descendant of Ham, who founded
the imperial city of Babylon ; and Mizraim, another of
his descendents, who first established the kingdom of
Egypt. These, it is well known, were for many ages two of
the greatest empires in the world. About the time of the
captivity however, God began to cut short their power.
Both Egy})t and Babylon within a century sunk into a
state of subjection, first to the Persians who descended
from Shem, and afterwards to the Greeks and Romans,
who were the children of Japheth. Nor have they ever
been able to recover themselves : for to the dominion of
the Romans succeeded that of the Saracens, and to theirs
tliat of the Turks, under which they with a great part of
Africa, which is ])oopled by the children of Ham, have
lived and still live in tlie most degraded state of subjection.
To all tiiis may be added, that the inhabitants of Africa
seem to be marked out as objects of slavery by the European
nations. Though these things are far from excusing the

Gen. IX.] Noalis Prophecy. 7?

conduct of their oppressors, yet they establish the fact, and
prove the fulfilment of prophecy.

Blessed be Jehovah, God of Shem ! — The form of this
blessing is worthy of notice. It may not seem to be pro-
nounced on him, but on his God. But such a mode of
speaking implies his blessedness, no less than if it had been
expressly spoken of him ; for it is a principle well known
in religion, that " blessed is that people whose God is
Jehovah." They are blessed in his blessedness ; It is in
this form that Moses describes the blessedness of Israel :
" There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth
upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the
sky."* Shem was the ancestor of Abram, and so of
Israel, who, while the descendents of both Ham and
Japheth were lost in idolatry, knew and worshipped
Jeliovah, the only true God ; and of whom as concerning
the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for
ever. It has been remarked too, that Shem is the first
person who had the honour of having the Lord styled hh
God ; and that this expression denotes his being a God in
covenant with him, as when he is called the God of Abram,
of Isaac, and of Jacob. Noah foreseeing by a spirit of pro-
phecy that God would enter into a special covenant with
the posterity of Shem, taking them to be his peculiar
people, and binding himself to be their God, was affected
at the consideration of so great a privilege, and breaks out
into an ascription of praise to God on this account.

" God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dioell in the
tents of Shem. — If this part of the prophecy have respect
to temporal dominion, it seems to refer to the posterity of
Japheth being formerly straitened, but in the latter ages of
the world enabled to extend their conquests, which exactly
corresponds with history. For more than two thousand
years the empire of the civilized world has in a manner
been in the hands of the posterity of Japheth. First the
Greeks, after them the Romans, and since the declension
* Deut. xxxiii. 26.

78 Noah's Prophecy, [Dis. 15.

of their empire, the different powers of Europe, have
entered into the richest possessions of Asia, inhabited by
the children of Shem. Add to this, their borders have
lately been enlarged beyond the Atlantic, and bid fair to
extend over the continent of America.

But as Japheth united with Shem in the act of filial
respect to his father, it would seem as if the dwelling of the
one in the tents of the other must be friendly, and not
hostile; and as the blessing of Shem had a peculiar refer-
ence to the church of God among his descendants, it may
be considered as prophetic of the accession of the Gentiles
to it, under the Gospel. It is a fact, that Christianity has
principally prevailed amongst the posterity of Japheth.
The Lord God of Shem is there known, and honoured.
The lively oracles given to the fathers of the one, are
possessed and prized by the other : they laboured, and we
have entered into their labours. This interpretation is
favoured by the marginal reading, and which the very
learned Ainsworth says the original word properly signifies :
" God shall persuade Japheth, and he shall dwell in the
tents of Shem."

Let us proceed, in the next place, to offer a remark or
two on the justice of the divine proceeding in denouncing
a curse upon children, even to remote periods, for the
iniquity of their parents. — It is worthy of notice that the
God of Israel thought it no dishonour to his character to
declare, that he would " visit the iniquity of the fathers
upon the children, in those that hated him, any more than that
he would show mercy to those that loved him," which he
did in an eminent degree to the posterity of Abram. And
should any object to this, and to the Bible on this account,
wo might appeal to universal fact. None can deny that
children are the better or the worse for the conduct of their
parents. If any man insist that neither good nor evil shall
befal him, but what is the immediate consequence of his
own conduct, he must go out of the world ; for no such
state of existence is known in it.

Gen. ix.J NoaKs Prophecy. 79

There is however an important difference between thxi
sin of a parent being the occasion of the prediction of a
curse upon his posterity, who were considered by Him who
knew the end from the beginning as walking in his steps,
and its being the formal cause of their punishment. The
sin of Ham was the occasion of the prediction against the
Canaanites, and the antecedent to the evil predicted ; but
it was not the cause of it. Its formal procuring cause may
be seen in the eighteenth chapter of Leviticus. To Ham,
and perhaps to Canaan, the prediction of the servitude of
their descendants was a punishment : but the fulfilment of
that prediction on the parties was no farther such, than as
it was connected with their own sin.

There is also an important difference between the pro-
vidential dispensations of God towards families and nations
in the present world, and the administration of distributive
justice towards individuals with respect to the world to come.
In the last judgment, " every one shall give an account of
himself to God, and be judged according to the deeds
done in the body :" but while we are in this world we stand
in various relations, in which it is impossible that we should
be dealt with merely as individuals. God deals with families
and nations as such ; and in the course of his providence
visits them with good and evil, not according to the conduct
of individuals, but as far as conduct is concerned, that of the
general body. To insist that we should in all cases be treated
as individuals, is to renounce the social character.

We are informed at the close of the chapter, that Noah
lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years, and died
at the age of nine hundred and fifty. How long this was
after the foregoing prophecy, we are not informed ; but he
lived to see in the descendants of Shem, Eber, and Nahor,
and Terah the father of Abram.

80

DISCOURSE XVI.

The Generations of Noah.
Genesis x.

Without this genealogy we should not have been able
to ascertain the fulfilment of Noah's prophecy : but after
what has been said on that subject, I need not be particular
here. The chapter contains the origin of the various
nations of antiquity ; and the more it is examined, and
compared with universal history, the more credible it will
appear. All the researches of the Asiatic Society, into
the ancient Hindoo records, go to confirm it. But it does
not comport with the object of these discourses to enter
minutely into such subjects : I shall therefore pass over it
with only a few remarks.

1. Concerning the posterity of Japheth, ver. 2 — 5. His
family was the largest, and almost every one of his sons be-
came the father of a nation. In them, amongst others, we
trace the names of Madia, the father of the Medes ; — of
JavaUy and his two sons, Kittim and Dodanim, the fathers
of the lonians or Greeks, and of the Romans. It was from
Japhcth that all the nations of Europe appear to have been
peopled ; and who seem at this early period to have
obtained the name of Gentiles ; viz. peoples, or nations.
(ver. 5.) This name was given in the apostles' times to all
who were not Jews ; but in earlier ages it seems to have
been chiefly, if not entirely, applied to the Europeans.
Such at least is the meaning of " the isles of the gentiles,"
in which by a synecdoche, those places which were the
nearest to the situation of the sacred writer are put for all
the countries beyond them. And the Scriptures foreseeing
that Europe would, from tlie first embrace the Gospel, and
for many ages be tlie principal seat of its operations, the
Messiali himself is introduced by Isaiah as addressing

Gen. X.] Generations of Noah. 81

himself to its inhabitants — " Listen, ok isles, unto me ; and
hearken ye people from afar ! Jehovah hath called me
from the womb, and hath said unto me, It is a light thing
that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of
Jacob— I will also give thee for a light to the gentiles, that
thou shouldest be my salvation to the end of the earth.''*
Here we see, not only the first peopling of our native
country, but the kind remembrance of us in a way of
mercy, and this though far removed from the means of
salvation. What a call is this to us who occupy what is
denominated the end of the earth, to be thankful for the
Gospel, and to listen to the sweet accents of the Saviour's
vice.

2. Concerning the posterity of Ham, ver. 6 — 20. In
them, amongst others, we trace the names of Cush, the
father of the Ethiopians ; of Misraim, the father of the
Egyptians ; and of Canaan, the father of the Canaanites.

Particular notice is taken of Nimrod, the son of Cush,
as the first who set up for empire. He might, for ought I
know, be fond of hunting beasts ; but the connexion of this
character with a " kingdom," induces me to think that
men were the principal objects of his pursuit, and that it is
in reference to this that he is called a mighty hunter, a very
proper name for what modern historians would have called
a hero. Thus we see from the beginning, that things which
are highly esteemed amongst men are held in abomination
with God. This perfectly accords with the language of the
prophets, in which the great conquerors of the earth are
described as so many wild beasts, pushing at one another,
and whose object it is to seize and tear the prey. Nimrod
was a mighty hunter before the Lord. This may denote
daring spirit, doing what he did in the face of heaven,
or in defiance of the divine authority. Thus the Sodomites
are said to be "wicked, and sinners, before the Lord, exceed-
ingly." Nimrod'sfame was so great that his name became

* Isai. xlix. 1 — 6.

82 Generations of Noah. [Dis, 16.

proverbial. When any one in after times was a daring
plunderer in defiance of heaven, he was likened to him,
just as the wicked kings of Israel were likened to Jeroboam
the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. In short, he
became the type, pattern, or father of usurpers and martial
plunderers. Till his time, government had been patri-
archal ; but his ambition led him to found a royal city,
even that which was afterwards called Babel or Babylon ;
and to add to it (for the ambition of conquerors has no
bounds) ♦' Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land ef
Shinar." Nor was this all. Either he drove Ashur, the
son of Shem, from the land of Shinar, who, taking up his
residence in Assyria, built Nineveh, and other places; or elscj
as Ainsworth, and the margin of our own Bibles render
it. He (Nimrod) went forth out of that land to Ashur , or
Assyria, and builded Nineveh, This last is very probably
the true meaning, as the sacred writer is not here describing
what was done by the posterity of Shem, which he intro-
duces afterwards, but by those of Ham : and it perfectly
accords with Nimrod's character, to go hunting from land
to land, for the purpose of increasing his dominion.

From Misraim, the father of the Egyptians, descended
also the Philistines. Their situation was near to that of
the Canaanites ; but not being of them their country was
not given to Israel. This accounts for their not attempting
to take it, though in after times there were frequent wars
between them.

Finally : Moses was very particular with regard to
the Canaanites, describing not only what nations they were,
but wliat were their boundaries, that Israel might know
and be content with what the Lord their God had given
them. Under this head we see much of what pertains to
this world, but that is all. We may learn from it, that men
may be under the divine curse, and yet be very successful
for a time in schemes of aggrandizement. But if this be
tlicir all, woe unto them ! There arc instances however of
individuals, even from amongst Ham's posterity, who ob-

Gen. X.] Generations of Noah. 83

tained mercy. Of them were Rahab the harlot, Uriah the
Hittite, Obed-edom, and Ittai, and his brethren the Git-
tites, and the Syrophenician woman who applied to Christ.
The door of mercy is open to faith, without distinction of
nations ; nor was there ever a time in which the God of
Israel refused even a Canaanite who repented and embraced
his word.

3. Concerning the posterity of Shem, ver. 21 — 32.
The account of this patriarch is introduced in rather a
singular manner : it is mentioned as an appendage to his
name, a kind of title of honour that was to go along with
it, that he was " father of all the children of Eber,
and brother of Japheth the elder." Shem had other sons
as well as these, and another brother as well as Japheth ;
but no such special mention is made of them. When
Moses would describe the line of the curse, he calls Ham
"'the father of Canaan ;" (ch. ix. 18.) and when the line of
promise, he calls Shem " the father of all the children of
Eber." And as Japheth had been the brother of Shem in
an act of filial duty, his posterity shall be grafted in among
them, and become fellow-heirs of the same promise ; yet,
as in divers other instances, the younger goes before the
elder.

Among S hem's other descendants we find the names of
Elam and Ashur, fathers of the Persians and Assyrians,
two great Asiatic nations. But these not being of the
church of God, are but little noticed in the sacred history,
except as they come in contact with it.

Eber is said to have had two sons, one of whom is called
Peleg, division; because in his days the earth was divided.
This event took place subsequent to the confusion of
tongues, which is yet to be related. It seems to refer to
an allotment of different countries to different families,
as Canaan was divided amongst the Israelites by Joshua.
This division of the earth is elsewhere ascribed to the
Most High.* Probably it was by lot, which was of

* Deut. xxxii. 8.

84 Confusion of Tongues. Dis. 17.

his disposing ; or if by the fathers of the different families,
all was subject to the direction of His providence who fixes
and bounds our habitation. It is intimated in the same
passage, that at the time of this division, God marked out
the holy land as Israel's lot ; so that the Canaanites were
to possess it only during his minority, and that by suffer-
ance. It was rather lent than given them from the first.

DISCOURSE XVII.

The confusion of Tongues.
Genesis xi. 1 — 9.

It has been before noticed, that this story is thrown
farther on, on account of finishing the former. The event
took place before the division of the earth in the time of
Peleg; for every family is there repeatedly said to be
divided " after their tongues ;''* which implies, that at that
time tliey spake various languages, and that this was one of
the rules by which they were distinguished as nations.

Prior to the flood, and down to this period, " the whole
earth was of one language." We are not told what this
was. Whether it was the same which continued in the
family of Eber, or whether from this time it was lost, is a
matter of small account to us. But it seemed good in the
sight of God from hence to divide mankind into different
nations, and to this end to give them each a different
tongue, the occasion of this great event will appear from
the following story.

Tiic posterity of Noah, beginning to encrease, found it
necessary to extend their habitations. A company of them,
journeying from the east, pitched upon a certain plain in
the land of Shinar, by the river Euphrates. Judging it
to be an oligible spot, tlioy consulted, and determined here
to build a city. There was no stone it seems near at hand ;

• Chap. X. 5,20,31.

Gen. XI.] Confusion of Tongues. 85

but there was a kind of earth very suitable for bricks, and
a bituminous substance which is said to ooze from certain
springs in that plain, like tar or pitch, and this they used
for cement. Of these materials were afterwards built the
famous walls of Babylon.

Having found a good material, they propose to build " a
city and a tower'' of great eminence, by which they should
obtain " a name," and avoid the evil of which they thought
themselves in danger, of being scattered upon the face of
the whole earth. But here they were interrupted by a
a divine interposition: the Lord came down and con-
founded their language, so that they could not understand
one another's speech.

To perceive the reason of this extraordinary proceeding,
it is necessary to enquire into the object or design of the
builders. If this can be ascertained, the whole passage
may be easily understood. It could not be, as some have
supposed, to provide against a future flood ; for this would
have needed no divine interposition to prevent its having
effect. God knew his own intention never to drown the
world any more: and if it had been otherwise, or they from
a disbelief of his promise had been disposed to provide
against it, they would not have been so foolish as to build
for this purpose a tower upon a plain^ which when raised
to the greatest possible height, would be far below the tops
of the mountains. It could not have been said of such a
scheme. This t key have begun to do: andnoio nothing xoill
he restrained from them, which they have imagined to do :
for it would have defeated itself.

Neither does it appear to have been designed, as others
have supposed, for an idoVs temple. There is nothing in
the story, however, which leads to such a conclusion.
It was not for the name of a god, but for their own name,
that they proposed to build ; and that not the toiver only,
but a city and a tower. Nor was the confounding of their
language any way adapted, that I can perceive, to defeat
such a design as this. Idolatry prevailed in the world,

86 Confusion of Tongues. [Dis. 17.

for ought appears, as much under a variety of languages
as it would under one.

Some have imagined that it was intended merely as a
monument of architectural ambition, like the pyramids of
Elgypt. This supposition might in a measure agree with
the idea of doing it for a name : but it is far from harmo-
nizing M'ith other parts of the story. It contains no such
deep-laid scheme as is intimated in the sixth verse, and
given as the reason of the divine interference : nor is it sup-
posable that God should interpose in so extraordinary a
manner, by working a miracle which should remain
throughout every age of the world, or which at least has
remained to this day, merely for the purpose of counter-
acting a momentary freak of human vanity.

There are four characters by which this design, what-
ever it was, is described. — (1.) It was founded in ambition ;
for they said, " Let us make us a name.'' — (2.) It required
union; for which purpose they proposed to build a city^ that
they might live together, and concentrate their strength and
counsels. This is noticed by the Lord himself: " Behold,
the people (saith he) are one, and have all one language :''
and his confounding their language was for the express
purpose of destroying this oneness, by scattering them
abroad upon the face of the earth. — (3.) It required that
they should be furnished with the means of defence ; for
which they proposed to add a tower to the city, to which
the citizens might repair in times of danger ; and of such
a height as to bid defiance to any who should attempt to
annoy them with arrows, or other missive weapons. — (4.)
The scheme was loisely laid; so much so, that if God had
not interposed to frustrate it, it would have succeeded :
And this they have begun to do ; and notv nothing will be
restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

The only object which appears to accord with all these
• general characters, and witli the whole account taken to-
gether, is that of AN UNIVERSAL MONARCHY, by which all
the families of the earth, in all future ages, might be held

Gen. XI.] Confusion of Tongues. 87

in subjection. — A very little reflection will convince us, that
such a scheme must of necessity be founded in ambition ;
that it required unions and of course a city, to carry it
into execution ; that a tower, or citadel, was also necessary
to repel those who might be disposed to dispute their
claims ; and that if these measures were once carried into
effect, there was nothing in the nature of things to prevent
the aceomplishme7it of their design.

If there were no other reasons in favour oi the supposi-
tion in question, its agreement with all these circumstances
of the history might be thought sufficient to establish it :
but to this, other things may be added by way of corrobo-
ration.

The time when the confusion of tongues took place, renders
it highly probable that the scheme which it was intended
to subvert was of Nimrod's forming, or that he had a
principal concern in it. It must have been a little before
the division of the earth amongst the sons of Shem, Ham,
and Japheth, after their tongues, in their countries, and
in their nations ;* being that which rendered such division
necessary. Now this was about the time of the birth of
Peleg, who was named from that event : and this, by reck-
oning the genealogies mentioned in chap. xi. 10 — 16, will
appear to have been about a hundred years after the flood.
At this time, Nimrod, who was the grandson of Ham, must
have been alive, and in his prime. And as he was the first
person who aspired to dominion over his brethren, and as it
is expressly said of him, that the beginning of his kingdom
was Babel, nothing is more natural than to suppose that
he was the leader in this famous enterprise ; and that the
whole was a scheme of his, by which to make himself
master of the world.

It was also natural for an ambitious people, headed by
an ambitious leader, to set up for universal monarchy.
Such has been the object of almost all the great nations

* Chap. X. 5, 20, 31.

88 Confusion of Tongues. [Dis. 17.

and conquerors of the earth in later periods. Babylon,
thouj^h checked for the present, by this divine interference,
yet afterwards resumed the pursuit of her favourite object ;
and in the time of Nebuchadnezzer, seemed almost to have
gained it. The style used by that monarch in his pro-
clamations comported with the spirit of this idea: " To you
it is commanded, oh people, nations, and tongues I"* Now
if such has been the ambition of all Nimrod's successors,
in every age, it is nothing surprising that it should have
struck the mind of Nimrod himself, and his adherents.^
They would also have a sort of claim to which their suc-
cessors could not pretend ; namely, that of being the firsts
OT parent kingdom; and the weight which men are apt to
attach to this claim, may be seen by the later pretensions
of Papal Rome, (another Babylon) which, under the cha-
racter of a mother church, headed by a Pope^ or pretended
holy father, has subjected all Christendom to her dominion.

To this may be added. That the means used to counter-
act these builders, were exactly suited to defeat the above
design ; namely, that of dividing and scattering them, by
confounding their language. And it is worthy of notice,
that though several empires have extended their territories
over people of difterent languages, yet language has been
a very common boundary of nations ever since. There is
scarcely a great nation in the world, but what has its own
language. The dividing of languages was therefore, in
effect, the dividing of nations ; and so a bar to the whole
world being ruled by one government. Thus a perpetual
miracle was wrought to be an antidote to a perpetual
disease.

But why, it may be asked, should it be the will of God
to prevent a universal monarciiy ; and to divide the inha-
bitants of the world into a number of independent nations?
— riiis question opens a wide Held for investigation.
Suffice it to say at present, such a state of things contains
much mercy, botli to the world and to the church.
• Dan, iii. 2.

Gen. XI.] Confusion of Tongues. 89

With respect to the world, If the whole earth had con-
tinued under one government, that government would of
course, considering what human nature is, have been
exceedingly despotic and oppressive. We know that in
every state of society, where power or wealth, of com-
merce, is monopolized by an individual, or confined to a
few, whose interests may unite them to one another, there
is the greatest possible scope for injustice and oppression ;
and where there is the greatest scope for these evils, human
nature being what it is, there they will most abound.
Different nations and interests in the world serve as a
balance one to the other. They are that to the world
which a number of rival merchants, or lesser tradesmen, are
to society ; serving as a check upon each other's rapacity.
Union, when cemented by good-willtomen, is exceedingly
desirable : but when self-interest and ambition are at the
bottom, it is exceedingly dangerous. Union in such cases
is nothing better than a combination against the general
good.

It might be thought that if the whole world were under
one government, a great number of wars might be pre-
vented, which, as things now are, would be certain to take
place. And it is true, that one stable government to a cer-
tain extent, is on this account preferable to a great number
of lesser ones, which are always at variance. But this
principle, if carried beyond certain limits, becomes inimi-
cal to human happiness. So far as different people can
really become one, and drop all local distinctions and
interests, it is well : but if the good of the country
governed be lost sight of, and every thing is done to ag-
grandize the city, or country governing, it is otherwise.
And where power is thus exercised, which it certainly
would be in case of a universal monarchy, it would pro-
duce as many wars as now exist, with only this difference,
that instead of their being carried on between independent
nations, they would consist of the risings of different parts
of the empire against the government in a way of rebel-

90 Confusion of Tongues. [Dis. 17.

lion : and by how much wars of this kind are accompanied
with less mutual respect, less quarter given and taken, and
consequently more cruelty than the other, by so much
would the state of the world have been more miserable
than it is at present.

The division of the world into independent nations has
also been a great check on persecution^ and so has operated
in a way of mercy towards the church. — If the whole
world had been one despotic government, Israel, the peo-
ple of God, must in all ages have been in the condition
which they were reduced to from the times of the captivity,
as a punishment for their sins, a mere province of another
power, which might have crushed them, and hindered
them, as was the case from the times of Cyrus to those of
Darius.* And since the coming of Christ, the only way
in which he permits his followers to avoid the malice of
the world which rages against them for his sake, is this :
" If they persecute you in one city, flee to another," Of
this liberty millions have availed themselves, from the
earliest to the latest periods of the Christian church ; but
if the whole world had been under one government, and
that government inimical to the Gospel, there had been no
place of refuge left upon the earth for the faithful.

The necessary watch also that governments which have
been the most disposed to persecute, have been obliged to
keep on each other, has filled their hands, so as to leave
them but little time to think of religious people. Saul,
when pursuing David, was withdrawn from his purpose by
intelligence being brought him, that the Philistines had in-
vaded the land : and thus innumerable instances, the fallings
out of bad men have been advantageous to the righteous.

The division of power serves likewise to check the spirit
of persecution, not only as finding employment for perse-
cutors to watch their rivals, but as causing them to be
watched, and their conduct exposed by them. While the

• Ezra iv. 23, 24.

Gen. XI.] Confusion of Tongues. 91

power of papal Rome extended over Christendom, perse-
cution raged abundantly more than it has done since the
Reformation, even in Popish countries. Since that period,
the Popish powers, both ecclesiastical and civil, have felt
themselves narrowly watched by Protestants, and have
been almost shamed out of their former cruelties. What
has been done of late years has been principally confined
to the secret recesses of the Inquisition. It is by commu-
nities as it is by individuals ; they are restrained from
innumerable excesses by the consideration of being under
the eye of each other. Thus it is, that liberty of conscience
being granted in one or two nations, and becoming honour-
able, has insensibly made its way into the councils of many
others.

From the whole we may infer two things. — (1.) The
harmony of divine Revelation with all that we know of
fact. If any object to the probability of the foregoing
account, and imagine that the various languages spoken
in the world must have been of human contrivance, let
them point us to a page in any history, ancient or modern,
which gives an account of the first making of a language,
dead or living. If all that man can be proved to have
done towards the formation of any language be confined
to changing, combining, improving, and reducing it to a
grammatical form, there is the greatest probability, inde-
pendent of the authority of Revelation, that languages
themselves were originally the work of God, as was that
of the first man and woman. — (2.) The desirableness of
the universal spread of Christ's kingdom. We may see
in the reasons which render a universal government among
men incompatible with the liberty and safety of the world,
abundant cause to pray for this, and for the union of all
his subjects under him. Here there is no danger of
tyranny or oppression, nor any need of those low motives
of rivalship to induce him to seek the well-being of his
subjects. A union with Christ and one another, embraces
the best interests of mankind.

DISCOURSE XVIII.

The Generations of Shem, and the Call of Abram.
Genesis xi. 10 — 32. xii. 1 — 4.

The sacred historian having given an account of the
re-peopling of the earth, here takes leave of the children
of men, and confines himself to the history of the sons of
God. We shall find him all along adhering to this prin-
ciple. When any of the posterity of the righteous turn
their backs on God, he presently takes leave of them, and
follows the true church and true religion wherever they go.
Ver. 10 — 26. The principal use of the genealogy of
Shem to Terah, the father of Abram, may be to prove the
fulfilment of all the promises in the Messiah. To this
purpose it is applied in the New Testament.

Ver. 27 — 29. Terah, after he was seventy years of age,
had three sons ; Abram, Nahor, and Haran. But the order
in which they here stand, does not appear to be that of seni-
ority, any more than that of Shem, and Ham, and Japheth :
for if Abram had been born when Terah was seventy years
old, he must have been a hundred and thirty -Jive at the
time of his father's death ; whereas he is said to have been
but seventy-five, when, after that event, he set out for Ca-
naan. Haran therefore appears to have been the eldest of
the three sons. He died in Ur of the Chaldees ; but left
behind him a son and two daughters; Lot, and Milcah,
and Iscah. The two surviving sons, Abram and Nahor,
took them wives : the name of Abram s wife was Sarai,
of whose descent we are not here told ; but by what he
said of her in chap. xx. 12, it would seem that she was his
half-sister, or his father's daughter by. another wife. In
those early ages nearer degrees of consanguinity were ad-
mitted, than were afterwards allowed by the divine law.
Nahor married his brother Haran 's eldest daughter Milcah.

Gen. XII.] Generations of Shem. 93

Ver. 31. It is said of Terah, that he took Abram his
son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai
his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife, and that they
went from Ur of the Chaldees to go into the land of
Canaan. But here is something supposed which the
historian reserves till he comes to the story of Abram,
who next to God, was the first mover in the undertaking,
and the principal character in the story. In chap. xii. 1.
we are told that " the Lord had said unto Abram, get thee
out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from
thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee."
Taking the whole together, it appears that God revealed
himself to Abram, and called him to depart from that
idolatrous and wicked country, whether any of his relations
would go with him or not ; that A bram told it to his father
Terah, and to all the family, and invited them to accom-
pany him ; that Terah consented, as did also his grand-son
Lot ; that Nahor and his wife Milcah were unwilling to
go, and did not go at present; that seeing they refused,
the venerable Terah left them, and being the head of the
family he is said to have taken Abram, and Sarai, and Lot,
though not the first mover in the affair, and journeyed to-
wards Canaan; that stopping within the country of Meso-
potamia, he called the place where he pitched his tent,
Haran, in memory of his son who died in Ur of the
Chaldees ; finally, that during his residence in this place he
died, being two hundred and five years old.

But though Nahor and Milcah, as it should seem, refused
to accompany the family at the time, yet as we find them, in
the course of the history, settled at Haran, and Abram and
Isaac sending to them for wives, to the rejection of the
idolators among whom they lived, we may conclude that
they afterwards repented and went. And thus the whole
of Terah's family, though they do not go to Canaan, yet
are rescued from Chaldean idolatry ; and, settling in Haran,
maintain for a considerable time the worship of the true
God.

94 Generations of Shem, [Dis. 18.

Chap. xii. 1 — 3. But Abram must not stop at Haran.
Jehovah, by whom he was called to depart from Ur, has
another country in reserve for him : and he being the
great patriarch of Israel, and of the church of God, we
have here a more particular account of his call. It was fit
that this should be clearly and fully stated, for that it went
to lay the foundation of a new order of things in the world.
It was therefore like the spring of a great river ; or rather,
like the hole of a quarry whence the first stone was taken,
of which a city was built. It is this which is referred to for
the encouragement of the church when in a low condition,
and likely to become extinct. God *' called Abram alone,
and blessed him, and encreased him." Hence the faithful
are directed to " look to the rock whence they were hewn,
and to the hole of the pit whence they were digged ;" and to
depend upon his promise, who assured them that he would
comfort tlie waste places of Zion. Isai. li.

How long Abram continued at Haran, we are not told ;
but about nine years after his departure from it, we read
of his having three hundred and eighteen trained servants,
who were '* born in his house :"* he must therefore have
kept house between twenty and thirty years, at least, before
that time, and which must have been in Haran, or in both
Ur and Haran.

lu the call of Abram, we may observe, — (1.) The grace
of it. There appears no reason to conclude that he was
better than his neighbours. He did not choose the Lord,
but the Lord him, and brought him out from amongst the
idolators.f — (2.) Its peremptory tone : *' get thee out."
The language very much resembles that of Lot to his
sons-in-law, and indicates the great danger of his present
.situati<jn, and the immediate necessity of escaping, as it
were, for his life. Such is the condition of every uncon-
verted sinner, and such the necessity of fleeing from the
wratli to come, to the hope set before us in the Gospel. —

• Chap xiv. 14. f Neh. ix. 7.

Gen. XII.] Call of Ahram. 95

(3.) The self-denial required by it. He was called to
leave his country, his kindred, and even his father's house,
if they refused to go with him; and no doubt his mind was
made up to do so. Such things are easier to read con-
cerning others, than to practise ourselves: yet he that
hateth not father and mother, and wife and children, and
brethren and sisters, yea and his own life also, in compari-
son of Christ, cannot be his disciple. We may not be
called upon to part with them ; but our minds must be
made up to do so, if they stand between us and Christ. —
(4.) The implicit faith which a compliance with it would

call for. Abram was to leave all, and to go he knew

not whither "unto a land that God would shew him."

If he had been told it was a land flowing with milk and
honey, and that he should be put in possession of it, there
had been some food for sense to feed upon : but to go out,
<* not knowing whither he went," must have been not ^
little trying to flesh and blood. Nor was this all: that
which was promised was not only in general terms, but
very distant. God did not tell him he would give him the
land, but merely shew him it. Nor did he in his life-time
obtain the possession of it ; he was only a sojourner in it,
without so much as a place to set his foot upon. He ob-
tained a spot, it is true, to lay his bones in ; but that was
all. In this manner were things ordered on purpose to
try his faith ; and his obedience to God under such cir-
cumstances was among the things which rendered him an
example to future generations, even *' the father all them
that believe,"

Ver. 2. The promise had reference to things which
could be but of small account to an eye of sense ; but
faith would find enough in it to satisfy the most enlarged
desires. The objects, though distant, were worth waiting
for. He should be the father of a great nation; and what
was of greater account, and which was doubtless under-
stood, that nation should be the Lord's. God himself would
bless him ; and this would be more than the whole world
without it. He would also make his name great ; not in

96 Call of Abram. [Dis. 18.

the records of worldly fame, but in the history of the
church : and being himself full of the blessing of the Lord,
it should be his to impart blessedness to the world. "1 will
bless thee, and thou shalt be a blessing."' The great names
among the heathen would very commonly arise from their
being curses and plagues to mankind ; but he should have
the honour and happiness of being great in goodness,
great in communicating light and life to his species.

This promise has been fulfilling ever since. All the true
blessedness which the world is now, or shall hereafter be
possessed of, is owing to Abram and his posterity.
Through them we have a Bible, a Saviour, and a Gospel.
They are the stock on which the Christian church is grafted.
Their very dispersions and punishments have proved the
riches of the world. What then shall be their recovery,
but life from the dead ! It would seem as if the conversion
of the Jews, whenever it shall take place, will be a kind of
resurrection to mankind. Such was the hope of this
calling. And what could the friends of God and man
desire more? Yet, as if all this were not enough, it is
added —

Ver. 3. " I will bless them that bless thee, and curse
him that curseth thee." This is language never used but
of an object of special favour. It is declaring, that he
should not only be blessed himself, but that all others
siiould be blessed or cursed, as they respected or injured
him. Of this the histories of Abimelech, Laban, Potiphar,
both the Pharaohs, Balak and Balaam, furnish examples.

I^nally : I.est what had been said of his being made a
blfssifir/ should not be sufficiently explicit, it is added,
"and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed."
Tiiis was saying tiiat a blessing was in reserve for all
nations, and tliat it should be bestoM'cd through him and
his posterity, as the medium. Paul applies this to Christ,
and the believing gentiles being blessed in him : he calls it
**the Gosp(!l whicii was ))rcached before unto Abraham."
(Gal. iii. 7 — 10.) Peter also makes use of it in his address

Gen. XII.] Call of Ahram. 97

to those who had killed the Prince of life, to induce them
to repent and believe in him. <' Ye are the children of the
prophets, (says he) and of the covenants which God made
with our fathers, saying unto Abram, and in thy seed shall
all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first,
God having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you,
in turning away every one of you from his iniquities."*
As if he had said " You are descended from one whose
posterity were to be blessed above all nations, and made a
blessing. And the time to favour the nations being now
at hand, God sent his Son first to you, to bless you, and to
prepare you for blessing them ; as though it were yours to
be a nation of ministers, or missionaries to the world. But
how, if instead of blessing others, you should continue
accursed yourselves ? You must first be blessed, ere you
can, as the true children of Abram, bless the kindreds of
the earth, and that by every one of you being turned from
his iniquities.,

Ver. 4. The faith of Abram operated in a way of
prompt and implicit obedience. First it induced him to
leave Ur of the Chaldees, and now he must leave Haran.
Haran was become the place of his father's sepulchre, yet
he must not stop there, but press forwards to the land which
the Lord would shew him. On this occasion young Lot,
his nephew, seems to have felt a cleaving to him, like that
of Ruth to Naomi, and must needs go with him ; en-
couraged no doubt by his uncle in some such such manner
as Moses afterwards encouraged Hobab : *' Go with me, and
I will do thee good; for the Lord hath spoken good con-
cerning Abram."

Ver. 5, We now see Abram, being seventy-five years
old, and Sarai, and Lot, with all they are and have, taking
a long farewell of Haran, as they had done before of Ur.
"The souls that they had gotten in Haran" could not
refer to children, but perhaps to some godly servants who

* Acts iii; 25, 26.

F

98 CallofAhram. [Dis. 18.

cast in their lot with them. Abrani had a religious house-
hold, who were under his government, as we afterwards
read ; one of whom went to seek a wife for Isaac. We
also read of one " Eliezer of Damascus,"* who seems to
have been not only his household steward, but the only
man he could think of, if he died childless, to be his heir.
With these he set off for the land of Canaan, which by this
time he knew to be the country that the Lord would shew
him, and to the land of Canaan he came.

DISCOURSE XIX.

Abraham dtvelling in Canaan^ and removing to Egypt on
account of the Famine,
Genesis xii. 6 — 20.
Ver. 6. Abram and his company having entered into

the country, on its north-eastern quarter, penetrate as far
southward as Sichem, where, meeting with a spacious plain,
the plain of Moreh, they pitched their tents. This place was
afterwards much accounted of. Jacob came thither on his re-
turn from Haran, and bought of the Shechemites a parcel of
a field.f It might be the same spot where Abram dwelt,
and perhaps on that account. After this it seems to have
been taken from him by the Amorites, the descendents of
Hamor, of whom he had bought it ; and he was obliged to
recover it by the sword and by the bow. This was the
portion which he gave to his son Joseph .J There seems
to be something Mn the history of this place very much
resembling that of the country in general. In the grand
division of the earth, this whole land was assigned to the
posterity of Shem : but the Canaanites had seized on it,
and as is here noticed, « dwelt in the land." As soon
tliercfore as the rightful owners are in a capacity to make
use of the sword and bow, they must be dispossessed
ofit.§

• Uen. XV. 2. f Gen. xxxiii. 19. \ Chap, xlviii, 22.
§ See on chap. x. 25, p. 83.

Gen. XII.] Ahram in Canaan. 99

Ver. 7. Abram having pitched his tent at Sichem, the
Lord renews to him the promise of the whole land, or
rather to his seed after him ; for with respect to himself, he
was never given to expect any higher character than that
of a sojourner. But considering the great ends to be
answered by his seed possessing it, he is well satisfied, and
rears an altar to Jehovah. One sees here the difference
between the conduct of the men of this world, and that of
the Lord's servants. The former no sooner find a fruitful
plain, than they fall to building a city, and a tower, to
perpetuate their fame. The first concern of the latter is
to raise an altar to God. It was thus that the new world
was consecrated by Noah, and now the land of promise by
Abram. The rearing of an altar in the land was like taking
possession of it, in right, for Jehovah.

Ver. 8, 9. The patriarchs seldom continued long at a
place, for they were sojourners. Abram remoyes from the
plain of Moreh to a mountain on the east of what was
afterwards called Bethel ; and here he built an altar, and
called upon the name of the Lord. This place was also
much accounted of in after times. It was not far from
hence that Jacob slept and dreamed, and anointed the
pillar.* We may on various occasions change places,
provided we carry the true religion with us : in this we
must never change.

Ver. 10—20. Abram was under the necessity of re-
moving again, and that on account of a grievous famine in
the land. He must now leave Canaan for awhile, and
journey into Egypt, where corn, it seems, was generally
plentiful, even when it was scarce in other countries,
because that country was watered not so much by rain as
by the waters of the Nile. Hither therefore the patriarch
repaired with his little company. Here we see new trials
for his faith. Observe,

L The famine itself being in the land of promise, must

* Gen. xxviii. 19.
F 2

100 Abram hi Egypt [Dis. 19.

be a trial to him. Had he been of the spirit of the un-
believing spies in the times of Moses, he would have said,
* Would God we had staid at Haran, if not at Ur ! Surely
this is a land that eateth up the inhabitants.' But thus far
Abram sinned not.

2. The beauty of Sarai was another trial to him ; and
here he fell into the sin of dissimulation, or at least of
equivocation. She was half-sister to him, it seems ;* but
not in such a sense as he meant to convey. This was one
of tlie first faults in Abram's life ; and the worst of it is, it
was repeated, as we shall see hereafter. It is remarkable,^
that there is only one faultless character on record ; and
more so tliat in several instances of persons who have been
distinguished for some one excellency, their principal
failure has been in that particular. Thus Peter, the bold,
sins through fear ; Solomon, the wise, by folly ; Moses the
meek, by speaking unadvisedly with his lips ; and Abram,
the faithful, by a kind of dissimulation arising from timid
distrust. Such things would almost seem designed of
God to stain the pride of all flesh, and to check all depen-
dence upon the most eminent or confirmed habits of god-
liuess.

3. Yet from these trials, and from the difficulties into
which he brought himself by his own misconduct, the
Lord mercifull}' delivered him. He feared they would kill
liim for his wife's sake ; but God, by introducing plagues
amongst them, inspired them with fear, and induced them
to send him and his wife away in safety. It was thus that
he rebuked kings for their sakes, and suffered no man to
hurt them. In how many instances has God, by his kind
providence, extricated us from situations into which our
own sin and folly Jiad plunged us I

See on Gen. xi- t27— 29.

101

DISCOURSE XX.

The separation of Abram and Lot.
Genesis xiii.

Ver. 1 — 4. We have heard nothing of Lot till now,
since he left Haran ; but he appears to have been one of
Abram's family, and to have gone with him whithersoever
he went. Here we find him returning with him from
Egypt, first to the south of Canaan, and afterwards to
Bethel, the place of his second residence, where he had
before built an altar. The manner in which " the place of
the altar" is mentioned, seems to intimate that he chose
to go thither, in preference to another place, on this
account. It is very natural that he should do so ; for the
places where we have called upon the name of the Lord,
and enjoyed communion with him, are, by association,
endeared to us above all others. There Abram again
called on the name of the Lord ; and the present exercises
of grace, we may suppose, were aided by the remem-
brance of the past. It is an important rule in choosing our
habitations, to have an eye to the place of the altar. If
Lot had acted upon this principle, he would not have done
as is here related of him.

Ver. 5, 6. We find by the second verse, that Abram
was very rich ; and here we see that Lot also had " flocks,
and herds, and tents ;" so that " the land was not able to
bear them, that they should dwell together." It is pleasing
to see how the blessing of the Lord attends these two
sojourners : but it is painful to find that prosperity should
become the occasion of their separation. It is pity that
those whom grace unites, and who are fellow-heirs of
eternal life, should be parted by the lumber of this world.
Yet so it is. A clash of worldly interests has often sepa-
rated chief friends, and been the occasion of a much

102 Abram and Lot. [Dis. 20.

greater loss than the greatest earthly fulness has been able
to compensate. It is not thus with the riches of grace, or
of glory : the more we have of them, the closer it unites
us.

Ver. 7. The first inconvenience which arose from the
wealth of these two good men, appeared in strifes between
their herdmen. It was better to be so, than if the masters
had fallen out ; but even this is far from pleasant. Those
of each would tell their tale to their masters, and try to
persuade them that the others had used them ill ; and the
best of men, having such tales frequently repeated, would
begin to suspect that all was not fair. What can be done ?
" The Canaanite and the Perizzite also dwelt in the land."
Now Abram and Lot, having never joined in the idolatries
and other wickednesses of the country, must needs have
been marked as a singular kind of men, and passed as
worshippers of the invisible God. If therefore they fall out
about worldly matters, what will be thought and said of
their religion ? ' See how these religious people love one
another !'

Ver. 8, 9. Abram's conduct in this unpleasant business
was greatly to his honour. To form a just judgment of
any character, we must follow him through a number of
different situations, and circumstances, and observe how he
acts in times of trial. We have seen Abram in his first
conversion from idolatry ; we have noticed the strength of
his faith, and the promptness of his obedience to the
heavenly call ; we have admired his godly and consistent
conduct in every place where he has sojourned, one
instance only excepted : but we have not yet seen how he
would act in a case of approaching difference with a friend,
a brother. Here then we have it. — Observe,

1 . He foresees the daufjcr there is of a falling out between
himself and Lot. It is likely he perceived his countenance
was not towards him as heretofore, and that he discovered
an uneasiness of mind. This Mould excite a becoming ap-
prehension, lest that which begun with the servants should

Gen. XIII.] Abram and Lot. 103

end with the masters, and be productive of great evil to
them both.

2. He deprecates it in the frankest, most pacific, and
most affectionate manner. " Let there be no strife between
me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen,
for we are brethren," — yes, brethren not only in flesh, but
in the Lord.

3. He makes a most wise and generous proposal.
" The whole land is before us: separate thyself, I pray thee,
from me. If thou wilt go to the left hand I will go to the
right ; or if thou wilt go to the right hand I will go to the
left." As the elder man, Abram might have insisted
upon the right of choosing his part of the country first,
especially as he was the principal, and Lot only accom-
panied him : he might have told him that if he was not con-
tented to live with him, he might go whither he would :
but thus did not Abram. No, he would rather forego his
civil rights than invade religious peace. What a number
of bitter animosities in families, in churches, and I may
say, in nations, might be prevented, if the parties could
be brought to act towards one another in this open, pacific,
disinterested and generous manner. There are cases in which
it becomes necessary for very worthy and dear friends to
separate : it were better to part, than live together at vari-
ance. Many may be good neighbours who could not live
happy in the same family. Abram and Lot could love
and pray for one another when there was nothing to ru fl e
their feelings: and Saul and Barnabas could both serve
the cause of Christ, though unhappily through a third
person, they cannot act in close concert. In all such cases
if there be only an upright, pacific, and disinterested dis-
position, things will be so adjusted as to do no material
injury to the cause of Christ. In many instances it may
serve to promote it. In a world where there is plenty of
room to serve the Lord, and plenty of work to be done, if
those who cannot continue together be disposed to improve

104 Abram and Lot. [Dis. 20.

their advantages, the issue may be such as shall cause the
parties to unite in a song of praise.

Ver. 10, 11. But how does young Lot conduct himself
on this occasion ? He did not, nor could he object to the
pacific and generous proposal that was made to him ; nor
did he choose Abram's situation, which though lovely
in the one to offer, would have been very unlovely in the
other to have accepted ; and I hope, though nothing is
said of his making any reply, it was not from a spirit of
sullen reserve. But in the choice he made, he appears to
have regarded temporal advantages only^ and entirely to
have overlooked th>i danger of his situation with regard to
religion. " He lifted up his eyes, and beheld a well-watered
plain ;" and on this he fixed his choice, though it led him
to take up his abode in Sodom. He viewed it, as we
should say, merely with a grazier's eye. He had better
have been in a wilderness than there. Yet many professors
of religion, in choosing situations for themselves, and for
their children, continue to follow his example. We shall
perceive in the sequel of the story, what kind of a harvest
his well-watered plain produced him !

Ver. 12, 13. It is possible, after all, that his principal
fault lay in pitching his tent in the place he did. If he
could have lived on the plain, and preserved a sufficient
distance from that infamous place, there might have been
nothing the matter : but perhaps he did not like to live
alone, and therefore " dwelt in the cities of the plain, and
])itched his tent towards Sodom.'' The love of society,
like all other natural principles, may prove a blessing or a
curse : and we may see by this example, the danger of
leaving religious connexions; for as man feels it not
good to be alone, if he forego these, he will be in a manner
iniptlh'd by his inclinations to take up with others of a
contrary description. It is an awful character which is here
given of Lot's new neighbours. All men are sinners ; but
they were " wicked, and sinners before the Lord exceed-

Gen. XIII.] Abram and Lot. 105

ingly." When Abram went to a new place, it was usual
for him to rear an altar to the Lord : but there is no
mention of any thing like this, when Lot settled in or near
to Sodom. But to return to Abram —

Ver. 14 — 17. From the call of this great man to the
command to offer up his son, a period of about fiftj'- years,
he was often tried, and the promise was often renewed. It
was the will of God that he should live by faith. Its being
renewed at this time, seems to have been on occasion of
Lot's departure from him, and the disinterested spirit which
he had manifested on that occasion. Lot had " lifted up his
eyes, and beheld the plain . of Jordan :" and being gone to
take possession of it, God saith to Abram, " Lift up now
thine eyes, and look northward, and southward, and east-
ward, and westward ; for all the land which thou seest, to
thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever." Thus he who
sought this world, lost it ; and he who was willing to give
up any thing for the honour of God and religion, found it.

Ver. 18, After this, Abram removed to ** the plain of
Mamre, which is Hebron," where he continued many years.
It was here, a long time after, that Sarai died.* It lay
about two-and-twenty miles south of Jerusalem. This
removal might possibly arise from a regard to Lot, that he
might be nearer to him than he would have been at Bethel,
though not so near as to interfere with his temporal con-
cerns. Of this we are certain, he was able from a place
whereabouts he lived, to descry the plains of Sodom ; and
when the city was destroyed, saw the smoke ascend like
that of a furnace.f Here, as usual, Abram built an altar
unto Jehovah.

* Gen. xxiii. 2. f Chap. xix. 23.

F 3

m

DISCOURSE XXI.

Ahranis slaughter of the Kings.
Genesis xiv.

It has been already observed, that to form a just judg-
ment of eharacter we must view men in divers situa-
tions : we sliould not have expected however, to find
Abram in the character of a warrior. Yet so it is: for
once in his life, though a man of peace, he is constrained to
take the sword. We have seen in him the friend of God,
and tlip friend of a good man ; now we shall see in him the
friend of his country, though at present only a sojourner in
it. The case appears to have been as follows.

Ver. 1 — 7. Elam and Shi7iar, i. e. Persia and Babylon,
and the country about them, being that part of the world
where the sons of Noah began to settle, after they went
out of tiie ark, it was there that population, and the art of
war, would first arrive at a sufficient maturity to induce
them to attempt the subjugation of their neighbours.
Nimrod began this business in about a century after the
flood ; and his successors were no less ambitious to keep
it up. The rest of the world emigrating from those
countries, would be considered as colonies, which ought to
be subject to the parent states. Such it seems, were the
ideas of Chedorhiomer, who was at this time king of Elam
or Prrsiii. About three or four years before Abram left
('haldra, he had invaded Palestine ; and the country being
divided into little kingdoms, almost every city having its
king, and havinir made but little progress in the art of war
in ei.uiparison of the parent nations, fell an easy prey to
to hi.H rapacity. In this humiliating condition they con-
tinued twelve y(.ars : but being by that time weary of the
yoke, five of these lesser kings, understanding one another,
thought th y might venture to throw it off. Accordingly,

Gen. XIV.] Slaughter of the Kings, 107

the next year they refused to pay him tribute, or to be
subject to the authority under which he had placed them.

Chedorlaomer hearing of this, calls together his friends
and allies among the first and greatest nations, who consent
to join their forces, and go with him to reduce these petty
states to obedience. Four kings and their armies engage
in this expedition. If each one brought only five hundred
men with him, they would form a great host for that early
age of the world, and capable of doing a great deal of
mischief. This it did: for not content with marching
peaceably through the country till they arrived at the cities
which had rebelled, they laid all places waste which they
came at, smiting in their way, first the Rephaims^ the
Zurims, and the Emims ; then the Horites ofMountSeir:
and after them the Amalekites, and the Amorites.

Ver. 8 — 10. By this time Abram's neighbours, the
kings of Sodom, Admah, Zeboim, and Bela, must have
been not a little alarmed. They and their people however
determine to fight, and fight they did. The field of action
was the vale of Siddiin. Unhappily, the ground was full
of slime pits, or pits of bitumen, much like those on the
plain of Shinar ; and their soldiers being but little skilled
in the art of war, could not keep their ranks, and so were
foiled, routed, and beaten by the superior discipline of the
invaders. Many were slain in the pits ; and those that
escaped fled to a neighbouring mountain, which being pro-
bably covered with wood, afforded them a shelter in which
to hide themselves.

Ver. 11, 12. The conquerors, without delay, betake
themselves to the spoil. They take all the goods of Sodom
and Gomorrah, and all the victuals ; and what few people
are left, they take for slaves. Among these was Lot,
Abram's brother's son, his friend, and the companion of
his travels, with all his family, and all his goods I And this
notwithstanding he was only a sojourner, but lately come
amongst them, and seems to have taken no part in the
war. Oh Lot, these are the fruits of taking up thy resi-

108 Slaughter of the Kings. [Dis. 21.

dence in Sodom ; or rather, the first fruits of it : the
harvest is yet to come I

Vcr. 13. Among those who fled from the drawn sword,
and the fearfulness of war, there was one who reached the
plain of Mamre, and told the sad tale to Abram. He feels
much : but what can he do ? Can he raise an army, where-
with to spoil the spoilers, and dehver the captives? He
will try. Yes, from his regard to Lot, whose late faults
would be now forgotten, and his former love recur to
njind : and if he succeed, he will not only deliver him,
but many others. The cause is a just one ; and God has*^
promised to bless Abram, and make him a blessing. Who
can tell, but he may prove in this instance a blessing to the
whole country, by delivering it from the power of a cruel
foreign oppressor?

Now we shall see how the Lord hath blessed Abram.
Who would have thought it ? He is able to raise three
hundred and eighteen men in his own family ; men well
instructed too, possessing skill, principle, and courage.
Moreover, Abram was so well respected by his neighbours,
MamrCy Eschol, and Aner, that they had already formed
a league of confederacy with him, to defend themselves,
piThaps, against this blustering invader, whose coming had
been talked of for more than a year ago: and they, with
all the forces they could muster, consent to join with
Abram in the pursuit.

Ver. 15, 16. By prompt movements, Abram and his
troop soon come up with the enemy. It was in the dead
of night. The conquerors, it is likely, w^re off their
guard, thinking no doubt that the country was subdued,
and that scarcely a dog was left in it that dare move his
tongue against them. But when haughty men say, Peace,
ponce ; lo, sudden destruction cometh ! Attacked after so
many victories they arc surprised and confounded: and it
being in the ni-ht, they could not tell but their assailants
might be ten times ujore numerous than they were. So
they flee in confusion, and were pursued from Dan even to

Gen. XIV.] Slaughter of the Kings. 109

Hobah in Syria, a distance, it is said, of fourscore miles.
In this battle, Chedorlaomer, and the kings who were with
him, were all slain. Abram's object, however, was the
recovery of Lot and his family ; and having accomplished
this, he is satisfied. It is surprising that amidst all this
confusion and slaughter, their lives should be preserved ;
yet so it was ; and he with his property, and family, and
all the other captives taken with him, are brought safe back
again. It was ill for Lot to be found among the Sodomites;
but it was well for the Sodomites that he was so, else they
had been ruined before they were.

Ver. 17 — '24. This expedition of Abram and his friends,
excited great attention among the Canaanites. At the
very time when all must have been given up for lost, lo,
they are, without any effort of their own, recovered, and
the spoilers spoiled ! The little victorious band, now
returning in peace, are hailed by every one that meets

them nay, the kings of the different cities go forth

to congratulate them, and thank them as the deliverers
of the country. If Abram had been of the disposition of
those marauders whom he had defeated, he would have
followed up his victory, and made himself master of
the whole country, which he might probably have done
with ease in their present enfeebled and scattered condition.
But thus did not Abram, because of the fear of God.

In the valley of Shaveh, not far from Jerusalem, he was
met and congratulated by the king of Sodom, who by
some means had escaped in the day of battle, when so
many of his people were slain. He was also met in the
same place, and at the same time, by another king, of high
character in the Scriptures, though but rarely mentioned ;
viz. Melchisedek king of Salem. He came not only to
congratulate the conquerors, but brought forth bread and
wine to refresh them after their long fatigues

The sacred historian having here met with what I may
call a lily among thorns, stops, as it were, to describe it.
Let us stop with him, and observe the description. — Men-

110 Slaughter of the Kings. [Dis. 21.

tioii is made of this singular man only in three places; viz.
here, in the 1 1 0th Psalm, and in the seventh chapter of
the epistle to the Hebrews. He is held up in the two
latter places as an eminent type of the Messiah. Three
things may be remarked concerning him:— (1.) He was
doubtU'ss a very holy man ; and if a Canaanite by descent,
it furnishes a proof among many others, that the curse on
Canaan did not shut the door of faith upon his individual
descendents. There never Mas an age or country in
which lu! that feared God, and worked righteousness, was
not accepted. — (2.) He was a personage in whom was united
the kingly and priestly offices, and as such was a type of
the Messiah, and greater than Abram himself. Under the
former of these characters, he was by interpretation " king
of righteousness, and king of peace ;" and under the latter
was distinguished as the " priest of the Most High God."
This singular dignity conferred upon a descendent of
Canaan shews that God delights, on various occasions, to put
more abundant honour upon the part that lacketh. — (3.)
He was what he was, considered as a priest, not by in-
heritance^ hut bi/ an immediate divine constitution. Though
as a man he was born like other men, yet as a priest he
was "without father, without mother, without descent,
having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made
like unto the Son of God, abidmg a priest continually."
That is, neither his father, nor his mother, were of a sacer-
dotal family: he derived his office from no predecessor,
and delivered it up to no successor, but was himself an
order of priesthood. It is in this respect that he was
•• made like unto the Son of God;" who also was a priest,
not after the manner of the sons of Aaron, by descent
from their predecessors ; for he descended from Judah, of
which tribe Moses said nothing concerning priesthood;
but aflir the similitude of Melehisedek, that is, by an im-
ine<liato <iivine constitution, or as the New Testament
writer expresses it, "by the word of the oath ;" and "con-
tinuing ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood."

Gen. XIV.] Slaughter of the Kings. Ill

Ver. 19, 20. Melchisedek being " priest of the most
high God," he in that character blessed Abram. It be-
longed to the priests by divine appointment to bless the
people. In this view the blessing of Melchisedek would
contain more than a personal well-wishing : it would be
prophetic. In pronouncing it, he would set his official
seal to what God had done before him. It is not unlikely
that he might know Abram previous to this, and be well
acquainted with his being the favourite of heaven, in
whom all the nations of the earth were to be blessed, and
to whose posterity God had promised the land of the
Canaanites: and if so, his blessing him in so solemn a
manner implies his acquiescence in the Divine will, even
though it would be at the expense of his ungodly coun-
trymen. His speaking of the Most High God as possessor
of heaven and earth, would seem to intimate as much as
this, as it recognizes the principle on which the right of
Abram's posterity to possess themselves of Canaan
depended. There is much heart in the blessing. We see
the good man, as well as the priest of the most high God
in it: from blessing Abram, it rises to the blessing of
Abram's God for all the goodness conferred upon him.

In return for this solemn blessing, Abram "gave him
tithes of all." This was treating him in character, and
in fact presenting the tenth of his spoils as an offering to
God.

Ver. 21. All this time the king of Sodom stood by,
and heard what passed ; but it seems without feeling any
interest in it. What passed between these two great
characters appears to have made no impression upon him.
He thought of nothing, and cared for nothing, but what
respected himself. He could not possibly claim any right
to what was recovered, either of persons or things : yet he
asks for the former, and speaks in a manner as if he
would be thought not a little generous in relinquishing the
latter.

Ver. 22, 23. Abram knew the man, and his communi-

112 Slaughter of the Kings, [Dis. 21.

cations; and perceiving his affected generosity, gave him
to undtTstand tliat he had already decided, and had even
sworn in the presence of the Most High God, what he
would do in respect of that part of the spoils which had
previously belonged to him. Abram knew full well that
the man who afi'ected generosity in relinquishing what was
not his own, would go on to boast of it, and to reflect on
him as though he shone in borrowed plumes. No, says
the i^atriarch, " I will not take, from a thread even to a
shoc-lachet, that which was thine, save that which the
young men have eaten, and the portion of Aner, Eschol,-
and Mamre," his allies.

In this answer of Abram we may observe, besides the
above, several particulars : —

1. The character under which he had sworn to God:
"Jehovah, the Most High God, the possessor of heaven
and earth." Tiie first of these names was that by which
God was made known to Abram, and still more to his
posterity.* The last was that which had been just given
to him by Melchisedek, and which appears to have made
a strong impression on Abram's mind. By uniting them
together, he in a manner acknowledged Melchisedek's God
to be his God ; and while reproving the king of Sodom,
expressed his love to him as to a brother.

•i. His having decided the matter before the king of
Sodom met him, as it seems he had, implies something
highly dishonourable in the character of that prince. He

• What Moses suys in Exod. vi. 3, that God appeared to Abram,
laaac, and Jacob in the name of God AlmUjlUij ; but that by his name
Jr.iiovAii he was not known to them, cannotbe understood absolutely.
It d<H'<« not apj)rar however to have been used among the patriarchs in
no iK-culiar u Hcnsc, as it was after the times of Moses among the
l«nu'lite». From thence, it seems very generally to denote the
•jH-rilir name of the (Jod and King of Israel. In this view we per-
ceive the force and propriety of such language as the following:—
•• Jkhovah ih our judge, Jehovah is our lawgiver, Jehovah is our
king-Oh Jkhovah, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the
earth!" Isai. xxxiii. 2*2. I'sal. viii. 1 9.

Gen. XIV.] Slaughter of the Kings- \\B

must have been well known to Abram as a vain, boasting,
unprincipled man, or he would not have resolved in so
solemn a manner to preserve himself clear from the very sha-
dow of an obligation to him. And considering the polite and
respectful manner in which it was common for this patri-
arch to conduct himself towards his neighbours, there
must have been something highly offensive in this case to
draw from him so cutting and dismaying an intimation.
It is not unlikely that he had thrown out some malignant
insinuations against Lot, and his old wealthy uncle, on the
score of their religion. If so, Abram would feel happy in
an opportunity of doing good against evil, and thus of
heaping coals of fire upon his head.

The reason why he would not be under the shadow of
an obligation, or any thing which might be construed an
obligation to him, was not so much a regard to his own
honour, but the honour of him in whose name he had
sworn. Abram's God has blessed him, and promised to
bless him more, and make him a blessing. Let it not be
said by his enemies, that with all his blessedness, it is of
our substance that he is what he is. No, Abram can trust
in "the possessor of heaven and earth" to provide for
him, without being beholden to the king of Sodom.

3. His excepting the portion of the young men who
were in league with him, shews a just sense of propriety.
In giving up our own right, we are not at liberty to give
awaj^ that which pertains to others connected witli us.

Upon the whole, this singular undertaking would raise
Abram much in the estimation of the Canaanites, and
might possibly procure a little more respect to Lot. It
had been better in the latter, however, if he had taken
this opportunity to have changed his dwelling place.

14

DISCOURSE XXIL

Abram Justified by Faith.
Genesis xv. 1 — 6.

AiiUAM was the fatlier of the faithful, the example or
pattcni of all after believers: and perhaps no man, upon
t lie whole, had greater faith. It seems to have been the
design of God, in almost all his dealings with him, to put
his faith to the trial. In most instances it appeared unto
praise, though in some it seemed to fail him.

Ver. 1. Several years had elapsed, perhaps eight or
nine, since God had first made promise to him concerning
his seed; and now he is about eighty years old, and Sarai
is seventy, and he has no child. He must yet live upon
assurances and promises, without any earthly prospects. —
He is indulged with a vision, in which God appears to
him, saying, " Fear not, Abram : I am thy shield, and
thy exceeding great reward." This is certainly very full,
and very encouraging. If after having engaged the kings,
he had any <• fears" of the war being renewed, this would
allay them. Who shall harm those to whom Jehovah is a
" shield ?" Or if, on having no child, he had fears at times
lest all should prove a blank, this would meet them. What
can be wanting to those who have God for their *' exceed-
ing gr(!at reward ?*' Abram had not availed himself of his
late victory to ])rocure in Canaan so much as a place to
Hct his foot oil ; but he shall lose nothing by it. God has
Komething greater in reserve for him : God himself will
he his reward, not only as he is of all believers, but in a
Hc-nse peculiar to himself; he shall be the father of the
church, and the " heir of the world."

Ver. i>, :j. W1,„ ^vould have thought, amidst these
exceeding great and precious promises, that Abram's faith

Gen. XV.] Justification by Faith. 115

should seem to fail him ? Yet so it is. The promise, to
be sure, is great and full ; but he has heard much the
same things before, and there are no signs of its accom-
plishment. This works within him in a way of secret an-
guish, which he presumes to express before the Lord
almost in the language of objection : " Lord God, what
wilt thou give me ?" Thou speakest o^ giving thy servant
this and that .... but I shall soon be past receiving it ... .
I go childless. This Eliezer of Damascus is a good and
faithful servant ; but that is all ... , Must I make him my
heir ; and are the promises to be fulfilled at last in an
adopted son.

Ver. 4 — 6. God in mercy to the patriarch condescends
to remove his doubts on this subject, assuring him that his
heir should descend from his own body ; yet he must con-
tinue to live upon promises. These promises, however,
are confirmed by a sign. He is led abroad from his tent
in the night-time, and shewn the stars of heaven ; which
when he had seen, the Lord assured him, " So shall thy
seed be." And now his doubts are removed. He is no
longer weak, but strong in faith : he staggers not through
unbelief, but is fully persuaded that what God has pro-
mised, he is able to perform. And therefore, it was im-
puted to him for righteousness*

Much is made of this passage by the apostle Paul,
in establishing the doctrine of justification by faith; and
much has been said by others, as to the meaning of both
him and Moses. One set of expositors, considering it as
extremely evident that by faith is here meant the act of
believing, contend for this as our justifying righteousness.
Faith, in their account, seems to be imputed to us for
righteousness by a kind of gracious compromise, in which
God accepts of an imperfect, instead of a perfect obedi-
ence. Another set of expositors, jealous for tlie honour
of free grace, and of the righteousness of Christ, contend

* Rom. iv. 19—22.

110 Justification hy Faith, [Dis. 22.

that the faith of Aliram is here to be taken ohjectivelyM
the rigliteousness of Christ believed in. To me it appears
that both tliese expositions are forced. To establish the
doctrine of justification by the righteousness of Christ, it
is not necessary to maintain that the faith of Abram
moans Christ in whom he believed. Nor can this be
maintained : for it is manifestly the same thing, in the
account of the apostle Paul, as believing,* which is
verv distinct from the object believed in. The truth
appears to be this : It is faith, or believing, that is counted
for righteousness ; not however as a righteous act, or Ton
account of any inherent virtue contained in it, but in
respect of Christ, on ivhose righteousness it terminates.^

That we may form a clear idea, both of the text and
the doctrine, let the following particulars be considered.

1 . Though Abram believed God when he left Ur of the
Chaklees,:}: yet his faith in that instance is not mentioned
in connexion with his justification ; nor does the apostle,
cither in his epistle to the Romans, or in that to the
Galatians, argue that doctrine from it, or hold it up as an
example of justifying faith. I do not mean to suggest, that
Abram was then in an unjustified state ; but that the
instance of his faith which was thought proper by the
Holy Si)irit to be selected as the model for believing for
justification, was not this, nor any other of the kind; but
those only in which there was an immediate respect had to
the person of the Messiah. The examples of faith referred
to in both tliese epistles, are taken from his believing the
|)romises relative to his seed ; in which seed, as the apos-
tle observes, Christ was included.§ Though Christians
may believe in (iod with respect to the common concerns
of this life, and such faith may ascertain their being in a
justified .state; yet tlii.s is not, strictly speaking, the faith
by wliieh they are justified, which invariably has respeet to

• Rom. iv. 5. t Culvin's Inst. Hk. iii. di. xi. § 7. \ Heb. xi. 8.
§ Rom. iv. 11. Gul. iii. 16.

Gen. XV.] Justification by Faith. II7

the person and work of Christ, Abram believed in God
2ls promisiiig Christ: they believe in him as having raised
him from the dead, " By him, all that' believe, (that is, in
him,) are justified from all things, from which they could
not be justified by the law of Moses.'' — It is through yaeV/^
in his blood that they obtain remission of sins— He is just,
and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus,*

2. This distinction, so clearly perceivable both in the
Old and New Testament, suflliciently decides in what sense
faith is considered as justifying. Whatever other proper-
ties the magnet may possess, it is as pointing invariably to
the north that it guides the mariner : so whatever other
properties faith may possess, it is 2ls pointing to Christ, and
bringing us into union with him, that it justfies.f It is
not that for the sake of which we are accepted of God;
for if it were, justification by faith could not be opposed to
justification by works, nor would boasting be excluded ;
neither would there be any meaning in its being said to be
by faith, that it might be of grace : but believing in Christ,
we are considered by the Lawgiver of the world as one
with him, and so are forgiven and accepted for his sake.
Hence it is, that to be justified by faith is the same thing
as to be justified bg the blood of Christ, or made righteous
by his obedience.-^ Faith is jnot the grace wherein we
stand, but that by which we have access to it.§ Thus it
is, that the healing of various maladies is ascribed, in the
New Testament, to faith : not that the virtue which caused
the cures, proceeded from this as it proper cause ; but this
was a necessary concomitant to give the parties access to
the power and grace of the Saviour, by which only they
were healed.

3. The phrase, " counted it for righteousness,' does
not mean that God thought it to be what it was, which

* Rom. iv. 24. Acts xiii. 39. Rom. iii. 25, 26.
t Rom. viii. 1. 1 Cor. i. 30. Phil. iii. 9.
i Rom. Y. 9, 19. § Rom. v. 2.

inj Justification by Faith. [Dis. 22.

would have been merely an act of justice; but his gra-
ciously reckoning it what in itself it was not; viz. a
ground for the bestowment of covenant blessings. Even
in the case of Pliinehas, of whom the same phrase is used
in reference to his zeal for God, it has this meaning: for
one single act of zeal, whatever may be said of it, could not
entitle him, and his posterity after him, to the honour con-
ferred upon tiiem.* And with respect to the present case,
" the phrase, as the apostle uses it, (says a great writer)
manifestly imports, that God of his sovereign grace, is
pleased, in his dealings with the sinner, to take and regard
that which indeed is not righteousness, and in one who has
no righteousness, so that the consequence shall be the same
as if he had righteousness, and which may be from the re-
spect which it hears to something which is indeed righteous-
ness.' f The faith of Abram, though of a holy nature, yet
contained nothing in itself ^t for a justifying righteousness :
all the adaptedness which it possessed to that end was the
respect which it had to the Messiah, on whom it terminated.^
4. Though faith is not our justifying righteousness, yet
it is a necessary concomitant, and mean of justification ;
and being the grace which above all others honours Christ,

• Psal. cvi. 31. compared with Num. xxv. 12, 13.

T President Edivarda's Sermons on Justification ; Dis. i. p, 9.

{ From the above remarks,*we may be able to solve an apparent
difficulty in tlie case of Cornelius. He "feared God," and "his
alms and prayers came up for a memorial before God;" he must
therefore have been at that time in a state of salvation .• yet after this
he was directed to send for Peter, who should " tell him words by
which he and all his house should be saved." (Acts x. 2, 4. xi. 14.)
Wliat .\bratn wasin respect of justification before he heard and
believed what was promised him concerning the Messiah, Cornelius
vfOH in respect of salvation before he had heard and believed the
words by which he was to be saved. Both were the subjects of faith
according' to their light. Abram believed from the time that be left Ur
of the Chuhlees; (Ilcb. xi. 8.) and Cornelius could not have "feared
God" witliout believing in liim : but the object by which they were
juitified and saved, was not from the first so clearly revealed to them
M it was afterwards.

Gen. XV.] Justification by Faith. 119

it is that which above all others God deliglits to honour.
Hence it is that justification is ascribed to it, rather than
to the righteousness of Christ without it. Our Saviour
might have said to Bartimeus, * Go thy way, / have made
thee whole.' This would have been truth, but not the
whole of truth which it was his design to convey. The
necessity of faith in order to healing would not have ap-
peared from this mode of speaking, nor had any honour
been done, or encouragement given to it : but by his say-
ing, " Go thy way, thij faith hath made thee whole," eacli
of these ideas is conveyed. Christ would omit mentioning
his own honour, as knowing that faith having an immedi-
ate respect to him, amply provided for it.

DISCOURSE XXIII.

Renewal of promises to Abram.
Genesis xv. 7 — 21,

Ver. 7. The Lord having promised Abram a numerous
offspring, goes on to renew the promise of the land of Ca-
naan for an inheritance ; and this by a reference to what
had been said to him when he first left the land of the
Chaldees. It is God's usual way, in giving a promise, to
refer to former promises of the same thing, which would
shew him to be of one mind, and intimate that he had
not forgotten him, but was carrying on his designs of
mercy towards him.

Ver. 8. Abram, however, ventures to ask for a sign by
which he may know that by his posterity he shall inherit the
land. This request does not appear to have arisen from
unbelief ; but having lately experienced the happy effects
of a sign, (ver. 5.) he hopes thereby to be better armed
against it.

Ver. 9. The purport of the answer seems to be, * Bring

120 Promises to Abram, [Dis. 23.

me an offering, which I will accept at thy hand, and this
shall be the sign.' It is in condescension to our weakness
that the Lord has given us sensible signs, as in the
ordinance of baptism and the Supper in addition to his
promises. If it were desirable to Abram to know that he
should inherit the earthly Canaan, it must be much more
so to us to know that we shall inherit the heavenly
Canaan; and God is willing that the heirs of promise
should on this subject have strong consolation, and there-
fore has confirmed his word with an oath.

Ver. 10. Abram, obedient to the Divine command,
takes of the first and best of his animals for a sacrifice.
Their being divided in the midst was the usual form of
sacrificing when a covenant was to be made. Each of the
parties passed between the parts of the animals; q. d.
thus may I be cut asunder, if I break this covenant !
This was called, making a covenant by sacrifice* This
process therefore, it appears, was accompanied with a
solemn covenant between the Lord and his servant Abram.

Ver. 11. Having made ready the sacrifices, he waited,
perhaps, for the fire of God to consume them, which was
the usual token of acceptance ; but meanwhile the birds
of prey came down upon them, which he was obliged to
drive away. Interruptions, we see, attend the father of
the faithful in his most solemn approaches to God; and
interruptions of a different kind attend believers in theirs.
How often do intruding cares, like unclean birds, seize
upon thiit tinif, and those affections, which are devoted to
God ! Hapi)y is it for us, if by prayer and watchfulness,
we can drive them away, so as to worship him M^ithout
distraction.

Ver. 12 — I(j. By the account taken together, it ap-
pears as if this was a day which Abram dedicated wholly
to God. His first vision was before day-light, while the
stars were yet to be seen : in the morning he prepares

• Jer. x.vxiv. 18, 19. Psal. 1.5.

Gen. XV.] Promises to Abram. 121

the sacrifices, and while he is waiting, the sun goes down,
and no immediate answer is given him. At this time he
falls into a deep sleep, and now we may expect that God
will answer him as he had done before, " by vision.'' But
what kind of vision is it ? Not like that which he had be-
fore; but "lo an horror of great darkness falls upon him."
This might be designed in part to impress his mind with
an awful reverence of God ; for those who rejoice in him
must rejoice with trembling: and partly to give him what
he had asked for, a sig?i ; not merely that his seed should
inherit the land^ but of the way in which this promise
should be accomplished; namely, by their first going
down and enduring great affliction in Egypt. The light
must be preceded by darkness. Such appears to be the
interpretation given of it in the words which follow:
" Know of a surety, that thy seed shall be a stranger in a
land that is not theirs, and shall serve them, and they shall
afflict them four hundred years.''* Egypt is not named,
for prophecy requires to be delivered with some degree of
obscurity, or it might tend to defeat its own design : but
the thing is certain, and God will in the end avenge their
cause. It is remarkable how the prophecies gradually
open and expand, beginning with what is general, and pro-
ceeding to particulars. Abram had never had so much
revealed to him before, as to times and circumstances.
He is given to understand that these things shall not take
place in his day; but that he should first ''go to his
fathers," and that " in peace, and be buried in a good old
age;" but that "in the fourth generation" after their
going down, they should return. It is enough to die such
a death as this, though we see not all the promises fulfilled.
The reason given for their being so long ere they were

« These four hundred years are reckoned by Ainsworth to have
commenced from the time of Isaac's being weaned, when the son of
Hagar, the Egyptian, mocked. So that as soon as Abram's seed,
according to the promise, was bom, he began to be afflicted, and that
by one of iiJ^y/i^ia^ extraction.

G

\'ll

Promises to Abram. [Dis. 23.

accomplished, is, that " the iniquity of the Amorites was
not yet full." There is a fitness in all God's proceedings,
and, a wonderful fulness of design, answering many ends
by one and the same event. The possession of Canaan was
to Israel a promised good, but to the Canaanites a threat-
ened evil. It is deferred towards both till each be
prepared for it. As there is a time when God's promises
to his people are ripe for accomplishment, so there is a
time when his forbearance towards the wicked shall cease,
and they often prove to be the same. The fall of Babylon
was the deliverance of Judah ; and the fall of another
Babylon will be the signal for the kingdoms of this world
becoming the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ.

Ver. 17. After this, when the sun was set, and it was
dark, Abram, perhaps still in vision, has the sign repeated
in another form. He sees a '^ smoking furnace," and a
" burning lamp." The design of these, as well as the
otlier, seems to be to show him what should take place
hereafter. The former was an emblem of the affliction
wliich his posterity should endure in Eygpt, that " iron
furnace;"* and the latter might denote the light that
should arise to them in their darkness. If, like the pillar
of fire in the wilderness, it were an emblem of the divine
Majesty, its " passing through" the parts of the divided
sacrifices would denote God's entering into covenant with
his servant Abram, and that all the mercy which should
come upon his posterity would be in virtue of it.

\iT. 18. That which had been hinted under a figure,
is now declared in express language. **The same day
,I('!iovah made a covenant \\\i\\ Abram," making over to
Ijis posterity, as by a solemn deed of gift, the whole land
in which ho then was, defining with great accuracy its
jxact l)()un(iaries ; and this notwithstanding the afflictions
which tlic y sliould undergo in Egypt. Thus the burning
Inmpwoiihl succeed and dispel the darkness of the smok-
ing furnace.

• Deut. iv. 2().

123

DISCOURSE XXIV.

Sarais crooked policy for the accomplishment of the
Promise,

Genesis xvi.

Ver. 1 — 3. We have had several renewals of promises
to Abram ; but as yet no performance of them. Ten
years had elapsed in Canaan, and things remained as they
were. Now, though Abram's faith had been strengthened,
yet that of Sarai fails. At her time of life, she thinks,
there is no hope of seed in the ordinary way : if therefore
the promise be fulfilled, it must be in the person of
another. And having a handmaid whose name was
Hagar, she thinks of giving her to Abram to wife. Un-
belief is very prolific of schemes; and surely this of
Sarai is as carnal, as foolish, and as fruitful of domestic
misery as could almost have been devised. Yet such was
the influence of evil counsel, especially from such a quarter,
that *^ Abram hearkened to her voice.'' The father
of mankind sinned by hearkening to his wife, and now
the father of the faithful follows his example. How
necessary for those who stand in the nearest relations, to
take heed of being snares instead of helps one to another!
It was a double sin : first, of distrust; and secondly, of
deviation from the original law of marriage, and which
seems to have opened a door to polygamy. We never
read of two wives before, except those of Laraech, who
was of the descendents of Cain ; but here tlie practice is
coming into the church of God. Two out of three of
the patriarchs go into it ; yet neither of them of their
their own accord. There is no calculating in how many
instances this ill example has been followed, or how great
a matter this little lire kindled. The plea used by Sarai
in this affair shews how easy it is to err by a misconstruc-

G 2

124 Sarais crooked Policy, [Dis. 24.

tion of providence, and following that as a rule of conduct,
instead of God's revealed will. ^' The Lord (says she)
hath restrained me from bearing :" and therefore I must
contrive other means for the fulfilment of the promise!
But why not enquire of the Lord ? As in the crowning of
Adonijah, the proper authority was not consulted.

Ver. 4, 5. The consequence was what might have been
expected: the young woman is elated with the honour
done her, and her mistress is despised in her eyes. And
now, when it is too late, Sarai repents, and complains to
her husband ; breaking out into intemperate language^
accusing him as the cause, as though he must needs have
secretly encouraged her : " My wrong be upon thee !"
Nor did she stop here; but taking it for granted that her
husband would not hear her, goes on to appeal to God
Jiimsclf: " The Lord judge between me and thee I"
Those who are first in doing wrong, are often first in
complaining of the effects, and in throwing the blame
upon others. Loud and passionate appeals to God, in-
stead of indicating a good cause, are commonly the marks
of a bad one.

Ver. G. Abram on this vexing occasion is meek and
gentle. He had learned that a soft answer turneth away
wrath ; and therefore he refrained from upbraiding his
wiff, as \m might easily have done, preferring domestic
peace to the vindication of himself, and the placing of the
biiune where it ought to have laid. It is doubtful however »
whether he did not yield too much in this case: for
tliough, according to the custom of those times, Hagar
was his wife only with respect to cohabitation, and Mithout
dividing the power with Sarai; yet she was entitled to
protection, and sjiould not have been given up to the will
of one who on this occasion manifested nothing but
jealousy, pjLssion, and caprice. But he seems to have
l>een brouglit into a situation wherein he was at a loss
what tp do; and thus, as Sarai is punished for tempting
him, he also is punished with a disordered house for

Gen XVI.] Sarai's crooked Policy. 125

having yielded to the temptation. And now Sarai,
incited by revenge, deals hardly with Hagar ; much more
so, it is likely, than she ought : for though the young
woman might have acted vainly and sinfully, yet her
mistress is far from being a proper judge of the punish-
ment which she deserved. The consequence is, as might
be expected, she leaves the family, and goes into a wilder-
ness. Indeed it were "better to dwell in a wilderness
than with a contentious and angry woman." But as Sarai
and Abram had each reaped the fruits of their sin, Hagar
in her turn reaps the fruit of hers. If creatures act
disorderly, God will act orderly and justly in dealing
with them.

Ver. 7, 8. Hagar however, though an Egyptian, shall
reap advantage from her connexion with Abram's
family. Other heathens might have brought themselves
into trouble, and been left to grapple with it alone ; but to
her an angel from heaven is sent, to direct and relieve her.
Bending her course towards Egypt, her native country,
and tinding a spring of water in the wilderness, she sat
down by it to refresh herself. While in this situation,
she hears a voice, saying, " Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence
comest thou; and whither wilt thou go?" She would
perceive by this language that she was known, and con-
clude that it was no common voice that spoke to her.
He that spoke to her is called " the angel of the Lord : '
yet he afterwards says, " / will multiply thy seed exceed-
ingly." It seems therefore not to have been a created
angel, but the same divine personage who frequently
appeared to the fathers. In calling Hagar " Sarai's
maid," he seems tacitly to disallow of the marriage, and
to lead her mind back to that humble character which
jshe had formerly sustained. The questions put to her
were close, but tender, and such as were fitly addressed to
a person fleeing from trouble. The first might be
answered, and was answered : " I flee from the face of
my mistress Sarai." But with respect to the last, she is

120 Sarai's crooked Policy. [Dis. 24.

silent. We know our present grievances, and so can tell
" whence we came," much better than our future lot, or
«< whither we are going." In many cases, if the truth
were sjjoken, the answer would be, from bad to worse. —
At j)resent, this poor young woman seems to have been
actuated by mere natural principles, those of fleeing from
misery. In all her trouble, there appears nothing like
true religion, or committing her way to the Lord : yet
she is sought out of him whom she sought not.

Ver. 9, 10. The counsel of God here was, to return
and submit. Wherefore? She had done wrong in^
despising her mistress, and must now be humbled for it.
Hard as this might appear, it was the counsel of wisdom
and mercy : a connexion with the people of God, with
all their faults, is far preferable to the best of this world,
where God is unknown. If we have done wrong,
whatever temptations or provocations we may have met
»vitlit *hc onW wnv to peace and happiness is to retrace
our footsteps, in repentance and submission. — For her
encouragement, she is given to expect a portion of
Abram's blessing, of which she must have often heard,
namely, a numerous offspring : and by the manner in
which this was promised, "/ will multiply thy seed," she
would perceive that the voice which spake to her was no
other than that of Abram's God.

Ver. n. With respect to the child of which she
was then pregnant, it is foretold that it should be a son,
and that his name should be called Ishmael, God shall
lunr, from the circumstance of God having " heard her
alHiction." God is not said to have heard her prayer ;
for it does not appear that she as yet had ever called
upon his name : she merely sat bewailing herself, as not
knowing what would become of her. Yet lo, the ear of
mercy is open to afHiction itself! The groans of the
prisionor arc; heard of God ; not only theirs who cry unto
him, but in many cases, theirs who do not.

\iY. \1. Tiie child is also characterized, as "a wild

Gen. XVI.] Sarais crooked Policy. 127

man;" a bold and daring character, living by his bow
in the wilderness, and much engaged in war ; " his hand
being (as it were) against every man, and every man's
hand against him:" yet that he should maintain his
ground notwithstanding, " dwelling in the presence of all
his brethren," and dying at last in peace.* Nor was this
prophecy merely intended to describe Ishraael, but his
posterity. Bishop Newton, in his dissertations on the
prophecies, has shewn that such has been the character
of the Arabians, who descended from him, in all ages;
a wild and warlike people, who under all the conquests
of other nations- by the great powers of the earth, re-
mained unsubdued.

Ver. 13, 14. The effect of this divine appearance on
Hagar, was to bring her to the knowledge and love of
God : the account, at least, wears such an aspect. She,
who, for any thing that appears, had never prayed before,
now addresses herself to the angel who spake to her, and
whom she considers as "Jehovah;" calling him by an
endearing name, the meaning of which is, thou God seest
me. She did not mean by this to acknowledge his
Omniscience, so much as his mercy, in having beheld and
pitied her affliction. On his withdrawing, she seems to
have '' looked after him,'' with faith, and hope, and
affectionate desire ; and reflecting upon what had passed,
is overcome with the goodness of God towards her,
exclaiming, " Have I also here looked after him that seeth
me !" It was great mercy for God to have looked on her,
and heard her afflictive moans; but it was greater to
draw her heart to " look after him ;" and greater still that
he should do it here, in the wilderness, when she had lived
so many years where prayer was v^ont to be made, in
vain. Under the influence of these impressions, she calls
the well by which she sat down, " Beer-lahai— roi," a
name which would serve as a memorial of the mercy.

* See chap. xxv. 17, 18,

128 SaraVs crooked Policy. [Dis. 24.

Let this well, as if she had said, be called Jehovah's well,
t/ie well of him that iiveth, and seeth me ! Tims God in
mercy sets that right, which, through human folly, had
been thrown into disorder. Hagar returns and submits,
bears Abram a son when he is fourscore and six years old,
and he, on being informed of the prophecy which went
before, called his name Ishmael.

DISCOURSE XXV.

God's covenant with Abram and his seed.
Genesis xvii.

Thirteen years elapse, of which nothing is recordedo
Hagar is submissive to Sarai, and Ishmael is growing up ;
but as to Abram, things after all wear a doubtful aspect.
J t is true God hath given him a son ; but no intimations of
his being the son of promise. No divine congratulations
attend his birth ; but on the contrary, Jehovah, who had
been used to manifest himself with frequency and freedom,
now seems to carry it reservedly to his servant. It is some-
tliing like the thing which he had believed in ; but not the
thing itself. He has seen, as it were, a wind, a fire, and
an earthquake ; but the Lord is not in them.

Vek. I. After this, when he was ninety-nine years
old, the Lord again appeared to him, and reminded him
of a truth wliich he needed to have re-impressed ; namely,
his A/mlf/hfi/ power. It was not for want of considering
this, tliat he had had recourse to crooked devices in order
to accomplish the promise. This truth is followed by
an admonition ; " Walk before me and be thou perfect;"
and which admonition implies a serious reproof. It was
lik«.' saying, « Have recourse no more to unbelieving
expedients : keep thou the path of uprightness, and leave
nie to fulfil my i)romise in the time and manner that seem
good to nm V What a lesson is here afforded us, never to

Gen. XVII.] Covenant with Abram. 129

use unlawful means under the pretence of being more
useful, or promoting the cause of God. Our concern is
to walk before him, and be upright, leaving him to bring
to pass his own designs in his own way.

Ver. 2, 3. Abram having been admonished, the pro-
mise is renewed to him; and the time drawing near
in which the seed should be born, the Lord declares his
mind to make a solemn covenant with him, and to multiply
him exceedingly. Such language denotes great kindness
and condescension, with large designs of mercy. Abram
was so much affected with it as to " fall on his face," and
in that posture " the Lord talked with him."

Ver. 4 — 6. It is observable that the last time in which
mention is made of a covenant with Abram,* God made
over to his posterity the land of Canaan for a possession :
but the design of this is more extensive, dwelling more
particularly on their being " multiplied and blessed."
The very idea of a covenant is expressive of peace and
good will;f and in this, and some other instances, it is
not confined to the party, but extends to others for his
sake. Thus, as we have seen, God made a covenant of
peace, which included the preservation of the world ; but
it was with one man, even Noah, and the world was pre-
served for his sake.J And the covenant in question is
one that shall involve great blessings to the world in all
future ages : yet it is not made with the world, but with
Abram. God will give them blessings ; but it shall be
through him. Surely these things were designed to
familiarize the great principle on which our salvation
should rest. It was the purpose of God to save perishing
sinners ; yet his covenant is not originally with them, but
with Christ. With him it stands fast ; and for his sake
they are accepted and blessed. Even the blessedness of
Abram himself, and all the rewards conferred on him,
were for his sake. He was justified, as we have seen, not

* Gen. XV. 18. f Ch. xxvi. 28. xxx. 44. f Ch. vi. 18.

g3

130 Covenant %oith Abram. [Dis. 25.

by liis own righteousness, but by faith in the promised
Messiah.

Moreover : A covenant being a solemn agreement, and
indicating a design to walk together in amity, it was pro-
per there should be an understanding, as we should say,
between the parties. When Israel came to have a king?
" Samuel told them the manner of the kingdom, and wrote
it in a book, and laid it before the Lord." Thus as Abram
is about to commence the father of a family, who were to
be God's chosen people, it Mas fit at the outset that he
should not only be encouraged by promises, but directed
how lie and his descendents should conduct themselves.

The first promise in this covenant is, that he shall be
"the father of many nations;" and as a token of it, his
name in future is to be called Abraham, He had the
name of a high or eiwmewt father , from the beginning ; but
now it shall be more comprehensive, indicating a very
large progeny. By the exposition given of this promise
in the New Testament,* we are directed to understand it
not only of those who sprang from Abraham's body,
though these were many nations ; but also of all that should
be *'of the faith of Abraham." It went to make him the
father of the church of God in all future ages ; or as the
Apostle calls him, " the heir of the world." In this view
he is tin? father of many, even of "a multitude of nations."
All that the Christian world enjoys, or ever Mill enjoy, it is
indcibted for it to Abraham and his seed. A high honour
this,, to be the lather of the Faithful, the stock from which
the Messiah should spring, and on which the church of
find should grow. It was this honour that Esau despised,
wImmi he sold iiis birth-right ; and here lay the profaneness
of that act, MJiich involved a contempt of the most sacred
of all objects,— the Messiah, and his everlasting king-
dom I

Vcr. 7— 14, Tlic covenant Mith Abraham Mas not con-

• Koin. iv. IG, 17.

Gen. XVII.] Comnmit with Ahram. 131

fined, as has been observed already, to his own person, but
extended to his posterity after him in their generations.
To ascertain the meaning of this promise, we can proceed
on no ground more certain than fact. It is fact, that God
in succeeding ages took the seed of Abraham to be a
peculiar people unto himself, above all other nations ; not
only giving them " the land of Canaan for a possession,"
but himself to be their God^ King, or temporal Governor.
Nor was this all : it was amongst them that he set up his
spiritual kingdom ; giving them his lively Oracles, sending
to them his prophets, and establishing amongst them his
holy worship ; which great advantages were, for many ages
in a manner confined to them : and what was still more, the
great body of those who were eternally saved, previously
to the coming of Christ, were saved from amongst them.
These things taken together were an immensely greater
favour than if they had all been literally made kings and
priests. Such then hemg the facts, it is natural to suppose
that such was the meaning of the promise.*

* As an Antipaedobapist I see no necessity for denying that spiri-
tual blessings were promised, in this general way, to the natural seed
of Abraham ; nor can it, I think, be fairly denied. The Lord en-
gaged to do that which he actually did ; namely, to take out of them
rather than other nations, a people for himself. This I suppose, is
the seed promised to Abraham, to which the apostle refers when he
says, " They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the
children of God ; but the children of the promise are counted for the
seed. (Rom, ix. 8.) By " the children of the promise " he did not
mean the elect in general, composed of Jews and Gentiles, but the
elect from amongst the Jews. Hence he reckons himself "an
Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, and the tribe of Benjamin," as a
living proof that " God had not cast away his people whom he fore-
knew." Rom. xi. 1, 2.

But I perceive not how it follows from hence, that God has pro-
mised to take a people from amongst the natural descendents of
believers, in distinction from others, What was promised to Abra-
ham, was neither promised nor fulfilled to every good man. Of the
posterity of his kinsman Lot, nothing good is recorded. It is true,
the labours of those parents who " bring up their children in the

132 Covenant with Abraham. [Dis. 25,

As a sign or token of this solemn covenant with Abra-
ham and his posterity, "every man-child amongst them
was required to be circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin ;"
and not only their own children, but those of their " ser-
vants, born in their house, or bought with their money."
This ordinance was the mark by which they were dis-
tinguisiied as a people in covenant with Jehovah, and which
bound them by a special obligation to obey him. Like
almo.<t all other positive institutions, it was also prefigura-
tive of mental purity, or " putting off the body of the sins
of tiie Hesh." A neglect of it subjected the party to a being-
cut off from his people, as having broken God's covenant

Ver. 15, 16. As Abram's name had been changed to
Abraham, a similar honour is conferred on Sarai, who in
future is be called Sarah, The difference of these
names is much the same as that of her husband, and
corresponds with what had been promised to them both
on this occasion. The former meant my princess, and was

nurture and admonition of the Lord," are ordinarily blessed to the
conversion of some of them ; and the same may be said of the
labours of faithful ministers, wherever providence stations them.
iiut as it does not follow in the one case, that the graceless inhabi-
tants arc more in covenant with God j than those of other places,
neither does it follow in the other, that the graceless ofFspring of
believers are more in covenant with God than those of unbelievers.
"New-Testament saints have nothing more to do with the Abrahamic
covenant than the Old-Testament believers who lived prior to Abra-
ham."

1 am aware that the words of the apostle in Gal. iii. 14, "the bless-
ing of Abraham is come on the Gentiles, through Jesus Christ," are
alleged in proof of the contrary. But the meaning of that passage,
I conceive, is not, that through Jesus Christ every believer becomes
an Abraham, tx father of the faithful : but that he is reckoned among
bis chihhen : not a slock, on which the future church should grow ;
but a bramh, partaking of the root and fatness of the olive-tree. So.
however, the context appears to explain it—" They which are of
faith are the children of faithful Abraham." Ver. 7.

Hut if it were granted, that the blessing of Abraham is so come on
the believing Gentiles, as not only to render them blessed as his
spiritual children, but to insure a people for God from amongst

Gen. XVII.] Covenaiit with Abraham. 133

expressive of high honour in her own family ; but the latter
a princess^ and denoted a more extensive honour, as it is
here expressed, a mother of nations." This honour con-
ferred on Sarai would correct an important error into
which both she and her husband had fallen ; imagining
that all hope was at an end, of a child being born of her;
and therefore, that if the promise were fulfilled, it must be
in Ishmael. But not only must Abram become Abraham,
**the father of many nations;" but Sarai Sarah, "the
motlier of nations ;" and this not by her handmaid, as she
had vainly imagined, but God would " give him a son also
of her, and kings of people should be ofher.^^

Ver. 17, 18. The effect of this unexpected promise on
Abraham was, that he "fell on hi§ face and laughed."
The term does not here indicate lightness, as we com-
monly use it ; but joy mingled with wonder and astonish-
ment. *' Shall a child be born (saith he) unto him that is
a hundred years old ? And Sarah, that is ninety years
old, bear?" In another case,* it implied a mixture of

their natural posterity, rather than from those of others ; yet it is not
as their natural posterity that they are individually entitled to any
one spiritual blessing; for this was more than was true of the natural
seed of Abraham. Nor do 1 see how it follows from hence, that
we are warranted to baptize them in their infancy. Abraham, it is
true, was commanded to circumcise his male children ; and if we had
been commanded to baptize our males, or females, or both, or any
example of the kind had been left in the New Testament, we should
be as much obliged to comply in the one case, as he was in the
other. But we do not think ourselves warranted to reason from
drcumcision to baptism ; from the circumcision of males to the
baptism of males and females; and from the circumcision of the
children of a nation, (the greater part of whom were unbelievers) and
of" servants born in the house, or bought with money," to the bap-
tism of the children of believers. In short, we do not think ourselves
warranted in matters of positive institution, to found our ])ractice on
analogies whether real or supposed : and still less on one so cir-
cuitous, dissonant, and uncertain as that in question. Our duty, we
conceive, is, in such cases, to follow the precepts and examples of
the dispensation under which we live.

* Chap, xviii. 12, 13.

134 Covenant with Abraham. [Dis. 25.

doubting; but not in this. Abraham believed God, and
was overcome with joyful surprise. — But a doubt immedi-
ately occurs, which strikes a damp upon his pleasure : ' the
promise of another son destroys all my expectations with
respect him who is already given !' Perhaps he must
die, to make room for the other ; or if not, he may be
another Cain, who went out from the presence of the
Lord. To what drawbacks are our best enjoyments
subject in this world ; and in many cases, owing to our
going before the Lord in our hopes and schemes of happi-
ness I When his plan comes to be put in execution, it inters
feres with ours ; and there can be no doubt, in such a case
which must give place. If Abraham had waited God's
time for the fuUilment of the pi*omise, it would not have
been accompanied with such an alloy : but having failed
in this, after all his longing desires after it, it becomes in a
manner unwelcome to him ! What can he do or say in so
delicate a situation ? Grace would say, Accept the Divine
promise with thankfulness. But nature struggles; the
bowels of the father are troubled for Ishraael. In this
^tate of mind he presumes to offer up a petition to heaven :
"Oh that Ishmael might live before thee I" Judging of
the import of this petition by the answer, it w^ould seem to
mean, either that God would condescend to withdraw his
promise of another son, and let Ishmael be the person ; or
if tliat cannot be, that his life might be spared, and himself
and his posterity bo amongst the people of God, sharing
th(! blessing, or being "heir with him"* who should be
born of Sarah. To live, and to live before God, according
to the usual acceptation of the phrase, could not I think,
mean less than one or other of these things. It was very
lawful for him to desire the temi)oral and spiritual welfare
iA' his son, and of his posterity after him, in submission to
the will (jf (;od : but in a case wherein natural aifection

' See chap. xxi. 10.

Gen. XVI i.] Covenant with Ahraham. 135

appeared to clash with God's revealed designs, he must
have felt himself in a painful situation : and the recollection
that the whole was owing to his own and Sarai's unbelief,
would add to his regret.

Ver. 19—27. As Abraham's petition seemed to contain
an implied wish that it would please God to withdraw his
promise of another son, the answer to it contains an implied,
but peremptory denial, with a tacit reflection on him for
having taken Hagar to be his wife — " And God said,
Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed^ As if he should
say, she is thy wife, and ought to have been thine only
wife ; and verily it shall be in a son born of her that the
promise shall be fulfilled. It is also intimated to him, that
this should be no grief to him ; but that he should call his
name Isaac, that is, laughter or gladness, on account of the
joy which his birth should occasion. And as Abraham's
petition seemed to plead that Ishmael and his posterity
might at least be " heir with" Isaac, so as to be ranked
amongst God's covenant people, this also by implication is
denied him. " I will establish my covenant with him, for
an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him."
Ishmael, while he is in Abraham's family, shall be con-
sidered as a branch of it, and as such be circumcised : but
the covenant of peculiarity should not be established with
him and his descendants, but with Isaac exclusively. As
many, however, who were included in this covenant had no
share in eternal life, so many who were excluded from it
might notwithstanding escape eternal death. The door of
mercy was always open to every one that believed. In
every nation, and in every age, he that feared God, and
wrought righteousness, was accepted of him.

But shall no part of this petition be granted ? Yes. " As
for Ishmael, I have heard thee : Behold, I have blessed
him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him ex-
ceedingly : twelve princes shall he beget, and I v.ill make

him a great nation but my covenant will I establish

with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear unto thee." And having

136 Covenant with Abraham. [Dis. 25

said thus much, the very time of his birth is now particu-
larly named : it shall be '' at this set time in the next year."
Here ended the communications between the Lord and his
servant Abraham ; and it appears that from this time he
was satisfied. We hear nothing more like an objection to
the Divine will, nor any wish to have things otherwise than
they were. On the contrary, we find him immediately
engaged in an implicit obedience to the command of cir-
cumcision. His conduct on this occasion furnishes a
bright exam])le to all succeeding ages, of the manner in
which Divine ordinances should be complied with. There
are three things in particular in the obedience of Abraham
worthy of notice. — (1.) It was prompt. " In the self-same
day tliat God had spoken unto him," the command was
put in execution. This was " making haste, and delaying
not to keep his commandments." To treat the Divine pre-
cept as matters of small importance, or to put off what is
manifestly our duty to another time, is to trifle with
supreme authority. So did not Abraham. (2.) It was
punctilious. The correspondence between the command
of God, and tlie obedience of his servant, is minutely exact.
The words of the former are, " Thou shalt keep my cove-
nant and thy seed after thee and he that is born in thy

kmispy or bought with money of any stranger, which is not
of thy seed." With this agrees the account of the latter ;
" In the self-same day was Abraham circumcised, and
Ishmael his son ; and all the men of his house, born in
the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were
drt'umcised with him." A rigid regard to the revealed
will of (lod, enters deeply into true religion; that spirit
which dispenses with it, though it may pass under the speci-
«ms nanic of liberality, is antichristian. (3.) Lastly ; It was
yielded in old aye, wiien many would have pleaded off" from
enga^'ing in any thing new, or diff'erent from what they
had beJbrc received ; and when, as some think, it Avould be a
further trial to his faith as to the fulfilment of the promise.
•' Ninety and nine years old was Abraham when he was

Gen. XVII.] Covejiant with Abraham. 137

circumcised." It is one of the temptations of old age to
be tenacious of what we have believed and practised from
our youth ; to shut our eyes and ears against every thing
that may prove it to have been erroneous or defective, and
to find excuses for being exempted from hard and danger-
ous duties. But Abraham to the last was ready to receive
farther instruction, and to do as he was commanded, leaving
consequences with God. This shews that the admonition
to '* walk before him, and be perfect," had not been given
him in vain.

DISCOURSE XXVI.

Abraham entertaining angels^ and interceding for Sodom,
Genesis xviii.

Ver. 1 — 3. The time drawing nigh that the promise
should be fulfilled, God's appearances to Abraham are
frequently repeated. That which is here recorded seems
to have followed the last at a very little distance. Sitting-
one day in a kind of porch, at his tent door, which screened
him from the heat of the sun, " he lift up his eyes, and lo,
three men " stood at a little distance from him. To him
they appeared to be three strangers on a journey, and as
such he treated them. His conduct on this occasion is
held up in the epistle to the Hebrews as an example of
hospitality ; and an admirable example it afibrds. His
generosity on this occasion is not more conspicuous than
the amiable manner in which it was expressed. The
instant he saw them, he rises up, as by a kind of instinctive
courtesy, to bid them welcome to his tent, and that in the
most respectful manner. Though an old man, and they
perfect strangers to him, he no sooner saw them than he
" ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself
toward the ground ;" and observing one of them, as it
should seem, presenting himself to him before the other,

138 Abraham entertains Angels. [Di s. 26.

he said to him, " My Lord, if now 1 have found favour
in tliy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy ser-
vant."

Ver. 4, 5. And whereas they were supposed to be weary,
and overcome with the heat, he persuades them to wash
tlieir feet, and sit down under the shade of the spreading
oak near his tent, and take a little refreshment, though it
were but a morsel of bread to comfort their hearts ; after
which they might go forward on their journey. Something
may be said of the customs of those times and countries,
and of there being then but few, if any inns, for the acconi-
modatiou of strangers ; but it certainly affords a charming
specimen of patriarchal urbanity, and an example of the
manner in which kindness and hospitality should be shewn.
To impart rehef in an ungracious and churlish manner,
destroys the value of it. We see also in this conduct, the
genuine fruits of true religion. That which in worldly men
is mere complaisance, dictated often by ambition, in
Abraham was kindness, goodness, sympathy, and humble-
ness of mind. It is to the honour of religion that it pro-
duces those amiable dispositions which the worst of meii
are constrained, for their own reputation, to imitate. If
such dispositions, and such behaviour were universal, the
world would be a paradise.

Ver. (5 — 8. The supposed strangers having consented
to accept the invitation, tlie good old man, as full of plea-
sure as if he had found a prize, resolves to entertain them
with something better than " a morsel of bread," though
he had modestly used that language. Hastening to Sarah,
he desires her to get tlnvc measures of fine meal, and bake
cakes upon the hearth ; while he, old as he was, runs to the
herd, and fetches a calf, tender and good, and gives it to
QUO of his young men, with orders to kill and dress it im-
mediatt.'ly. And now, the table being spread beneath the
cooling shade of tiie oak, the veal with butter and milk to
render it more palatable, is placed upon it, and Abraham
himself waited on his guests. Such was the style of patri-

Gen. XVIII.] Abraham entertains Angels. 139

archal simplicity and hospitality. As yet Abraham does
not appear to have suspected what kind of guests he was
entertaining. He might probably be struck from the first
with their mien and appearance, which seem to have ex-
cited his highest respect ; yet he considered them merely
as strangers, and as such entertained them. It was thus
that he " entertained angels unawares."

Ver. 9, lO, But while they sat at dinner under the
tree, enquiry was made after Sarah his wife. Abraham
answered, " Behold, she is in the tent." This enquiry must
excite some surprise ; for how should these strangers know
the name of Abraham's wife, and her new name too; and
why should thej'- enquire after her ? But if the enquiry
must strike him with surprise, what followed must have a
still greater effect — He who was the first in the train on
their arrival, and whom he had addressed in terms of the
highest respect, now adds, " I will certainly return unto
thee, according to the time of life, and lo, Sarah thy wife
shall have a son." This language must remind him of the
promise which he had so lately received,* and convince
him that the speaker was no other than Jehovah, under
the appearance of a man. In the progress of the Old-Tes-
tament history we often read of similar appearances ; par-
ticularly to Jacob at Peniel, to Moses at the bush, and to
.Joshua by Jericho. The Divine personage who in this man-
ner appeared to men, must surely have been no other than
the Son of God, who thus occasionally assumed the
form of that nature, which it was his intention, in the fulness
of time, actually to take upon him. It was thus, that
" being in the form of God, he thought it not robbery
to be equal with God " — that is, he spake and acted all
along as God, and did not consider himself in so doing as
arrogating any thing which did not properly belong to
him.

Ver. 11—15. Sarah having over-heard what was said

* Chap. xvii. 21.

140 Abraham entertains angels. [Dis. 26.

concerning her, and knowing that according to the
ordinary course of things she was too old to have a son,
laughed within herself at the saying. She supposed
however, that as it was to herself, the whole was unknown :
but it was not. The same word is used as was before
used of Abraham, but it was not the same thing. His
laugliter was that of joy and surprise: hers had in it a
mixture of unbelief, which called forth the reproof of
Jehovah. "Jehovah" (the same personage who is else-
where called an angel, and a man) " said unto Abraham,"
in the hearing of his wife, "Wherefore did Sarah laugh?"
And to detect the sinfulness of this laughter, he points out
the principle of it — it was saying, " Shall I of a surety
bear a child who am old ;" which principle he silences by
asking, " Is any thing too hard for Jehovah ?" And then
solemnly repeats the promise, as that which ought to
suffice : " At the time appointed I will return unto thee,
according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son."
This language, while it proved that he who uttered it was
a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart,
covered Sarah's face with confusion. In her fright she
denies having laughed ; but the denial was in vain. He
who knew all things replied, "Nay, but thou didst laugh."
We may imagine that what merely passes in our own
minds has in a manner no existence, and may almost
persuade ourselves to think we are innocent : but in the
presence of God all such subterfuges are no better than
the fig-leaves of our first parents. Wlien He judgeth. He
will overcome.

Ver. 16 — 19. " The men," as they are called, accord-
ing to tlicir appearance, now take leave of the tent, and
go on their way towards Sodom. Abraham, loth to part
with them, went in company, as if to bring them on their
way. Wiiilc tliey were walking together, Jehovah, in the
form of a man, said unto the other two, who appear to be
created angels, " Shall I hide from Abraham the thing
ttlnch I do ?** Two reasons are assigned for the contrary.

Gen. XVIII.] Abraham entertains angels, 141

— First : The importance of his character. He was not
only the friend of God, but the father of " a great
nation," in which God would have a special interest, and
through which "all other nations should be blessed."
Let him be in the secret. — Secondly ; The good use he
would make of it. Being previously disclosed to him, he
would be the more deeply impressed by it: and according
to his tried and approved conduct as the head of a family,
would be concerned to impart it as a warning to his
posterity in all future ages. As the wicked extract ill
from good, so the righteous will extract good from ill,
Sodom's destruction shall turn to Abraham's salvation:
the monument of just vengeance against their crimes shall
be of perpetual use to him and his posterity, and contri-
bute even to the *' bringing of that good upon them,
which the Lord had spoken concerning them." The
special approbation with which God here speaks of family
religion, stamps a Divine authority upon it, and an infamy
upon that religion, or rather irreligion, which dispenses
with it

Ver. 20, 21. Jehovah having resolved to communicate
his design to Abraham, proceeds to inform him as follows
— "Because the crj^ of Sodom and Gomorrha is great,
and because their sin is very grievous, I will go down
now, and see whether they have done altogether according
to the cry of it which is come unto me ; and if not, I will
know." This language, though spoken after the manner
of men, contains much serious and important instruction.
It teaches us, that the most abandoned people are still the
subjects of Divine government, and must sooner or later
give an account; that impiety, sensuality and injustice
are followed with a cry for retribution ; that this cry is
often disregarded by earthly tribunals; that where it is
so, the prayers of the faithful, the groans of the oppressed,
and the blood of the slain, constitute a cry which
ascendeth to heaven, and entereth into the ears of the
Lord of Sabaoth ; and finally, that in executing judgment,

142 Ahraham''s bitercession. [Dis. 26.

though God will regard these cries, especially where they
wax greater and greater ; as this is said to have done,*
yet as tiiey may be partial and erroneous, he will not
proceed by them as a rule, but will avail himself of his
own Omniscience, that the worst of characters may have
no cause to complain of injustice.

Vcr. 22, 23. It is natural to suppose that the mind of
Abraham must be forcibly impressed with this intimation.
He would feel for his poor ungodly neighbours ; but es-
pecially for Lot, and other righteous men, whom he might
hope would be found amongst them. At this juncture,
" the men," that is, two out of the three,f went towards
Sodom: but the third, who is called "Jehovah," con-
tinued to converse with Abraham. Ihe patriarch standing
before him, and being now aware that he was in the
presence of the Most High, addressed him in the lan-
guage of prayer, or intercession. A remarkable interces-
sion it is. — We remark, (1.) Abraham makes a good use
of his previous knowledge. Being made acquainted with
the evil coming upon them he stands in the gap, and
labours all he can to avert it. They knew nothing : and
if they had, no cries, except the shrieks of desperation,
would have been heard from them. It is good having
such a neighbour as Abraham ; and still better to have an
Intercessor before the throne who is always heard. The
conduct of the patriarch furnishes an example to all who
have an interest at the throne of grace, to make use of it
in behalf of their jjoor ungodly countrymen and neigh-
bours.— (2.) He does not plead that the wicked may be
spared for their own sake, or because it would be too
severe a proceeding to destroy them ; but /or the sake of
the righteous ivho might be foiaid amovgst them. Had
cither of the other pleas been advanced, it had been siding
with sinners against God, which Abraham would never do.
Wickedness shuts tiu; mouth of intercession ; or if any should

• Cnii. MX. I.J. I Clmp. xix. 1.

Gen. xviii.] Abraham s intercession 143

presume to speak, it would be of no account. Though
Noah, Daniel, and Job should plead for the ungodly, they
would not be heard. Righteousness only will bear to be
made a plea before God. But how then, it may be asked,
did Christ make intercession for transgressors? Not
by arraigning the Divine law, nor by alleging ought in
extenuation of human guilt; but by pleading his own
obedience unto death ! — (3.) He charitably hopes the
best with respect to the number of righteous characters
even in Sodom. At the outset of his intercession, he
certainly considered it as a possible case, at least, that
there might be found in that wicked place fifty righteous :
and though in this instance he was sadly mistaken,
yet we may hope from hence that in those times there
were many more righteous people in the world than those
which are recorded in Scripture. The Scriptures do not
profess to be a book of life, containing the names of all
the faithful; but intimate, on the contrary that God
reserves to himself a people, who are but little known even
by his own servants. — (4.) God ivas willing to spare the
worst of cities for the sake of a few righteous characters.
This truth is as humiliating to the haughty enemies of
religion as it is encouraging to its friends, and furnishes
an important lesson to civil governments, to beware of
undervaluing, and still more of persecuting, and banishing
men whose concern it is to live soberly, righteously, and
godly in the world.* Except the Lord of Hosts had left
ns a remnant of such characters, we might ere now have
been as Sodom, and made like unto Goraorrha ! If ten
righteous had been found in Sodom, it had been spared
for their sakes : but alas, there was no such number!
God called Abraham to Haran, and when he left that
place, mention is made not only of " the substance which
he had gathered," but of "the souls which he had
gotten-"f But Lot, who went to Sodom of his own

* Chap. vii. 11, p. Q^S, 86. f Chap. xii. 5.

144 Destruction of Sodom. [Dis. 27.

accord, though he also gathered substance, yet not a soul
seems to have been won over by his residence in the place
to the worship of the true God.

DISCOURSE XXVII.

T/ie destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha.

Genesis xix.

Veb. 1, -. The two angels who left Abraham coni-
muning with Jehovah, went on their way till they came to
Sodom. Arriving at the city in the evening, the first
I)erson whom they saw appears to have been Lot, who was
sitting alone, it should seem, at tlie gate of the city.
They had found Abraham also sitting alone ; but it was at
his own tent door. Lot, whose house was in the city, had
probably no place wliere he could be out of the liearing of
those whose conversation vexed his righteous soul ;
lie therefore took a walk in the evening, and sat down
without the city gate, where he might spend an hour in
retirement. Seeing two strangers coming up to him, he
behaved in much the same courteous and hospitable
manner as Abraham had done. Bowing himself with his
face towards the ground, he said, " Behold, now, my lords ;
turn in I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry
all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early,
and go on your ways." This was lovely ; and the con-
trast between this and the conduct of his neighbours,
shews, what was suggested in the former chapter, the
g(;niiine fruits of true religion. What is said to be the
custouiary hospitality of the age and country, was far
from being practised by the other inhabitants of Sodom.
But though Lot had given them so kind an invitation,
they seemed det».'rmined not to accept of it— "Nay, (said
they) but we will abide in the street all night." This
nii^'ht be either for the purpose of being eye-witnesses of

Gen. XIX.] Destruction of Sodom. I45

the conduct of the citizens, or to express their abhorrence
of the general character of the city ; as when the pror)het
of Judah was sent to Bethel, he was forbidden either " to
eat bread, or drink water in that place."*

Ver. 3. After being *< greatly pressed" by Lot, how-
ever, they yielded to his importunity, and entered into his
house ; where he made them a feast, as Abraham had
done, and they did eat.

Ver. 4, 5. But while things were going on well with
respect to Lot, the baseness of his neighbours soon
betrayed itself. A little before bed-time, they beset the
house ; not for the purpose of robbing, or insulting them
in any of the ordinary ways of brutal outrage— this had
been bad enough, especially to strangers — but to per-
petrate a species of crime too shocking and detestable to
be named ; a species of crime which indeed has no name
given it in the Scriptures, but what is borrowed from this
infamous place.

Ver. 6 — 9. The conduct of I^ot in gotng~~^mi_^d
expostulating with them, was in several respects praise-
worthy. His "shutting the door after him," expressed
how delicately he felt for his guests, though at present he
does not appear to have considered them in any other
light than strangers. It was saying in effect, ' Let not
their ears be offended with what passes abroad : w^hatever
is scurrilous, obscene, or abusive, let me hear it, but not
them.' His gentle and respectful manner of treating this
worst of mobs, is also worthy of notice. He could not res-
pect them on the score of character ; but he would try and
do so as being still his fellow-creatures, and near neigh-
bours. As such he calls them " brethren," no doubt
hoping, by such conciliating language, to dissuade them
from their " wicked" purpose. But when to turn off their
attention to his guests, he proposed the bringing out of his
daughters to them, he appears to have gone too far. It is

* 1 Kings xiii. 8—17.
H

1 40 Destruction of Sodom . ' [ D i s . 2 7 .

not for us to go into a less evil in hope of preventing a
greater; but rather to consent to no evil. It might be
owing to the perturbation of his mind ; but probablj^ if he
had not lived in Sodom till his mind was almost familiarized
to obscenity, he would not have made such a proposal. Nor
liad it any good effect. He only got himself more abused
for it ; and even his gentle remonstrance was perversel}^
construed into obtrusive forwardness, and setting himself
up for a judge, who was merely " a sojourner" amongst
them. Persuasion has no force with men who are under
the dominion of their lusts. So now their resentment
burns against him, and they will be revenged on him.
They will not be contented now with having the men
brought out, but will go in unto them, and break the door
open to effect their purpose.

Ver. JO, 11. Such an attempt, and such a perseverance
in it must have been proof sufficient to the heavenly mes-
sengers that the cry of Sodom had not exceeded the truth.
Putting forth their hands therefore, they pulled Lot into
the house to them, shut to the door, and smote the people
without with blindness. The power and indignation dis-
played in these acts would convince him that they w ere no
common strangers ; and one w^ould have thought, might
have struck them with awe, and caused them to desist from
their horrid purpose : but they are infatuated. Though
supornaturally smitten with blindness, they must still
" weary themselves to find the door.'* Such daring pre-
sumption, in the face of heaven, must have filled up the
measure of their crimes, and rendered them ripe for de-
struction.

\ cr. li*, 13. Things are now hastening to their awful
crisis : but mark the mercy of divine proceedings. Ten
righteous men would have saved the city; but there seems
to have been only one. Well, not only shall that one es-
cape, but all that belong to him shall be delivered for his
sake ; or if otherwise, it shall be their own fliult. " Sons-
in-law, sons, daughters, or whatever he had," are directed

Gen. XIX.] Destruction of Sodom. 147

to be brought out of this place : for, said they, opening
their commission, and as it were reading it to Lot, " we
will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen
great before the face of Jehovah, and Jehovah hath sent us
to destroy it."

Ver. 14. Giving full credit to the divine threatening,
and deeply impressed with it. Lot went forth to warn his
sons-in-law, who had married his daughters. We do not
read till now that Lot had a family. It looks as if he had
taken his wife from Sodom, soon after having parted from
Abraham; and as he must have been there about twenty
years, he had daughters, some of whom were married, and
two remained with him single. No mention is made of his
married daughters being alive at this time ; but by the
manner in which the others are spoken of in verse 15, " thy
two daughters whicH are here,'' it is probable they w^ere
elsewhere ; viz. along with their husbands, and perished
witH them in the overthrow. The warning given to his
sons-in-law was abrupt and pointed ; " Up, get ye out of
this place ; for Jehovah will destroy this city ! But he
seemed to them as one that mocked," or w^ho was in jest.
He believed, and therefore spake ; but they disbelieved,
and therefore made light of it. A striking example this of
the ordinary effect of truth upon the minds of unbelievers.
Ver. 15, 16. All this had taken place in one night.
Early in the morning, Lot is hastened away from the de-
voted spot. And as his sons-in-law, and it seems their
wives with them, would not hear, he is commanded to leave
them ; and without farther delay, to take his wife, and his
two daughters who were with him, lest he should be con-
sumed in the overthrow- of tli€-eity. The threatening part
of this language would probably not have been addressed
to him, had he not discovered a reluctance to depart. I
hope it was not his worldly substance that clave to him,
much less any attachment to that wicked city ; but rather
that it was his daughters and their husbands w^ho could not
be persuaded to accompany him, that occasioned this strong
h2

148 Bcstniction of Sodom. [Dis. 27.

conflict. Jt was on this acoount, I suppose, that he is said
to have " lingered ;" and his deliverers were at last obliged
to lay hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife,
and upon the hand of his twodaughterS; and (Jehovah being
merciful unto him) by force, in a manner, to set them with-
out the city. Such has been the struggle in many minds,
when called to leave all, and flee from the wrath to come ;
and such the mercy of God towards them.

Ver. 17. Having been so far saved, almost in spite of
himself, he is npw solemnly charged to " escape for his
life, not so much as to look behind him, nor stay in all the
plain ; but to escape to the mountain, lest he should be con-
sumed." This was continuing to be mercifully severe ;
and such are our Lord's commands w^hich require us to
deny self, take up the cross, and follow him. It was bet-
ter for Lot to be thus warned oflT the ground, than to have
been consumed upon it : and we had better cut off a right
hand, or pluck out a right eye, than be cast into hell.

Ver. 18 — 22. Lot was certainly a righteous man ; but
in times of trial his graces do not appear to the best advan-
tage. He is directed to flee to the mountain, and he had
better have been there all his days than where he w^as ; but
he pleads hard to live in a city, and hopes he may be ex-
cused in this desire, seeing it was " a little one." Had he
properly confided in God, he would have gone to the
mountain without hesitation : but his faith is weak, and his
fears prevail, that if he go thither, " some evil will take
him, and he shall die." This his imbecility, however, is
graciously passed over ; his request is granted, and the city
.spared for his sake. Nor was this all. The angel kindly
hastens his escape to this city, (formerly called Bela, but
from hence Zoar, tliat is, Utile) for that '' he could do
nothing till he sliould have come thither.'' All this was
merciful, very merciful ; and proves not only that the Lord
knowoth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, but
also that their blood is precious in his sight.

Ver. 23 — 26. By tiie time tliat Lot entered into Zoar,

Gen. XIX.] Destruction of Sodom. 149

the sun was risen upon the earth. It promised perhaps to
be a fine day ; and the inhabitants of Sodom, after their
night's revel, would be going forth to do as at other times.
But lo, on a sudden, floods of fire and brimstone from the
Lord out of heaven descend upon this and the neighbour-
ing city of Gomorrha, utterly consuming them, and all their
inhabitants ! Some have supposed this tremendous judg-
ment to have been effected by a volcanic eruption in the
neighbourhood, the lava of which, first ascending high into
the atmosphere, and then descending upon the devoted
cities, destroyed them. — If so it were, God's hand was in
it, directing and timing its operations, no less than if it were
accomplished without the interference of any second cause.

Ver. 26. The Lord delivered just Lot ; and his whole
family, as we have seen, had much mercy shown them for
his sake. But favour may be shewn to the wicked, yet will
they not learn righteousness. Some refuse to go with him,
and those that did go, proved to him a grief and a snare.
His wife is said to have " looked back from behind him,"
during their journey, and was instantly struck dead, and
remained upon the spot a petrified monument of divine
vengeance. It may be thought a hard fate for a mere
glance of the eye : but that glance, no doubt, was expres-
sive of unbelief, and a lingering desire to return. Proba-
bly she was of much the same mind as her sons-in-law, and
attributed the whole to the resentment of the strangers,
whom her husband was weak enough to believe. It is cer-
tain that her example is held up by our Lord as a warning
against turning back, which intimates that such was the
meaning of her look.

Ver. 27 — 29. Abraham having made intercession,
though the issue of it gave him but little hope of success,
yet is anxious to see what will be the end of these things.
Unable it seems to rest in his bed, he arose early the next
morning, and went to the place where he had stood before
the Lord. From having a view of the plain, he beheld*
and lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of

loO Destruction of So ilom. [Dis. 27.

a furnace. He had not mentioned Lot by name in his
intercession, though doubtless it had respect to him ; and
the Lord so far hearkened to his prayer as to deliver that
good man in answer to it. Lot could not pray for him-
self, for he M-as not aware of his danger till it came in a
manner upon him. What a mercy it is to have an Inter-
cessor who knows all the evils which are coming upon us,
and prayeth for us that our faith fail not ! But to return
to Lot—

Ver. 30. On leaving Sodom he was very earnest to
have Zoar granted him for a refuge, and to be excused
from ffoinfi: to dwell in the mountain : yet now all on a
sudden he went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain,
and that for the very reason he had given for a contrary
choice. Then he feared some evil would take him, if he
went to the mountain ; now he " fears to dwell in Zoar."
It is well to know that the way of man is not in himself,
and that it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.
Our wisdom is to refer all to God, and to follow wherever
his word and providence lead the way. But why did not
Lot return to Abraham ? There was no occasion now for
strife about their herds; for he had lost all, and but just
escaped with his life. Whatever was the reason, he does
not appear to have made a good choice. Had he gone to
the mountain when directed, he might have hoped for pre-
serving mercy : but going of his own accord, and from a
motive of sinful distrust, evil in reality overtakes him. His
daughters, who seem to have contracted such habits in So-
dom as would prepare them for any thing, however unna-
tural, draw him into intemperance and incest, and thus
cover his old age with infamy. The offspring of this illicit
intercourse Mere the fathers of two great, but heathen na-
tioii^; viz. the iMoabites, and the children of Amnion.

The (Ii>h()nourable end of this good man shews that we
are never out of danger wiiile we are upon earth. He whose
righteous soul was grieved with the filthy conversation of
the wicked, while in a city, is drawn into the same kind of

Gen. XIX.] Destruction of Sodom. 151

evils himself, when dwelling in a cave ! His whole history
also, from the time of his leaving Abraham, furnislies an
affecting lesson to the heads of families in the choice of
habitations for themselves or their children. If worldly
accommodations be preferred to religious advantages, we
have nothing good, but every thing evil to expect. We
may, or we may not lose our substance as he did ; but,
what is of far greater consequence, our families may be ex-
pected to become mere heathens, and our own minds conta-
minated with the examples which are continually before our
eyes. Such was the harvest which Lot reaped from his
well-w^atered plaii>; and such are the fruits very commonly
seen in those who follow his example 1

DISCOURSE XXVIII.

Abraham and Ahimelech.
Genesis xx.

Ver. 1. After the affecting story of Lot we return to
Abraham. When he and his kinsman parted, he pitched
his tent in the plains of Mamre, and appears to have con-
tinued there nearly; twenty years. At length he removes
again, journeying southward, and taking up his residence
for a time at Gerar, which was then a royal city of the
Philistines.

Ver. 2. And here we find him a second time saying of
Sarah his wife, " she is my sister." His sin in so speaking
seems to be much greater than it was before. — For, (1.)
He had narrowly escaped the first time. If God had not
remarkably interposed in his favour, there is no saying
what would have been the consequence. The repetition
of the same fault looked like presuming upon providence.
— (2.) Sarah was now with child, and that of a son of pro-
mise : he might therefore surely have trusted God to pre-
serve their lives in the straight-forward path of duty, in-

152 Alraham and Ahimelech. [Dis. 2S.

stead of having recourse to his own crooked policy. But
lie did not. Tiiere are exceptions in every human cha-
lacter, and often in the very thing wherein they in general
excel. The consequence was, Abimelech, king of Gerar,
sent and took her, probably by force, to be one of his wives.
We should have tiiought that the age of Sarah might have
exempted both her and her husband from this temptation:
but human life was then much longer than it is now ; and
she was a beautiful woman, and we may suppose carried
her years better than many. Be that as it may, she is in-
volved in a difficulty from which she cannot get clear, nor
can Abraham tell how to deliver her. It has been ob-
served, that when wicked men deviate from truth, they will
very commonly get through with it : but if a good man
think to do so, he will as commonly find himself mistaken.
If once he leave the path of rectitude, he is entangled, and
presently betrays himself. The crooked devices of the
flesh are things in which he is not sufficiently an adept,
and conscience will often prevent his going through with
them. God also will generally so order things that he shall
be detected, and put to shame at an early stage, and that in
mercy to his soul ; while sinners are left to go on in their
evil courses with success.

Ver. 3—7. Man's wisdom leads him into a pit, and God's
wisdom must draw him out. God has access to all men's
minds, and can impress them by a dream, an affliction, or
any way he thinks proper. He did thus by Abimelech.
Dreams in general are mere vanity, the excursions of ima-
gination, unaccompanied with reason : yet these are under
the contnjul of (iod, and have in many instances been the
iiuMliiiiiiot imj)res.singthingsofgreatimportanceonthemind.
Abimelech dreamed that he heard the voice of the Almighty,
saying unto liim, " liehold, thou art a dead man for the wo-
man which thou hast taken; forsheisa man's wife !'' Whether
Abimelech was an idolater, I know not: but this I know,
that if in countries called Christian, every adulterer were a
ilnnl iiKDi, many would be numbered with the dead who

Gen. XX.] Abraham and AbimelecL 153

now glory in their shame. And though human laws may
wink at this crime, it is no less heinous in the sight of God
than when it is punished with death. Abimelech, conscious
that he had not come near the woman, answered in his
dream, " Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation ?
Said he not unto me, She is my sister ? And she, even
she herself said, He is my brother. In the integrity of my
heart, and iniiocency of my hands have I done this." — The
first sentence in this answer appears to contain a reference
to the recent and awful event of Sodom's overthrow, which
must have greatly impressed the surrounding country. It
is as if he had said, ' I am aware that thou hast slain a na-
tion notorious for its filthy and unnatural crimes ; but we
are not such a nation ; and in the present case, all that lias
been done was in perfect ignorance. Surely thou wilt not
slay the innocent.' — The answer of God admits his plea of
ignorance, and suggests that he was not charged with hav-
ing yet sinned, but threatened with death in case he per-
sisted now that he was informed of the truth. It is inti-
mated however, that if he had come near her, he should in
so doing have sinned against God, whether he had sin-
ned against Abraham or not; and this perhaps owing to
her being in a state of pregnancy, of which, in that case
he could not have been ignorant. But God had mercifully
withheld him from thus sinning against him, for which it
became him to be thankful, and va ithout delay to "" restore
the man his wife." It was also added that the man was " a
prophet," or one who had special intercourse with heaven ;
and who , if he restored his wife, would pray to God for
him, and he should live : but if he withheld her, he should
surely die, and all that belonged to him.

We see in this account, — (1.) That absolute ignorance
excuses from guilt : but this does not prove that all igno-
rance does so, or that it is in itself excusable. Where the
powers and means of knowledge are possessed, and igno-
rance arises from neglecting to make use of them, or from
aversion to the truth, it so far from excusing, that it is in

h3

154 Abraham and Abimelech. [Dis. 28.

itself sinful. — (2.) That great as the wickedness of men
is upon the face of the earth, it would be much greater,
were it not that God by his providence in innumerable in-
stances « withholds" them from it. The conduct of in-
telligent beings is influenced by motives ; and all motives
which are presented to the mind are subject to his disposal.
Hence we may feel the propriety of that petition : '' Lead
us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

Ver. 8. Abimelech awaking, is deeply impressed with
his dream. He rises early, calls together the principal
])eoi)lc about him, and imparts particulars to them ; at the^
rehearsal of which they are " sore afraid." Some afflic-
tions had already been laid upon them, of which they seem
to have been aware; (ver. 18,) and considering tlie late
tremendous judgments of God upon Sodom, with the ter-
rific dream of the king just rehearsed, it is no wonder they
sliould be seized with fear.

\^er. 9, 10, After speaking to his servants, he next sent
for Abraham to converse the matter over. His address to
the patriarch is pointed, but temperate : " What hast thou
done unto us ? And what have I offended thee, that thou
hast brought on me, and on my kingdom a great sin ?
Thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done

What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing ?"

W'e are grieved to find Abraham in such a situation. How
honourable did he appear before the king of Sodom, and
the king of Salem ; but how dishonourable before the king
of (ierar! Sin is the reproach of an}'- people; and the
greater and better the man, the greater is the reproach.

Ver. 11 — 13. But let us hear hi& apology. " And
Abraliam said. Because I thought surely the fear of God
is not in this place, and they will slay me for my wife's
sake. And yet indeed, shejs my sister : she is the daughter
of ray father, but not the daughter of my mother ; and she
became njy wife. And it came to pass when God caused
me to wander from my fatiier's house, that 1 said unto her
tliis is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me : at

Gen. XX.] Abraha?n and Abimeleck, l.>3

every place Avhither we shall come, say of me, he is my
brother." — According to his account, to be sure, there was
nothing against Abimelech in particular, and this might
serve to appease him: and with respect to God, or his
*' doing deeds that ought not to be done," what he had said
was not a lie ; but it was equivocation. Many things of
this sort pass among men ; but they will not bear a strict
scrutiny. If our words, though in some sense true, yet
are designed to convey what is not true, as was the case
in this instance, we are guilty of doing what ought not to
be done.

Ver. 14, 15. Abimelech, satisfied with this answer, so
far as respected himself, restored Sarah to her husband,
and that with a trespass-offering, like that which was after-
wards presented by his countrymen with the ark ;* adding
with great courteousness, " Behold, my land is before
thee ; dwell where it pleaseth thee :" for he saw that the
Lord was with him.

Ver, 16 — 18. He did not part with Sarah, however?
without giving her a word of reproof. In calling Abraham
her " brother," he made use of her own language in a
sarcastic way ; and tells her that her husband should be to
her as a vail, that she should look on none else, and none
else should look on her. Some have rendered the words,
" It, that is, the silver, shall be to thee a covering for the
eyes, unto all that are with thee, and to all other." As if
he had given it to buy her a vail, which might prevent all
such mistakes in future. Take this, (q. d.) and never go
without a vail again, nor any of your married servants.
So she was reproved.

The issue was, Abraham prayed, and the Lord answered
him, and healed the family of Abimelech. He would feel
a motive for prayer in this case which he did not when in-
terceding for Sodom ; for of this evil he himself had been
the cause.

* 1 Sam. xi. 3.

15G

DISCOURSE XXIX.

The Birtli of Isaac, &;c.

Genesis xxi.

\'eii. 1. Abraham still sojourning in the land of the
Philistines, at length sees the promise fulfilled. It is noted
with some degree of emphasis, as forming a special epoch-
in his life, that " the Lord visited Sarah as he had said,
and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken." Such a
kind of language is used of his posterity being put in pos-
session of the promised land : " The Lord gave them rest
round about, according to all that he sware unto their
fathers — there failed not aught of any good thing which the
Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel : all came to
pass."* And such will be our language sooner or later,
oncerning all the good things promised to the church, or
to us as individuals.

Ver. 2. Two things are particularly noticed in the
l)irtli of this child: — It was in Abraham's " old age," and
" at the set time of which God had spoken to him.'' Both
these circumstances shewed the whole to be of God. That
which comes to us in the ordinary course of things may be of
(iod ; but that which comes otherwise, manifestly appears
to he so. One great difference between this child and the
son of Ilagar consisted in this : the one was " born after the
fh'sh," that is, in the ordinary course of generation ; but
the other, '' after the spirit," that is, by extraordinary di-
vine interposition, and in virtue of a special promise.f
Analogous to these were those Jews, on the one hand, who
w.re merely descended from Abraham according to the
flrsli ; and those, on the other, who were " not of the cir-
Mtncision only, but also walked in the steps of the faith of

• Josh. xxi. 44, 4."i. f Giil. iv. "23, 29.

Gen. XXI.] Birth of Isaac. 157

their father Abraham.''* The former were the children of
the bond-woman, who were cast out: the latter of the free-
woman, who being " his people whom he foreknew, were
not cast away," but were counted for the seed.f

Ver. 3 — 4. The name by which this extraordinary child
should be called was. Isaac, according to the previous di-
rection of God. It signifies laughter, or Joy, and corres-
ponds with the gladness which accompanied his birth.
Children are ordinarily " an heritage of the Lord."'— On
account of the uncertainty of their future character how-
ever, we have reason to rejoice with trembling : but in this
case it was joy in a manner unmixed; for he was born
under the promise of being " blessed, and made a blessing."
— But what a difference between the joy of Abraham at
the birth of a child, and that which is commonly seen
amongst us ! His was not that vain mirth, or noisy laughter
which unfits for obedience to God : on the contrary, he
circumcised his sofi, when he was eight days old, not in
conformity to custom, but " as God had commanded him."'

Ver. 5 — 7. The sacred writers seldom deal in reflections,
themselves ; but will often mention those of others. Moses
having recorded the fact, that " Abraham was a hundied
years old when his son Isaac was born unto him," tells us
of the joyful sayings of Sarah: — " God, saith she, hath
made me to laugh, so that all who hear will laugh with me.

Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should

have given children suck? For I have borne him a son
in his old age ! ' Yes, God had made her to laugh, and
that without any of her crooked measures ; and not merely
with a private, but a public joy : for " all that hear shall
laugh with her."

Ver. 8. For awhile nothing remarkable occurred : the
child grew, and all went on pleasantly. When the time
came for his being weaned, " a great feast was made," in
token of joy that he had passed the most delicate, and dan-
gerous stage of life.

* Rom. iv. 12. t Gal. iv. 2S~31. riom. ix. 7, 9. xi. J, 2.

158 Birth of Isaac. [Dis. 29.

Ver. 9. But tlic joy of that day was embittered. The
son of Hagar being stung with envy, cannot bear such an
ado about this child of promise. So he turns it into ridi-
cule, probably deriding the parents and the child, and the
promise together ; and all this in the sight of Sarah ! Thus
he that was born after the flesh began at an early stage to
persechte him tliat was born after the Spirit ; and thus
Sarah's crooked policy in giving Hagar to Abraham,
ffoes on to furnish them with new sources of sorrow. From
what is said of Hagar in chapter xvi. we conceived hopes of
her ; but whatever she was, her son appears at present to
be a bitter enemy to God, and his people.

Ver. 10—13. The consequence was, Sarah was set
on both the mother and the son being banished from the
family. Abraham had earnestly desired that Ishmael
might live before God: but Sarah says, He " shall not be
heir with her son, with Isaac.'' This resolution on the part
of Sarah might be the mere effect of temper : but whatever
were her motives, the thing itself accorded with the de-
sign of God ; though therefore it was grievous to Abraham,
he is directed to comply with it. The Lord would indeed,
make a nation of Ishmael, because he was his seed ; but
" in Isaac should his seed be called." \Ve must not refuse
to join in doing what God commands, however contrary it
may be to our natural feelings, nor on account of the
suspicious motives of some with whom we are called to act.

Ver. 14. impressed with these principles, the father of
the faithful Avithout further delay, rose early the next
morning, j)robably before Sarah was stirring, and sent away
both the mother and the son. His manner of doing it,
however, was tender, and kind. Giving Hagar a portion
of bread, and a bottle of water, he committed them to
Him wlio jiad in effect promised to watch over them. And
now for a little whih; we take leave of Abraham's family,
and observe the unhappy Hagar and her son, wandering in
tlu! wilderness of litershcba.

Ver. 15, IG. It was doubtless the design of Hagar,

Gen. XXI.] Birth of Isaac. 159

when she set off, to go to Egypt, her native country ; l)ut
having to travel through a desert land, where there was
ordinarily no water, it was necessary she should be fur-
nished with that article. Whether " the wilderness of
Beersheba," as it was called at the time when Moses wrote
the narrative, was directly in her way, or whether she went
thither in consequence of having " wandered," or lost her
way ; so it was, that she was here reduced to great distress.
The bread might not be exhausted, but the water was : and
no spring being to be found in this inhospitable place, she,
and Ishmael appear to have walked about, till he, over-
come of thirst, could walk no longer. She had supported
him, it seems, as long as she could ; but fearing he should
die in her arms, she cast him under a shrub, just to screen
him from the scorching sun, and " went and sat herself
down over against him, a good way off, as it were a bow
shot : for she said. Let me not see the death of the child ?
And she sat over against him, and lifted up her voice and
wept."

Ver. 17, 18. A more finished picture of distress we
shall seldom see. The bitter cries and flowing tears of the
afflicted mother, with the groans of her dying son, are
heard, and seen, and felt, in a manner as though we were
present. And wherefore do they cry ? Had there been any
ear to hear them, any eye to pity them, or hand to help
them, tiiese cries and tears might have been mingled with
hope : but as far as human aid was concerned, there was
no place for this. Whether any of them were directed to
heaven, we know not. We could have wished, and should
almost have expected, that those of the mother, at least,
would have been so ; for surely she could not have forgot-
ten Him who had seen, and delivered her from a similar
condition about sixteen years before, and who had then
promised to '' multiply her seed," and to cause this very
child to " dwell in the presence of all his brethren."- But

■* See on Chap. xvi. 13, 14.

IGO Birth of Isaac. [Dis. 29.

whether any of these expressions of distress were directed
to God, or not, tlie groans of the distressed reached his
ear. " God heard the voice of the lad : and the angel of
God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her,
Whataileth thee, 11 agar? Fear not; for God hath heard
the voice of the lad, where he is. Arise, lift up the lad,
and hold him in thine hand : for I will make him a great
nation.

Ver. 19. At this instant, lifting up her eyes, she saw a
spring of water, which before she had overlooked ; and
tilling her bottle from it, returned to the lad, and gave hiiti
drink. To God the Lord belong the issues from death.
He niakcth strong the bands of the mocker ; and again he
looseth his prisoners, and delivereth those that were ap-
pointed to die. If Ishmael were at any future time pos-
sessed of true religion, he must look back upon these hum-
bling but gracious dispensations of the God of his father
Abraham with very tender emotions.

\cv. 20, 21. \V^het]ier Hagar and her son continued
any longer in the wilderness of Beersheba, we are not in-
formed : it would rather seem that they left it, and prose-
cuted their journey. They did not, hov^ever, settle in
Egypt, though in process of time she took a wife for him
from that country, but in the " wilderness of Paran," w^here.
t!ie providence of God watched over him, and where he
lived, and ])erhaps maintained his mother by the use of the
bow. But to return —

\cT. *J2 — 24. Abraham still continued to sojourn in
the land of the Philistines ; not indeed at Gerar, but
within a few miles of it. Here he was visited by king Abi-
inelech, who, attended by the captain of his host, in the
most friendly manner, in behalf of himself, and his
posterity, recjuested to live in perpetual amity with him.
'• (M)d is with thee, saith he, in all that thou doest. Now
therefore swear unto me here by God, that thou wilt
not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with mj
son's son : but according to tlie kindness that I have done

Gen. XXI.] Blith of Isaac. 161

unto tbee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein
thou hast sojourned. And Abraham said, I will swear."—
Observe, (1.) The motive that induces this friendly re-
quest ; he " saw that God was with him." Probably the
news of the extraordinary birth of Isaac had reached the
court of Abimelech, and became a topic of conversation.
' This, said he, is a great man, and a great family, and will
become a great nation : the blessing of heaven attends him.
It is our w^isdom, therefore, to take the earliest opportunity
to be on good terms with him !' Had Abimelech's suc-
cessors always acted on this principle towards Israel, it had
been better for them : for whether they knew it, or not,
God in blessing Abraham had promised to " bless them
that blessed him, and to curse them that cursed him." — (2.)
The solemnity with which he wished the friendship to be
confirmed : " swear unto me by God" .... It is a dic-
tate of prudence very common among magistrates to re-
quire men to swear by a name which the party holds sacred.
In this view Abimelech certainly acted a wis^part; for
whoever made light of God's name, the party here con-
cerned would not. — (3) Abraham's cheerful and ready
compliance. I hope he did not need to be sworn not to
deal falsely ; but as posterity was concerned, the more
solemn the engagement the better. The friend of God has
no desire but to be the friend of man.

Ver. 25, 96. Now that they are entering into closer
terms of amity how^ever, it is proper that if there be any
cause of complaint on either side, it should be mentioned,
and adjusted, that nothing which is past at least may inter-
rupt their future harmony. Abraham accordingly makes
mention of " a well of water 'which Abimelech's servants
had violently taken away." In this country, and to a man
whose substance consisted much in cattle, a spring of
water was of consequence : and to have it taken away by
mere violence, though it might be borne with from an
enemy, yet is not to be overlooked where there is professed
friendship. In this matter Abimelech fairly and fully ex-

162 Birth of Isaac, [Dis. 29-

oneratos himself: " I wot not, saith he, who hath done
this thing : neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I
of it but to-day/' Public characters cannot always be ac-
countable for the misdeeds of those who act under them ;
they had need take care however, what sort of servants
they employ, as while matters are unexplained, that which
is wrong is commonly placed to their account.

Ver. 27 — 32. Abraham, satisfied with the answer, pro-
ceeds to enter into a solemn covenant with Abimelech, and
as it should seem, a covenant by sacrifice.* The *' sheep
and oxen" appear to have been presented for this purpose ;.
and the " seven ewe lambs" were probably a consideration
to him, as lord of the soil, for a rightful and acknowledged
propriety in the well. Having mutually sworn to this
covenant of peace, the place where it was transacted was
from hence called " Beersheba," the well of the oath, or the
well of seven, alluding to the seven lambs which were given
as the price of it. Matters being thus adjusted, Abimelech
and Phichol, the chief captain of his host, took leave and
departed.

Ver. 33, 34. Abraham being now quietly settled at
Beersheba, " planted a grove, and called there on the name
of Jehovah, the everlasting God." The grove might be
for the shading of his tent, and perhaps for a place of wor-
ship. Such places were afterwards abused to idolatry: or
if otherwise, yet became unlawful when the temple was
erected. The use which Abraham made of it was worthy
of him. Such was his common practice ; wherever he
pitched his tent, there he reared an altar to the Lord. A
lovely example this, to all those who would tread in the
steps of the faith of Abraham. It does not appear how-
ever, that this was a common, but rather a special act of
Nvorship; somewhat like that of Samuel, when he set up a
stone between Mizpeji and Shen, and called it Ebenezer,
saying, « Hitherto the Lord hath helped us." There are

- .•^<<' oil t 'li.'i'j). XV. 9, 10.

Ge N , XXI.] Birth of Isaac. J 63

periods in life in which we are led to review the dispensa-
tions of God towards us, with special gratitude, and re-
newed devotion. In this situation Abraham continued
" many days ;" but still he is a sojourner," and such he
must continue in the present world.

DISCOURSE XXX.

Abraham tempted to offer up his son Isaac.
Genesis xxii.

When Isaac was born, Abraham might be apt to hope
that his trials were nearly at an end; but if so, he was
greatly mistaken. It is not enough, that in consequence
of this event, he is called to give up Ishmael ; a greater
trial than this is yet behind.

" And it came to pass after these things Ihat God did
tempt Abraham." — Many temptations had assailed him
from other quarters, out of which God had delivered him ;
and does he after this himself become his tempter ? As
" God cannot be tempted with evil, so neither (in one
sense) tempteth he any man." But he sees fit to try the
righteous ; and very frequently those most who are most
distinguished by their faith and spirituality. So great a
value doth the Lord set upon the genuine exercises of
grace, that all the grandeur of heaven and earth is over-
looked, in comparison of" a poor and contrite spirit, which
trembleth at his word ;"* it is no wonder therefore that he
should bring his servants into situations which, though try-
ing to them, are calculated to draw forth these pleasant
fruits.

In discoursing upon this temptation of Abraham, 1 shall
deviate from my usual practice of expounding verse by
verse. I shall notice the trial itself — the conduct of the

* Isai. Ixvi. 1, 2.

164 Abraham tempted [Dis. 30.

patriarch under it— tlie reward conferred upon him— and
the general design of the whole.

First, with respect to the trial itself. The time of it is
worthy of notice. The same things may be more or less
trying as they are connected with other things. If the
treatment of Job's friends had not been preceded by the
loss of his substance, the untimely death of his children,
the cruel counsel of his wife, and the heavy hand of God,
it had been much more tolerable; and if Abraham's faitii
and patience had not been exercised in the manner they
were anterior to this temptation, it might have been some-
what different from what it was. It is also a much greater
trial to be deprived of an object when our hopes have been
raised, and in a manner accomplished respecting it, than to
have it altogether withheld from us. The spirits of a man
may be dej)ressed by a heavy affliction ; but if he be nearly
recovered, and experience a relapse ; if again he recovers,
and again relapses, this is much more depressing than if no
such hopes had been afforded him. *' Thou hast lifted me up
(said the Psalmist) and cast me down !'' Now such was the
temptation of Abraham. It was " after these things that
God did tempt Abraham" — that is, after five-and-twenty
years waiting ; after the promise had been frequently re-
peated ; after hope had been raised to the highest pitch ;
yea, after it had been actually turned into enjoyment ; and
when the child had lived long enough to discover an ami-
able and godly disposition. Verse 7.

The shark which it was adapted to produce upon his
natural aJf'<'ctio)is, is also worthy of notice. The command
is worded in a manner as if it were designed to harrow up
all his frelings as a fiither: " Take now thy son, thine onhj
son (of promise) Isaac, whom than forest' ^Or as some read

it, *' Tiiko now tiiat son that only one of thine

whom thou lovest that Isaac !" And what! Deliver

him to some other hand to sacrifice him ! No : be thou
thyself the j)riest : go *' offer him up for a burnt-offering !"
Wlicii Isiiinacl was thirteen years old, Abraham could have

Gen. XXII.] to offer up his son. 165

been well contented to have gone without another son :
but when he was born, and had for a number of years been
entwining round his heart, to part with him in tliis manner
must, we should think, be a rending stroke. Add, to this,
Isaac's having to carry the wood, and himself the fire and
the knife ; but above all, the cutting question of the lad,
asked in the simplicit}^ of his heart, without knowing that
he himself was to be the victim : •' Behold the fire, and the
wood ; but where is the lamb for a burnt-offering?" This
would seem to be more than human nature could bear.

But the shock which it would be to natural affection is
not represented as the principal part of the trial ; but rather
what it must have been to his faith. It was not so much his
being his son, as his onli/ sou of promise ; his Isaac, in
whom all the great things spoken of his seed were to be ful-
filled. When called to give up his other son, (iod conde-
scended to give him a reason for it :* but here no reason
is given. In that case, though Ishmael must go, it is be-
cause he is not the child of promise; "for in Isaac shall
thy seed be called." But if Isaac goes, who shall be a
substitute for him ?

Let us next observe the conduct of Abraham under this
sharp trial. In general we see no opposition, either
from the struggles of natural affection, or those of unbelief:
all bow in absolute submission to the will of God. We
may depict to ourselves how the former would revolt, and
how the latter would rise up in rebellion, and what a num-
ber of plausible objections might have been urged ; but
there is not a single appearance of either in Abraham. —
We have here then a surprising instance of the efficacy of
divine grace, in rendermg every power, passion, and thought
of the mind subordinate to the will of God. There is a
wide difference between this, and the extinction of the pas-
sions. This were to be deprived of feeling ; but the other
is to have the mind assimilated to the mind of Christ, who

* Gen xxi. 12.

IGG Alrahmn teinpted. [Dis. 30.

though he folt most sensibly, yet said, '* If this cup may
not pass from me, except I drink it, thy will be done !"'

No sooner had the father of the faithful received the
heavenly mandate, but without further delay he prepares
for the journey. Lot lingered even when his own deliver-
ance was at stake : but Abraham " rose early in the morn-
ing," in prompt obedience to God. He had to go three
day's journey ere he reached the appointed spot ; a dis-
tance perliaps of about sixty miles. Sarah seems to have
known nothing of it. He takes only two young men with
him, to carry wiiat was necessary; and on his arrival
within sight of the place, they were left behind. " Abide
you here, said he, with the ass, and I and the lad will go
3'onder and worship, and come again to you." This would
intimate that he wished not to be interrupted. In hard duties
and severe trials, we should consider that we have enough
to struggle with in our minds, without having any interrup-
tions from other quarters. Great trials are best entered
upon with but little company. Such was the precaution
taken by our Lord himself. It is admirable to see how in
this trying hour Abraham possessed his soul. He lays the
wood upon his son — takes the fire, and the knife— they go
both of them together — he evades the cutting question of
Isaac so as to prevent disclosure, and yet in such a manner
as to excite resignation to God — built the altar, stretched
forth his hand, and took the knife with an intention to slay
his son !

But what did he mean by telling his two servants that he
and the lad would " come again to them?" These words,
compared witli those of the apostle in Hebrews xi. 17. ex-
plain the whole story. They shew that Abraham from the
first believed that the lad Mould in some way be restored
to him, l)ecause God had said, " In Isaac shall thy seed be
called." He expected no other than that he should have
to slay him, and that he would be burnt to ashes : but if
so it were, he was persuaded tliat he should receive him
again,—" Accounting that (iod was able to raise him

Gen. XXII.] to offer up his son. 1G7

up even from the dead." Such was the victory of
faith !

Take notice, in the next place, of the reward conferred
upon him. At the very moment when he was about to
give the fatal stroke, and to which Isaac seems to have
made no resistance, the angel of the Lord who visited him
at Mamre, and with whom he had interceded in behalf of
Sodom, called unto him to forbear: " For now I know,
saith he, that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not with-
held thy son, thine only son from me." The Lord knew
the heart of Abraham before he had tried him ; but he
speaks after the manner of men. It is by a holy and obe-
dient reverence of the divine authority that faith is made
manifest. As a sinner, Abraham was justified by faith
only : but as a professing believer, he was justified by the
works which his faith produced. This accounts, I appre-
hend, for what is said by Paul on the first of these sub-
jects, and by James on the last. They both allege the ex-
ample of Abraham: but the one respects him as ungodly,
the other as godbj. In the first instance he is justified by
faith, exclusive of works, or as having reference merely to
the promised seed ; in the Tast by faith, as producing
works, and thereby proving him to be the friend of God,*

Abraham being thus agreeably arrested in his design,
makes a pause, and '^ lifting up his eyes, sees a ram caught
in a thicket by his horns." Him he takes as provided of
God, and '« offers him for a burnt-offering instead of his
son." This extraordinary deliverance so impressed his
mind, that he called the name of the place " Jehovah- Jirch,"
the Lord ivill see, or provide. And this name seems to have
become a kind of proverb in Israel, furnishing not only a
memorial of God's goodness to Abraham, but a promise
that he would interpose for them that trust in him in times
of extremity. To all this the Lord adds a repetition of the
promised blessing. The angel of the Lord who called unto

* Rom. iv. 3—5. James ii, 21—24.

168 Abrahcnn tempted [Dis. 30-

him before, " called unto him a second time, saying, By
nivsclf have I sworn, said the Lord ; for because thou hast
done this thing, and hast not withlield thy son, thine only
son, that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I
will multiply thy seed as the stars of th* heaven, and as the
sand upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate
of his enemies ; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the
earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed my voice." (ver.
15—18.) Though the things here promised be much the
same as had been promised before ; yet they are more than
a mere repetition. The terms are stronger than had ever
been used on any former occasion, and as such, more ex-
pressive of divine complacency. " Blessing, I will bless
thee, &c. is amode of speaking which denotes, I will greatly
bless thee.* It is also delivered in the form of an oath,
that it may be a ground of strong consolation : and the same
things which were promised before are now promised as
the reward of this singular instance of obedience, to express
how^ greatly God approved of it.

A few remarks on the general design of the whole, will
conclude this subject. Though it was not the intention of
God to permit Abraham actually to offer a human sacri-
fice ; yet he might mean to assert his own right as Lord
of all to require it, as well as to manifest the implicit obe-
dience of faith in the conduct of his servant. Such an as-
sertion of his right would manifest his goodness in refusing
to exercise it. Hence, when children were sacrificed to
Moloch, who had no such right, Jehovah could say in re-
gard of himself, ** It is what / commanded not, nor spake
it, neitiier came it into my mind."f God never accepted
but one human sacrifice; and blood in that case was not
shed at his command, but by the wicked hands of men.
It is necessary how(!ver, that we should resign our lives,
and every thing we have to his disposal. We cannot be
said to love him sui)r(in(Iy, if father or mother, or wife or

• Genesis iii. ]G. f Jer. xix. 5.

Gen. XXII.] to offer up his son. 169

children, or our own lives be preferred before him. The
way to enjoy our temporal comforts is to resign them to
God. When we have in this manner given them up, and
received them again at his hand, they become much
sweeter, and are accompanied with blessings of greater
value.

But in this transaction there seems to be a still higher
design ; namely, to predict in a figure the great substitute
which God in due time should see and provide. The very
place of it, called '• the mount of the Lord," (ver. 14.)
seems to have been marked out as the scene of great events ;
and of that kind too in which a substitutional sacrifice was
offered and accepted. Here it was that David offered
burnt-offerings, and peace offerings, and called upon the
Lord ; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the
altar of burnt-offering, and commanded the angel of death
to put up his sword.* It was upon the same mountain that
Solomon was afterwards directed to build the temple.f And
if it were not at the very spot, it could not be far distant
that the Saviour of the world was crucified. Mount
Moriah was large enough to give name to a tract of land
about it. (ver. 2.) Mount Calvary therefore was probably
a lesser mountain, which ascended from a certain part of it.
Hither then was led Gods own Son, his only Son, whom he
loved, and in whom all nations of the earth were to be
blessed ; nor was he spared at tlie awful crisis by means of
a substitute, but was himself freely delivered up as the sub-
stitute of others. One reason of the high approbation which
God expressed of Abraham's conduct might be, its afford-
ing some faint likeness of what would shortly be his own.

The chapter concludes with an account of Nahor's family,
who settled at Haran. Probably this had not been given,
but for the connexion which it had with the church of God.
From them, Isaac and Jacob took them wives ; and it is as
preparatory to those events that the genealogy is recorded.

♦ 1 Chron. xxi. 26, '27. t 2 Chron. iii.I.

170

DISCOURSE XXXI.

The death and burial of Sarah.
Genesis xxiii.

We have no such account of the death of any woman be-
fore, or of the respect paid to her memory, as is here given
of Sarah. She was not without her faults, and who is ? But
she was upon the whole a great female character. As such
her name stands recorded in the New Testament amongst
the worthies, and the memory of her was more than usually
blessed.

Ver. 1, 2. Observe, (1.) The time of her death. She
was younger by ten years than Abraham, and yet died
thirty-eight years before him. Human life is a subject of
very uncertain calculation: God often takes the youngest
before the eldest. She lived, however, thirty-seven years
after the birth of Isaac, to a good old age, and went home
as a shock of corn ripe in its season. — (2.) The, place. It
was anciently called Kirjath-Arba, afterwards Hebron, si-
tuated in the plain of Mamre, where Abraham had lived
more than twenty years before he went into the land of the
Philistines, and whither he had since returned.* Here
Sarah died, and here Abraham " mourned" for her. We
may take notice of the forms of it. He " came to mourn ;"
i. e. he came into her tent where she died, and looked at
her dead body : his eye affected his heart. There was
none of that false delicacy of modern times which shuns to
sec, or attend tlu- burial of near relations. Let him see
her, and let him weep; it is the last tribute of affection
V liicli he will be able in that manner to pay her. We should
also notice tli(> sincerihj of it; he " wept." Many affect
to mourn who do not Mecp ; but Abraham both " mourned

• Sec on Chap. xiii. 18.

Gen. XXIII.] Burial of Sarah. \f\

and wept." Religion does not stop the course of nature,
though it moderates it ; and by inspiring tlie hope of a
blessed resurrection, prevents our being swallowed up of
overmuch sorrow.

Ver. 3, 4. From mourning, which was commonly ac-
companied with a sitting on the ground,* Abraham at
length " stood up from before his dead," and took measures
to bury her. It is proper to indulge in weeping for a
time, but there is a time for it to abate ; and it is well there
is. The necessary cares attending life are often a merciful
means of rousing the mind from the torpor of melancholy.
But see what a- change death makes : those faces which
once excited strong sensations of pleasure, require now to
be buried " out of our sight." In those times, and long
afterwards, they appear to have had no public burying-
places ; and Abraham being often removed from place to
place, and not knowing where his lot might be cast at the
time, had not provided one. He had therefore at this time
a burying-place to seek. As yet he had none inheritance
in the land, though the whole was given him in promise.
We see him here pleading for a grave as " a stranger and
a sojourner." This language is commented upon by the
apostle to the Hebrews ; " They confessed (saj's he) that
they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth ; and they
that say such things declare plainly that they seek a
country."f Abraham did not sustain this character alone,
nor merely on account of his having no inheritance in Ca-
naan ; for Israel when put in possession of the land were
taught to consider it as properly the Lord's, and them-
selves as strangers and sojourners ivith him in it.ij: Even
David, who was king of Israel, made the same confession. §
• Ver. 3 — 16. One admires to observe the courteous be-
haviour between Abraham and the Canaanites, for Heth
Avas a son of Canaan. On his part, having signified his de-
sire, and received a respectful answer, he *' bowed him-

* Job. i. 20. ii. 13. Lam. i. 1. f Heb. xi. 13, 14.

\ Lev. XXV. 23. § Psal. xxxix. 12.

i2

1 7 2 Death of Sarah . [ D i s . 8 1 .

self to them;'' and when he had fixed upon a spot in his
mind, he does not ask it of the owner, but requests them to
entreat him on his behalf ; expressing also his desire to
yivf him the full value of it, and refusing to accept it other-
wise. Nor is there any thing wanting on their part ; but
every tiling appears generous and lovely. Abraham calls
himself a stranger, and a sojourner ; but they call him "a
mighty prince amongst them ;'' give him the choice of their
sepulchres; offer an}^ one of them gratis ; and when he in-
sisted on paying for it, mention its value in the most deli-
cate manner, intimating that such a sum was as nothing -
between them- Were commerce conducted on such prin-
ciples, how pleasant would it be ! How different from that
selfish spirit described by Solomon, and still prevalent
amongst men. " Naught, naught, saith the buyer ; but
when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.'' Civility,
courtesy, and generosity adorn religion. The plainness
of Christianity is not a rude and insolent one ; it stands
aloof from flattery, but not from obliging behaviour. Some
who are very courteous to strangers, are very much the
reverse to those about them : but Abraham's behaviour to
his neighbours is no less respectful than it was to the three
strangers who called at his tent. It is painful to add how-
ever, that civility and courtesy may be where there is no
religion. However it may tend to smooth the rugged
paths of life, and however much we are indebted to the
providence of God for it; yet this alone will not avail in
the sight of God.

Ver. 17—20. Respecting the purchase of this sepul-
chre, I conceive it was an exercise of faith. Jacob and
Joseph after him had certainly an eye to the promise, in
recpiesting tlieir bones to be carried up from Egypt. A
sepulchre was like an earnest, and indicated a persuasion of
future possession.* It would tend also to endear the land
to his posterity. This was so much a dictate of nature,

• Isiii. xxii. IG.

Gen. XXIII.] Burial of Sarah. 173

that Nehemiah could urge it to a heathen king, whom no
religious considerations would probably have influenced :*
and when to this was added, the character of those who
should be there deposited, it would render the country
still more endearing. Heathens venerate the dust of their
forefathers ; but contemplate it without hope- It is not so
with believers : those who should lie in this sepulchre,
walked with God in their generations ; and though dead'
yet lived under the promise of a glorious resurrection.

Upon the whole, it is natural to wish to mingle dust
with those whom we love — " Where thou diest, there will
J be buried." And sometimes with those whom we only
respect—" When I am dead, (said the old prophet of
Bethel to his sons) bury me in the sepulchre wherein the
man of God is buried, and lay my bones beside his bones."
But after all, the chief concern is with whom we shall
rise I

DISCOURSE XXXII.

Abraham sending his servant to obtain a wife for Isaac.
Genesis xxiv.

The last chapter contained a funeral ; this gives an ac-
count of a marriage. Such are the changes of human life !
Let not this minute narrative seem little in our eyes : it
was thought by the Spirit of God to be of more importance
than all that was at that time going on among the great
nations of antiquity. It is highly interesting to trace great
things to their small beginnings ; and to them that love
Zion it must be pleasant to observe the minute turns of
providence in respect of its first fathers.

Ver. ] — 9. Abraham being now an old man, and having
lost the partner of his life, feels anxious to adjust his af-

* Neh. ii. 3.

174 Abraham s servant seehs [Dis. 32.

fairs, that he may be ready to folloAv her. " The Lord had
blessed him in all things," and he had doubtless much to
dispose of; but the greatest blessing of all related to his
seed, and this occupies his chief attention. Aware that
character as well as happiness greatly depended on a suit-
able connexion, he was desirous that before he died he
might discharge this part of the duty of a father. Calling
to him therefore his eldest servant, who was already
steward of his afiairs, and in case of death must have been
his trustee in behalf of Isaac, he bound him in a solemn
oath respecting the wife that he should take to him. We
are not here told the servant's name ; but by the account
which is given of him, compared with chapter xv. 2, it is
not unlikely that it was Eliezer of Damascus.

The charactei's of men are not so easily ascertained from
a few splendid actions, as from the ordinary course of life,
in which their real dispositions are manifested. In this do-
mestic concern of Abraham we see several of the most pro-
minent features of his character. — (1.) His decided aver-
sion to idolatry : " I will make thee swear by Jehovah, the
God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt
not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Ca-
naanites amongst whom I dwell," Had Abraham then
contracted a prejudice against his neighbours? This does
not appear by what occurred between them in the last
chapter. He does not complain of their treatment of him,
but of his God. He has no objection to an exchange of
civilities w ith them ; but to take their daughters in mar-
riage, was the sure way to corrupt his own family. The
great design of God in giving the land to Abraham's poste-
rity was the eventual overthrow of idolatry, and the esta-
blislinient of his true worship on earth. To what purpose
then was he called from amongst Chaldean idolaters, if his
son join aHinity with those of Canaan ? Such, or nearly
such, were the sentiments which dictated the address to his
servant. " The Lord (Jod of heaven, who took me from
mij father's house and sware unto i)ie, saying, Unto thy

Gen. XXIV.] a wife for Isaac, 175

seed loill I give this land, He shall send his aiifrel befo

>re

thee." — (2) His godliness. There does not appear in all
this concern the least taint of worldly policy, or any of those
motives which usually govern men in the settlement of
their children. No mention is made of riches, or lionours,
or natural accomplishments; but merely of what related to
God. Let not the woman be a daughter of Canaan, but of
the family of Nahor, who had forsaken Chaldean idolatry,
and with Milcah his wife had settled in Haran, and who was
a worshipper of the true God.* — (3.) His faith, and obe-
dience. The servant being about to bind himself by oath,
is tenderly concerned lest he should engage in more than
he should be able to accomplish. " Peradventure, saith
he, the woman will not follow me into this land : must I
needs bring thy son again to the land whence thou earnest ?"
'No : as Isaac must not marry a daughter of Canaan, neither
must he leave Canaan to humour a daughter of Haran ;
for though Canaan's daughters are to be shunned, yet
Canaan itself is to be chosen as the Lord's inheritance be-
stowed on the promised seed. Nor do these supposed dif-
ficulties at all deter Abraham ; <* The Lord God of heaven,
saith he, who took me from my father's house, and from
the land of my kindred, and who spake unto me, and
sware unto me, saying. Unto thy seed will I give this land,
HE shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a
wife unto my son from thence." On the ground of this
promise, he would send him away, fully acquitting him of
his oath, if the party should prove unwilling ; only charg-
ing him not to bring Isaac to Haran, as he had before
charged him not to marry him to a daughter of Canaan.

Ver. 10 — 14. Abraham's servant having on the above
terms consented to take the oath, now betakes himself to
his journey. No time seems to have been lost ; for his
heart was in the business. He did not trouble his aged
master in things of inferior moment ; but having all his

* Chap. xxxi. 53.

1 7G Ahrah ., m 's servant seeks [ D i s. 32 .

affairs entrusted to him, adjusts those matters himself.
Taking with him ten camels, and of course a number of
attendants, partly for accommodation, and partly, we may
suppose, to give a just idea of his master's substance, he
set oif for ^lesopotamia, to the city of Nahor. Nothing
remarkable occurs by the way: but arriving on a summer's
evening at the outside of the city, he espies a well. Here
he causes liis camels to kneel down for rest, and with a
design as soon as opportunity offered, to furnish them with
drink. Now it Avas customary in those countries for the
women at the time of the evening to go out to draw water-
Of this Abraham's servant is aware. And having placed
himself and his camels by the well in a waiting posture, he
betakes himself to prayer for Divine direction. Light as
men make of such concerns in common, there are few^
things of greater importance, and in which there is greater
need for imploring the guidance and blessing of heaVen.
Upon a few minute turns at this period of life, more de-,
pends than can possibly be conceived at the time. Young
people ! Pause a moment, and consider .... Think of
the counsel of God .... "In all thy ways acknowledge
him, and he shall direct thy paths." That which is done
for life, and which may involve things of another life, re-
quires to be done well; and nothing can be done well in
which the will of God is not consulted, and his blessing
implored. Let us each pause a few minutes too, and
notice the admirable prayer of Abraham's servant. Truly
he bad not lived with Abraham in vain ! — Observe, (1.)
The character under which he addresses the great Su-
preme : " Oh Jehovah, God of my master Abraham." He
well knew that Jehovah had entered into covenant with
Abraham, and had given him exceeding great and precious
proMjises. By ajjprGaching him as a God in covenant, he
woukl find matfer for faith to lay hold upon: every pro-
mise to Abraham would thus furnish a plea, and turn to a
good account. Surely this may direct us in our ap-
proaches to a throne of grace, to make mention of a

Gen. XXIV.] a wife for Isaac. 177

greater than i^braliam, with whom also God is in cove-
nant, and for whose sake the greatest of all blessings may
be expected. The God and father of our Lord Jesus
Christ is to us what the God of Abraham was to Eliezer ;
and in the name of our Redeemer we may pray and hope
for every thing that is great and good.— (2.) The limita-
tion of the prayer to the present time : " Send me good
speed this day." We may in a general way ask for grace
for our whole lives ; but our duty is more especially to
seek direction at the time we want it. Our Lord teaches
us to pray for daily bread as the day occurs.— (3.) The
siffn which he " presumed to ask for ; that the damsel to
whom he should say so and so, and who should make such
and such answers, should be the person whom the Lord
had appointed for his servant Isaac. In this he might be
under extraordinary influence, and his conduct therefore
afford no example to us. The sign he asked however, was
such as would manifest the qualifications which he desired
and expected to find in a companion wlio should be
worthy of his master's son ; namely, industry, courtesy,
and kindness to strangers. — (4.) The /mYA in which the
prayer was offered. He speaks all along under a full
persuasion that the providence of God extended to the
minutest events, to the free actions of creatures, and even
to their behaviour, of which at the time they are scarcely
conscious. His words are also full of humble confidence
that God would direct him in a matter of so much conse-
quence to his Church in all future ages. I believe, if we
were to search the Scriptures through, and select all the
prayers that God has answered, we should find them to
have been the prayers of faith.

Ver. 15— 28. While he was speaking, a damsel with
a pitcher upon her shoulder, came towards the well. By
her appearance he is possessed of the idea that she is the
person, and that the Lord hath heard his prayer. He said
nothing to her till she had gone down to the well, and was
come up again. Then he ran towards her, and addressed
I 3

178 Abrahams servant seeks [Dis. 32.

lif'i" ill the words wliicli he had resolved to do, intreating
permission to drink a little water of her pitcher. To this
siie clicerfully consented, and offered her assistance to
give drink also to his camels ; all exactly in the manner
which he had prayed for. The gentleness, cheerfulness,
assiduity, and courtesy manifested towards a stranger, of
whom siic at present could have no knowledge, is truly
admirable. The words in which it is described are
picturesque and lively in the highest degree. We need
only read them in order to feel ourselves in the midst of
tiie pleasing scene — " And she said. Drink my lord : and
slie hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and
gave him drink. And when she had given him drink, she
said, 1 will draw for thy camels also, until they have done
drinking. And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into
the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw, and drew
for all his camels." This conduct, in itself so amiable, and
so exactly in unison with the previous wishes of the man,
struck him with a kind of amazement, accompanied wdth
a momentary hesitation, whether all could be true.
" Wondering at her, he held his peace, to wit, whether
the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not.'' — We
pray for blessings, and when our prayers are answered,
we can scarcely believe them to be so. There are cases
in which the mind, like the eye by a great and sudden
influx of light, is overpowered. Thus Zion, though ini-
jHjrtunate in prayer for great conversions, yet when they
come, is described as being in a manner confounded with

thorn : "Thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged thou

shalt say in thine heart, who hath begotten me these? " *
Recovering from his astonishment, and being satisfied that
tlie Lord had indeed heard his prayer, he opens his
treasures, and presents the damsel with certain Eastern
ornanu-nts, wiiich lie had provided for the purpose ; en-
quiring at the same time after her kindred, and whether
!iey had room to lodge him. Being told in answer, that
^hc• was « the daughter of Bethuel, the on of Nahor and
Isui. l.\. 5. xlix. 21.

Gen. XXIV.] a wife for Isaac 179

Milcah," and that they had plenty of accommodation for
him and his company, his heart is so full that he cannot
contain himself, but even in the presence of Rebecca, and
perhaps of the men who were with him, "bowed down his
head and worshipped, saying, Blessed be Jehovah, God of
my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my
master of his mercy and his truth : I being in the way,
Jehovah led me to the house of my master's brother I " —
We see here not only a grateful mind, equally disposed to
give thanks for mercy, as to pray for it; but a delicate
and impressive manner of communicating to Rebecca a
few particulars which he wished her to know. His words
were addressed to the Lord ; but being spoken in her
hearing she would perceive by them who he was, whence
he came, and that the hand of the God of Abraham was iu
the visit, whatever was the object of it. Full of joyful
surprize, she runs home, with the bracelets upon her
hands, and tells the family of what had passed. But here
I must break off for the present, and leave the conclusion
of this interesting story to another discourse.

DISCOUUSE XXXIII.

Abraham sending his Servant to obtain a Wife for
Isaac. (^Continued.)

Genesis xxiv. 29—67.

Ver. 29—31. As yet no one suspects the object of the
visit: but all hearts are full, and there is much running
hither and thither. No mention is made at present of
Bethuel, or of Milcah : they were aged people, and the
affairs of the family seem principally to have devolved on
its younger branches. Laban appears to have taken a
very active part in this business. Hearing his sister's tale,
and seeing the ornaments upon her hands, he is all alive,
and runs towards the well to welcome the man into his

180 Abraham's servant seehs [Dis. 33,

liousc. By the account Avhieh is afterwards given of
Laban, it is perhaps more than probable that these golden
ornaments had great influence on what would otherwise
appear a very generous behaviour. His whole history
shows him to have been a mercenary man ; and we fre-
(piently see in such characters the truth of Solomon's
remarks: "A man's gift maketh room for him. — It is as
a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it : whither-
soever it turneth, it prospereth."* If a man be in straits,
he is coldly treated ; but if once he begin to rise in the
Morld, he becomes another man, and his company and,
acquaintance are courted. Such is the spirit of this
world. But whatever were Laban's motives, he carried it
very kindly to Abraham's servant. Finding him at the
well, modestly waiting for a further invitation from some
of the heads of the family, he accosted him in language
that would have befitted the lips of a much better man ;
" Come in thou blessed of the Lord : wherefore standest
thou without ? For I have prepared the house, and room
for the camels.'' It becomes us to bless, and bid welcome
to those whom the Lord hath blessed ; nor must we con-
fine it to those whom he hath blessed with outward
})ros])erity : a Christian spirit is, in the sight of God, of
great price, and ought to be so in ours.

Ver. 32, 33. On this becoming invitation, the man
troes into the house ; and we see Laban very attentive.
1 irst, li(! ungirds the poor beasts which had borne the
Ijurdcns, and furnished them with provender : then pro-
vidi's water fur the man, and those who were with him,
to wash their feet: and after this, sets meat before him.
All this i> proper. But the good man's heart is full; and
he cannot cat till he has told his errand. Such are the
feelings of a servant of God whose heart is in his work.
Where this is the case, personal indulgence \vill give place
to things of greater importance. '' I will not give sleep
to mine eyes, (said David) nor slumber to mine eye-lids,
till I find out a place for Jehovah, a habitation for the
I'rov. xviii. 16. xvii. 8.

Gen. XXIV.] a wife for Isdac. 181

mighty God of Jacob." While the woman of Samaria
was gone to tell her neighbours of the man who had told
her all things that ever she did, his disciples, knowing
how weary and faint he must have been, " prayed iiim
to eat : " but seeing the Samaritans flocking down the
hill to hear the word of God, he answered, " I have meat
to eat that ye know not of . . . . my meat is to do the will of
him that sent me, and to finish his work. . . -Say ye not
there are yet four months, and then cometh harvest ?
Behold. . . .lift up your eyes, and look" on yonder com-
panies. ..." the fields are white already to harvest ! "

Ver. 34, 35. Being requested to tell his tale, the ser-
vant begins by informing them who he is. His prayer
to the God of his master Abraham ^ in the hearing of
Eebecca, might possibly have superseded the necessity of
this part of his statement ; but lest it should not, he tells
them expressly, '' I am Abraham's servant." He was
an upright man, and upright men do not conceal who
they are. He was also a humble man, and humble men
are not ashamed to own their situation in life, though it be
that of a servant. A vain man might have talked about
himself, and that he was the first servant of the house, the
steward that ruled over all that Abraham had, and that
all his master's goods were in his hand.* But not a word
of this is heard ; for his heart was set on his errand. He
has no objection, however, to tell of the glory of his
master ; for this would tend to promote the object ; nor
does he fail to acknowledge the hand of God in it. " The
Lord hath blessed my master greatly." And if they were
worthy to be connected with Abraham, this would tend
farther to promote the object; yea, more than all the
riches and glory of Abraham without it.

Ver. 36. And now for the first time he makes mention
of Isaac. A messenger less ingenuous might have given
a hint of this kind to the damsel when he presented her

* See Esther v. 10—12.

182 Abraham's servant seehs [Dis. 33.

witli the "^ ear-ring, and bracelets: " but so did not Abra-
ham's servant. Not an intimation of the kind is given till
he is before her parents. In tlieir presence, and that of
the whole family, he frankly makes mention of his master's
son ; and as his object was to recommend him to their
esteem, and to prepossess Rebecca in his favour, it is ad-
mirable to see how he accomplishes his end. All is in
the form of a simple narrative ; yet every moving consi-
deration is worked into it that the subject will admit of.
In only this single verse we observe four circumstances
touched upon, each of which would have a powerful effecfc^
— lie was the son of the highly honoured Abraham— by
the much-loved Sarah — in their old age — (of course he
himself must be young) — and was made heir of all his
father's substance.

Ver. 37, 38. From hence he proceeds to a still more
explicit mention of the object of his journey, mixing with
it such grounds or reasons as must ingratiate both his
master, and his master's son in their esteem, and so tend to
accomplish his design. He informs them that Abraham
was utterly averse to his son's being united with a daughter
of Canaan ; so much so, that he even made him solemnly
swear upon the subject. The family at Haran might
possibly have thought ere now that Abraham had forgotten
his old friends, and formed new connexions : but they
would perceive by this that he had not. There is a
charming delicacy in his introducing the subject of
marriage. He speaks of " a wife being taken " for his
master's son; but first mentions it in reference to the
daugliters of Canaan, whom he must 7iot take, before he
suggests any thing of the person he wished to take ; thus
giving them to infer what was coming ere he expressed it.
And now having intimated the family whom his master
preferred, he represents him as speaking of them in the
most affectionate language — " My father's house, my
kindred."

Ver. 39—41. Next he repeats what passed between his

Gen. XXIV.] a wife for Isaac. 18:5

master and himself, as to the supposed willingness or un-
willingness of the party : and here also we see much that
will turn to account. In expressing Abraham's per-
suasion in the affair, he appeals to their piety. It was
saying in effect, the hand of God is in it; and this with
godly minds Avould be sure to weigh. Indeed it did
weigh ; for when required to give an answer, it was this :
" The thing proceedeth from the Lord." Religion, thus
mingled with natural affection, sanctifies it, and renders
sweetness itself more sweet, [n repeating also the words
of Abraham, " thou shalt take a wife for my son of my
kindred, cmd of my father's house'' he touches and re-
touches the strings of fraternal love. And in that he inti-
mates that his master had laid nothing more upon him
than to tell his tale, and leave the issue to the Lord, he
gives them to understand that whether they were willing
or unwilling, he should be clear of his oath. In this and
several other parts of this pleasant story, our thoughts
must needs run to the work of Christ's servants in
espousing souls to him. They may be clear of the blocd
of all men, though sinners may be unwilling ; and it is
their duty to tell them so, that while on the one hand they
allure them by exhibiting the glory of their Master, they
may on the other convince them that their message is not
to be trifled with. Both are means appointed of God to
bring them to Christ ; and if the Lord be with them in
their work, such will be the effect.

Ver. 42—48. The repeating of the interview with
Rebecca at the well, was all admirably in point, and of a
tendency to bring the matter to a crisis. «I came to the
well— I called on the God of my master Abraham— I
asked for a sign— a sign was given me— every thing an-
swered to my prayer— judge ye— let Rebecca judge—
whether the hand of the Lord be not in it? And now,
if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me :
and if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand,
or to the left.'

]f54 Abraham s servant seeks [Drs. 33.

Yer. 50 — 52. With this simple, but interesting ac-
count, the whole family is overcome : one sentiment bows
every mind. Rebecca says nothing : but her heart is
full. It is an affair in which little or nothing seems left
for creatures to decide. " The thing (say they) proceed-
eth from the Lord : we cannot speak unto thee good or
bad. Behold, Rebecca is before thee; take her, and go,
and let her be thy master's son's wife, as the Lord hath
spoken ! " Such was the happy result of this truly re-
ligious courtship ; and the good man, who saw God in all
tilings, still keeps up his character. Hearing their words,
he bowed himself to the earth, and worshipped God ! How
sweet would all our temporal concerns be rendered, if they
were thus intermixed with godliness !

Ver. 53. The main things being settled, he, according
to the customs of those times, presents the bride elect with
"jewels of silver, jewels of gold, and raiment," suited to
the occasion ; and farther to conciliate the esteem of the
family, " he gave also to her brother, and to her mother
precious things." Presents when given from sincere
affection are very proper, and productive of good effects.
It is by a mutual interchange of kind offices that love is
often kindled, and always kept alive. Our Saviour ac-
cepted the presents which were offered him, not only of
food, but raiment, and even the anointing of his feet.
Where love exists, it is natural and grateful to express it
in acts of kindness.

Ver. 54—58. The good man would not eat till he had
told his errand ; but now that his work is done, he and
the men who were with him both eat and drink: and
doubtless it would add to the enjoyment of their meal, to
know that the Lord had made their way prosperous. The
next morning, having accomplished his object, the diligent
and faithful servant wants to be going. To this proposal
liowever, though honourable to him as a, servant, the
mother and the brother object ; pleading for a few days,
ten at least, ere they parted ; nor does their objection seem

Gen. XXIV.] aimfe for Isaac. 185

to be unreasonable. Though willing upon the whole that
she should go ; yet parting is trying work, especially when
they considered that they might never see her more in this
world, as in truth they never did. The man, however,
knows not how to consent to it; but entreats that he might
not be " hindered, seeing the Lord had prospered his
way." Whether we consider him as too pressing, in this
case, or not, we may lay it down as a general rule, never
to hinder those who are engaged in a right way, and who
have received manifest tokens that God hath blessed them
in it. The case being somewhat difficult, and neither of
the parties disposed to disoblige the other, they consent to
leave it to the decision of the damsel herself. A few days
to take leave of her. friends could not, we may suppose
have been disagreeable to her ; but seeing as she did, so
much of God in the affair, and the man's heart so deeply
set upon it ; feeling also her own heart entirely in it, she
would not so much as seem to make light of it, or hinder
it even for an hour ; but, far from all affectation, answered,
" I will go." j(f J 4^-

Ver. 59, 60. And now, preparation is made for her
departure. Before she goes she must be provided with a
"nurse." Rebecca's having been employed in drawing
water, we see, was no proof of the poverty of her parents,
but rather of the simplicity of the times. Daughters were
not yet taught to be so delicate as scarcely to adventure to
set the sole of their foot upon the ground. But now that
she is going to leave her family, it is desirable that she
should have one of its domestics who had probably been
brought up with her from her childhood, who in times of
affliction would kindly wait on her, and at all times be a
friend and companion. The name of this nurse was
Deborah. We hear no more of her till we are told of her
death. She appears to have survived her mistress, and to
have died in the famil}'^ of Jacob, much lamented.* To an
affectionate ntirse, they ad(,led a parting blessing. The
* Chap. XXXV. 8.

186 Abraham's servant seeks . [Dis. 33.

lanffuasre used in it shews that Abraham's servant had told
them of tlie promises which God had made to his master,
and which were to be fulfilled in Isaac and his posterity.
They speak as believing the truth of them, and as having
their hearts full of hope and joy, amidst the natural sorrow
which must have attended the parting scene. "They
blessed Rebecca, and said unto her, Thou art our sister;
be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy
seed possess the gate of those that hate them ! ''

Ver. 61 — 63. Taking leave of Haran, they go on their
way towards Canaan. A little before their arrival at
Hebron, tiiey are unexpectedly met by a person who was
taking an evening walk. This was no other than Isaac.
It may be thought that he was looking out in hopes of
meeting them ; but we are expressly told that his walk was
for another purpose, namely, to "meditate." It is a word
wliich is sometimes used for prayer, and hence it is so
rendered in the margin of our Bibles. He was a man of
reflection and prayer, and in the cool of the evening it
might be common for him to retire an hour to converse,
as we should say, with himself and with his God. Ad-
mitting that the thought might occur, ' I may possibly see
my father's servant on jiis return,' still his object would be
on such an important turn in his life, to commit the matter
to (iod. Those blessings are likely to prove substantial
and durable, which are given us in answer to prayer.

Ver. 64, 65. Rebecca having espied a stranger ap-
proacliing towards them, enquires of her guide whether he
knew iiini ; and being told that it was no other than his
young " master," she modestly alighted from the camel,
and took a vail and covered herself. This Eastern head-
dress miglit in tlie present instance answer a double
purpose : First, it would express her subjection to her
husband, as being already his espoused wife. Secondly,
it w(jiikl prevent that confusion which the exposure of her
person, especially in so sudden and unexpected a manner,
must have occasioned.

Gen. XXIV.] a wife for Isaac, 187

Ver. 66, 67. Isaac observing her to have put on her
vail, very properly avoids addressing himself to her ; but
walking awhile with the servant by himself, heard the whole
narrative of his journey, and which appears to have
wrought on his mind as the former had wrought on that of
Rebecca. And now the marriage is consummated.
" Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took
Rebecca, and she became his wife, and he loved her :
and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death." In
this tender manner is the admirable story closed. Who
can forbear wishing them all happiness ? The union of
filial and conjugal aifection is not the least honourable
trait in the character of this amiable man. He *' brought
her into his mother Sarah's tent; " and was then, and not
till then, comforted for his loss of her. Dutiful sons pro-
mise fair to be affectionate husbands : he that fills up the
first station in life with honour, is thereby prepared for
those that follow. God in mercy sets a day of prosperity
over agamst a day of adversity. Now he woundeth our
spirits by dissolving one tender union, and now bindeth up
our wounds by cementing another.

DISCOURSE XXXIV.

Abrahams Marriage ivith Keturah, and Death; Ish-
mael's posterity and Death; ivith the birth and
characters of Esau and Jacob.

Genesis xxv.

This chapter gives an account of several changes [in
the families of Abraham, Ishmael, and Isaac. In each the
sacred writer keeps his eye on the fulfilment of the great
promise to the father of the faithful.

Ver. 1—6. The marriage of Abraham to Keturah is
an event which we should not have expected. From the

188 Abrahams marriage [Drs. 34.

last account we had of him, charging his servant resjiecting
the marriage of his son Isaac, we were prepared to look for
his being buried, rather than married. I do not know that
it was a sin : but it is easy to see in it more of man than
of God. No reason is given for it ; no marks of Divine
approbation attend it; five-and- thirty years pass over with
little more than recording the names of his children, and
that not from any respect to the connexion, but to shew
the fulfilment of the Divine promise of multiplying his
seed. During tliis last period of his life, we see nothing
of that extraordinary strength of faith by which he was
formerly distinguished; but, like Sampson when he had
lost his hair, he is become weak like another man. While
the promise of Isaac was pending, and while Abraham
was employed in promoting that great object, the cloud of
glory accompanies all his movements : but this being
accomplished, and his mind diverted to something else,
the cloud now rests upon Isaac ; and he must walk the re-
mainder of his journey in a manner without it.
^,- Who Keturah was we a^-i^not told ; probably she w^as
one of his family. She and Hagar are called " concu-
bines." This does not mean however, that they were not
his lawful wives, but that they occupied a less honourable
station than Sarah, who was a fellow-heir with him in the
promise. Keturah bare Abraham six sons, amongst
whose descendants were preserved in some measure the
knowledge and fear of the true God. From one of them,
namely, Midiam, descended Jethro, the father-in-law of
Moses; and it is not improbable that Job and his friends
had the same general origin.

We have seen how the last thirty-five years of Abra-
ham's life fall short of what it was in former periods : it is
pleasant however to observe, that his sun does not set in a
cloud. There are several circumstances which shed a
lustre upon his last end. Amongst others, his regard for
Isaac, constituting him his heir, and settling his other sons
at a sufficient distance from him, shews that his heart was

Gen. XXV.] tvith Ketiirah. 189

still with God's heart; or that he whom the Lord had
chosen was the object to whom his thoughts were chiefly
direc-ted. He was not wanting in paternal goodness to any
of his children. Though Ishmael was sent away, and as it
would seem by the other parts of the history, with nothing :
yet it is here plainly intimated that his father " gave gifts"
to him, as well as the sons of Keturah. Probably he visited
and provided for him in the wilderness of Paran, and gave
Inm a portion when he married. But God's covenant being
established with Isaac, his settlement in Canaan is that to
which all the others are rendered subservient. All this
shews that his faith did not fail ; that he never lost sight of
the promise in which he had believed for justification ; but
that as he had lived, so he died.

Ver. 7 — 10. Let us notice the death and burial of this
great and good man. His death is expressed by a com-
mon, but impressive Scripture phrase ; '^ he gave up the
ghost :" and his burial by another ; " he was gathered to
his people." The one is the parting of body and soul ; the
other the mingling of our dust with that of our kindred
who have gone before us. Even in the grave it is natural
to wish to associate with those whom we have known and
loved on earth ; and still more in the world to come.
When all the sons of Adam shall be assigned their portion,
each in a sense will be gathered to his people ! — The in-
scription on his tomb, if I may so call it, was " He died in a
good old age." On this I have two remarks to offer. — (1.)
It was according to promise. Upwards of four-score years
before this, the Lord told Abraham in vision, saying,
" Thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace : thou shalt be
buried in a good old age.* In every thing, even in death,
the promises are fulfilled to Abraham. — (2.) It is lan-
guage that is never used of wicked men, and not very com-
7nonlyof good men. It is used of Gideon, and of David ;t
and I know not whether of any other. The idea answers

* Gen. XV 15. ■{- Judges viii. S2. 1 Chron. xiix. 2«.

190 Abraham' s death [Dis. 34.

to what is spoken by the Psahnist, " They shall bring forth
fruit in old age ;" or that in Job, '* Thou shalt come to thy
grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in his
season." — Isaac and Ishmael are both present at his funeral.
We have no account of their having seen each other before
from the day that Ishmael was cast out as a mocker ; but
whether they had or not, they met at their father's inter-
ment. Death brings those together who know not how to
associate on any other occasion, and will bring us all to-
gether sooner or later.— Finally, the place where they
buried him was the same as that in which he had buried
his beloved Sarah.

Ver. 11. The death and burial of so great and good a
man as Abraham must have made an impression upon sur-
vivors: howbeit, the cause of God died not. " It came to
pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son
Isaac." Isaac was heir to the promise; and though all
flesh withereth and fadeth like the grass, yet the word of the
Lord shall stand for ever. We shall hear more of Isaac
soon ; at present we are only told in general that he
" dwelt by the well Lahai-roi." It was necessary in those
countries to fix their residence by a well ; and it is no less
necessary, if we wish to live, that we fix ours near to the
ordinances of God. The well where Isaac pitched his tent
was distinguished by two interesting events; — (1.) The
merciful appearance of God to Hagar, from whence it re-
ceived its name : the well of him that liveth and seeth me*
Hagar or Ishmael, methinks should have pitched a tent
there, that it might have been to them a memorial of past
mercies : but if they neglect it, Isaac will occupy it. The
gracious appearance of God in a place, endears it to him,
let it have been to whom it may. — (2.) It was the place
from the way of which he first met his beloved Rebecca \\
there therefore they continue to dwell together.

Ver. 12— 18. A short account is here given of Ishmael's

• Gcn.xvi. J4. | Chap. xxiv. 62.

Gen. XXV.] and burial I9l

posterity, and of his death. His sons were numerous and
great ; they had their " towns and their castles ;" nay
more, they are denominated " twelve princes, according to
their nations." Thus amply was fulfilled the promise of God
concerning him ; " Behold, I have blessed him, and will
make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly;
twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great
nation."* But this is all. When a man leaves God and
his people, the sacred historian leaves him. After living
in prosperity a hundred and thirty-seven j^ears, " he gave
up the ghost, and died ; and was gathered unto his people."
As this language is applicable to men whether good or
bad, no conclusion can be drawn from it in favour of his
having feared God. It is added, that " he died in the pre-
sence of all his brethren ;" that is, in peace, or with his
friends about him, which considering how his " hand had
been against every man," and of course " every man's
hand against him," was rather surprising : but so it had
been promised of the Lord to his mother at the well Lahai-
roi— " He shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. "-]-
So he lived, and so he died, an object of providential care
for his father's sake ; but as to any thing more, the oracles
of God are silent.

Ver. 19 — 23. The history now returns to the son of
promise. Forty years old was he when he took Rebecca
to wife ; and for twenty years afterwards he had no issue.
We should have supposed that as the promise partly con-
sisted in a multiplication of his seed, the great number of
his children would have made a prominent part of his his-
tory. When Bethuel, and Milcah, and Laban took leave
of Rebecca, saying, "Be thou the mother of thousands of
millions," they doubtless expected to hear of a very nume-
rous family. And she herself, and her husband would, as
believing the Divine promise, expect the same. But God's
thoughts are not as our thoughts, nor his ways as our ways.

* Gen. xvii. 20. ]• Chap. xvi. 12.

192 Abraham & death. [Dis, 34.

Abraham's otlicr sons abound in children, while he in
Avhoni his seed is to be as the stars of heaven for multitude,
lives childless. In this manner God had tried his father
Abraham ; and if he be heir to his blessings, he must ex-
pect to inherit a portion of his trials. God bestows his
mercies upon wicked men without waiting for their prayers :
but his conduct is somewhat different with them that fear
him. Isaac had received Rebecca in answer to prayer;
and let him not expect to receive seed by her in any other
way. Well, the good man is led to pray ; " Isaac en-
treated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren ; and
the Lord was entreated of him, and Rebecca conceived.''
During the time of her pregnancy she was the subject of
some extraordinary sensations, which filling her mind with
perplexity, she "enquired of the Lord." Both the en-
treaty of Isaac, and the enquiry of Rebecca might be im-
proper in ordinary cases ; but as it was not the natural
desire of children that prompted him, so neither was it an
idle curiosity that excited her ; they each kept in view the
promise of all nations being blessed in their posterity, and
tiierefore were not only solicitous for children, but anxious
concerning every thing which seemed indicative of their
future character. And as Isaac had received an answer to
prayer, so it is revealed to Rebecca that the sensations
which she felt were signs of other things — that she was
pregnant of twins— that they should become "two nations"
—and not only so, but "two manner of nations" — lastly,
that " the elder should serve the younger." The struggle
between these children, which was expressive of the
struggles that should in after ages take place between their
posterity, furnished another instance of the opposition be-
tween the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent,
both which are conunonly found in most religious families.
Paul introduces this ca-^e as an instance of the sovereignty
of God in the dispensation of his grace. The rejection of
a great jjart of the Jewish nation was to some a stumbling-
block. It seemed to them as if the word of promise to the

Gen. XXV.] Esau and Jacob. I93

fathers had taken none effect. The apostle in answer
maintains that it was not the original design of God in the
promise to save all Abraham's posterity ; but on the con-
trary, that from the beginning he drew a line of distinction
between Isaac and Ishraael, Jacob and Esau, though each
were alike descended from him according to the flesh. To
a farther supposed objection, that such a distinction be-
tween children, while they were yet unborn, reflected on
the righteousness of God, he contents himself with denying
the consequence, and asserting the absolute right of God
to have mercy on whom he will have mercy.*

Ver. 24 — 28. . As there were extraordinary sensations
during the pregnancy of the mother, so in the birth of the
children there was a certain circumstance which betokened
that the one should prevail over the other ; and that not
only in his person, but in his posterity. Hence the pro-
phet Hosea, reproaching the degenerate sons of Jacob,
says of him, «' He took his brother by the heel in the
womb ... and by his strength had power with God" —
But, as if he should say, are you worthy of being
called his children ?f

From the circumstances attending the birth of a child,
it was common in those ages to derive their names ; and
thus it was in the present instance. The first-born, from
his colour, was called Esau, i. e. red: the younger, from
the circumstance of his taking hold of his brother's heel,
was called Jacob, a supplanter. Both these names were
prophetic. Esau was of a sanguine disposition, and his
posterity the Edomites always cherished a most cruel and
bloody antipathy against Israel. In allusion to this, when
the enemies of the church are punished, they are not only
represented as Edomites, but God is described as giving

them as it were blood for blood "Who is this that cometh

from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah ? . . . .
Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments

* Rom. ix. 6-16. f Hos. xii. 3.

K

194 The birth of [Dis. 34.

like liim tliat treadeth in the wine-fat? I have trodden
the wine-press alone ; and of the people there was none
with me : for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample
them in my fury, and their blood shall be sprinkled upon
my garments, and I will stain all my raiment."* Jacob on
the other hand, supplanted his brother in the affair of the
birth-right, as we shall see presently. As his having hold
of his brother's lieel seemed as if he would have drawn
him back fi'om the birth, and have been before him, so his
mind in after life appeared to aspire after the blessing of the
first-born, and never to have rested till he had obtained it
As they grew up they discovered a different turn of
mind. Esau was the expert huntsman, quite " a man of
the field ;" but Jacob was simple-hearted, preferring the
more gentle employment of rearing and tending cattle.
The partiality of Isaac towards Esau on account of his
venison, seems to have been a weakness rather unworthy
of him : that of Rebecca towards Jacob appears to have
been better founded ; her preference was more directed by
the prophecies which had gone before of him, choosing him
whom the Lord had chosen.

Ver. 29—34. In process of time a circumstance arose
iu the family which in its consequences was very serious.
Jacob was one day boiling some pottage, perhaps for his
dinner ; for he lived mostly upon herbs. Just then came
in Esau from hunting, very faint and hungry, and had a
great mind to Jacob's pottage. Its very colour corres-
])onding m ith his sanguine disposition seemed to take his
fancy ; on which account he was called Edom, a name
commonly applied to his posterity, and of similar import
with that which was first given to him. There seems, at
first sight, to be something ungenerous in Jacob's availing
himself of iiis brother's hunger in the manner he did ; and
if there were, however it may reflect dishonour upon him,
it reflects none upon the event. God often brings his

♦ Isai. Ixiii. 1—6.

Gen. XXV.] Esau and Jacob. I<j5

purposes to pass by means which on man's part are far from
justifiable. The Reformation was a great and good work
and we may wish to vindicate every measure which con-
tributed to it ; but that is more than we can do. God's
thoughts are not as our thoughts, nor his ways as ou
ways. It will be found that " he is holy in all his ways, and
righteous in all his works :'' but this is more than can be
said of bis best servants, in any age of the world. A close
inspection of this affair however, will convince us that
whether Jacob was right as to the means he used, or not
his motives were good, and those of Esau were evil. Ob-
serve, particularly, (1.) The birthright attached to
seniority. — (2.) It ordinarily consisted in the excellency
of dignity, the excellency of power, and a double
portion.* — (3.) These privileges of the first-born were
in several instances forfeited by the misconduct of the
parties; as in the case of Cain, Reuben, &c. — (4.)
There was in the family of Abraham a peculiar blessing
which was supposed to be attached to the birthright,
though God in several instances put it into another direc-
tion. This blessing was principally spiritual and distant,
having respect to the setting up of God's kingdom, to the
birth of the Messiah, or in other words, to all those great
things included in the covenant with Abraham. This was
well understood by the family ; both Esau and Jacob must
have often heard their parents converse about it. If the
birthright which was bought at this time had consisted in
any temporal advantages of dignity, authority, or property
to be enjoyed in the lifetime of the parties, Esau would not
have made so light of it as he did, calling it " this birth-
right," and intimating that he should soon die, and then it
would be of no use to him.f It is a fact too, that Jacob

* Geu. xlix. 3. Deut. xxi. 17.
t He could not mean surely, that he should then die of hunger,
unless he eat of the pottage ; for that is scarcely conceivable, while
he had full access to all the provision in Isaac's house ; but that in a
little time he should be dead ; and then of what account would these
fine promises be to him ?

k2

196 The characters of [Dis. 34.

liad none of the ordinary advantages of the birthright dur-
in(T his life-time. Instead of a double portion, he was sent
out of the family with only " a staff" in his hand, leaving
Esau to possess the whole of his father's substance. And
when more than twenty years afterwards he returned to
Canaan, he made no scruple to ascribe to his brother the
excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power, calling
him " my lord Esau," and acknowledging himself as his
<' servant." The truth is, the question between them was,
which should be heir to the blessings promised in the cove-
nant with Abraham. This Jacob desired, and Esau de-
spised ; and in despising blessings of so sacred a nature,
and that for a morsel of meat, he was guilty of profane-
ness * The spirit of his language was, ' I cannot live upon
promises : give me something to eat and drink ; for to-
morrow I die.' Such is the spirit of unbelief in every age ;
and thus it is that poor deluded souls continue to despise
things distant and heavenly, and prefer to them the mo-
mentary gratifications of flesh and sense.

From the whole we may perceive in this case a doctrine
which runs through the Scriptures, namely, that while the
salvation of those that are saved is altogether of grace, the
destruction of those that are lost will be found to be of
tliemselves. From what is recorded of Jacob he certainly
had nothing to boast of; neither had Esau any thing to
complain of. He lost the blessing ; but not without having
first despised it. Thus when the apostle had asserted the
doctrine of election, and grounded it upon God's absolute
right to have mercy on whom he would have mercy, he
nevertheless proceeds to ascribe the cause of the overthrow
of them that perish merely to themselves. " But Israel
whicii followed after the law of righteousness, hath not at-
tained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore ? Because
they sought it not by faith ; but as it were by the works of
the law : for they stumbled at that stumbling stone/'f I

• Heb. xii. 15-17. f Rom. ix. 12— IG, 31, 32.

Gen. XXV.] Esau and Jacob. lj,7

am aware that when we preach in this manner, many are
ready to accuse us of inconsistency. ' You preach the doc-
trine of election, say they ; but before you have done, you
destroy your own work, by telling the unconverted that if
they perish, the fault will lie at their own door.' We an-
swer, it is enough for us to teach v/hat the Scriptures
teach. If we cannot conceive how the purposes of God
are to be reconciled with the agency and accountableness
of man, let us be content to be ignorant of it. The Scrip-
tures teach both ; and true wisdom will not aspire to be
wise above what is written.

DISCOURSE XXXV.

Isaac and Abimelech.
Genesis xxvi.

We saw Abraham in a great variety of situations, by
means of which sometimes his excellencies and sometimes
his failings became the more conspicuous. Isaac has hitherto
been but little tried, and therefore his character is at pre-
sent but little known. In this chapter, however, we shall
see him roused from his retirement, and brought into situa-
tions in which, if there be some things to lament, there will
be many to admire.

Ver. 1 — 6. We now see him in affliction yhy reason of
*' a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in
the days of Abraham." There seem to have been more
famines in the times of the patriarchs than usual; and
which must not only be afflictive to them in common with
their neighbours, but tend more than a little to try their
faith. Every such season must prove a temptation to think
lightly of the land of promise. Unbelief would say, It is a
land that eateth up the inhabitants : it is not worth waiting
for. But faith will conclude that he who hath promised to
give it, is able to bless it. Thus Abraham believed, and

198 Isaac and Abimelech, [Dis. 35.

tlierefore took every thing patiently ; and thus it is with
Isaac. He first went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines,
at Gerar. His father Abraham had found kind treatment
there about a hundred years before, and there was a co-
venant of peace between them.* It seems, however, as if
he had thought of going as far as Egypt ; but the Lord
appeared to him at Gerar, and admonished him to put him-
self under his direction, and go no where without it —
" Dwell, saith he, in the land that I shall tell thee of : so-
journ in this land, and I will be with thee, and I will bless
thee." In times of trouble we are apt to cast, and forecast,
what we shall do : but God mercifully checks our anxiety,
and teaches us by such dispensations in all our ways to ac-
knowledge him. To satisfy Isaac that he should never
want a guide, or a provider, the Lord renews to him the
promises which had been made to his father Abraham."
Had he met with nothing to drive him from his retreat by
the well of Lahai-roi, he might have enjoyed more quiet ;
but he might not have been indulged with such great and
precious promises. Times of affliction, however disagree-
able to the flesh, have often proved our best times.

Two things are observable in this solemn renewal of the
covenant with Isaac — (1.) The good things promised^
" I will be with thee, and will bless thee : for unto thee and
unto thy seed I will give all these countries, and I will per-
form the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father. And
I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and
will give unto thy seed all these countries: and in thy seed
shall all tlie nations of the earth be blessed." The sum of
these blessings is, the land of Canaan, a numerous progeny,
and what is the greatest of all, the Messiah, in whom the
nations should be blessed. On these precious promises
Isaac is to live. God provided him with bread in the day
of famine ; but lie '* lived not on bread only, but on the
words which proceeded from the mouth of God." It was

* Genesis xxi.

Gen. XXVI. Isaac and Abimelech, 199

in reference to such words as these that Moses said unto
Hobab, " We are journeying to the place of which the
L'ord said, '* I will give it you: come thou with us, and we
will do thee good ; for the Lord hath spoken good con-
cerning Israel."— (2.) Their being given for Abraham's
sake : " Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept
my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws."
We are expressly informed in what manner this patriarch
was accepted of God, namely, as " believing on him who
justifieth the ungodly ;" and this accounts for the accept-
ance of his works. The most " spiritual sacrifices" being
offered by a sinful creature, can no otherwise be accept-
able to God than b?/ Jesus Christ: for, as President Ed-
wards justly remarks, ''It does not consist with the honour
of the majesty of the king of heaven and earth, to accept
of any thing from a condemned malefactor, condemned by
the justice of his own holy law, till that condemnation be
removed." But a sinner being accepted as believing in
Jesus, his works also are accepted for his sake, and become
rewardable. It was in this way, and not of works, tliat
Abraham's obedience was honoured with so great a re-
ward. The blessings here promised are called " the merer/
to Abraham."* Hence we perceive the fallacy of an ob-
jection to the New Testament doctrine of our being forgiven
and blessed in Christ's name, and for his sake; that this is
no more than was true of Israel, who were blessed and
often forgiven for the sake of Abraham. " Instead of this
fact making against the doctrine in question," says a late
judicious writer, "it makes for it : for it is clear from hence
that it is not accounted an inaproper, or unsuitable thing in
the Divine administration, to confer favours on individuals,
and even nations, out of respect to the piety of another to
ichom they stood related. But if this principle be admitted,
the salvation of sinners out of respect to the obedience and
sufferings of Christ, cannot be objected to as unreasonable.

* :\Iic. vii. 20.

200 Isaac and Abimeleck, [Dis. 33-.

To this maybe added, that every degree of Divine respect
to the obedience of the patriarchs was in fact no other than
respect to the obedience of Christ, in whom they believed,
and through whom their obedience, like ours, became ac-
ceptable. The light of the moon which is derived from its
looking, as it were, on the face of the sun, is no other than
the light of the sun itself reflected. But if it be becoming
the wisdom of God to reward the righteousness of his ser-
vants, and that many ages after their decease, so highly,
(which was only borrowed lustre) much more may he re-
ward the righteousness of his Son from whence it origi-
nated, in the salvation of those that believe in him."*

The renewal of these great and precious promises to
Isaac in a time of famine, would preserve him from the
fear of perishing, and be more than a balance to present in-
conveniences. It is not unusual for our heavenly Father
to make up the loss of sensible enjoyments by encreasing
those of faith. We need not mind where we '* sojourn,"
nor what we endure, if the Lord " will be with us and bless
us." When Joseph was sold into a strange land, and un-
justly cast into prison, it was reckoned a sufficient antidote
to add, " but the Lord was with Joseph."f

Ver. 6 — II. After so extraordinary a manifestation of
the Lord's goodness to Isaac, we might have supposed he
would have dwelt securely and happily in Gerar: but
great mercies are often followed with great temptations.
The abundance of revelations given to Paul were succeeded
by a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan sent to buffet
him. It is said of our Lord himself, after the heavens uere
opened, and the most singular testimony had been borne
to liiin at Jordan, " Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit
into the wild(>rness to be tempted of the devil. "| Hea-
venly enjoyments are given us in this world, not merely
to comfort us under present troubles, but to arm us against

• WiUimns's Letters to Belsham, pp. loG— 158.
t Gen xxxix. + Matt. iv. 1.

Gen. XXVI.] Isaac and Abimelech, 201

future dangers ; and happy is it for us if they be so im-
proved.

Isaac had generally lived in solitude ; but now he is
called into company, and company becomes a snare. " The
men of the place asked him of his wife." These questions
excited his apprehensions, and put him upon measures for
self-preservation that involved him in sin. — Observe, (1.)
He did not sin by thrusting himself into the way of tempta-
tion ; for he was necessitated, and directed of God to go to
Gerar. Even the calls of necessity and duty, may, if we
be not on our watch, prove ensnaring; and if so, what must
those situations be in which v/e have no call to be found ?
(2.) The temptation of Isaac is the same as that which
had overcome his father, and that in two instances. This
rendered his conduct the greater sin. The falls of them
that have gone before us are so many rocks on which
others have split ; and the recording of them is like placing
buoys over them, for the security of future mariners.— (3.)
It was a temptation that arose from the beauty of Rebecca.
There is a vanity which attaches to all earthly good.
Beauty has often been a snare both to those who possess it,
and to others. In this case, as in that of Abraham, it put
Isaac upon unjustifiable measures for the preservation of
his own life ; measures that might have exposed his com-
panion to that which would have been worse than death.
Man soon falls into mischief when he sets up to be his own
guide.

And now we see, what we are grieved to see, a great
and good man let down before heathens, and reproved by
them for his dissimulation. He had continued at Gerar
'^ a long time" uninterrupted, which sufficiently shewed
that his fears were groundless : yet he continued to keep
up the deception, till the king observing from his window
some freedoms he took with Rebecca, from which he in-
ferred that she was his wife. The conduct of Abimelech
on this occasion was as worthy of a king, as that of Isaac
had been unworthy of a servant of God.
K 3

202 Isaac and Ahimekch. [Dis.35.

Ver. 12 — 17. Things being thus far rectified, we see
Isaac engaged in the primitive employment of husbandry ;
and tlie Lord blessed him, and encreased him, so that he
became the envy of the Philistines. Here again we see
how vanity attaches to every earthly good : prosperity be-
gets envy, and from envy proceeds injury. The wells which
Abraham's servant had digged, Isaac considered as his
own, and made use of them for his flocks ; but the Philis-
tines, out of envy to him, " stopped them up, and filled
them with earth." Had they drank of them, it might have
been excused ; but to stop them up was downright wicked-
ness, and a gross violation of the treaty of peace which had
been made between a former Abimelech and Abraham. The
issue was, the king perceiving the temper of his people, en-
treated Isaac quietly to depart. The reason he gave for it,
that "he was much mightier than they," might be partly to
apologize for his people's jealousy, and partly to soften his
spirit by a compliment. If Isaac was so great as was sug-
gested, he might, instead of removing at their request, have
disputed it with them : he might have alleged the covenant
made with his father, the improvement of his lands, <i:c.
But he was a peaceable man, and therefore without making
words, removed to the " valley of Gerar," either beyond
the borders of Abimelech's territory, or at least farther off
from the metropolis. A little with peace and quietness is
better than much with envy and contention.

Ver. 18 — 2*2. Isaac, though removed to another part of
the country, yet finds " wells of water which had been
digged in the days of Abraham his father, and which the
Piiilisiinos had stopped up after his death." It seems where-
ever Abraham went, he improved the countiy; and where-
evcr the Philistines followed him, their study was to mar
his improvements, and that for no other end than the plea-
sure of doing mischief. Isaac however is resolved to open
tiiese wells again. Their waters would be doubly sweet to
him for their having been first tasted by his beloved father;
and to shew iiis filial affection still more, he " called their

Gen. XXVI.] Isaac and Abimelech. -iOii

names after the names by which his father had called them."
Many of our enjoyments, both civil and religious, are the
sweeter for being the fruits of the labour of our fathers ;
and if they have been corrupted by adversaries since their
days, we must restore them to their former purity. 1 saac's
servants also digged new wells, and which occasioned new
strife. While we avail ourselves of the labours of our foro
fathers, we ought not to rest in them, without making far-
ther progress, even though it expose us to many unpleasant
disputes. Envi/ and strife may be expected to follow those
whose researches are really beneficial, provided they go a
step beyond their forefathers. But let them not be dis-
couraged : the wells of salvation are worth striving for ;
and after a few conflicts, they may enjoy the fruits of their
labours in peace. Isaac's servants dug two wells, which,
from the bitter strife they occasioned, were called Esek and
Sitnah, contention and hatred: but peaceably removing
from these scenes of wrangle, he at length digged a well for
which " they strove not." This he called Rehoboth, say-
ing, " Now the Lord hath made room for us, and we shall
be fruitful in the land.''

Ver. 23 — 25. The famine being now over, Isaac re-
turned to Beersheba, the place where he and his father had
lived many years before.* It may seem strange, after God
had made room for him at Rehoboth, that the next news
we hear is, that he takes leave of it. This however might
be at some distance of time, and Beersheba was to him a
kind of home. Here, the very first night he arrived, the
Lord appeared to him, probably in vision, saying, " I am
the God of Abraham thy father : fear not, for I am with
thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for ray ser-
vant Abraham's sake." Isaac was attached to the wells
which his father had digged, and to the place where he had
sojourned ; and doubtless it would add endearment to the
very name of Jehovah himself that he was the God ot

* Chap. xxi. 31—33.

204 Isaac and Abimelech. [Dis. 35.

Abraham, especially as it would remind him of the cove-
nant which he had made with him. A self-righteous spirit
would have been offended at the idea of being blessed/or
another s sake ; but he who walked in the steps of his
father's faith would enjoy it : and by how much he loved
him for whose sake the blessing was bestowed, by so much
the greater would his enjoyment be. The promises are the
same for substance as were made to him on his going to
Gerar. The same truths are new to us under new circum-
stances, and in new situations. To express the grateful
sense he had of the Divine goodness, he arose and *' built
an altar, and called upon the name of the Lord :" and now
the very place being rendered doubly dear to him, ** there
he pitched his tent, and there his servants digged a well.''
Temporal mercies are sweetened by their contiguity to
God's altars, and by their being given us after we have
first sought the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

Ver. 2G — 31. One would not have expected after driv-
ing him, in a manner, out of their country, that the Philis-
tines would hfeve had any thing more to say to him.
Abimelech, however, and some of his courtiers pay him a
visit. They were not easy when he was with them, and
now they seem hardly satisfied when he has left them. I
believe they were afraid of his growing power, and con-
scious that they had treated him unkindly, wished for their
own sakes to adjust these differences before they proceeded
any farther. Isaac, while ,they acted as enemies, bore it
patiently as a part of his lot in an evil world : but now they
want to be tliought friends, and to renew covenant with
him, he feels keenly, and speaks his mind. " Wherefore
come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away
from you ?" We can bear that from an avowed adversary,
which we cannot bear from one in habits of friendship. It loas
jut an vnvmy that reproached me ; then I could have home
it. To tliis they answer, « We saw certainly that the Lord
was with thee.'' Had they any regard then for Isaac's God,
or for him on that account? I fear they had not: they

Gen. XXVI.] Isaac and Abimelech, 205

felt however a regard to themselves, and a kind of respect
for him which is very commonly seen in men of no re-
ligion towards them that fear the Lord. We do not blame
them for wishing to be on good terms with such a man as
Isaac : but they should not have pretended to have " done
unto him nothing but good," when they must know, and
he must have felt the contrary. But this is the very cha-
racter of a self-righteous heart, when seeking reconciliation
with God, as well as man. It palliates its sin, and desires
peace in return for its good deeds, when in fact its deeds
are evil. Isaac being of a peaceable spirit admits their
plea, though a sorry one, and treated them generously.
Next morning they arose ; and having solemnly renewed
covenant with each other, parted in peace.

Ver. 32, 33. The same day in which Abimelech and
his courtiers took leave, the news came out of the field that
Isaac's servants had discovered a well. It is the same well
as they are said to have digged in verse 25, only tliere the
thing is mentioned without respect to the time. Here we
are told that the news of the discovery of the well arrived
immediately after the mutual oath which had been taken
between Isaac and Abimelech, and he for a memorial of
the event called it " Shebah," an oath ; and a city being
afterwards built on the spot was from hence, it seems,
called " Beer-shebah," the well of the oath. Indeed this
name had been given it by Abraham above a hundred
years before, and that on a similar occasion : but what was
now done would serve to confirm it.

Ver. 34, 35. The Lord had promised to " multiply
Isaac's seed;" and they are multiplied in the person of
Esau ; howbeit not to the encrease of comfort, either in him
or in Rebecca. Esau went into the practice of polygamy,
and took both his wives from among the Canaanites.
Whether he went into their idolatrous customs, we are not
told, nor whether they lived in the father's family. How-
ever this might be, their ungodly, and some think unduti-
ful behaviour, was a grief of mind to their aged parents.

200 Isaac and Abimelech. [Dis. 36.

Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife when she bare no chil-
dren : and now that they have children grown up, one of
them occasions much, bitterness of spirit: this indeed is not
uncommon. Such an issue of things in this instance would
tend to turn away the hopes of Isaac from seeing the ac-
complishment of x\braham's covenant in the person of his
first-born son, to whom he appears to have been inordi-
nately attached. By other instances of the kind, God
teaches us to beware of excessive anxiety after earthly
comforts, and in receiving tliem to rejoice with trembling.

DISCOURSE XXXVI.

JacoVs obtaining the blesssing.
Genesis xxvii.

Before we entered on the history of Isaac, we met with
some painful events respecting the departure of Ishmael :
but in the introduction to the history of Jacob, we find
things much more painful. In the former instance we found
him that was rejected a mocker ; but in this we see in the
heir of promise a supplanter. This deviation from recti-
tude, though it changes not the Divine purpose, but on the
contrary, is overruled for its accomplishment, yet sows the
seed of much evil in the life of the offender. Isaac re-
tained his place in the family ; but Jacob was obliged to de-
part from it. When the former was of age to be mar-
ried, an honourable embassy was sent to bring it about :
but tlic latter is necessitated to go by himself, as one that
had just escaped with his life. There is a deep mystery in
the system of providence, and much eventual good brought
out of great evils.

ViiR. 1—4. Isaac was now about a hundred and thirty-
seven years of age, and " his eyes were dim, so that he could
not see." He therefore called Esau his eldest son, and
said, " Behold, now, I am okl, I knoM- not the day of my

Gen. XXVII.] Birth of Isaac 207

death take I pray thee thy weapons and go out to

the field, and take me some venison ; and make me sa-
voury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may
eat, that my soul may bless thee before 1 die." Isaac lived
forty-three years after this : but as it was unknown to him,
he did very properly in settling his affairs. The day of
our death is concealed from us for the very purpose that
we may be always ready : and when life is upon the wane,
especially, it becomes us to do what we do quickly. The
above account however does not appear greatly to his
honour. His partiality towards Esau would seem to imply
a disregard to what had been revealed to Rebecca ; and his
fondness for the venison has the appearance of weakness.

But passing this, there are two questions which require
an answer — Wherein consisted the blessing which was now
about to be bestowed ; and why was savoury meat required
in order to the bestowment of it ? Respecting the first, I
might refer to what has been said already on the birth-right.*
There was, no doubt, a common blessing to be expected
from such a father as Isaac on all his childi-en, and a special
one on his first-born : but in this family there was a bles-
sing superior to both. It included all those great things
contained in the covenant with Abraham, by which his
posterity were to be distinguished as G od's peculiar people.
Hence that which Isaac did is said to have been done " in
faith," and was prophetic " of things to come."t Tlie
faith of this good man was however at first much inter-
rupted by natural attachment. Desirous of conferring the
blessing on Esau, he gives him directions as to the manner
of receiving it. And here occurs the second question,
Why was " savoury meat" required in order to the bestow-
ment of the blessing ? The design of it seems to have been
not merely to strengthen animal nature, but to enkindle
affection. Isaac is said to have loved Esau on account of
his venison :t this therefore would tend, as he supposed, to

' Chap. XXV. "29—34 f Heb- xi. 20. i Chap. xxv. 23.

208 Jacob's obtaining [ Dis. 36.

revive that affection, and so enable him to bless him with
all his heart. It seems however to have been but a
carnal kind of introduction to so Divine an act; partaking
more of the flesh than of the Spirit, and savouring rather of
that natural affection under the influence of M'hich he at
present acted, than of the faith of a son of Abraham.

Ver. 5 — 10. Rebecca overhearing this charge of Isaac
to his son Esau, takes measures to direct the blessing into
another channel. This is a mysterious affair. It was just
that Esau should lose the blessing, for by selling his birth-
right he had despised it. It was God's design too that Jacob
should have it. Rebecca also knowing of this design, from
its having been revealed to her that " the elder should
serve the younger," appears to have acted from a good
motive. But the scheme which she formed to correct the
error of her husband was far from being justifiable. It was
one of those crooked measures which have too often been
adopted to accomplish the Divine promises ; as if the end
would justify, or at least excuse the means. Thus Sarah
acted in giving Hagar to Abraham ; and thus many others
have acted under the idea of being useful in promoting the
cause of Christ. The answer to all such things is that
which God addressed to Abraham : I am God Almighty ;

WALK BEFORE ME, AND BE THOU PERFECT. The decep-
tion practised on Isaac was cruel. If he be in the wrong,
endeavour to convince him; or commit it to God, who
could turn his mind, as he afterwards did that of Jacob,
when blessing Ephraim and Manasseh : but do not avail
yourself of his loss of sight to deceive him. Such would
have been the counsel of wisdom and rectitude : but Re-
becca follows her own .

Ver. 11 — 13. We ouglit not to load Jacob with more
of the guilt of this transaction than belongs to him. He
was not first in the transgression. His feelings revolted at
it when it was proposed to him. He remonstrated against
it. Considering too that it was against the advice, or rather
flic command of a parent, such remonstrance would seem

Gen. XXVII.] the blessing. 209

to go far towards excusing him. But no earthly authority
can justify us in disregarding the authority of God. Jilore-
over, the remonstrance itself is founded merely on the con-
sequences of the evil, and not on the evil itself. What a
difference between this reasoning, and that of his son
Joseph. " I shall bring a curse upon me/' said he, " and
not a blessing." " How can I do this great wickedness,"
said the other, " and sin against God !" — The resoluteness
of Rebecca is affecting : " Upon me be thy curse, my son :
only obey my voice.'' Surely she must have presumed
upon the Divine promise, which is a dangerous thing : our
Lord considered it as tempting God.* Those who do evil
under an idea of serving God, commonly go to the greatest
lengths. It was in this track that the Lord met Saul in
his way to Damascus.

Ver. J 4— 17. If Jacob's remonstrance had arisen from
an aversion to the evil, he would not so readily have yielded
to his mother as he did; but to resist temptation with
merely the calculation of consequences, is doing nothing.
Rebecca takes the consequence upon herself, and then he
has no more to object, but does as she instructs him. She
also performs her part ; and thus between them the scheme
is executed. What labour and contrivance are required
to dissemble the truth, and carry on a bad cause. Upright-
ness needs no such circuitous measures.

Ver. 18—24. Jacob now enters upon the business.
And first, with all the artifice of his mother, she cannot
guard him at all points. He is obliged to speak, and he
could not counterfeit his brother's voice. " My father,"

said he— The patriarch starts " Who art thou my

son?" It was the voice of one of his sons, but not of him
whom he expected. And now what can Jacob answer ?
He must either confess the deception, or persist in it at all
events. He chooses the latter. One sin makes way for
another, and in a manner impels us to commit it. *' Jacob

* ^latt. iv. 7.

210 Jacob's obtaining [Dis. 36.

said, I am Esau thy first-born I have done according

as thou bad est me Arise, I pray thee, sit, and eat of

my venison, that thy soul may bless me.' Isaac, still sus-
picious, enquires how he came so soon. The answer inti-
mates, that by a special interposition of his father's God he
had met with early success ! It is not easy to conceive of
any thing more wicked than this. It was bad enough to
deal in so many known falsehoods : but to bring in the Lord
God of his father in order to give them the appearance of
truth, was much worse, and what we should not have ex-
pected but from one of the worst of men. There is some-
thing about falsehood which though it may silence, yet will
not ordinarily satisfy. Isaac is yet suspicious, and there-
fore desires to feel his hands ; and here the deception
answered. The hands, he thinks, are Esau's : but still it
is mysterious, for " the voice is Jacob's." Were it not for
some such things as these, we might overlook the wisdom
and goodness of God in affording us so many marks by
which to detect imposture, and distinguish man from man.
Of all the multitudes of faces, voices, and figures in the
world no two are perfectly alike ; and if one sense fail us,
the others are frequently improved. Such was the strength
of Isaac's doubts, that he would not be satisfied without
directly asking him again, " Art thou my very son Esau,''
and receiving for answer, " I am." After this he seems to
have thought it must be Esau, and therefore proceeded to
bless him.

The adversaries of revelation may make the most they
can of these narrations : evil as was the conduct of Jacob,
and of Rebecca, tlie history of it contains the strongest in-
ternal evidence that it is written by inspiration of God.
Had it been a cunningly devised fable, it would have been
the business of the writer to have thrown the faults of this
his great ancestor into the shade ; but the Scriptures do
not profess to describe perfect characters ; they represent
men and things as they were. We feel for the imposition
practised on Isaac ; and } ct it was no doubt a chastisement

Gen. XXVII.] the blessing, 211

to him for his ill-placed partiality for Esau on grounds so
unworthy of him, and to the disregarding of what God
had revealed concerning them.

Ver. 25—29. It was of the Lord that Jacob should have
the blessing, notwithstanding the unwarrantable means he
had used to obtain it. In pronouncing it, Isaac was super-
naturally directed ; otherwise it would not have corres-
ponded with what afterwards actually befel his posterity,
which it manifestly does : nor would he have felt himself
unable to revoke it. It is observable however, that the
blessing is expressed in very general terms. No mention
is made of those distinguishing mercies included in the
covenant with Abraham ; and this might be owing to his
having Esau in his mind, though it was Jacob who was be-
fore him. He could not be ignorant how that young man
had despised these things, and this might be a check to his
mind while he thought he was blessing him. Moreover, his
attachment to Esau, to the disregard of the mind of God,
must have greatly weakened and injured his own faith in
these things : it might therefore be expected that the Lord
would cause a comparative leanness to attend his blessing,
corresponding with the state of his mind.

Ver. 30 — 33. Jacob had scarcely left the room when
Esau, returning from the chase, enters it, and presents his
father with his venison. This at once discovers the im-
position. Isaac is greatly affected by it. At first, when
he heard his voice, he was confounded...^* Who art thou ?''
And when he perceived that it was indeed his " first-born
son Esau," he " trembled very exceedingly," and said,
<^ Who, where is he that hath taken venison and brought
to me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have
blessed him ?" Such a shock must have been more than
he knew how to sustain. To ascertain the sensations of
which it was composed, we must place ourselves in his
situation. As an aged and afHicted man, the imposition
which had been practised on him would excite his indigna-
tion. Yet a moment's reflection would convince him that

212 Jacob's obtaining [Dis. 36.

the transfer of the blessing must have been of the Lord ;
and consequently, that he had all along been acting against
his will in seeking to have it otherwise. Two such con-
siderations rushing upon his mind in the same instant, suf-
ficiently account for all his feelings : it was to him like a
place where two seas met, or as the running of subter-
raneous fires and waters, the commotion of which causeth
the earth to tremble. It must have appeared to him as a
strong measure permitted of God for his correction ; and
that he had thus caused him to do that against his choice
which should have been done without it. Viewing it m
this light, and knowing the blessing to be irrevocable, he,
like a good man, acquiesced in the will of God, saying,
" Yea, and he shall be blessed."

Ver. 34—40. The "very exceeding trembling" of
Isaac is now followed by " a great and exceeding bitter
cry " on the part of Esau. Nothing he had ever met with
seems to have aflfected him like it. But how is it, that he
who made so light of the birthright, as to part with it for
a morsel of meat, should now make so much of the
blessing connected with it ? It was not that he desired to
be a servant of the Lord, or that his posterity should be
his people, according to the tenor of Abraham's covenant :
but as he that should be possessed of these distinctions
would in other respects be superior to his brother, it
became an object of emulation. Thus we have often seen
religion set at nought, while yet the advantages which
accompany it have been earnestly desired ; and where
grace has in a manner crossed hands by favouring a
younger or inferior branch of a family, envy and its train
of malignant passions iiave frequently blazed on the other
side. — It was not as the father of the holy nation, but as
being " lord over his brethren, " that Jacob was the object
of Esau's envy. And this may farther account for the
blessing of Isaac on tiie former dwelling principally upon
temporal advantages, as designed of God to cut off the

Gen. XXVII.] the blessing. 013

vain hopes of the latter, of enjoying the power attached to
the blessing, while he despised the blessing itself.

When Esau perceived that Jacob must be blessed, lie
entreated to be blessed also : " Bless me, even me also, oh
my father ! " One sees in this language just that partial
conviction of there being something in religion, mixed with
a large portion of ignorance, which it is common to see in
persons who have been brought up in a religious family,
and yet are strangers to the God of their fathers. If this
earnest request had extended only to what was consistent
with Jacob's having the pre-eminence, there was another
|3lessing for him, and he had it: but though he had no
desire after the best part of Jacob's portion, yet he was
very earnest to have had that clause of it reversed, " be
lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow
down to thee." If this could have been granted him, he
had been satisfied ; for " the fatness of the earth " was all
he cared for. But this was an object concerning which,
as the apostle observes, " he found no place of repentance,''
(that is, in the mind of his father,) " though he sought it
carefully with tears."* Such will be the case with fornica-
tors and all profane persons, who, like Esau, for a few
momentary gratifications in the present life, make light of
Christ, and the blessings of the Gospel. They will cry
with a great and exceeding bitter cry, saying, * Lord, Lord,
open unto us ! ' But they will find no place of repentance
in the mind of the Judge, who will answer them, ' I know
you not whence ye are : depart from me ye workers of
iniquity ! '

Esau's reflections on his brother for having twice sup-
planted him, were not altogether without ground: yet his
statement is exaggerated. It was not accurate to say,
" he took away my birthright," as though he had robbed
him of it, seeing he himself had so despised it as to part
with it for a morsel of meat : and having done so, what-

* Heb. xii. 15—17.

214 JacoVs obtaining [Dis. 36.

ever might be said of Jacob's conduct in the sight of God,
he had no reason to comj^lain.

Ver. 41. Esau obtained, as we have seen, a blessing,
and some relief on the score of subjection ; yet because he
could not gain his point, but the posterity of Jacob must
needs have the ascendency, there is nothing left for him
but to " hate him for the blessing wherewith his father
blessed him." He was not ignorant of Isaac's partiality :
he must therefore have known that it was not owing to
him, nor even to Jacob's subtilty, that the first dominion
was given him. He must have perceived from what his
father had said that the thing was of the Lord, and there-
fore could not be reversed. Hence it appears that the
hatred of Esau was of the same nature with that of Cain
to Abel, and of Saul to David ; and operated in the same
way : it was directed against him principally on account
of his having been an object whom the Lord had favoured.
Such also was the motive of the hatred which in after
ages subsisted in the Edomites against Israel. As nothing
could comfort Esau but the hope of murder, so nothing
could satisfy his posterity but to see Jerusalem raised to
its foundations. — Isaac had talked of dying, and Esau
thought to be sure the time was not far distant : and then
during the days of mourning for his father, he hoped for
an opportunity of murdering his brother. He might
think also that it was best to suppress his resentment till
the poor old man was dead, and then it would not be a
grief to him. The most cruel designs of wicked men may
be mixed with a partiality for those who have been partial
to them.

Ver. 42 — 45. Esau, it seems, had not only " said in
his heart," I will slay my brother, but had put his
thoughts into words, probably before some of the servants.
The hint, however, was carried to Rebecca, and she
clearly foresaw what was to be expected. She therefore
sent for Jacob and told him of his brother's design, coun-
selling him at the same time to go to her relations at

Gen. XXVII.] the blessing. 215

Haran, and tarry there awliile, till Esau's anger should
have subsided. The reason which she urges to enforce
her counsel is very strong ; " Why should I be deprived
of you both in one day?" Had Esau's purpose suc-
ceeded, the murderer, as well as the murdered, had been
lost to her. We see here the bitter fruits which Rebecca
begins to reap from her crooked policy : she must part
with her favourite son to preserve his life, and will never
see him again in this world, though she thinks of sending
in a little time to fetch him home.

Ver. 46. By the manner in which things are here
related, it appears that Isaac was so infirm as to have lost
all the power of management, and that the whole in a
manner devolved on Rebecca. She advises Jacob what
to do: it is expedient if not necessary, however, before he
takes his departure, to obtain his father's concurrence.
She does not choose to tell her husband the true reason of
her wishes, as that was a tender point, and might lead to a
subject which she might think it better to pass over in
silence : but knowing that he, as well as herself, had been
grieved with Esau's wives,* she judges that the most
likely means of success would be a proposal for Jacob
to go to Haran for the purpose of taking a wife from
amongst their relations in that country. She does not
propose 4t, however, directly ; but merely expresses her
strong disapprobation of his following the example of his
brother, leaving it to Isaac to mention positively what
should be done. And this, her apparent modesty, an-
swered the end, as we shall see in the following
chapter.

* Chapter xxvi. 35.

216 Jacob's departure [Dis. 37.

DISCOURSE XXXVII.

JacoVs departure from Beersheba.

GENESIS XXVIII.

Ver. 1—4. The hint which Rebecca had dropped
against Jacob's taking a wife from among the daughters
of Heth, quite fell in with Isaac's mind ; and knowing
that there was but one place for him to go to on such
an errand, he determines without delay to send him
thither. The account here given of his " calling, blessing,
and charging " him, is very much to his honour. — The
first of these terms implies his reconciliation to him ;
the second, his satisfaction in what had been done be-
fore without design ; and the last, his concern that he
should act in a manner worthy of the blsssing which he
had received. How differently do things issue in
different minds. Esau, as well as Isaac, was " exceed-
ingly " affected by what had lately occurred : but the
'* bitter cry " of the one issued in a settled hatred, while
the "trembling" of the other brought him to a right
mind. He had been thinking matters over ever since,
and the more he thought of them, the more satisfied he
was that it was the will of God ; and that all his private
partialities should give place to it.

One sees in what he now does that his heart is in it.
He not only blesses him, but invokes the blessing of
Almighty God to attend him—" God Almighty bless thee,
and make thee fruitful, and midtiply thee, that thou
mayest be a multitude of people ; and give thee the
blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee,
that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a
stranger, which God gave unto Abraham." Who does
not perceive the difference between this blessing and
the former? In that he was thinking of one person, and

Gen. xxviii.] from Beersheha. 217

blessing another: in this he understands what he is
about. Then his mind was straitened by carnal attach-
ment: now it is enlarged by faith. The rich promises
of Abraham's covenant seem there to have been almost
forgotten : but here they are expressly named, and dwelt
upon with delight. Of what importance it is for our
minds to be kept one with God's mind ; and what a
difference it makes in the discharge of duty ! We may
pray, or preach, after a manner, while it is otherwise ; and
God may preserve us from uttering gross error : but what
we deliver will be miserably flat and defective, in
comparison of what it is when a right spirit is renewed
within us.

Ver. 5—9. The departure of Jacob was attended by
many painful and humiliating circumstances, as well it
might ; for these are the necessary consequences of sin.
The parting scene to Isaac was tender; but Jacob and
his mother must have felt something more than tenderness.
As to Esau, it is not likely that he was present. Me was
near enough however to eye his motions, and by some
means to make himself acquainted with every thing that
passed. Probably he expected more supplanting schemes
were forming, and longed for the time when a fair op-
portunity should oifer for his being revenged on the sup-
planter. But when he found that his father had blessed
him, and charged him not to take a wife of the daughters
of Canaan, and that he had obeyed his voice, and was
gone to Padan-aram, it seems to have wrought in a way
that we should scarcely have expected. Finding himself
left in the possession of all the substance of the family,
and Jacob out of his way, he thinks he has now only to
please his father, and notwithstanding the loss of his birth-
right, and blessing, all will be his. And now, to accom-
plish his end, he carefully notices the means by which
Jacob succeeded in pleasing his parents. One great
advantage which he had gained over him, as he per-
ceived by his father's « charge, " was in reference to

218 Jacob's departure [Dis. 37.

marriage. He had obeyed the voice of his father and
his mother, and was gone to take a wife from the family
of Bethuel. 'I will take another wife then,' said Esau
to himself, ' if that will please them ; and as they seem
attached to their relations, it shall be from amongst them.
Moreover, as Jacob, who is his mother's favourite, intends
to marry into her family, I who am my father's, wil^
marry into his.' See what awkward work is made when
men go about to please others, and promote their worldly
interests by imitating that in which they have no delight.
Ignorance and error mark every step they take. Esau
was in no need of a wife, for he had two already ; nor
did his parents desire him to add to the number; nor
would they be gratified by his connexion with the apos-
tate family of Ishmael ; nor was it principally on account
of Bethuel's being a relation that Abraham's family took
wives from his. — In short, he is out in all his calculations;
nor can he discover the principles which influence those
who fear the Lord. Thus have we often seen men try to
imitate religious people for the sake of gaining esteem,
or some way promoting their selfish ends : but instead
of succeeding, they have commonly made bad worse.
That which to a right mind is as plain as the most public
highway, to a mind perverted shall appear full of difficul-
ties. " The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of
them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city."*
— But to return —

Ver. 10, 11. The line of promise being now fully as-
ccrlained, Jacob becomes the hero of the ta!o. He was
now about seventy-seven years old ; and though his
brother Esau had two wives, yet he was single. The
posterity of Ishmael and Esau encreased much faster than
those of Isaac and Jacob. It seemed to be the design
of God that the promise should be slow in its operations,
that it miglit try tlie faitli of his servants. Setting out
from his father's house at Beersheba, we find Jacob
* Eccles X. 15.

Gen. XXVIII.] from Beersheha, 219

journeying towards Haran, a distance of about five
hundred miles. Without a servant to attend him, or a
beast to carry him, or any other accommodation, except,
as he afterwards informs us, a "staff" to walk with, lie
pursues his solitary way. Having travelled one whole
day, the sun being set, he alighted on a certain place
where he took up his abode for the night. The place
was called Luz, and is said to have been " a city." (ver.
19.) Jacob, however, does not seem to have entered
it; but for some reason chose to sleep in the open air in
its suburbs. Sleeping abroad is a custom very common
in the east, and less dangerous than in colder climatc>=.
The stones which he used for a pillow might preserve him
from the damp of the ground; but, we should think,
must have contributed but little to rest his weary
body.

Ver. 12 — 15. During the night he had a very extra-
ordinary dream, almost every particular of which is intro-
duced by the sacred writer with the interjection "behold!"
" He dreamed, and behold a ladder set upon the earth,
and the top of it reached to heaven : and behold, the
angels of God ascending and descending on it. And
behold, Jehovah stood above it, and said, I am Jehovah,
God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac:
the land whereon thou best, to thee will I give it,
and to thy seed ; and thy seed shall be as the dust of
the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west and
to the east, and to the north and to the south : and in thee
and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be
blessed. And behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee
in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again
into this land ; for I will not leave thee until I have done
that which I have spoken to thee of."

We might have been at a loss in ascertaining the
meaning of the latter, if the great medium of com-
munion between heaven and earth had not almost ex-
pressly applied it to himself. " Hereafter,'' said he to

l2

220 Jacob's depai^ture [Dis. 37.

Nathaniel, "ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of
God ascending (that is to heaven,) and descending (that is
to the earth,) upon the Son of Man."* Our Lord's
design appears to have been to foretel the glory of Gospel
times, in which, through his mediation, heaven should as
it were be opened, and a free intercourse established
between God, angels, and men. But it may be asked,
what analog}^ there could be between this, and that which
was revealed to Jacob ? I answer, we have seen that the
Messiah was not only included in the promises to Abra-
ham, but that he made a principal part of them ; and as
these promises were now renewed to Jacob, though he had
read nothing of his vision of the ladder, yet w^e should
have known that they looked as far forward as to him,
and to that dispensation in which " all the families of the
earth should be blessed" in him. As it is, we may con-
clude that what was seen in vision was of the same genera^
import as what was heard in the promises which followed.
it was giving the patriarch a glimpse of that glory which
should be accomplished in his seed.

There was something very seasonable in this vision, and
in the promises which accompanied it. Jacob had lately
acted an unworthy part, and if properly sensible of it, must
have been very unhappy. His father, it is true, had blessed
him, and of course forgiven him ; but till God has done so
too, he can enjoy no solid peace. Now such was the pre-
sent vision : it was the Lord his God saying Amen to his
father's blessing.f He was taking leave of Canaan, and if
he had calculated on human probabilities, he was never
likely to return to it, at least during the life-time of Esau :
but by the gift of the land on which he lay, to him and to
his seed, he was taught to expect it, and to consider him-
self only as a sojourner at Haran. — Considering his age
too, tliere seemed but little probability of his having a nu-

* John i. 51, T
f Comp. ver. 3, 4, with ver. 1/), 14.

Gen. XXVIII.] from Beersheba. 221

merous offspring. If the blessing consisted in this, it
seemed much more likely to be fulfilled in his brother than
in him : but he was hereby assured that " his seed sliould
be as the dust of the earth," spreading abroad in every di-
rection.—The thought also of leaving his father's house,
and of going among strangers, must needs have affected
him. During his solitary walk from Beersheba, he had
doubtless been thinking of his lonely condition, and of the
difficulties and dangers which he had to encounter. How
seasonable then was the promise, " Behold, I am with
thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest,
and will bring thee again into this land." — Finally, the pre-
sent was a new epoch in his life, and as an heir of promise,
a kind of commencement of it. In this character he must,
like his predecessors, live by faith. Esau's blessing was
soon fulfilled ; but Jacob's related to things at a great dis-
tance, and which none but " God Almighty" could bring
to pass. How seasonable then were those precious pro-
mises which furnished at his outset a ground for faith to
rest upon I" I will not leave thee till I have done that which
I have spoken to thee of."

Ver. 16 — 22. Awaking from sleep in the night-time,
and reflecting on his dream, he was greatly affected, as well
he might. " Surely," exclaimed he, " Jehovah is in this
place, and I knew it not ! And he was afraid, and said.
How dreadful is this place ! This is none other than the
house of God, and this is the gate of heaven !" q. d.
* Surely this is no common dream ! God is in it ! God
is near ! I went to sleep as at other times, expecting
nothing ; and lo, ere 1 was aware, God hath visited me !
Feeling himself as in the presence of the Divine Majesty,
he trembles— the place seems to be holy ground— the tem-
ple of Jehovah, the suburbs of heaven ! Whether he slept
after this, we are not told : be that as it may, he " rose
early in the morning ;" and deeply impressed with what
had passed, resolved to perpetuate the remembrance of it.
Taking the stone which he had lain upon, he set it up for

222 Jacob's departitre [Dis. 37.

a pillar, or monument ; and that he might consecrate it to
the future service of the Lord, " poured oil upon the top of
it." This done, he gave the place a new name. Instead
of "Luz,'' which signifies an almond, or nut tree, probably
on account of a number of those trees growing near it, he
called it " Bethel," the house of God.

Finally : He closed this extraordinary vision by a solemn
vow, or dedication of himself to God. " And Jacob vowed
a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in
this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and rai-
ment to put on, so that I come again to my father's house,
in peace ; then shall Jehovah be my God, and this stone
which I have set for a pillar shall be God's house ; and of
all that thou shalt give me, I will surely give the tenth unto
thee." — The terms of this solemn vow were not of Jacob's
dictating to the Almighty, but arose out of his own gra-
cious promises ; and so furnish a lovely example of the
prayer of faith. God had promised to be with him, to keep
him, to bring him again into the land, and not to leave
him. Jacob takes up the precious words, saying, If God
will thus be with me, and keep me, and provide for me, and
Ijiing me home in peace, then in return will I be his for
ever. We may pray for things which God hath not pro-
mised, in submission to his will, as Abraham interceded for
Sodom, and Moses for the idolaters at Horeb : but when
we ask for that which he hath engaged to bestow, we ap-
proach him with much greater encouragement.— The order
of what he desired is also deserving of notice. It corres-
ponds with our Saviour's rule, to seek things of the great-
est importance first. By how much God's favour is better
than life, by so much his being with us, and keeping us, is
better than food and raiment. A sense of this will mode-
rate our desires for inferior things, as it did Jacob's. A
little with the fear of the Lord is better than great treasures
with troul)le. If God be with us, and keep us, the mere
necessaries of life will make us happy. — The vow itself
contains an entire renunciation of idolatry, and a taking

Gen. XXVIII.] from Beersheha. 223

Jehovah to be his God. And inasmuch as it looks forward
to his return to Canaan, it includes a solemn promise to
maintain the worship of God in his family. Then he would
rear an altar to him in Bethel, and consecrate the tenth of
all his substance to his cause.

In the course of the history we shall perceive the use
that Jacob made of this vision, and that which the Lord
made of the vow which here he vowed to him. But I
conclude with only remarking, that in the former chapter
we saw much of man ; but in this we have seen much of
God. In the works of the one, sin abounded ; in those of
the other, grace hath much more abounded.

DISCOURSE XXXVIII.

Jacob's arrival at Haran.
Genesis xxix.

Ver. 1. Jacob's second day's journey was very dif-
ferent from the first ; then he had a heavy burden, but now
he has lost it. His outset from Bethel is expressed by a
phrase which signifies he lifted up his feet ; that is, he
he went lightly and cheerfully on. Nothing more is re-
corded of his journey, but that " he came into the land of
the people of the east."

Ver. 2—10. The first object that struck him was a well,
with three flocks of sheep lying by it, ready to be watered.
The shepherds coming up, rolled away the stone from the
well's mouth, watered the flocks, and then put the stone
again in his place. Jacob, who had hitherto looked on,
now began the following conversation with them. " My
brethren, whence be ye ? Of Haran. Know ye Laban,
the son of Nahor ? We know him. Is he well ? He is
well; and behold, Rachel. his daughter cometh with the
sheep." On this, Jacob suggests that it was too soon to
gather all the flocks together, as they did at night ; and
that there was much time yet for their being again led

224 Jacob's arrival [Dis. 38.

forth to pasture, " Water ye the sheep, said he, and go
and feed them." It might appear somewhat out of cha-
racter for a stranger to be so officious as to direct them
how to proceed with their flocks : but the design was, I ap-
prehend, to induce them to depart, and to leave him to
converse with Rachel by herself. They tell him however,
that they must stop till all the flocks are watered ; Rachel's,
it seems, as well as the rest. Such probably w as the cus-
tom, that the well might be left secure. While they were
talking, Rachel came up. The sight of the daughter of his
mother's brother affected him. He could have wished that-
so tender an interview had been by themselves ; but as this
could not be, he in the presence of the shepherds, went and
" rolled away the stone from the well's mouth, and watered
her flock ;" which being done, he " kissed Rachel, and lift
up his voice and wept." The tears shed on this occasion
must have arisen from a full heart. We cannot say that
the love which he afterwards bore to Rachel did not com-
mence from his first seeing her. But however that might
be, the cause of this weeping was of another kind : it was
her being "the daughter of his wzoMerV brother," that now
affected him. Every thing that revived her memory, even
the very flocks of sheep that belonged to /«er brother, went
to his heart. Nor did he wish to be alone with Rachel,
but that he might give vent without reserve to these sen-
sations.

Ver. 12—14. It must have excited surprise in Rachel's
mind, to see a stranger so attentive in watering her flock,
and still more so to receive from him so affectionate a salu-
tation ; but now, having relieved his heart by a burst of
weeping, he tells her who he is;— he is her father's near
kmsman, Rebecca's son \ And now we may expect another
very tender interview. Rachel ran and told her father ;
and the father " ran to meet him, and embraced him, and
kissed him, and brouglit him to his house." After an in-
terchange of salutations, Jacob tells him his whole story;
and Laban seems much affected with it, and speaks to him

Gejt. XXIX.] at Haran. 225

in affectionate language, *' Surely thou art my bone, and
my flesh."

Ver. 15 — 20. During the first month of his stay, Jacob
employed himself about his uncle's business ; but nothing
was said with respect to terms. On such a subject it was
not for Jacob to speak : so Laban very properly intimated
that he did not desire to take advantage of his near rela-
tionship, that he should serve him any more than another
man for nothing. Tell me, said he, what shall be thy
wages. This gives Jacob an opportunity of expressing his
love to Rachel. Aware that he had no dowry, like his
father Isaac, he could not well have asked her, but for such
an opportunity as this being afforded him. It was hu-
miliating however, to be thus in a manner obliged to earn
his wife before he' could have her. This is twice after-
wards referred to in the Scriptures as an instance of his
low condition. It was a part of the confession required to
be made by every Israelite when he presented his basket
of first fruits before the Lord, " A Syrian, ready to perislt^
was my father !"* And when in the days of Hosea they
were grown haughty, the prophet reminds them that
" Jacob Jled into the country of Syria, and Israel served
for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep.'' f Half the ge-
nerosity which Laban's words seemed to express would
have given Jacob the object of his choice, without making
him wait seven years for her. It was very proper for the
one to offer it ; but it was mean and selfish for the other to
accept it. If he had really esteemed his daughters, and on
this account set a high value on them, he would not after-
wards have imposed two where one only was desired. But
his own private interest was all he studied. In his sister
Rebecca's marriage there were presents of gold and silver,
and costly raiment, besides an assurance of the Lord hav-
ing greatly blessed the family, and that Isaac was to be the
" heir." These were things which wrought much on

* Deut.xxvi. 5. f Hosea xii. J'2.

L 3

226 Jacob's arrival [Dis. 3S>.

Laban's mind. He could then say, " Behold, Rebecca
is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master's
son's wife." But here are none of these moving induce-
ments. Here is a man, it is true, and he talks of promised
blessings : but he is poor, and Laban cannot live upon pro-
mises. He perceives that Abraham's descendants are par-
tial to his family, and he is resolved to make his market of
it. The sight of the very flocks of Laban, as being his
mothers brother, interested Jacob's heart ; but he would
soon find that Laban will make him pay for his attach-
ments. Such however was the love he bore to Rachel, that
he took all in good part, and consented to serve seven years
for her. Nay, such was the strength of his affection, that
" they seemed unto him but a few days." Some would
suppose that love must operate in a contrary way, causing
the time to appear long rather than short; and therefore
conclude, that what is here spoken is expressive of what it
appeared when it was past : but the phraseology seems
rather to denote what it appeared at the time. The truth
seems to be this: when there is nothing to obstruct a union,
love is impatient of delay ; but when great difficulties in-
terpose, it stimulates to a patient and resolute course of
action in order to surmount them. Where the object is
highly vah>ed, we think little of the labour and expense of
obtaining it. Love endureth all things.

Ver. 21—24. At the expiration of the time, Jacob de-
manded his wife, and preparation is made accordingly for
the marriage. Laban, like some in their gifts to God, is
not wanting in ceremony. He " made a feast," gave his
daughter a handmaid, and went through all the forms : but
the gift itself was a deception : it was not Rachel, but Leah
tiiat was proscnted. It seems somewhat extraordinary that
Jacob should be capable of being thus imposed upon. Per-
haps the veil which was then worn by a woman on her
marriage might contribute to his not perceiving her. It
was a cruel business on the part of Laban ; yet Jacob
might see in it the }mnishment of his having imposed upon

Gen. XXIX.] at Uaraiu

227

his father. In such a way God often deals with men,
causing them to reap the. bitter fruits of sin even when
they have lamented and forsaken it. Mlien thou slialt
make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal trea-
cherously with thee. Isai. xxxiii. 1.

Ver. 23—30. Jacob perceiving by the light of the
morning how he had been deceived, remonstrated ; but it
was to no purpose. The answer of Laban was frivolous.
If the custom of the country was as he alleged, he ought to
have said so from the first: but it is manifest that he wanted
to dispose of both his daughters in a way that might turn
to his own advantage. Hence he adds, " Fulfil her week, and
I will give thee this also." These w^ords would seem to in-
timate that he had seven years longer to stay for Rachel ;
but this does not agree with other facts. Jacob was twenty
years in Haran.* At the end of fourteen years Joseph
was born.-j- At that time Rachel had been a wife without
bearing any children for several years.j: The two marriages
therefore must have been within a week of each other; and
the meaning of Laban's v/ords must be, ' Fulfil the seven
days' feasting for Leah, and then thou shalt have Rachel,
and shalt serve me seven years after the marriage on iier
account.' With this perfectly agrees what is said in verse
30, in which he is said to have " gone in also unto Rachel,"
denoting that it was soon after his having gone jn unto
Leah ; and in which the seven years' service is spoken of
as following his marriage to her. — This proposal on tlie
part of Laban was as void of principle as any thing could
well be. His first agreement was ungenerous, his breach
of it unjust; and now to extort seven years' more labour,
or withhold the object agreed for, was sordid in the ex-
treme. Jacob had no desire for more wives than one : yet
as polygamy was at that time tolerated, and as the marriage
had been consummated, though ignorantly, with Leah, he
could not well put her away : yet neither could he think of

* Gen. xxxi. 41. f Chap. xxx. 25. | Chap. xxxi. •22, 24.

228 Jacob's arrival [Dis. 38.

foregoing Rachel. So he acceded to the terms, notwith-
standing their injustice, and was married also to Rachel ;
and Bilhah was given to her for a handmaid. But it was
to him a sore trial, and that which laid the foundation of
innumerable discords in his family, of which the succeed-
ing history of it abounds. The following prohibition to
Israel seems to have been occasioned by this unhappy
example in their great ancestor : Thou shall not take a
wife to her sister, to vex her, to uncover her nakedness,
besides the other, in her life time. Lev. xviii. 18.

Ver. 31—35. That Leah, who was never the object of"
Jacob's choice, and who must have had a share in the late
imposition, should be " hated " in comparison of Rachel,
is no more than might be expected : yet it is worthy of
notice how God balances the good and ill of the present
life. Leah is slighted in comparison of Rachel : but God
gives children to her while he withholds them from the
other; and children in a family whose chief blessing con-
sisted in a promised seed, were greatly accounted of. The
names given to the children were expressive of their
mother's state of mind ; partly as to her affliction for want
of an interest in her husband's heart, and partly, we hope,
as to her piety, in viewing the hand of God in all that
befel her. Four children were born of her successively ;
namely, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah ; and thus
(iod was pleased to put more abundant honour on the
part that lacked. The name of the last of these children,
tiiough given him by his mother merely under an emotion
of thankfulness, yet was not a little suited to the royal
tribe from whence also the Messiah should descend. Of
this his father was made acquainted by revelation when
he blessed his sons. " Judah, (said he) thou art he whom
tliy brethren shall ;jraz5c— the sceptre shall not depart
from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until
Siiiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the
jjcople be I "

One sees in the conduct of both Jacob and Leah under

Gen. XXIX.] at Haran. 229

their afflictions, a portion of tiiat patience which arose
from a consciousness of their having brought them upon
themselves. They were each buffeted in this matter for
their faults ; and being so, there was less of praise-
worthiness in their taking it patiently. Yet when com-
pared with some others, who in all their troubles are as
bullocks unaccustomed to the yoke, we see what is worthy
of imitation.

DISCOURSE XXXIX.

Jacob in Haran,
Genesis xxx. xxxi. 1 — 16.

Though every part of Scripture is given by inspi-
ration of God, and is profitable for various purposes ; yet
I conceive it is no disparagement from its real value to
say, that every particular passage in it is not suited for a
public exposition. On this ground I shall pass over
the thirtieth chapter, with only two or three general
remarks.

First: The domestic discords, envies, and jealousies,
between Jacob's wives, serve to teach us the wisdom and
goodness of the Christian law, that " every man have his
own wife," as well as every woman her own husband.
No reflecting person can read this chapter without being
disgusted with polygamy, and thankful for that dispensa-
tion which has restored the original law of nature, and with
it, true conjugal felicity.

Secondly : Though the strifes and jealousies of Jacob's
wives were disgusting, yet we are not to attribute their
desire of children, or the measures which it put them upon
for obtaining them, to mere carnal motives. Had it been
so, there is no reason to believe that the inspired writer
would have condescended to narrate them. "It would,"

230 Jacob in IJaran. [Dis. 39.

as an able writer observes, " have been below the dignity
of such a sacred history as this is, to relate such things,
if there had not been something of great consideration in
them." The truth appears to be, they were influenced by
the promises of God to Abraham ; on whose posterity
were entailed the richest blessings, and from whom the
Messiah was in the fulness of time to descend. It was the
belief of these promises that rendered every pious female
in those times emulous of being a mother. Hence also
both Leah and Rachel are represented as praying to God
for this honour, and when children were given them, as
acknowledging the favour to have proceeded from him.
Ver. 17, 18, 22.

Thirdly: The measure which Jacob took to obtain the
best of the cattle would at first sight appear to be selfish,
and disingenuous ; and if viewed as a mere human device,
operating according to the established laws of nature, it
would be so : but such it was not. As w^hen unbelievers
object to the curse of Noah upon his son, that it was the
mere effect of revenge, we answer, let them curse those
who displease them, and see whether any such effects will
follow ; so if they object to the conduct of Jacob as a
crafty device, we might answer, let them make use of
the same, if they be able. I believe it will not be pre-
tended that any other person has since made the like ex-
periment with success. It must therefore have been by a
special direction of God, that he acted as he did.* And
this will acquit him of selfishness, in the same manner as
the Divine command to the Israelites to borrow of the
Egyptians ac(|uits them of fraud. Both were extraordi-
nary interpositions in behalf of the injured: a kind of
Divine reprisal, in which justice was executed on a broad
scale. And as the Egyptians could not complain of the
Israelites, for that they had freely lent, or rather given
tlieni their jewels, without any expectation of receiving

* Chap. xxxi. 10—12.

Gen. XXXI.] Jacob in Haran. 231

them again ; so neither could Laban complain of Jacob,
for that he had nothing more than it was freely agreed
he should have ; nor was he on the whole injured, but
greatly benefited by Jacob's services.

Chap. xxxi. 1,2. It is time for Jacob to depart; for
though Laban has acknowledged, in the hope of detaining
him, that the Lord had " blessed him for his sake ; " * yet
there is at this time much envy and evil-mindedness at
work in the family against him, overlooking all their
gains, and dwelling only upon his. Mercenary charac-
ters are not contented to prosper with others, but think
much of every thing that goes beside themselves. If a
poor tenant, or a servant thrive under them, they will
soon be heard murmuring, "He hath taken away all
that was ours, and of that which was ours hath he gotten
all this glory." If Laban's sons only had murmured
thus, Jacob might have borne it : but their father was of
the same mind, and carried it unkindly towards him.
He had been very willing to part with his daughters,
more so indeed than he ought to have been ; but Jacob's
increase of cattle under him touches him in a tender
part.

Ver. 3. The Lord had promised to " be with Jacob,
and to keep him in all places whither he -went ; " and
he makes good his promise. Like a watchful friend at
his right hand, he observes his treatment, and warns
him to depart. If Jacob had removed from mere per-
sonal resentment, or as stimulated only by a sense of
injury, he might have sinned against God, though not
against Laban. But when it was said to him, "Return
unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred, atid I
will be with thee,'' his way was plain before him. in
all our removals, it becomes us so to act as that we
may hope for the Divine presence and blessing to attend
us;, else, though we may flee from one trouble, we
shall fall into many, and be less able to endure them.
* Chap. XXX 27.

232 Jacob m Haran, [Dis. 39.

Ver. 4 — 13. And now, being warned of God to de-
part, he sends for his wives into the field, where he
might converse with them freely on the subject, without
danger of being overheard. Had they been servants, it
had been sufficient to have imparted to them his will ;
but being wives, they require a different treatment.
There is an authority which Scripture and nature give
to the man over the woman ; but every one who deserves
the name of a man will exercise it with a gentleness
and kindness that shall render it pleasant, rather than
burdensome. He will consult with her as a friend, and"^
satisfy her by giving the reasons of his conduct. Thus
did Jacob to both his wives, and who by such kind con-
duct forgot the differences between themselves, and cheer-
fully cast in their lot with him.

The reasons assigned for leaving were, partly the treat-
ment of Laban, and partly the intimations from God. " I
see your father's countenance, (says he) that it is not to-
wards me as before." It is wisely ordered that the counte-
nance shall in most cases be an index to the heart; else
there would be much more deception in the world than
there is. We gather more of men's disposition towards us
from looks, than from words ; and domestic happiness is
more influenced by the one, than by the other. Sullen si-
lence is often less tolerable than contention itself, because
the latter, painful as it is, affords opportunity for mutual
explanation. — But while Jacob had to complain of Laban 's
cloudy countenance, he could add, " The God of my father
liath been with me." God's smiles are the best support
under man's frowns : if we walk in the light of his counte-
nance, we need not fear what man can do unto us. He then
appeals to his wives, as to the faithfulness and diligence
with which he had served their father, and the deceitful
treatment he had met with in return. " Ye know, that
witli all my power 1 have served your father; and your
fatlicr hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times."
Next he alleges the good hand of his God upon him, that

Gen. XXXI.] Jacob in Haran, 233

he had not suffered him to hurt him ; but in whatever form
his wages were to be, had caused things in the end to turn
to his account ; and that the purport of this was revealed
to him by a dream before it came to pass, in which he saw
the cattle in those colours which were to distinguish them
as his hire. — Moreover, that he had very lately had another
dream,* in which the angel of God directed him to observe
the fact as accomplished, of which he had before received
only a pre-intimation ; and accounted for it, saying, " 1
have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee." In alleging
these things in his defence, Jacob said in effect, ' If your
father's cattle have of late been given to me, it is not my
doing, but God's, who hath seen my wrongs, and redressed
them' — Finally : he alleges as the grand reason of his de-
parture, the command of God. The same angel who had
directed him to observe the accomplishment of his former
dream, at the same time added, " I am the God of Bethel
where thou anointedst the pillar, and vowedst a vow unto
me : now arise, get thee out from this land, and return
unto the land of thy kindred."

Let us pause, and observe Muth attention this important
passage. / am the God of Bethel ! Such words could never
have been uttered by a created angel ; nor does the ap-
pearing in the form of an angel, or messenger, accord with
the Scripture account of God the Father : it must there-
fore have been the Son of God, whose frequent appear-
ances to the patriarchs afforded a prelude to his incarnation .
Paul, speaking of Christ in his pre-incarnate character, says,
that being in the form of God, he thought it not robbery
to be equal with God.f But to what does the apostle refer ?

* I am aware that the dreams in verses 10, 11, are generally con-
sidered as one and the same. But those who thus consider them are
not only obliged to interpret those as one which the text represents
as two, but what is said by the angel in the 12th and 13th verses as
two speeches, which manifestly appear to be one.

t Phil. ii. 6.

2:34 Jacob in Haran. [Dis. 39.

Wlien or where had he appeared equal with God ? In
such instances as these, no doubt, wherein he constantly
spake of himself, and was spoken to by his servants, as
God ; and in a manner which evinces that he accounted it
710 usurpation of that which did not belong to him.

/ am the God of Bethel ! When at Bethel, the Lord
said, I am Jihovah, God of Abraham thy father, and
the God of Isaac* Ho might have said the same now;
but it was his pleasure to direct the attention of his servant
to the last, and to him the most interesting of his manifes-
tations. By giving him hold of the last link in the chain,
he would be in possession of the whole. The God of Bethel
was the God of his fathers, Abraham and Isaac ; the God
who had entered into covenant with the former, had renewed
it with the latter, and again renewed it with him. What
satisfaction must it afford, to be directed by such a God !

It is also observable, that in directing Jacob's thoughts
to the vision at Bethel, the Lord reminds him of those so-
lemn acts of his own, by which he had at that time devoted
himself to him—" I am the God of Bethel, where thou
anointedst the pillar, and vowedst a vow unto me^ It is
not only necessary that we be reminded of God's promises
for our support in troubles, but of our own solenm en-
gagements, that the same affections which distinguished
the best seasons of our life may be renewed, and that in all
our movements we may keep in view the end for which
we live. — Tlie object of the vow was, that Jehovah shoidd be
his God; and whenever he should return, that that stone
should be God's house. And now that the Lord com-
inaiids him to return, he reminds him of his vow. He
must not go to Canaan with a view to promote his own
temporal interest, but to introduce the knowledge and
worship of the true God. This was the great end which
Jehovah had in view in all that he did for Abraham's pos-
terity, and they must never lose sight of it.

• Cliai). xxviii. 13.

Gen. XXXI.] Jacob in Haran. 23,5

Ver. li — 16. Jacob, having given the reasons for hi.?
proposed departure, paused. The women, without any
hesitation, acquiesce, intimating that there was nothing in
their father's house that should induce them to wish to
stay in it. It is grievous to see the ties of nature dissolved
in a manner by a series of selfish actions. I am not sure
that Rachel or Leah were clear of this spirit towards their
father : their words imply that they were sufficiently on
their own side. Yet the complaints which they make of
him were but too well founded. The sordid bargain which
he had made with Jacob, exacting fourteen years labour
from him as the price of his daughters, appears to have
stung them at the time ; and now that an opportunity of-
fers, they speak their minds without reserve. They felt
that they had been treated more like slaves than daughters,
and that he had not consulted their happiness, any more
than their husband's, but merely his own interest. More-
over, they accuse him of having " devoured all their
money." Instead of providing for them as daughters,
which the law of nature required,* he seems to have con-
trived to get all that private money which it is common to
allow a son or a daughter while residing with their parents,
into his hands, and had kept them in a manner pennyless.
Hence they allege that all the riches which had been taken
from him and given to their husband, were theirs, and
their children's in right ; and that God, knowing their in-
juries, had done this to redress them. Upon the whole,
their mind is that Jacob should go, and they will go with
him.

We have seen some things in the history of these women
which have induced us to hope well of them, notwithstand-
ing their many failings: but though in this case it was tlieir
duty to comply with the desire of their husband, and to own
the hand of God in what had taken place between their
father and him ; yet there is something in their manner of

* 2 Cor- xii. 14.

236 Jacob in Haran. [Dis. 39.

expressing themselves that looks more like the spirit of the
world, than the spirit which is of God. A right spirit
would have taught them to remember that Laban, what-
ever was his conduct, was still their father. They might
have felt it impossible to vindicate him ; but they should
not have expatiated on his faults in such a manner as to
take pleasure in exposing them. Such conduct was but too
much like that of Ham towards his father. And as to their
acknowledging the hand of God in giving their father's
riches to their husband, this is no more than is often seen in
the most selfish characters, who can easily admire theDivilie
providence when it goes in their favour. The ease however,
with which all men can discern what is just and equitable
towards themselves, renders the love of ourselves a proper
standard for the love of others, and will sooner or later stop
the mouth of every sinner. Even those who have no writ-
ten revelation have this Divine law engraven on their con-
sciences: they can judge with the nicest accuracy what is
justice to them, and therefore cannot plead ignorance of
what is justice from them to others.

DISCOURSE XL.

Jacob's departure from Haran*

Genesis xxxi. 17—55.

Ver. 17—21. Jacob having consulted with his wives,
and obtained their consent, the next step was to prepare
for tiieir dci)arture. Had Laban known it, there is reason
to fear he would either have detained him by force, or at
least have deprived him of a part of his property.. He
must therefore, if possible, depart without his knowledge.
At that time Laban was three day's journey from home, at
a shecp-slicaring. Jacob taking advantage of this, effected
his escape. The women returning from the field, collected
their matters together in a little time ; and being all ready,

Gex. XXXI.] Jacol) s departure from Haran. 237

Jacob rose up, set his family upon the camels, and witli all
his substance, set off for his father's house in the land of
Canaan. Being apprehensive that Laban would pursue
him, he passed over the Euphrates, and hastened on his
way towards Mount Gilead.

I do not know that we can justly blame Jacob for this
his sudden and secret departure : but when we read of
Rachel's availing herself of her father's absence to *' steal
his images," a scene of iniquity opens to our view ! What
then, is the family of Nahor, who left the idolatrous Chal-
dees ; the family to which Abraham and Isaac repaired, in
marrying their children, to the rejection of the idolatrous
Canaanites ; is this family itself become idolaters ? It is
even so. But is Rachel, the beloved wife of Jacob, not
only capable of stealing, but of stealing images ? Some?
reluctant to entertain such an opinion of her, have sup-
posed she might take them away to prevent their ill effects
on her father's family : but subsequent events are far from
justifying such a supposition. It is a fact that these tera-
phim afterwards proved a snare to Jacob's family, and that
he could not go up to Bethel till he had cleansed his house
of them.* But had the family of Laban cast off the ac-
knowledgment of Jehovah, the one true God ? This does
not appear, for they make frequent mention of him. Both
Rachel and Leah on the birth of their children were full of
apparently devout acknowledgments of him ; and we were
willing from thence to entertain a hope in favour of their
piety. Laban also, notwithstanding his keeping these ima-
ges in his house, could afterwards invoke Jehovah to watch
between him and Jacob, (ver. 49.) The truth seems to be,
they were like some in after times, who swear by the Lord,
and by Malcham :\ and others in our times, who are
neither cold nor hot, but seem to Avish to serve both God
and mammon. The teraphim that Rachel stole were not
public idols, set up in temples for worship ; but, as some

* Chap. XXXV. 1—3. t Zeph. i- 5-

238 Jacob's departure [Dis. 40.

think, little images of them, a kind of household gods. La-
ban's family would probably have been ashamed of publicly
accompanying the heathen to the worship of their gods ; but
they could keep images of them in their house, which im-
plies a superstitious respect, if not a private homage paid to
them.

This dividing of matters between the true God and
idols has in all ages been a great source of corruption.
A little before the death of Joshua, when Israel began to
degenerate, it was in this way. They did not openly
renounce the acknowledgment of Jehovah, but kej)t
images of the idols in the countries round about them in
their houses. Of this the venerable man was aware ; and
therefore, when they declared, saying, We will serve
Jehovah, for he is our God, he answered, Ye cannot serve
Jehovah, for he is a holy God, he is a jealous God : he
will not forgive your tram^gressions, nor your sins. And
when they replied, Nay^ but ive will serve Jehovah^ he
answered, Put away the strange gods that are among you :
as if he should say. You cannot serve God and your idols
— If Jehovah be God, follow him ; but if Baal, follow
him. What is Popery ? It does not profess to renounce
tiie true God ; but abounds in images of Christ, and
departed saints. What is the religion of great numbers
among Protestants, and even Protestant Dissenters?
They M'ill acknowledge the true God in words ; but their
hearts and houses are the abodes of spiritual idolatry.
When a man, like Laban, gives himself up to covetousness,
he has no room for God or true religion. The world is
his god ; ai]d he has only to reside amongst gross idolaters,
in order to be one, or at least a favourer of their abomina-
tions,

Ver. 22 — 30. The news of Jacob's abrupt departure
was soon carried to Laban, who collecting all his force,
immediately pursued him. It was seven days however,
ere he came up with Jiim. Without doubt, he meditated
mischief. He would talk of his regard to his children and

Gen. XXXI.] from Haran. 230

grand-children, and how much he was hurt in being
prevented from taking leave of them : but that which lay
nearest his heart was the substance which Jacob had
taken with him. This, 1 conceive, he meant by some
means to recover. And if he had by persuasion or force,
induced the family to return, it had been only for the sake
of this. But the night before he overtook Jacob, God
appeared to him in a dream, and warned him not only
against doing him harm, but even against "speaking to
him," that is, on the subject of returning to Haran,
" either good or bad." From this time his spirit was
manifestly overawed, and his heart smitten as with a
palsy. Overtaking Jacob at Mount Gilead, he begins with
him in rather a lofty tone, but faulters as he proceeds,
dwelling upon the same charges over and over again.
"What hast thou done, (said he) that thou hast stolen
away unawares to me, and carried away my daughters as
captives taken by the sword ? Wherefore didst thou flee
away secretly, and steal away from me, and didst not tell
me, that I might have sent thee awaj' with mirth and with
songs, with tabret and with harp? And hast not suffered
me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Thou hast now
done foolishly in so doing." In all this he means to
insinuate that Jacob had no cause to leave him on account
of any thing he had done ; that where there was so much
secrecy there must be something dishonourable, and that
in pursuing him, he was only moved by affection to his
children. He adds, " It is in the power of my hand to
do you hurt; but the God of your father spake unto me
yesternight, saying, " Take thou heed that thou speak net
to Jacob, either good or bad." Without doubt, Laban's
company was much more powerful than that cf Jacob,
and he meant to impress this idea upon him, that his
forbearance might appear to be the effect of generosity ;
nay, it is possible he might think he acted very religiously,
in paying so much deference to the warning-voice of his
God. He concludes by adding, " And now, though thou

240 Jacob's departure [Dis. 40.

wouldest needs be gone, because thou sore longedest after
thy fiUher's house ; yet wherefore hast thou stolen my
gods ?" The manner in which he accounts for his desire
to be gone, has an appearance of candour and sympathy ;
but the design was to insinuate that it was not on account
of any ill treatment he had received from him; and
perhaps to give an edge to the heavy charge with which
his speech is concluded. It was cutting to be accused of
theft; more so of having stolen what he abhorred; and
for the charge to *he preferred by a man who wished to
make every possible allowance, would render it more
cutting still. Jacob felt it, and all his other accusations,
as his answers sufficiently indicate.

Ver. 31, 32. With respect to the reiterated complaints
of the secresy of his departure, Jacob answers all in a few
words — It was " because I was afraid : for I said, per-
ad venture thou wouldst take by force thy daughters from
me." This was admitting his power, but impeaching his
justice; and as ^e had dwelt only upon^the taking away
of his daughters, so Jacob in answer confines himself to
them. Laban might feel for the loss of something else
besides his daughters ; and Jacob when he left Haran
might be afraid for something else : but as the charge
respected only them, it was sufficient that the answer
corresponded to it. If by withholding the women he
could have detained him and his substance, his former
conduct proved that he would not have been to be trusted,
— With respect to the gods, his answer is expressive of
the strongest indignation. He will not deign to disown
tlie charge ; but desires that all his company might be
searched, saying, " With whomsoever they are found, let
him not live!" It was worthy of an upright man to feel
indignant at the charge of stealing, and of a servant of God
at that of stealing idols. But unless he had been as well as-
sured of the innocence of all about liim, as he was of his own,
he ought not to have spoken as he did. His words might
have i)roved a sorer trial to him than he was aware of.

Gen. XXXI.] from Ilaran. 241

Though Laban had not expressly charged him with
fraud in any thing, except the gods ; yet having dwelt so
much upon the privacy of his departure, as to intimate a
general suspicion, Jacob answers also in a general way :
" Before our brethren, discern thou what is thine with me,
and take it to thee." It was unpleasant to be thus
pursued, accused, and searched; but it was all well. But
for this, his uprightness would have appeared in a more
suspicious light.

Ver. 33—42. Laban accepts the offer, and now begins
to search. Going from tent to tent he hopes to find at
least his gods. Rachel's policy, however, eludes his
vigilance : ^' He searched, but found not the images."
No mention is made of his going amongst the cattle,
which proves he had no suspicion of being wronged in
respect of them. During the search, Jacob looked on,
and said nothing : but when nothing w^as found that could
justify the heavy charges which had been preferred
against him, his spirit was provoked. " He was wroth,
and chode with Laban." Hard words, and cutting in-
terrogations follow. " What is my trespass, and what is
my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me?
Whereas thou hast searched all my stuff, w^hat hast
thou found of all thy househould stuff? Set it here
before my brethren, and thy brethren, that they may
judge betwixt us both!' He goes on, and takes a re-
view of his whole conduct towards him for twenty years
past, and proves that he had been very hardly dealt with,
summing up his answ^er in these very emphatic terms —
" Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham,
and the fear of Isaac had been with me," notwithstanding
all thy talk of sending me away with mirth and with
songs, with tabret and with harp, " surely thou hadst
sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction,
and the labour of mine hands, and rebuked thee yester-
night !" Laban made a merit of obeying the dream ; but

M

242 Jacob's departure [Dis. 40.

Jacob improves it into an evidence of his evil design, for
which God had " rebuked" him, and pleaded the cause of
the injured.

Ver. 43—53. Laban, whose spirit was checked before
he began, was now confounded. He quite gives up the
cause,_ and wishes to make up matters as well as he can.
He cannot help prefacing his wish, however, with a
portion of vain boasting, and affected generosity. " These
daughters are my daughters, and these children my
children, and these cattle my cattle, and all that thou
hast is mine; and what can I do this day unto these my
daughters, or unto their children which they have borne ?"
As if he had said, ' Yes, yes, God hath given you many
things ; but remember they were all mine, and you have
obtained them under me. Let us have no more disputes
however; for though I am come so far, and possess so
great a force, yet how can I find in my heart to hurt
my own children? Come therefore, and let us make a
covenant, and be good friends.'

Jacob makes no reply to Laban's boasting, but lets it
pass ; and though he had felt so keenly, and spoken so
warmly, yet he consents to a covenant of peace. Anger
may rise in the breast of a wise man ; but it resteth only
in the bosom of fools. He said nothing; but expressed his
mind by actions. He first " took a stone, and set it up
for a pillar ; " then said to his brethren, '• Gather stones :
and they took stones, and made a heap, and did eat
together," in token of reconciliation, upon it. This
done, Laban called it " Jegar-sahadutha, " and Jacob
" Galeed ; " the one was the Syriac, and the other the
Hebrew word for the same thing : that is, the heap of
witness. It was also called " Mizpah," a beacon or watch-
tower. Tiie meaning of these names in reference to the
l)resent case is explained by Laban, as being the elder
man, and the leading party in the covenant. <♦ This
heap, said he, is a witness between me and thee this day
—Jehovah watch between me and thee, when we are

Gen. XXXI.] from Haraiu 243

absent one from another. If thou shalt afflict my
daughters, or if thou shalt take other wives besides my
daughters, no man is with us : see, God is witness
betwixt me and thee." To this he added, " Behold this
heap, and behold this pillar — this heap be witness, and
this pillar be witness, that I will not pass over this heap to
thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this heap and this
pillar unto me, for harm. The God of Abraham, and the
God of Nahor^ the God of their father judge betwixt us.''
To this covenant Jacob fully assented, and sware by the
fear of his father Isaac ; that is, by the God whom Isaac
feared.

We are surprised to hear a man who had been seven
days in pursuit of certain stolen gods, speak so much,
and in so solemn a manner about Jehovah : but wicked
men will on some occasions utter excellent words. After
all, he could not help manifesting his attachment to
idolatrj^ When speaking to Jacob of Jehovah, he calls
him " the God of your father, " in a manner as if he was
not his God ; and in swearing to the solemn covenant
which had been made between them, he does not appear
to have invoked Jehovah as the only true God. It is very
observable, that though he makes mention of " the God of
Abraham," yet it is in connexion with " Nahor," and
their father, i. e. Terah : but when Abraham was with
Nahor and Terah, they were idolaters. To this purpose
we read in Joshua : Thus saith the Lord God of Israel;
Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old
time, even Terah the father of Abraham, and the father
of Nahor; and they served other gods."" " The God of
Abraham, and Nahor, and Terah," therefore, were words
capable of a very ill construction. Nor does Jacob
appear to be ignorant of Laban's design in thus referring
to their early ancestors; and therefore, that he might
bear an unequivocal testimony against all idolatry, even

* Joshua xxiv. 2.
M 2

244 Jacob's departure [Dis. 40

that of Abraham in his younger years, he would swear
only by " the fear of his father Isaac," who had never
worshipped any other than the true God. It were worth
while for those who plead for antiquity as a mark of the
true church, to consider that herein they follow the ex-
ample of Laban, and not of Jacob.

Ver. 54, 35. Laban had professed his regret that he
had not an opportunity to enjoy a day of feasting and of
mirth at parting with his children. Such a parting would
hardly have been seemly, even in a family which had no
fear of God before their eyes. Jacob however makes a
religious feast previous to the departure of his father-in-
law. " He offered sacrifices upon the Mount Galeed,
and called his brethren," that is the whole company, *' to
eat bread ; and they did eat bread, and tarried all night
in the mount. And early in the morning Laban rose up,
and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them ;
and Laban departed, and returned unto his place." This
l)arting proved final. We hear no more of Laban, nor of
tlie family of Nahor. They might for several ages retain
some knowledge of Jehovah ; but mixing with it the
superstitions of the country, they would in the end
sink into gross idolatry, and be lost among the heathens.

On observing the place from which Balaam the son
of Beor is said to have been sent for to curse Israel,
namely, Petlior of Mesopotamia,* or Ara7n,\ or as it is
frequently called Padan-aram, and that it is the same
with that in which Laban dwelt, I have been inclined
to think he might be one of his descendants. He is
su])pos('d to have lived about two hundred and eighty
years after Jacob's departure from that country, which
ill those ages would not include above two or three
generations. The opinion of ancient Jewish writers,
though often fabulous, yet when agreeing with what is
otherwise probable, may serve to strengthen it " The

* Dem xxiii. 4. f Num. xxiii. 7.

Gen. XXXI.] froin Haran. 245

Targum of Jonathan on Num. xxii. 3, and tlie Targuni
on 1 Chron. i. 44, make Balaam to be Laban liiniself;
and others say he was the son of Beor, the son of
Laban."* The first of these opinions, though in itself
utterly incredible, yet may so far be true as to hit
upon the family from which he descended ; and the last,
allowing perhaps for a defect of one generation, appears
to me to be highly probable.— Add to this, the teraphim,
or images which Laban kept in his house, and which he
would doubtless replace on his return, are supposed to
be a sort of " talismans, were consulted as oracles, and
in high esteem with the Chaldeans, and Syrians, a
people given to astrology, and by which they made their
divinations. Hos. iii. 4. Zech. x. 2."t According to
this, Balaam the soothsayer would only tread in the
steps of his ancestors; not utterly disowning Jehovali,
but devoted to the abominations of the heathen.

If the above remarks be just, they shew in a strong
point of light the progress of apostasy and corruption,
Laban imitated the corruptions of his ancestors, some of
whom were good men; and his descendants improved
upon him. Thus you will often see a man who has
descended from religious parents, but whose heart is
entirely taken up with the world : He keeps up the
forms of godliness, though he denies the power ; but mixes
with them all the evil that he can rake up from the ex-
amples of his forefathers, with considerable additions of
his own. The next generation improves upon liiu),
having less of the form of religion, and more conformity
to the world. The third throws off both the form and the
power, retaining no vestige of the religion of their
ancestors, excepting a few speculative notions, learnt from
a few old books and sayings, and which have no other influ-
ence upon them than to enable them to be more wicked than
their neighbours, by sinning against somewhat of superior

* See Gill on Num. xxii. 5. f ^bid. Gen. xxxi.

19.

246 Jacob's fear of Esau. [Dis. 41.

light. How important is it for good men to act in
character in their families, inasmuch as every evil which
they practise will, be re- acted and encreased by their
carnal posterity !

DISCOURSE XLI.

Jacob's fear of Esau — his wrestling laith the angel.

Genesis xxxii.

Ver. 1, 2. The sacred writer, pursuing the history
of Jacob, informs us that he went on his way, and the
angels of God met him. And when he saw them, he
said, " This is God's house : and he called the name of
that place Mahanaim." That the angels of God are
ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who
shall be heirs of salvation, is truth clearly revealed in the
Scriptures : but this their ministry has seldom been ren-
dered visible to mortals. The angel tyf Jehovah, it is
said, encampeth round about them that fear him, and
delivereth them. But I do not recollect that any of these
celestial guardians have appeared in this character to the
servants of God, except in times of imminent danger.
When a host of Syrians encompassed Dothan, in order to
take Elisha, his servant was alarmed, and exclaimed,
Alas^ master, how shall we do 9 The prophet answered,
Fear not : for they that be with us are more than they that
be with them. Yet there was no earthly force to protect
them. But when in answer to the prophet's prayer,
the young mans eyes were opened, he saiv the mountain
full of horses, and chariots of fire round about Elisha.^
In tliis case God's hosts became visible, to allay the fear
of man's hosts. Thus it was also in the present instance.

• 2 Kings vi. 17.

Gen. XXXII.] Jacob's fear of Esau, 247

Jacob had just escaped one host of enemies, and anotlier
is coming forth to meet him. At this juncture Gods
host makes its appearance, teaching him to whom he
owed his late escape, and that he who had delivered
did deliver, and he might safely trust would deliver him.
The angels which appeared on this occasion are called
God's host, in the singular : but by the name which Jacob
gave to the place, it appears that they were divided into
two, encompassing him as it were before and behind ;
and this would correspond with the ^ two hosts of adver-
saries, which at the same time, and with almost the same
violent designs, were coming against him: the one had
already been sent back without striking a blow, and the
other should be the same. This however was not ex-
pressly revealed to Jacob, but merely a general account
afforded him: for it was not the design of God to
supersede other means, but to save him in the use ot
them.

Ver. 3—5. Jacob has as yet heard nothing of his
brother Esau, except that he had settled " in the land of
Seir, the country of Edom;" but knowing what had
formerly taken place, and the temper of the man, he is
apprehensive of consequences. He therefore resolves on
sending messengers before him, in order to sound him,
and if possible to appease his anger. These messengers
are instructed what they shall say, and how they shall
conduct themselves on their arrival, all in a way to con-
ciliate. " Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau. Tliy
' servant Jacob saith thus : I have sojourned with Laban,
and staid there until now. And I have oxen, and asses,
flocks, and men-servants, and women-servants : and I have
sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight."'
— Observe, (1.) He declines the honour of precedency
given him in the blessing, calling Esau " his lord:' Isaac
had said to him, " Be lord over thy brethren, and let thy
mother's sons bow down to thee:" but Jacob either
understood it of spiritual ascendency, or if of temporal,

248 Jacob's fear of Esau. [Dis. 41.

as referring to his posterity rather than him. He there-
fore declines all disputes on that head.— ("2.) He would
liave him know that he was not come to claim the double
portion, nor even to divide with him his father's inheri-
tance ; for that God had given him plenty of this world's
goods without it. Now as these were the things which
had so greatly provoked Esau, a relinquishment of them
.vould tend more than any thing to conciliate him.

Ver. 6 — 12. The messengers had not proceeded far,
ere they met Esau coming forth to meet his brother Jacob,
and four hundred men with him I It would seem by the
account, that they went and delivered their message to
him. But however that was, they appear to have been
struck with the idea that he was coming with a hostile de-
sign, and therefore quickly returned, and informed their
master of particulars. We are surprised that Jacob's jour-
ney, which had taken him but about a fortnight, and had
been conducted with so much secresy, should yet have
been known to Esau. His thirst for revenge must have
prompted him to great vigilance. One would think he had
formed connexions with persons who lived in the way, and
engaged them to give him information of the first move-
ments of his brother. However this was, " Jacob was
greatly afraid," and even " distressed." This term with us
is sometimes lightly applied to the state of mind produced
by ordinary troubles; but in the Scriptures it denotes a
sore strait, from which there seems to be no way of escape.
Tins distress would probably be heightened by the recol-
lection of his sin, which first excited the resentment of
Esau. There is no time however to be lost. But what can
he do ? Well, let us take notice what a good man will do
in a time of distress, that we may, as occasion requires, fol-
low his example, — First : lie uses all possible precaution,
" dividing the people that were with him, and the flocks,
and herds, and camels, into two bands ; saying, If Esau
come to the one company and smite it, then the other com-
])any which is left shall escape." Secondly: He betakes

Gen. XXXII.] Jacob's fear of Esau, 249

himself to prayer ; and as this is one of the Scripture ex-
amples of successful prayer, we shall do well to take par-
ticular notice of it. — Observe, (].) He approaches God as
the God of his father ; and as such, a God in covi'iiant,
" Oh God of my father Abraham, and God of my father
Isaac !" This was laying hold of the Divine faithfulness : it
was the prayer of faith. We may not have exactly the same
plea in our approaches to God ; but we have one that is
more endearing, and more prevalent. The God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, is a character which excites more
hope, and in which more great and precious promises have
been made than in the other.— (2.) As his own God,
pleading what he had promised to //im—" Jehovah who
saidst unto me, return unto thy country, and to thy kin-
dred, and I will deal well with thee." Jehovah has never
made promises to us in the same extraordinary way as he
did to Jacob : but whatever he hath promised to believers
in general, may be pleaded by every one of them in par-
ticular, especially when encountering opposition in the way
which he hath directed them to go.— (3.) While he cele-
brates the great mercy and truth of God towards him, lie
acknowledges himself unworthy of the least instance of
either. The worthiness of merit is what every good man,
in every circumstance, must disclaim ; but that which he
has in view, I conceive, is that of meetness. Looking back
to his own unworthy conduct, especially that which pre-
ceded and occasioned his passing over Jordan with a
" staff" only in his hand, he is affected with the returns of
mercy and truth which he had met with from a gracious
God. By sin he had reduced himself in a manner to
nothing ; but God's goodness had made him great. As
we desire to succeed in our approaches to God, we must
be sure to take low ground ; humbling ourselves in the
dust before him, and sueing for relief as a matter of mere
grace. — Finally : having thus prefaced his petition, he now
presents it. " Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of
my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he
M 3

•250 Jacol) s fear of Esau. [Dis. 41.

will come and smite me, and the mother with the chil-
dren." This was doubtless the petition of a kind husband,
and a tender father : it was not as such only, nor prin-
cipally however, but as a believer in the promises, that he
presented it : the great stress of the prayer turns on this
hinge. It was as though he had said, ' If my life, and that
of the mother, with the children, be cut off, how are thy
promises to be fulfilled?' Hence he adds, "And thou
saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the
sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude."
It is natural for us as husbands and as parents to be im-
portunate with God for the well being of those who are so
nearly related to us : but the way to obtain mercy for
them is to seek it in subordination to the Divine glory.

Ver. 13—30. Jacob and his company seem now to
have been north of the river Jabbok, near to the place
where it falls into the Jordan. Here he is said to have
" lodged that night." Afterwards we read of his " rising
up," and sending his company " over the ford."* Pro-
bably it was during one single night that the whole of
what follows in this chapter occurred. The messengers
having returned towards evening, he divided his company
into two bands, and then committed his cause to God. After
this he halted for the night: but whatever sleep might fall
to the lot of the children, or rest to the beasts of burden,
there was but little of either for him. First, he resolves
neither to flee, nor fight ; but to try the e^ect o^ a present.
Upwards of five hundred head of cattle were sent off in tlie
night, under the care of his servants ; and to produce the
greater effect, they were divided into droves, with a space
between drove and drove. Having sent off the present, he
seems to have tried to get a little rest : but not being able
to sleep, he " rose up," and took his whole family, and all
that he had, and sent them over the ford of Jabbok. Every
servant presenting his drove in the same words, would

• Verse 22.

Gen. XXXII.] Jacol) s wrestling with the angel, 251

strike Esau with amazement. It would seem as if all the
riches of the East were coming to him : and every one con-
cluding by announcing his master as coming behind them,
would work upon his generosity. He expected, it is
likely, a host of armed men, and felt resolved to fight it
out : but instead of an army, here is a present worthy of a
prince, and the owner coming after it with all the confi-
dence of a friend, and kindness of a brother.

Whether he thought it would express more friendship, and
be better taken, to be at the trouble of crossing the ford in
order to meet Esau, than to oblige Esau to cross it in order
to meet him ; or whatever was his reason, so he acted : and
the family being all over the river, " he himself staid be-
hind." Here it was that he met with that extraordinary ap-
pearance on which he wrestled with the angel, and pre-
vailed. The account is as follows — " And Jacob was left
alone ; and there wrestled a man with him until the break-
ing of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not
against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh ; and the
hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled
with him. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh.
And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
And he said unto him, What is thy name ? And he said,
Jacob. And he said. Thy name shall be called no more
Jacob, but Israel ; (that is, a prince of God) for as a prince
hast thou power with God and with men, and hast pre-
vailed. And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray
thee, thy name : and he said. Wherefore is it that thou dost
ask after my name ? And he blessed him there. And
Jacob called the name of the place Peniel : for I have seen
God face to face, and my life is preserved."

On this singular manifestation of God to his servant, we
oflfer the following remarks : — (l .) It does not appear to be
a vision, but a literal transaction. A personage, in the form
of a man, really wrestled with him, and permitted him to
prevail so far as to gain his object.— (2.) Though the form
of the struggle was corporeal, yet the essence and object

232 Jacob's wrestling [Dis. 41.

of it were spiritual. An inspired commentator on this
wrestling says, " He wept and made supplication to the
angel."* That for which he strove was a blessing, and he
obtained it.— (3.) The personage with whom he strove is
here called " a man," and yet in seeing him, Jacob said,
" I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved."
Hosea, in reference to his being a messenger of God to
Jacob, calls him " the angel :" yet he also describes the
patriarch as having " power with God." Upon the whole,
there can be no doubt but that it was the same Divine per-
sonage who appeared to him at Bethel, and at Padan-aram ^
who being in the form of God, again thought it no usurpa-
tion to appear as God, — (4.) What is here recorded had
relation to Jacob's distress, and may be considered as an
answer to his evening supplications. By his " power with
God," he had "power with men :" Esau, and his hostile
company, were conquered at Peniel. — (5.) The change of
his name from " Jacob" to " Israel," and the " blessings"
which followed, signified that he was no longer to be re-
garded as having obtained it by supplanting his brother,
but as a prince of God, who had wrestled with him for it,
and prevailed. It was thus that the Lord pardoned his
sin, and wiped away his reproach. It is observable too,
that this is the name by which his posterity are afterwards
called. — Finally : The whole transaction furnishes an in-
stance of believing, importunate, and successful prayer.
As Jacob would not let the angel go, except he blessed
him, and as the latter, though to convince him of his power
he touched the hollow of his thigh, and put it out of joint,
yet suffered himself to be overcome by him ; so every
true Israelite ])leads the promises of God, with an impor-
tunity that will take no denial, and God is pleased to suf-
fer himself in this manner to be as it were overcome.

Ver. 30—32. Wliat a night was this to Jacob ! What
a difference between wiiat he felt the past evening, on the

• Hosea xii. 4.

Gen. XXXIII.] ivUh the angel. 253

return of the messengers, and what he now felt ! Well
might he wonder and exclaim, " I have seen God face to
face, and my life is preserved !" Passing over Peniei,
however, to rejoin his family, just as the sun rose upon
him, " he halted upon his thigh." This would be a me-
morial to him of his own weakness, as well as of the power
and goodness of God, who instead of touching a single
part, might, as he intimated, have taken away his " life."
The law which afterwards prevailed in Israel, of not eating
of the sinew which shrank, might be of Divine origin, as it
corresponds with the genius of the ceremonial economy.

DISCOURSE XLir.

Jacob's interview ivith Esau, and arrival in Canaan.

Genesis xxxiii.

Ver. 1 — 4. No sooner had Jacob passed over the ford
of Jabbok, and rejoined his family, but lifting up his eyes,
he saw his brother approaching him, and four hundred men
with him. He hast just time before he comes up, to ar-
range his family, placing the children with their respective
mothers, and those last for whom he has the tenderest
affection. This circumstance shews that though he treated
Esau with the fullest confidence, yet he was still secretly
afraid of him. He must however put the best face he can
upon it, and go on to meet him. This he does ; and as he
had by his messengers acknowledged him as his " lord,"
so he will do the same by " bowing down to him." His
object was to satisfy him that he made no claim of that
kind of pre-eminence which the other's heart was set upon,
but freely gave it up. And this seems to have had the de-
sired effect on Esau's mind ; for though he did not bow in
return to his brother, since that had been relinquishing his
superiority ; yet " he ran to meet him, and embraced him,
and fell on his neck, and kissed him:" nor could such an

254 Jacob's intervieiv [Dis. 42.

unexpected meeting fail to dissolve both of them in tears !
It is pleasant and affecting to see the bitter heart of Esau
thus melted by a kind and yielding conduct. We must not
forget that God's hand was in it, who turneth the hearts of
men as rivers of water : but neither must we overlook the
means by which it was effected. A soft tongue, saith
Solomon, breaketh the bone.* On which our commentator
Henri/ remarks, with his usual pith, ^' Hard words, we say,
break no bones, and therefore we should bear them pa-
tiently ; but it seems soft words do, and therefore we
should, on all occasions, give them prudently." Treat men
as friends, and you make them so. Pray but as Jacob did,
and be as obliging and condescending as he was, and you
will go through the world by it.

Ver. 5 — 7. The two brothers having wept over each
other, Esau, lifting up his eyes, saw the women and chil-
dren, and enquired who they were ? Jacob's answer is
worthy of him. It savours of the fear of God M'hic-h ruled
in his heart, and taught him to acknowledge him even in
the ordinary concerns of life. They are, saith he, " the
children which God hath graciously given thy servant."
Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children,
and they bowed themselves. And Leah also, with her
children, came near, and bowed themselves : and after
came Joseph near, and Rachel, and they bowed them-
selves.'' Had this been done to Jacob, methinks he would
liave answered, God be gracious unto you mij children !
But we must take Ksau as he is, and rejoice that things are
as they are. We have often occasion to be thankful for ci-
vilities, where we can find nothing like religion. One can-
not help admiring the uniformly good behaviour of all
Jacob's family. If one of them had failed, it might have
undone all the good which his ingratiating conduct had
done : but to their hon^Dur it is recorded, they all acted in
unison with them. When the head of a family does right,

• Prov. XXV. 15.

Gen. XXXIII.] with Esau, 253

and the rest follow his example, every tiling goes on
■well.

Ver. 8. But Esau desires to know the meaning of these
droves of cattle being sent to him. The answer is, " These
are to find grace in the sight of my Lord" This woukl
express how high a value he set upon his favour, and how
much he desired to be reconciled to him ; and so tended
to conciliate. We might, in most cases, purchase peace
and good-will from men at a much cheaper rate than this ;
a few shillings, nay often, only a few kind words would do
it ; and yet we see for the want of these, strifes, conten-
tions, law-suits, and I know not what evil treatment, even
between those who ought to love as brethren. But if the
favour of man be thus estimable, how much more that of
God? Yet no worldly substance, nor good deeds of ours
are required as the price of this ; but merely the receiving
of it as a free gift, through Him who hath given liiniself a
sacrifice to obtain the consistent exercise of it towards the
unworthy.

Ver. 9 — 11. The reply of Esau to this obliging an-
swer was, " I have enough, my brother, keep that thou
hast unto thyself." There might be in this language pretty
much of a high spirit of independence. Whatever effect
Jacob's present had had upon him, he would not be thought
to be influenced by any thing of that kind ; especially as
he had great plenty of his own. Jacob, however, continued
to urge it upon him, not as iF he thought he needed it,
but as a token of good -will, and of his desire to be recon-
ciled. He did not indeed make use of this term, nor of any
other that might lead to the recollection of their former
variance. He did not say that he should consider the ac-
ceptance of his present as a proof that he was cordially re-
conciled to him: but what he did say, though more deli-
cately expressed, was to the same effect. Such I conceive
to be the import of the terms, " If now I have found grace
in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand." The
receiving of a present at another's hand is perhaps one

256 Jacob's interview [Dis. 42.

of the greatest proofs of reconciliation. Every one is con-
scious that he could not receive a present at the hand of an
enemy. And upon this principle no offerings of sinful
creatures can be accepted of God, till they are reconciled
to him by faith in the atonement of his Son. To find grace
in the sight of Esau, and to have his present accepted as a
token of it, was the desire of Jacob. To these ends he
further assures him how highly his favour was accounted
of, and that to have seen his face in the manner he had,
was to him next to seeing " the face of God."" This was
strong language, and doubtless it was expressive of strong^
feelings. Reconciliation with those whom we have long
been at variance Avith, especially when it was through our
own misconduct, is, as to its effect upon the mind, next to
reconciliation with God. — Finally : He entreats him to ac-
cept what he had presented, as his " blessing ;" (so a pre-
sent was called when accompanied with love, or good
will*) and the rather because God had graciously blessed
him, and given him *' enough," naj' more, had given him
all things, Esau on this accepted it : and as far as we
know, the reconciliation was sincere and lasting.

Ver. 12 — 15. Esau proposes to be going, and to guard
his brother and his family through the country. The pro-
posal was doubtless very friendly, and very honourable ;
and appears to have contained an invitation of Jacob and
his family to his house in Seir ; but Jacob respectfully de-
clines it, on account of the feebleness of the cattle, and of
the children. There is no reason that I know of for sup-
posing Jacob had any other motive than that which he al-
leged ; and tiiis is expressive of his gentleness as a shepherd,
and his tenderness as a father. There are many persons
with whom we may wish to be on good terms, who never-
theless, on account of a difference of character, taste or
manners, would be very unsuitable companions for us.
Jacob proposes going to Seir after his arrival ; and this he

• See Joshua xv. 19. 1 Sam. xxv. 27. ; 2 Kings v. Jo.

Gen. XXXIII.] with Esau. 057

probably did, though we read not of it. We have no ac-
count of his visiting liis father Isaac till he had been several
years at Canaan ; yet to suppose him capable of such a
neglect, were not only injurious to his character, but con-
trary, to what is implied by Deborah, one of Isaac's family,
being found in his house at the time of her death.* Esau's
first proposal being declined, he next offers to leave a part
of his men, as a guard to Jacob's company : but this also
he respectfully declines, on the ground of its being unne-
cessary ; adding, " Let me find grace in the sight of my
Lord" — which 1 conceive was equal to saying. Let me have
th}'^ favour, and it is all I desire.

Ver. 16 — 20. The two brothers having parted friendly,
Esau returns to Seir, and Jacob journeyed to a place east
of Jordan, where he stopped awhile, and built a house for
his family, and booths for his cattle. Upon this spot a city
was afterwards built, and called " Succoth ;" that is, boot/is
from the circumstance above related.f He did not stop
here however with a design to abide ; for he was com-
manded to return " to the land of his kindred," that is to
Canaan, and he was as yet not in Canaan : but finding it a
country abounding with rich pasture, he might wish to re-
fresh his herds, and take time for enquiry into a more suit-
able place for a continued residence. Hence when after
this he passed over Jordan, and " came to Shalem, a city
of Shechem, in the land of Canaan," it is said to be " when
he came from Padan-aram;" intimating that till then he
had not arrived at the end of his journey. " Shalem" is
considered by Ainsworth, and some others, not as the name
of a city, but as a term denoting the peace and safety with
which Jacob arrived. Hence they render it, " He came
in safety f or in peace, to the city of Shechem." It is an
argument in favour of this translation, that we have no ac-
count of a city called Shalem near to Shechem. All agree
that it could not be the place where Melchizedek reigned,

* Chap. XXXV. 8. "j" Josh. xiii. 27. Judges viii. o.

258 Jacob's interview [Dis.42.

as it was forty miles distant from it : and as to that near
Enon, where John was baptizing,* it was not in the neigh-
bourhood of Shechem, but of Jordan. This rendering also
gives additional propriety and force to the phrase, " When
he came from Padan-aram." It is a declaration to the
honour of him who had said, " Behold, 1 am with thee,
and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will
bring thee again into this land." He arrived in peace at
his journey's end, notwithstanding the dangers and diffi-
culties he met with by the way.

Shechem, before which Jacob pitched his tent, was a city
called after the name of the son of Hamor,its king, of whom
we shall presently hear more. Is is the same place as that
which in the New Testament is called Sychar.-\ Here he
bought " a parcel of a field," that neither he nor his cattle
might trespass on the property of others. This field was
afterwards taken from him, it should seem, by the Amo-
rites ; and he was under the necessity of recovering it by
his sword and his bow ; which having accomplished, he
bequeathed it to his son Joseph. I have sometimes thought
that this parcel of ground might be designed to exhibit a
specimen of the whole land of Canaan. When the Most
High divided to the nations their inheritance, he marked
out an allotment for the children of Israel ::j: but the Ca-
naanites taking possession of it, were obliged to be dispos-
sessed by the rightful owners, with the sword and with the
bow.

But that which requires the most particular notice, is,
that " he erected there an altar, and called it El-elohe-
Israel ;" i. e. God the God of Israel, It was worthy of this
great and good man publicly to acknowledge God, after so
many signal deliverances, and soon after his arrival. His
first purchasing a piece of ground, and '' there" erecting
his altar, was like saying, Whenever this whole country
shall be in possession of my posterity, let it in this manner

• John iii. "23. f John iv. 5. | Dcut. xxxii. 8.

Gen. xxxiii.] with Esau, 25{>

be devoted to God. Nay, it was as if he had then taken
possession of it in the name of the God of Israel, by setting
up his standard in it. It is the first time also in which he
is represented as availing himself of his new name, and of
the covenant blessing conferred upon him under it. The
name given to the altar was designed, no doubt, to be a
memorial of both ; and whenever he should present his of-
ferings upon it, to revive all those sentiments which he
had felt when wrestling with God at Peniel. It were no less
happy for us, than consistent with our holy profession, if
every distinguishing turn of our lives were distinguished by
renewed resignations of ourselves to God. Such times and
places would serve as memorials of mercy, and enable us
to recover those thoughts and feelings which we possessed
in our happiest days.

DISCOURSE XLIII.

Dinah defiled, and the Shechemites murdered.

Genesis xxxiv.

The arrival of Jacob in Canaan promised fair for a holy
and happy residence in it. Laban no more oppresses
him, and the breach between him and his brother Esau is
healed. But alas, foreign troubles being removed, domestic
ones take place of them. He had but one daughter, and
she is defiled. He had many sons, and the greater part of
them are deceitful and cruel. What with the conduct of
the one, and the other, his heart must be sorely grieved.
It was not however till he had lived six or seven years in
the neighbourhood of Shechem that these troubles came
upon him; for in less time than this the two brethren
could not have arrived at man's estate: and there is reason
to believe that from his first settlement at this place, his
mind began to sink into a state of spiritual declension.
One would think, if he had had a proper sense of things,

260 Dmah defiled. [Dis. 43.

he could not have continued so long to expose a family of
young people to the contagious influence of a heathen
city. It was next to the conduct of Lot, when he took
up his residence in Sodom.

Ver. 1,2. It is natural to suppose that the younger
branches of the family, hearing every thing that was
going on among the youth of the place, would think it
hard if they must not go amongst them. Whether the
sons formed acquaintances among the Shechemites, we
know not; but Dinah on a certain occasion, must needs
<'go out to see the daughters of the land." She wished
no doubt to be acquainted with them, to see and be seen
of them, and to do as they did. It might not be to a ball?
nor a card party; but I presume it was to some merry-
making of this kind : and though the daughters of the
land were her professed companions, yet the sons of the
land must have assembled with them, else how came
Shechem there ? Young people, if you have any regard
for your parents, or for yourselves, beware of such
parties ! The consequence was what might have been
expected. Shechem was the son of the " prince of the
country," and men of rank and opulence are apt to think
themselves entitled to do any thing which their inclinations
prompt them to. The young woman was inexperienced,
and unused to company of this kind ; she therefore fell an
easy prey to the seducer. But could Dinah have gone
without the consent, or connivance of her parents, at
least of one of them? We should think she could not.
I fear Leah was not clear in this matter.

Ver. 3, 4. The story is such as must needs excite
indignation : some circumstances, however, bad as it is,
tend in a certain degree to alleviate it. The young man
is not like Amnon by Tamar : he is attached to her, and
applies to his father Hamor to obtain her for him to wife.
Had this been done at first, all had been honourable: but
a bad beginning seldom admits of a good ending. And
tJiough a respectful application Mas immediately made to

Gen. XXXIV.] Dinah defiled. 261

the parents of the damsel, yet she herself was at the same
time detained in Shechem's house. But let us observe
the effect of this disgraceful transaction.

Ver. 5 — 24. The news soon reached Jacob's ear. His
sons were in the field : he felt much no doubt, but said
nothing till they returned. He did not how^ever foresee
w hat w^ould follow, or he would not have reserved the ut-
terance of his grief to them. But probably he knew not
what to do. If Leah had connived at her daughter's
visit, he would not know how to speak to her; and as to
Rachel, the jealousies between the sisters might prevent
his speaking freely to the one on the concerns of the
other. So he held his peace till his sons should return.
Meanwhile, Hamor, and it seems his son with him, came
out of the city to Jacob, to commune with him on the
subject, and to ask the young woman in marriage. It had
been well if he and Jacob had settled it ; and tliis to all
appearance they might have done; but scandal, with its
swift wings, reaching the young men in the field, brougiit
them home before the usual time ; so that Hamor and his
son had scarcely entered Jacob's door, ere they followed
them. Had Jacob and Hamor conversed the matter over
by themselves, or Jacob and his sons by themselves, their
anger might have been somewhat abated : but all meeting
together, there w^as no vent for the first strong feelings of
the mind ; and such feelings when suppressed, like subter-
raneous fires, must find their way, and very commonly
issue in some dreadful explosion. The young men said
little, but thought the more. The real state of their
minds is thus described—" And the men were grieved,
and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly
in Israel in lying with Jacob's daughter, which thing
ought not to be done." There certainly was cause for
great displeasure; and provided it had been directed
against the sin, frankly avowed, and kept within the limits
of equity, great displeasure ought to have been mani-
fested. Li^ht as heathens, and other wicked men, may

262 Dinah defiled. [Dis. 43.

make of fornication, it is an evil and a bitter thing. To
the honour of Jacob and liis posterity, he that was guilty
of it amongst them, was said to have " wrought folly in
Israel," and to have done that which *' ought not to be
done." It might be from the present early example that
this phraseology became proverbially descriptive of a
fornicator;* and a great advantage it must be to any
people where the state of society is so far influenced by
principles of honour and chastity, as by common consent
to brand such characters with infamy. It was proper that
the brothers of the young woman should be " grieved ;"
it was not unnatural that they should be " wroth :" but
wherefore did they feel thus strongly ? Was it for the sin
committed against God, or only for the shame of it in
respect of the family ? Here alas, they failed ; and this
it was that prompted them to all their other wickedness.
Jacob was grieved, and displeased, as well as they ; but
his grief and displeasure wrought not in the manner theirs
did. The reserve which they assumed while Hamor and
his son were speaking, concealed behind it the most deadly
resentment. They heard all that was said ; (and many
line things were said, both by the father as a politician, in
favour of intermarriages between the families in general,
and by the son as a lover, in order to gain the damsel)
they heard it, I say, with much apparent coolness, and
stated their objections in a manner as if there was nothing
between them but the compliance with h. certain cere-
mony, and as though they felt nothing for their sister that
should hinder their entering into a covenant of peace with
him who had seduced her. But all was "deceit;" a mere
cover to a bloody design which they appear to have
formed for tlie purpose of revenge ; " because he had
dcHled Dinah their sister."

Tiie deceitful proposal however succeeded : " their
words pleased Hamor, and Shechem, Hambr's son." So

* 2 Sam. xiii. 12.

Gen. XXXIV. BinaU defiled, 263

they go about forthwith to persuade the citizens into a
compliance wiih them ; not as a matter of principle, but
of policy, as a measure which would contribute to the
country's good. They also succeed; the Shechemites are
circumcised; and all seems to bid fair for an amicable
issue.

But let us pause, and reflect on the right and wrong in
these transactions. What was the line of conduct that
Hamor and Shechem should have pursued? They ought
no doubt, in the first place, to have restored the young
woman to her parents ; and at the same time to have ac-
knowledged the great injury done to her, and to the
family, and expressed their sorrow on account of it. Till
they had done this, they had no reason to expect any
thing like reconciliation on the part of Jacob, or his sons.
But it is likely the young man being of so honourable a
family, and the sin of fornication being so common in the
country, made them think these punctilios might be dis-
pensed with in the present instance. And being wholly
under the influence of sensual and worldly motives, they
are prepared to profess any religion, or profane any
institution, however sacred, so that they may accomplish
their selfish ends. — But what was the line of conduct which
ought to have been pursued by Jacob and his sons ? If
the one had taken a greater share in the conversation, and
the other a less, it had been more to the honour of botli ;
and might not have issued in the manner it did. It is
very proper for brothers to consider themselves as
guardians of a sister's honour ; but not in such a way as
to supersede the authority, or silence the counsel of a
father. The answer to the question, whether Dinah
should be given in marriage to Shechem, belonged to the
parents, and not to the brothers. With respect to the
displeasure which required to be expressed, it ought to
have been confined to words ; and if the proposed marriage
could not be acceded to, they should, as they said, have
" taken their sister, and been gone." As to their objection

264 The Shechemites [Dis. 43.

on the score of circumcision, there appears to have been
no such law established as yet in Jacob's family. It is
true, they were discouraged from marrying with the
devotees of idolatry ; but the circumcision of the Sheche-
mites was merly a form ; and had they been suffered to
live, would have produced no change in respect of this.
Could they indeed have been induced to renounce their
idolatrous practices, and to cast in their lot with Israel,
the good had overbalanced the evil : but religion was no
part of the young men's concern : the whole was a mere
pretence, to cover their malignant designs.

Ver. 95 — 29. The result was shocking. Simeon and
Levi, two of Dinah's brethren by the same mother, as well
as father, availing themselves of the present incapacity of
the Shechemites to resist them, took each man his sM'ord,
and slew all the males of the city, with Hamor, and
Shechem his son, and took their sister out of his house,
and went their v^ay ! Nor was this cruel business to be
attributed to the two brothers onl}' ; for the rest were so
far accessory as to join in plundering the city, and taking
captive all the females.

Alas, how one sin leads on to another, and like flames
of fire, spreads desolation in every direction ! Dissipation
leads to seduction; seduction produces wrath; wrath
thirsts for revenge ; the thirst of revenge has recourse to
treachery; treachery issues in murder; and murder is
followed by lawless depredation ! Were we to trace the
history of illicit commerce between the sexes, we should
find it, more perhaps than any other sin, terminating in
blood. We may read this warning truth not only in the
life of David and his family, but in what is constantly
occurring in our own times. The murder of the innocent
offspring by the hand of the mother, or of tlie mother by
the hand of the seducer ; or of the seducer by the hand of a
brother, or a supplanted rival—are events which too
frequently fall under our notice. Nor is this all, even in
the present world. Murder seldom escapes detection : a

Gen. xxxiv.] murdered. 265

public execution therefore may be expected to close tlie
tragical process !

Ver. 30, 31. Tt is some relief* to find the good old
man expressing his disapprobation of these proceedings :
" Ye have troubled me," says he to Simeon and Levi,
" to make me stink among the inhabitants of the land —
and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves
together against me ; and I shall be destroyed, I and ray
house." Both Abraham and Isaac had carried it peace-
ably in all places where they pitched their tents, and by
their good conduct had recommended true religion, and
gained great respect amongst the heathen. It w^-s Jacob's
desire to have trod in their steps; but his sons were
children of Belial, who knew not the Lord ; yet being so
nearly akin to him, his character is implicated by their
conduct. Their answer is insolent in the extreme :
" Should he deal with our sister (say tiiey) as with
a harlot?'' As if their father had no proper concern for
the honour of his children, and cared not what treatment
they met with, so that he might be at peace, and maintain
his credit.

But how is it that Jacob should dwell only upon the
consequences of the sin, and say nothing on the sin itself?
Probably because he knew them to be so hardened in
wickedness that nothing but consequences, and such as
affected their own safety too, would make them feel. It
is certain that he did abhor the deed, and that witli all his
soul. Of this he gave a most affecting proof upon iiis
dying bed, when instead of blessing the two brethren with
the rest of his children, he in a manner cursed them ; or
at least, branded their conduct with perpetual infamy.
Simeon and Levi, said he, are brethren ; instruments of
cruelty are in their habitations. Oh my soul, come not
thou into their secret; wito their assembly, mine honour,
be not thou united : for in their anger they sleiu a man,
and in their self-will they digged doion a wall. Cursed be
their anger, for it was fierce, and their wrath, for it was

N

'266 Jacob's removal [Dis. 44.

cruel: Twill divide them i?i Jacob, and scatter them in
Israel ! *

We read no more of Dinah, except her bare name:
probably she died single. Her example affords a loud
warning to young people to beware of visiting in mixed
companies, or indulging in amusements by which they put
themselves in the way of temptation.

DISCOURSE XLJV.

Jacobus removal to Bethel — God's renewal of Covenant
with him — the death of Deborah^ Rachel, and Isaac —
Esau's generations.

Genesis xxxv. xxxvi.

There is a greater diversity in the life of this patriarch
than in that of Abraham, and much greater than in that
of Isaac. If he did not attain to the days of the years
of the life of his fathers, the records of his pilgrimage are
not less useful than either of them.

Ver. 1. It might have been expected that Jacob
would leave Shechem, on account of what had taken
place ; yet he would not know whither to flee : but " God
said unto him. Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there :
and make there an altar unto God that appeared unto thee
when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother."
This admonition appears to resemble that which was
addressed to Abram, Walk before me, and be thou perfect ;\
that is, it im[)lies a reproof, and was intended to lead
Jacob to roHcct upon his conduct. There were two
things in particular which required his serious considera-
tion.— (1.) Whether he had not neglected to perform his
vow. He had solemnly declared in the presence of God,

• CLap. xhx. 5. f Chap. xvii. 1.

Gen. XXXV.] to Bethel.

267

that if he would be with him, and keeji him in the way ho
went, and give him bread to eat, and raiment to put on,
then Jehovah should be his God: and that tlie stone
which he then set up for a pillar should be God's house.*
Now God had performed all these things on his part ;
but Jacob had not been at Bethel, even though he had
now resided in Canaan about seven years. And what
was worse, though Jehovah had been his God, so far as
respected himself ; yet his house was not clear of idols!
Rachel's stolen teraphim had proved a snare to the familv.
At the time Laban overtook him, Jacob knew nothing of
them ; but he appears to have discovered them afterwards;
and yet, till roused by this Divine admonition, he never
interposed his authority to have them '"put away." — (*2. )
Whether the late lamentable evils in his family had not
arisen from this cause. Had he gone sooner to Bethel,
his house had been sooner purged of the " strange gods"
that were in it; and his children had escaped the taint
which they must of necessity impart. At first the gods
of Laban were hid by Rachel, and none of the family
except herself seemed to know of them : but now Jacob
had to speak to his " household, and to all that were with
him," to cleanse themselves. Moreover, had he gone
sooner to Bethel, his children might have been out of the
way of temptation, and all the impure and bloody conduct
in which they were concerned, have been prevented.
From the whole, we see the effects of spiritual negligence,
and of trifling with temptation. Do not neglect God's
house, nor delay to keep his commandments. He that
puts them off to a more convenient season, has commonly
some idols about him which it does not suit him just yet
to put away.

Ver. 2, 3. No sooner is Jacob admonished to go to
Bethel, than he feels the necessity of a reformation, and
gives command for it. This proves that he knew of the

* Chap, xxviii. 20—22.
N 2

268 Jacob's removal to BetheU [Dis. 44.

corrupt practices of his family, and had too long connived at
them. We are glad however to find him resolved at last
to put them away. A constant attendance on God's
ordinances is dwelling as it were in Bethel ; and it is by
this that we detect ourselves of evils which we should
otherwise go on in without thought or concern. It is
coming to the light, which will manifest our deeds, whether
they he wrought in God, or not. Wicked men may recon-
cile the most sacred religious duties with the indulgence
of secret sins ; but good men cannot do so. They must
wash their hands in innocency, and so compass God's
altar.* Jacob not only commands his household to put
away their idols, but endeavours to impress upon them his
own sentiments. " Let us arise (saith he) and go up to
Bethel ; and I will make there an altar unto God, who
answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me
in the way which I went." He is decided for himself, and
uses all means to persuade his family to unite with him.
His intimating that God had heretofore "answered him
in the day of his distress," might be designed not only to
shew them the propriety of what he was about to do, but
to excite a hope that God might disperse the cloud which
now hung over them on account of the late impure and
bloody transaction.

Ver. 4. Considering the evils which prevailed in this
family, and the bewitching nature of idolatry, it is rather
surprising to observe the readiness with which they con-
sent to give it up. But no doubt the hand of the Lord
was in it. When Jacob spake as he ought to speak, their
hearts were bowed before him. Difficulties which in a
languid state of mind seem insurmountable, are easily got
over when once we come to act decidedly for God; and
those whom we expected to oppose the good work, shall
frequently be found willing to engage with us in it. They
not only gave their gods, but even their " ear-rings,"

• Psalm xxvi. 6.

Gen. XXXV.] Jacob at Bethel 269

which in those times were convertible, and often, if not
always, converted to purposes of idolatry.* But why did
Jacob bury them ? We may think they might have been
melted down, and converted to a better use : but that was
expressly forbidden by the Mosaic law,f and it seems the
patriarchs acted on the same principle. But why did he
not utterly destroy them ? Perhaps it would have been
better if he had. I hope however, he hid them where
they were found no more. — Upon the whole, we see at
this time a great change for the better in Jacob's family.
He should not have been reluctant, or indifferent, to going
up to Bethel ; for it appears to have been the design of
God to make it one of his best removals. It Mas a
season of grace, in which God not only blessed him, but
caused even those that divelt under Ids shadow to return.
I have more hope of Rachel and Leah's having re-
linquished all for the God of Israel from this time, than
from any thing in the former part of their history.

Ver. 5. We now see Jacob and his family on their
journey . It would apj)ear to the cities round about that
the slaughter of the Shechemites was the cause of this
removal; their "not pursuing them'" being ascribed to
" the terror of God being upon them," implies, that the
public indignation was so excited against them, that if they
dare, they would have cut them off. The kind care which
God exercised on this occasion was no less contrary to the
parent's fears, than to the deserts of his ungodly children ;
and its being extended to them for his sake, must, if they
had any sense of things, appal their proud spirits, and re-
press the insolence with which they had lately treated him.

Ver. 6, 7. Arriving at Bethel in safety, Jacob, ac-
cording to his vow, " built there an altar" unto Jehovah,
and gave it a name which God had graciously given him-
self; namely, "Elbethel," the God of Bethel This altar,
and this name would serve as a perpetual memorial of
God's having "appeared to him when he fled from the

* Exod. xxxii. 2. Hos. ii. 13. t Deut. vii. 25.

270 Death of Deborah, [Dis. 44.

face of his brother." And as at that time many great
and precious promises were made to him, it would be
natural for him to associate with the idea of "the
God of Bethel," that of a God in covenant; the
God of x\braham, the God of Isaac, and the God of
Jacob.

Ver. 8. While Jacob and his family were at Bethel,
their enjoyments seem to have been interrupted by the
death of " Deborah, Rebecca's nurse," Some particulars
are here implied, which are not recorded in the history.
Deborah did not belong to the family of Jacob, but to
that of Isaac. Jacob must therefore have been and visited
his father ; and finding his mother dead, and her nurse far
advanced in years, more fit to be nursed herself than to
be of any use to her aged master, he took her home,
where she would meet with kind attentions from her
younger country -w^omen, and probably furnished his father
with another more suitable in her place. Nothing is said
of her from the time she left Padan-aram with her young
mistress; but by the honourable mention that is here
made of her, she seems to have been a worthy character.
The death of an aged servant, when her work was done,
would not ordinarily excite much regret. To have af-
forded her a decent burial was all that in most cases would
be thought of: but Jacob's family were so much affected
by the event, as not only to weep over her grave, but to
call the very tree under the shadow of which she was in-
terred, " AUon-bachuth," the oak of weeping. It is the
more singular too, that the family who wept over her was
not that in which she had lived, in what we should call
her best days ; but one that had merely taken her under
their care in her old age. It is probable however, that the
sorrow expressed at lier interment was on account not
only of her character, but her ofiice, or her having been
" Rebecca's nurse." The text seems to lay an emphasis
upon these words. The sight of the daughter of Laban,
Ids mother s brother, and even of his sheep, had interested

Gen. XXXV.] Benewal of Covenant. 271

Jacob's heart ;* much more would the burial of her nurse.
In weeping over her grave, he would seem to lie weepin*'
over that of his beloved parent, and paying that tribute of
affection to her memory, which providence had denied
him at the time of her decease.

Ver, 9 — 15. During the seven years in which Jacob
resided at Shechem we do not find a single instance of
God's manifesting himself to him, except that of admo-
nishing him to depart. But now that he is come to Bethel,
and performed his vow, " God appeared unto him again,
— and blessed him." But how is it that this is said to be
" when he came out of Padan-aram ?" The design of the
phrase, I apprehend, is not to convey the idea of its
being at the time of his return from that country, or im-
mediately after it; but to distinguish it from that ap-
pearance of God to him in the same place where he now
was, in his way thither. He appeared to him at Bethel
when he was going to Padan-aram ; and now he " ap-
peared to him again" at the same place, when he was come
out of it.\ The whole account given in these verses of
the appearance of God to Jacob, and of his conduct in
return, describes a solemn and mutual renewal of covenant.
There is nothing material in what is here said to him, but
what had been said before ; and nothing material which he
did, but what had been done before ; but the whole was now
as it were consolidated and confirmed. — (1.) God had
before, told him that his name should no more be called
Jacob, but Israel :J this honour is here renewed, and the
renewal of it contained an assurance that he should still
go on to prevail. — (2.) God had before declared that the
promises made to Abraham should be fulfilled in him and
his posterity : II this declaration is here renewed, and pre-
faced with an assertion of his own all-sufficiency to fulfil
them. — (3.) When God had before appeared to him, he

* Chap. xxix. 10.

f So the passage is rendered by Ainsworth.

f Chap, xxxii. 28. II Chap, xxviii. 13, 14.

272 Henewal of Covenant. [Dis, 44.

set up a pillar of stone, and poured oil upon it, and called
the name of the place Bethel :* this process he now
renewed^ with the addition of a drink-offering, for which
on his first journey he probably had not the materials. —
These renewals of promises, and acknowledgments, may
teach us not to be so anxious after new discoveries, as to
overlook those which we have already obtained. God
may "appear to us" by the revival of known truths, as
well as by the discovery of what was unknown ; and we
may glorify him as much by doing our first ivorks, as by
engaging in something which has not been done before.
Old truths, ordinances, and even places, become new to
us when we renew communion with God in them.

Ver. 16 — 20. We are not told the reason of Jacob's
leaving Bethel. Probably he was directed to do so.
However this might be, his removal in the present in-
stance was accompanied with a very painful event,
namely, the loss of his beloved Rachel, and that in the
prime of life. Journeying from Bethel, and within a little
of Ephrath, or Bethlehem, she " travailed, and had hard
labour." The issue was, the infant was spared, but the
mother removed. Thus she that had said, "Give me
children, or I die," died in child-birth !

Several circumstances, which attended this afflictive
event are deserving of notice. — (1.) The words of the
midwife: "Fear not: thou shalt have this son also.'*
When Rachel bare her first son, she called him Joseph,
that is, adding ; "for," said she, by a prophetic impulse,
" the Lord shall add to me another son."-|- It is probably
in reference to this that the midwife spake as she did.
Her words, if reported to Jacob, with the recollection of
the above pro])hctic hint, would raise his hopes, and
render his loss more affecting, by adding to it the pain of
disappointment. They ap))ear to have no influence how-
ever on Rachi'l. She has the sentence of death in herself,

• Chap, xxviii. 18, 19. f Chap. xxx. 24.

Gen. XXXV.] Death of Rachel. 273"

and makes no answer : but turning her eyes towards the
child, and calling him Ben-oni, the son of my sorrow, she
expires I — (2.) The terms by which her death is described
— " It came to pass, as her soul was in departing' ....
An ordinary historian would have said, as she was dying,
or as she was ready to expire : but the Scriptures delight
in an impressive kind of phraseology, which at the same
time shall both instruct the mind and effect the heart. It
was by means of such language, on various occasions,
that the doctrine of a future state was known and felt
from generation to generation among the Israelities, while
the heathen around them, with all their learning, were, in
the dark upon the subject. — (3.) The change of the
child's name — " She called his name Ben-oni ; but his
father called him Benjamin." The former, though very
appropriate at the time, yet if continued, nuist tend per-
petually to revive the recollection of the death of his
mother ; and of such a monitor Jacob did not stand in
need. The name given him, signified, the son of my right
hand ; that is, a son of the most tender affection and
delight, inheriting the place which his mother had for-
merly possessed in his father's heart. If the love of God
be wanting, that of a creature will often be supreme ; and
where this is the case, the loss of the object is frequently
known to leave the party utterly inconsolable : but though
the aff'ection of a good man may be very strong, and liis
sorrow proportionably deep ; yet he is taught to consider
that every created good is only lent him; and that his
generation work being as yet unfulfilled, it is not for him
to feed melancholy, nor to pore over his loss with a sullen-
ness that shall unfit him for duty, but rather to divert
his affections from the object that is taken, and direct
them to those that are left.— (4.) The stone erected to her
memory, and which appears to have continued for many
generations. Burying her in the place wliere she died,
" Jacob set a pillar upon her grave ;" and that was ilie
pillar of Rachel's grave when her history was written. It

n3

274 Death of Rachel [Dis. 44.

was near this place, if not upon the very spot, that the
tribe of Benjamin afterwards had its inheritance: and
therefore it is that the people who lived in the times of
Jeremiah are called Rachels children.* The babes which
Herod murdered are also so called; and she herself,
though long since dead, is supposed to rise, as it were, out
of her grave, and witness the bloody deed : yea more, to
stand upon it, and weep, refusing to be comforted, because
they were not !

Ver. 21. It is proper that Jacob, or, as he is now
called, Israel, after having interred his beloved Rachel,
should remove to some little distance, at least, from her
grave. " The tower of Edar," near to which he nex^
spread his tent, was in the neighbourhood of Bethlehem.
In removing however from the scene of one sorrow, he is
soon overtaken by another. While dwelling in that land,
a criminal intercourse took place between Reuben and
Bilhah, his father's wife. It was done in secret; but
" Israel heard of it." For this his unnatural wickedness,
Reuben was afterwards cursed as a tribe, and the heavier
on account of his being the first-born of the family. f By
his conduct however, in reference to his brother Joseph,!
he seems to have obtained at least a mitigation of his
punishment: for Moses in blessing the tribes, said of him,
Let Reuben live^ and not die, and let not his men be few. \\
Yet even here he does but live : no idea is suggested that
he should ever excel, and with this the history of his tribe
in after ages perfectly accords.

Ver. 22 — 26. The history will henceforward princi-
pally respect the sons of Jacob, as being the fathers of the
twelve tribes of Israel. We have here therefore at the
outset a particular account of them, as descended from
the different wives of their father Jacob.

Ver. 27 — 29. Before the sacred writer however pro-
ceeds to narrate their history, he finishes two other sub-

• Jcr, xxxi. 15. f Chap. xlix. 4.

\ Chap, xxxvii. 20, 22. || Deut. xxxiii. 6.

Gen. XXXV.] Death of Isaac, 275

jects, that the thread of the story may not be broken.
One of them is the conclusion of the life of Isaac : and
the other, which is contained in the tiiirty-sixth chapter, a
brief sketch of the family and temporal prosperity of Esau.
If the first of these events had been introduced in the
order of time, it would have fallen in the midst of the
history of Joseph ; for it occurred about twelve or thirteen
years after his being sold into Egypt. There are not
many particulars concerning it. Jacob seems to have
been sent for just in time to witness his father's decease.
By the years of his life, namely, '' a hundred and four-
score," it appears that he must have lived fifty-seven years
in a state of blindness and inactivity. This is one of the
mysteries of providence which often strikes us : an aged
and afflicted person, whose usefulaess appears to us at an
end, shall have his life prolonged, while a hundred active
young people around him shall be cut off. We know not
the reason of these things in the present state ; but we
may know it hereafter.

Chap, xxxvi. With respect to Esau, he and his brother
had been together at their father's funeral, and for aught
appears were on brotherly terms. In the course of this
chapter we find them separated ; not however from any
difference arising between them, but on account of their
great prosperity. Their riches are said to have been
"■ more than that they might dwell together; and the land
wherein they were strangers could not bear them, because
of their cattle."

The account which is here given of him and his
posterity is however a kind of leave taken of them : we
shall hear no more of Esau, nor of his descendants, but
as enemies to the people of God. It is remarkable that
three times in this chapter when Esau is spoken of,
we meet with the phrase " This is Edom," and once,
'' He is Esau, the father of the Edomites."* We have

* Verse 1, 9, 19, 43.

276 Esaus generations. [Dis. 44.

seen that the name of Edom was given him on account of
his sanguinary disposition;* and as this was notoriously
the character of the Edomites especially towards Israel, it
would seem as if the Holy Spirit would have it well re-
membered that the bitterest enemies of the church of
God descended from this man. He seems to be marked
as the father of persecutors, in some such manner as Ahaz
is marked for his wickedness of another kind, This is that
king Ahaz.f

Finally: It is remarkable that Esau, though he had
despised and lost his birthright, yet was prospered in his
life-time, and for several generations, more than his
brother. While the latter was a servant at Padan-aram,
he established his dominion in mount Seir; and while the
descendants of the one were groaning under Egyptian
bondage, those of the other were formed into an indepen-
dant kingdom, and had eight kings in succession, '^ before
there reigned any king over the children of Israel." In
this manner did God order things, to shew, it may be^
that the most valuable blessings require the greatest ex-
ercise of faith and patience.

DISCOURSE XLV.

Joseph sold for a slave.

Genesis xxxvii.

We now enter on the very interesting history of
Joseph, a history in which I feel not pleasure only, but a
portion of dismay ; and this because I have but little hope
of doing justice to it. It is a history, perhaps unequalled,
for displaying the various workings of the human mind,
both good and bad, and the singular providence of God

* Chap. XXV. 24—34. f Cbron. xxviii. 22.

Gen. XXXVII.] Joseph sold for a slave. 277

in making use of them for the accomplishment of his
purposes.

Ver. J . Jacob is represented as divellhig in the land
wherein his father ivas a stranger. Tlie cliai-acter of
sojourners was common to the patriarchs : it is that
which Jacob afterwards confessed before Pliaraoh ; on
which the apostle remarks, that " they who say such
things declare plainly that they seek a country."

Ver. 2. The "generations of Jacob" seem here to
mean his family history: so the word is used of Adam,
chapter v. i. And Joseph being, as mo should say, the
chief hero of the tale, it begins with him. It was the
design of the sacred writer, in the course of his narration,
to tell of all the great events of that family ; as of their
going down into Egypt, remaining there for a number of
years, and at last being brought out by the mighty hand
of God : at present his object is to lead us to the origin of
these events, as to the spring-head of a great river, or to
describe the minute circumstances by which they were
brought about.

Joseph was distinguished by his early piety. His
brethren were most, if not all of them, very wicked ; and
he being frequently with them in the field, saw and heard
such things as greatly affected- him. We are not told
what they were ; the oracles of God have thrown a veil
over them till the judgment day. Suffice it for us to
know, that the mind of this godly youth was hurt by their
conversation and behaviour, and that he could not be easy
without disclosing particulars to his father. In this he
was to be commended : for though a child should not
indulge, nor be indulged by his parents, in reporting every
trivial tale to the disadvantage of his brothers or sisters ;
yet where wickedness is acted, it ought not to be con-
cealed. The parents should know it, that they may
correct it ; or if that cannot be, that they may be enabled
to counteract its effects. But that which was commend-
able in him produced hatred in them. They would per-

278 Joseph sold for a slave. [Dis. 45.

ceive that he did not join them when in company, and
perhaps the carriage of their father would lead them to
suspect that this his favourite son had been their accuser.
In this, the outset of Joseph's story, we perceive a
striking resemblance between him and our Lord Jesus
Christ, whom the world hated, because he testified of it
that the works thereof ivere evil*

Here therefore, before I proceed any further, I would
offer a few words on the question. Whether Joseph is to
be considered as a type of Christ 9 — I am far from think-
ing that every point of analogy which may be traced by a-
lively imagination, was designed as such by the Holy
Spirit ; yet neither do 1 think that we are warranted to
reject the idea. We have already seen that God prepared
the way for the coming of his Son, by a variety of things,
in which the great principles of his undertaking were pre-
figured, and so rendered familiar to the minds of men :f
and he pursued the same object by a variety of perso7is, in
whom the life and character of Christ were in some degree
previously manifest. Thus Melchisedec prefigured him as
a priest, Moses as a prophet, and David as a king ; and
I cannot but think that in the history of Joseph there
is a portion of designed analogy between them. But to
return —

Ver. 3 — 4. The hatred of Joseph's brethren on account
of his reports was not diminished, but heightened by his
father's partiality towards him. It is much less difficult to
account for this partiality, than to justify it, or at least the
method of expressing it. tie was the son of the beloved
Rachel ; and though Benjamin was in this respect equal to
him, yet he was but a child, and had as yet discovered
nothing as to character : he therefore would be out of the
question. Joseph seems to have been the only one in the
family wlio had hitherto discovered either the fear of God,

• Jolin vii. 7.
t See the Notes on Chap. vi. 18. xvii. 4.

Gen. XXXVII.] Joseph sold for a slave.

!79

or the duty of a child. From these considerations his
father might be allowed to love him with a peculiar affec-
tion ; but his clothing him with " a coat of many colours,"
was a weakness calculated only to excite envy and ill-will
in his brethren. If he had studied to provoke these dispo-
sitions, he could scarcely have done it more effectually.
The event was, that the hatred of tjie brothers could no
longer be concealed, nor could they speak in the usual
strain of civility to .Joseph.

Ver. 5 — 11. Another circumstance occurred, which
tended still more to heighten the enmity ; namely, certain
dreams which Joseph had at this time, and which he in the
simplicity of his heart related to his brethren. These
were Divine intimations of his future advancement, and
were remarkably fulfilled in Egypt, about twenty-three
years afterwards. But at present they inflamed a resent-
ment already too strong ; and even his father thought it
necessary to chide what seemed a little presumptuous in
his son. ' Yet as Jacob felt a check on this occasion, and
" observed the saying," suspecting, it should seem, that
there might be more in it than he was at present aware
of ; so, I apprehend his sons had a secret persuasion that
these dreams were prophetic : but that which softened the
father, only hardened and inflamed the sons. Their hatred
had originated in religion ; and the thought of God having
determined to honour him, provoked them the more. Such
were the operations of malice in Cain towards Abel, in Esau
towards Jacob, in Saul towards David, and in the Scribes
and Pharisees towards the Lord of glory.

Ver. 12 — 17. Things now approach fast to a crisis. It
seems as if the vale of Hebron, w here Jacob now was, did
not contain sufficient pasturage for his flocks : the young
men therefore take them to Shechem, a distance, it is said,
of about sixty miles, and the place where they lived for the
first seven years after their return from Padan-aram. Jacob
feeling anxious about them, and the cattle, (as well he
might, considering the part they had acted there) proposes

280 Joseph sold for a slave. [Dis. 45.

to Joseph that he should go and enquire, and bring him
word of their welfare : to which the latter with cheerful
obedience consents. Arriving at Shechem, he finds they
had left it, with the flocks; and being informed by a
stranger that they were gone to Dothan, a distance of
about eight miles, he proceeds thither.

Ver. 18—22. The sight of Joseph, while he was yet
afar off, rekindles all the foul passions of his brethren, and
excites a conspiracy against him. " Behold," say they,
with malignant scorn, " this dreamer cometh ! Come now,
let us slay him !" — In some cases sin begins upon a small,
scale, and encreases as it advances : but the very first pro-
posal in this case is murder ! This shews the height to
which their hatred had been previously wrought up, and
which, now that opportunity offered, raged like fire with
uncontroulable fury. But have they no apprehensions as
to consequences ? What tale are they to carry home to
their father ? Oh, they are at no loss for this. Malice
has two intimate friends always at hand to conceal its dark
deeds; viz artifice and falsehood. " We will cast him
into some pit, (say they) and we will say some evil beast
hath devoured him : and we shall see what will become of
his dreams !" Who will say that the workers of iniquity
have no knowledge ? They have all the cunning as well
as the cruelty of the old serpent. See how they wrap it
up. But what do they mean by that sarcastic saying, we
shall see what will become of his dreams ? If they had con-
sidered them as feigned through ambition, they would not
have felt half the resentment. No, they would have winked
at it as a clever piece of deceit, and have had a fellow
feeling for him. I doubt not but they considered these
dreams as the intimations of heaven, and their language in-
cluded nothing less than a challenge of the Almighty ! But
is it possible, you may say, that they could think of thwart-
ing the Divine counsels? Is it possible, and certain that
men have been so infatuated by sin, as to attempt to do so.
Witness Pharaoh's pursuit of Israel, after all that he had

Gen. XXXVII.] Joseph sold for a slave. 281

seen and felt of the Divine judgments; Saul's attempts on
David's life ; Herod's murder of the children of Iktldchem ;
and the conspiracy of the Jews against Christ, who, as
many of them knew, had raised Lazarus from the dead,
and done many miracles. Yes, we will kill him, say they,
and then let God advance him to honour if he can I Kut
they shall see what will become of his dreams. Yes,
they shall see them accomplished, and that by the very
means they are concerting to overthrow them. Thus,
though the kings of the earth take counsel together against
the Lord, and against his Anointed, saying, Let us break
their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us ;
yet He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh at them,
the Lord shall have them in derision. Joseph's brethren,
like the sheaves in the dream, should make obeisance to
him ; and at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, and
every tongue confess that he is Lord, unto the glory of
God the Father.

In this bloody council there was one dissentient. God
put it into the heart of Reuben, though in other respects
none of the best of characters, to oppose their measures :
and being the elder brother, his opinion must have some-
what the greater weight. He appears to have utterly
disapproved of their intention, and wished earnestly to
get the lad safe out of their hands, that he might deliver
him to his father, though perhaps through fear of his
own life he made only a partial opposition. His counsel,
however, saved his life, and he was doubtless raised up on
this occasion for the very purpose, for Joseph's time was
not yet come.

Ver. 2*2 — 24. All that had hitherto taken place was
during the time that Joseph was absent. Glad to have
caught the sight of them, he was walking towards them in
the simplicity of his heart, while they were taking counsel
to destroy him ! He arrives. Like beasts of prey, they
immediately seize him^ and tear off the envied coat of
many colours. It was not enough to injure him : they

282 Joseph sold for a slave. [Dis. 45.

must also insult him. Thus Jesus was stripped and de-
graded before he suffered. Now it was, as they after-
wards confessed one to another in the Egyptian prison-
that they " saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought
them, and would not hear:" now it was that Reuben in-
terceded on his behalf, saying, " Do not sin against the
child ; but they would not hear."* No, they would not
hear : " they took and cast him into a pit" — probably, a
hole in the earth, both dark and deep ; for he does not ap-
pear to have been able to get out again. It was however
empty, or without water. Whether they knew of this cir-
cumstance or not, God knew it ; and it seems to have been
known to Reuben when he made the proposal of his
being cast into it, seeing he hoped by this means to save
his life.

Ver. 25 — 28. Having thus far gratified their revenge,
they retire, and with hardened unconcern sit down to eat
bread. It is probable that they both ate and drank, and
made merry ; and it may be partly in allusion to this that
certain characters, in the times of the prophet Amos, are
described as drinking wine in bowls, and anointing them-
selves with the chief ointments, but were not grieved for
the affliction of Joseph. f

At this juncture a company of merchants appeared,
who were going down to Egypt. They are called Ish-
maelites, and also Midianites : they were it seems a mixed
people, composed of both. On the sight of them a thought
occurs to the mind of Judah, that they had better sell
their brother for a slave than murder him ; and which he
proposes to the rest. His proposal contains words of mercy,
but it was mercy mixed with covetousness. I am not sure
that Judah felt any tenderness towards Joseph, as being
his " brother, and of his flesli," any more than his name-
sake did in selling Christ : it is not unusual for covetous
men to urge their objects under a shew of generosity and

* Cbiip. xlii. 21, 22. f Amos vi. G.

Gen. XXXVII.] Joseph sold for a slave. 283

kindness. But if he did, it was the " profit' that wrought
upon the company. The love of money induced them to
sell their brother for a slave; and the same principle
carries on the same cruel traffic to this day. So they sold
Joseph for *' twenty pieces of silver," the value of which
was about twenty shillings of our money, and which was
ten shillings less than the price of a slave.* A goodly
price at which they valued him ! But let not Joseph com-
plain, seeing a greater than he was sold by Judas Iscariot
for but a little more.

Ver. 29, 30. In this iniquitous transaction Reuben
was absent. I suppose, while they were eating and drink-
ing, he stole away from their company with the intention
of going by himself to the pit, and delivering Joseph ;
and to the pit he went: but taking a circuitous course,
it may be, to prevent suspicion, he was too late ! At this
he is greatly affected, rends his garments, returns to the
company, and , exclaims, "The child is not: and I,
whither shall I go !" But though he spake like a brother,
and an elder brother, who was obliged to give account to
his father, yet it appears to have made no impression on
them. Like the Scribes and Pharisees, they were ready to
answer. See thou to that !

Ver. 31—36. They feel not for Joseph, nor for
Reuben; but have some concern about themselves, and
immediately fall upon a stratagem wherewith to deceive
their father. A kid is slain, and the coat of Joseph is
dipt in its blood. This is to be carried home, and shewn
to Jacob, with the addition of a lie, saying, they had
" found" it ; and thus the poor old man was to be
persuaded that some evil beast had devoured him. Who
will say that the workers of iniquity have no knowledge ?
Yet one cannot but remark the difficulty of supporting a
feigned character. To have done it completely, they
should first have seen their father without tlie coat, broke

* Exod. xxi. 32.

*g84 Joseph sold for a slave. [Dis. 45'

it to him by degrees, affected to grieve with him for the
loss, and at last have presented the coat with apparent
reluctance, as that which must harrow up his feelings.
Instead of this, the whole is done in the most unfeeling
and undutiful manner that it could be — " This have we
found, (say they) know now whether it be thy son's coat,
or no !" They could not deny themselves the brutal
pleasure of thus insulting their father, even in the hour of
his distress, for his former partiality. Wicked dispositions
often make men act like fools : hence it is that murderers
commonly betray themselves. The disguise of hypocrisy
is generally very thin ; truth only is throughout consistent.
This disguise however, thin as it was, seemed at present
to answer the end. Jacob knew the bloody garment, and
said, " It is my son's coat ; an evil beast hath devoured
him : Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces." No, it is
no evil beast, but men more cruel than tigers that have
done towards him what is done : but thus Jacob thought,
and thus he mourned. We are ready to wonder how
Reuben could keep his counsel ; yet with all his grief he
did so: perhaps he might be afraid for his own life.
Whatever was the cause however, of Jacob's being thus
imposed upon, it was wisely ordered that he should be so.
The present concealment of many things contributes not
a little to the accomplishment of the Divine counsels, and
to the augmentation of future joy.

Jacob's mourning is deep and durable : when after a
time, his sons and his sons' wives rose up to comfort him,
he refused to be comforted : resolving to die a mourner,
and to welcome the grave, which, though a land of dark-
ness, should be dear to him, because his beloved Joseph
was there ! " Thus his father wept for him."

From the whole, one sees already with admiration, the
astonishing machinery of providence. The malignant
brothers seem to have obtained their ends ; the mercenary
merchants, who care not what they deal in so that they
get gain, have also obtained theirs ; and Potiphar having

Gen. XXXVIII.] The conduct of Judah. 035

got a fine young slave, has obtained his. IJut wliat is of
greater importance, God's designs are by these means all
in train for execution. This event shall issue in Israel's
going down to Egypt; that in their deliverance by Moses;
that in the setting up of the true religion in the world •
and that in the spread of it among all nations by the
Gospel. The wrath of man shall praise the Lord, and the
remainder thereof will he restraiti.

DISCOURSE XLVI.

The conduct of Judah — Joseph's promotion and
temptation,

GENESIS XXXVIII. XXXIX.

If we turn aside with the sacred writer, for a few
minutes, and notice the conduct of Judah about this
time, we shall perceive new sources of sorrow for the
poor old patriarch. This young man, whatever was
the cause, must needs leave his father's family ; and
wandering towards the south, entered into the house of
one Hirah, an inhabitant of Adullam, Avith whom he
formed an intimate acquaintance. If all the brethren had
dispersed, and mingled amongst the heathen, if we consider
only their state of mind, there had been nothing surprising
in it. While tarrying here, he saw a young female, whose
father's name was Shuah ; and though he had joined in
objecting to his sister's marriage with Shechem, yet he
makes no scruple of taking this Canaanitish woman to be
his wife ; and that without at all consulting his father.
The children which he had by this marriage were such as
might be expected; and the loose life which he himself
led, aided in it as he was, by his friend the Adullamite,
was that of a man, who, weary of the restraints of religion,
had given himself up to his propensities.

286 The conduct of Judah. [Dis. 46.

Yet it is observable how he keeps up the customs of his
father's family, bj'^ directing his younger son to take the
widow of the eldest, that he might raise up seed unto his
brother ; and though he himself indulged in licentious-
ness, yet he can feel indignation, and even talk of
" burning " his daughter-in-law for the same thing.
Thus we have often seen men tenacious of ceremonies,
while living in the grossest immorality; and quick to
censure the faults of others, while blinded to their own.

The odious wickedness committed in this family might
not have been recorded but for the purpose of chronology,
and to shew what human nature is till it is renewed by the
grace of God. How this connexion between Judah and
his friend the Adullamite came to be broken, we know
not ; but finding him afterwards in his father's house,
we hope it was so. Even while he continued on that side
of the country, he had some remorse of conscience, par-
ticularly when discovering the supposed harlot to be his
daughter Tamar. *' She hath been (said he) more
righteous than I."

But we return to the history of Joseph —

Chap, xxxix. We left him in Egypt, sold to Potiphar,
a captain of the guard ; and here we find him. He was
sent beforehand as a saviour ; and like the Saviour of
the world, was not sent in state, but in the form of a
servant.

Nothing is said of the grief of mind which he felt on the
occasion, but this must needs have been great. A youth
of seventeen, torn from his father, enslaved to all appear-
ance for life, and that amongst idolaters, where the true
God was utterly unknown ! If the day of Jacob's de-
parture from his father's house was "the day of his
distress," * what must Joseph's have been ? The archers
may well be said to have sorely grieved him !

Ver. 2, 3. But here is a remedy equal to this or any
other disease: the Lord was with Joseph I God can
♦ Chap. XXXV. 3.

Gen. XXXIX.] JosepJi s promotion. 287

make up any loss, sustain under any load, and render us
blessed in any place. To this Moses alludes, in his dying
blessing upon the tribe of Joseph — " Blessed of the Lord

be his land, for the precious things of heaven for the

precious things of the earth and for the good taill of

him that dwelt in the bush : let the blessing come upon the
head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him tliat
ivas separated from his brethren ! If we be but in the
path of duty, we have nothing to fear. Whatever
wrongs we suffer, if we be but kept from doing wrong,
we shall enjoy the peace of God in our hearts, and all
will come to a gpod issue. What a difference is there
between the case of Joseph and that of Jonah ! They
were both in trouble, both absent from God's people,
and among the heathen : but the sufferings of the one
were for righteousness sake, while those of the other were
of his own procuring.

God makes Joseph prosperous— He must then have
submitted with cheerfulness to his lot, studied to make
himself agreeable and useful to his master, and applied
attentively to business. Herein he was an example of
resignation to the will of God in afflictive circumstances.
Fretfulness greatly aggravates the ills of life, while a cheer-
ful submission to the will of God alleviates them. The
prosperity attending Joseph was manifest : his master sees
it, and sees that " Jehovah is with him," and that it is
his hand which blesses all he does. This is a circum-
stance not a little to Joseph's honour ; for it implies that he
made no secret of his religion. He must have refused to
join in Egyptian idolatry, and have avowed himself a
worshipper of Jehovah, the only true God. In many
cases, for a poor unprotected slave to have done this,
would have cost him his life : but the Lord was with
Joseph, and had all hearts in his hand. Potiphar observ-
ing that the religion of the young man turned to his
account, like many irreligious masters in the present day,
makes no objection to it. This holds up a most en-

288 Joseph's promotion. [Dis. 46.

couraging example to religious servants, to recommend
the Gospel by their fidelity and diligence ; and to all
Christians to be faithful to God, even when there are no
religious friends about them, to watch over them. This is
walking with God.

Ver. 4. The effect of this is, Joseph comes into favour,
and is promoted over all the other servants. From a
slave he is made a steward, a steward not only of the
household, but over all his master's affairs, and this though
but a youth.

Ver. 5. And now, as Potiphar favours the Lord^s
servant, the Lord will not be behind-hand with him, but
will favour him. From this time forward every thing is
blessed and prospered for Joseph's sake. We see here
that it is good to be connected with them that fear God,
but much better to cast in our lot with them. In that
case we shall not only gain by them for this life, but, as
Moses told Hobab, whatever good thing the Lord doth to
them, shall be done to us. Here also we see the promise
to Abraham fulfilled in his posterity : he not only blesses
them, but makes them a blessing. Such was Jacob to
Laban ; such is Joseph to Potiphar, and afterwards to all
Egypt : such has Israel been to the world, who from them
derive a Saviour, and all that they possess of true religion.
Even the casting away of them has proved the reconciling
of the world, and how much more shall the receiving of
them at a future day be as life from the dead ! — It might
also be the design of God, by this as well as other of his
proceedings, to set forth under a figure the method in
which he would bless the world ; namely, for the sake of
another that was clear tmto him. Potiphar was not blessed
for his own sake, or on account of any of his good deeds ;
but for the sake of Joseph. Even his receiving Joseph
into favour was not that on account of which he was
blessed, though that was necessary to it : it was Joseph to
whom the eye of the Lord was directed; he looked on
him, and blessed Potiphar. So, that j or the sake of which

Gen. XXXIX.] JoscpJis promotion. 280

we are accepted and saved, is not any works of righteous-
ness winch we have done, nor even our believing in Christ,
though this is necessary to it; but thenam€ and righteous-
ness of Jesus. Thus in both cases, grace is displayed,
and boasting excluded. — Finally ; It was a proverb in
Israel, that " when it goeth well with the righteous, the
city rejoiceth." This was singularly exemplified in the
prosperity of Joseph, and still more in the exaltation of
Christ. From the day that he was made head over all
principalities and powers, from that time forward the Lord
hath blessed the world /or his sake.

Ver. 6. So great was the confidence which Joseph's
fidelity inspired in his master, that all his concerns were
left in his hands, and for his own part he did nothing but
enjoy the prosperity which was thus bestowed upon him.
This circumstance might be wisely ordered to prepare this
lovely youth for his future station. He was now brought
into business, and inured to management : had he been
raised to his last post first, he might have been less quali-
fied to fill it. Sudden advancements are seldom safe.

Under all this prosperity, what may we suppose to be
the state of Joseph's mind ? No doubt his thoughts would
sometimes glance to the vale of Hebron, and he would ask
himself, ' How does my father bear the rending stroke ;
and what is become of my poor wicked brethren ? But as
to himself, so far as it was possible to be happy in a strange
land, happy he must have been. God was with him,
every thing he did prospered, and every thing he met with
was extremely flattering. Indeed there are few characters
who, at his period of life especially, could bear such a
tide of success. We see in him nothing assuming or
overbearing towards his fellow servants, nor forgetful of
his God. If, however, any thing of this kind should have
been at work in his heart, he will soon meet with that
which shall recal him to a right mind. A sharp tempta-
tion approaches, in which his virtue and patience shall be
put to the proof. After a day of prosperity, let us expect

•290 Joseph's temptation. [Dis. 46.

a day of adversity; for God hath set the one over
against the other, even in the lot of his most favoured
servants.

Ver. 7 — 9. Joseph's goodly and well-favoured counte-
nance excites the lawless desires of a faithless woman, who
in violation of her marriage vows, and of all the modesty
and decency which should distinguish her sex, tries to
seduce him. Jn such a situation, how many young men
would have been carried away ! Nay, how many are so,
where the temptation is far less powerful. His conduct
on this occasion is a proof of great grace, and exhibits to
all posterity an example of what may be done by closely
walking with God.

The first attack upon him is repelled with a modest but
severe remonstrance, exactly suited to his situation. Let
us examine it minutely. There are four things in it
worthy of admiration. — (1.) He is silent wdth respect to
the wickedness of the tempter. He might have reproach-
ed her for the indelicacy, the infidelity, and the baseness
of her proposal : but he confines himself to what respected
his own obligation, and what would be his own sin. In
tlie hour of temptation it is enough for us to look to our-
selves. It is remarkable that all our Lord's answers to the
tempter, as recorded in the fourth chapter of Matthew, are
in this way. He could have accused him of insolence,
and outrage ; but he barely refuses to follow his counsels,
1)ecause thus and thus it was ivritten. — (2.) He considers
his obligation as rising in proportion to his high station :
*' There is none greater in this house than I. " Some
3^oung men would have drawn a contrary conclusion from
the same premises, and on this ground have thought them-
selves entitled to take the greater liberties : but this is the
true use to be made of power, and riches, and every kind
of trust. — (;3.) He considers it as heightened by the
generosity and kindness of his master, who withheld
nothing else from him. Eve reasoned at first on this prin-
ciple ; (chap. iii. 2.) and had she kept to it, she had been

Gen, XXX IX.] Joseph's (ewptation. 291

safe. When we are tempted to covet what God lias for-
bidden, it were well to think of the many things which he
has not forbidden, but freely given us.— (4.) He rises
from created to uncreated authority: It would not only
be treachery to my master, but " wickedness, great
wickedness, and sin against God." In the hour of temp-
tation it is of infinite importance what view we take of tlic
evil to which we are tempted. If we suffer our thoughts
to dwell on its agreeableness, as Eve did concerning the
forbidden fruit, its sinfulness will insensibly diminish in
our sight, a number of excuses will present themselves,
and we shall inevitably be carried away by it ; but if we
keep our eye steadfastly on the holy will of God, and the
strong obligations we are under to him, that which would
otherwise appear a little thing, will be accounted what it
is, a great wickedness, and we shall revolt at the idea of
sinning against him. This is the armour of God where-
with we shall stand in the evil day.

Ver. 10. This remonstrance however, strong as it was,
has no lasting effect upon the woman ; for sin, and this sin
in particular, is outrageous in its operations. Joseph there-
fore finds it necessary to shun her company, carefuln-
avoiding, as much as possible, to be with her any where
alone.— This shewed. First, great sincerity: for if we
throw ourselves in the way of temptation, or be not care-
ful to shun it when occasions offer, in vain do we talk
against sin. — Secondly, great wisdom : for though he had
been kept hitherto, he was not sure that he should be so in
future. — Thirdly, great resolution and perseverance: for
it is not every one who withstands a temptation in the first
instance, that holds out to the end. Eve repelled the
tempter on his first onset, but was carried away by the se-
cond. Job endured a series of trials, and sinned not ; yet
afterwards spake things which he ought not. Finally, great
grace, " Can a man go upon hot coals, and his feet not be
burned?" No, if we voluntarily go into temptation, we shall
assuredly be hurt, if not ruined by it : but when God by
o2

292 Joseph's temptation. [Dis. 46.

his providence leads us into it for the trial of our graces,
we may hope to be kept in it, and brought victorious out
of it.

Ver. 11 — 20. If we were told of a young man in Jo-
seph's situation, we should probably advise his leaving the
family : but circumstanced as he was, that might be impos-
sible. He was a bought servant, however exalted ; and
therefore was not at liberty to leave. Nor could he speak
on the subject to his master wdthoiit ruining his peace for
ever. He therefore kept it to himself, and went on as well
as he could, watching and praying, no doubt, lest he should
enter into temptation. One day, being under the neces-
sity of going into the house about business, his mistress
renewed her solicitations ; on which be fled from her pre-
sence as before : but as he was escaping, she caught a piece
of his garment, and kept it by her. Wantonness being
disappointed, and pride wounded, the whole is now turned
into hatred and revenge. She will work his overthrow,
that she will ! Mark how the cunning of the old serpent
operates. The servants are called in to witness how she had
been mocked, or as we should say, insulted by this He-
brew. If they knew nothing from other quarters, it was
very natural they should think it was so: and thus they
were every thing but eye-witnesses of Joseph's guilt. Pre-
sumptive evidence is certainly very strong against him.
Yet with all this cunning, like other hypocrites, she does
not do it completely. She should have pretended how
much she felt for the insult offered to her husband, as well
as to herself: but the truth will come out after all tke
pains taken to conceal it. How disrespectfully she speaks
of him to the servants, half attributing the pretended insult
to him. " See (saith she) he hath brought a Hebrew unto
us, to mock us !" Such language not only betrayed the
alienation of her heart from her husband, but tended to set
the servants against him. Nothing but truth is consistent
throughout. If these servants possessed only a moderate
share of good sense, they must have seen through this

Gen. XXXIX.] Joseph's temptation. 293

thin disguise, whether they chose to speak their iiiinds or
not.

The scheme however took. Potiphar thouglit tlie story
so plausible, that there could be no doubt of its being
true. H is wrath therefore was kindled, and without farther
ceremony, he took him and committed him to prison. He
had, being fired with anger, no ear to hear what could be
said on the other side ; and perhaps Joseph might think
that nothing he could say would be regarded ; or if it were,
it must ruin his master's peace of mind : he would there-
fore go in silence to prison, trusting in God to vindicate
his injured character.

But what an affecting reverse of condition. Poor young
man I A stranger in a strange land, without a friend to
speak for him, or care about him. Behold him confined
in the dungeon, and think what must have been his reflec-
tions. ' Oh, if my father knew of this, what would he feel
on my account I How mysterious are the ways of provi-
dence, that by an inflexible adherence to righteousness, I
should be brought into this horrible place !' He was not
only confined in a dungeon,^ but as we are told in the
lOdth Psalm, his feet were hurt with fetters, being laid in
iron. This last phrase is very emphatic. Calvin renders it,
The iron entered into his soul. Not only were his feet gal-
led, but his heart was grieved ; and probably he expected
nothing but death.

Ver. 21 — 23. But, as under his former afl3iction, so under
tiis, « The Lord was with Joseph." What was once said
to Abraham, might now be said to him : / ajn God all-
svffieient : walk before me, and be thou perfect. All wi^ll be
right at last. Where providence leads us into difficulties
and hardships, grace can sustain us under them ; and if we
sufFer for righteousness sake, as Joseph did, we may be as-
sured it will be so. Nothing shall eventually harm us, if
we be followers of that which is good. In a little time

• Chapter xl. 15.

294 Joseph's temptation, [Dis. 46.

Joseph obtains favour in the eyes of the keeper of the pri-
son, as he had done before in those of Potiphar. And now
he has an opportunity of showing the power of true religion
in the prison, by his fidelity, his tenderness, and his wor-
ship of the only true God. It might be wisely ordered too,
that he should go into his high station by way of a prison :
he might not otherwise have been so well qualified to feel
for his brethren, and for other prisoners. Nor would he
have been in the way of his future advancement, if he had
not been there. Before honour is humility : the Lord of
glory himself obtained not the crown, but by first endur-
ing the cross.

DISCOURSE XLVII.

Joseph in Prison*
Genesis xl.

We left Joseph in prison ; but by the good hand of God
upon him, its hardships are greatly mitigated. At first he is
thrown into a dungeon, and laid in irons : but now he is
made a kind of steward or overseer of the other prisoners.
Yet it is a prison still, and he desires to be free ; but he
nuist wait awhile. God will deliver him in his own time
and way. This chapter contains the story of the means by
which his deliverance was effected.

Ver. 1, 2. Two of Pharaoh's officers offend their lorcT,
for which they are committed to prison — the chief butler,
and the chief baker. Whether they suffered justly, for
having attempted to poison tlie king, which was often done
in heathen countries ; or merely on account of unfounded
suspicion ; whether, if there were any thing actually at-
tempted, it was their doing, or some of the under butlers
and bakers, for whose conduct they might be responsible,
we know not; but imprisoned they were.

Gen. XL.] Joseph in Prison. 295

Ver. 3, 4. The prison into which they were sent is
called the house of the captain of the guard. This title is
more than once before given to Potipliar.* It is not im-
probable that it was him, and that the keeper was a person
employed under him. If so it is very probable that Poti-
phar was reconciled to Joseph. There is little reason to
think that his wife would long conceal her character ; and
that being known, would operate in Joseph's favour : and
though he might not wish to release him out of prison, for
his own credit, yet he might be induced to connive at the
keeper's kindness to him. — It is remarkable, that the prison
to which these persons were sent should be the same as that
wherein Joseph was confined. In this we see the hand of
God, ordering all events. They might have been sent to
another place of confinement ; but then the chain had been
broken. Oh how many little incidents, of which the parties
at the time think nothing, do some of the greatest events
depend. If they had gone to another prison, Joseph might
have died where he was, and no provision been made fur
the seven years of famine ; and Jacob and his family, witli
millions of others, have perished for w^ant ; and so all the
promises of their becoming a great nation, and of the Mes-
siah springing from amongst them, and all nations beintj;
blessed in him, would have been frustrated. But he that
appoints the end, appoints all the means that shall lead to
it : and not one of them, however smaller incidental, shall
be dispensed with.— In this prison Joseph is said to have
served the chief butler, and the chief baker ; that is, he car-
ried them their daily provisions, and so was in the habit of
seeing them every day, and conversing with them.

Ver. 5—8. One morning, when he went to carry them
their usual food, he finds them more than ordinarily de-
jected, and kindly enquires into the reason of it. It appears
from hence that Joseph was not a hard-hearted overseer :
unlike many petty officers, whose overbearing conduct to-

* Chap, xxxvii. 36. xxxix. 1.

296 Joseph in Prison, [Dis.47.

wards their inferiors is the most intolerable, he sympathizes
with the sorrowful, and makes free with them. The fear of
God produces tenderness of heart, and compassion towards
men, especially to the poor and the afflicted. On enquiry
he found that they had each had a dream ; and which, by
the circumstances attending them, they considered as ex-
traordinary. Both of them dreamed, and both in one
night ; both their dreams related to their past employments,
and seemed therefore to be ominous of their future destiny :
yet they knew not what to make of them, and had no in-
terpreter at hand who could instruct them. Such was the
cause of their dejection. Though the greater part of
dreams be vanity, yet in all ages and places God has some-
times impressed the mind of man by these means ; and es-
pecially, it would seem, in countries which have been des-
titute of Divine revelation. We have many instances of
this in the book of Daniel, and by which, as in this case, the
servants of God came in request, and the glory of God
eclipsed the powers of idolatry.

But what kind of interpreters did these men wish for ?
Such, no doubt, as Pharaoh on his having dreamed, called
for ; namely, the magicians, and the wise men of Egypt :
and because they had no hopes of obtaining them in their
present situation, therefore were they sad. Here lies the
force of Joseph's question : " Do not interpretations belong
to God?'' Which was a reproof to them for looking to
their magicians instead of him : hence also he offered him-
self as the servant of God to be their interpreter.

It is worthy of notice that what Joseph's interpretation
was to the dreams of the butler and the baker, that the
oracles of God are to the notices and impressions on the
human mind by the light of nature and conscience. Man
in every age and country has felt in himself a consciousness
of his being what he ought not to be, a fearfulness of having
in another state to give an account, with many other things
of the kind : but all is uncertainty. He only knows enough,
if he regard it not, to render him inexcusable ; and if he

Gen. XL.] Joseph ill Prison, 297

regard it, to make him miserable. It is only in the Scrip-
tures that the mind of God is revealed.

Ver. 9— 15. The butler first tells his dream, ^vhich
Joseph interprets of his deliverance and restoration to office:
and having told him this good news, he very naturally
throws in a request on behalf of himself. There is no proof
or symptom of impatience in this : but patience itself may
consist with the use of all lawful means to obtain deliver-
ance. The terms in which this request is made are modest,
and exceedingly impressive : Think on me uhen it shall
be wellivith thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, vnto me,
and make mentioh of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of
this house. He might have asked for a place under the
chief butler, or some other post of honour or profit: but he
requests only to be delivered from this house. He might
have reminded him how much he owed to his sympathetic
and kind treatment ; but he left these things to speak for
themselves, using no other language than that of humble
entreaty : I pray thee, sheiv kindness unto me ! In plead-
ing the exalted situation in whicli the chief butler was
about to be reinstated, he gently intimates the obligations
which people in prosperous circumstances are under, to
think of the'poor and the afflicted ; and Christians may still
farther improve the principle, not to be unmindful of such
cases in their approaches to the King of kings. This plea
may also direct us to make use of His name and interest,
who is exalted at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
It. was on this principle that the dying thief presented his
petition. Lord remember me when thou comeat into thy
kingdom I A petition which the Lord of glory did neither
refuse nor forget : and still he liveth to make intercession
for us.

Joseph, in order to make a deeper impression upon the
butler's mind, tells him a few of the outlines of his history
— "I was stolen (says he) from the land of the He-
brews." But was this a just account ? Did not the Ish-
maelites buy him ? They did ; but it was of them who liad
o 3

298 Joseph in Prison, [ D i s . 4 7 .

no right to sell him, and therefore it was in reality stealing
him. Such, you know, would be the purchase of a child
by a kidnapper of an unprincipled nurse; and such is the
purchase of slaves to this day on the coast of Africa. The
account was not only just, hxxi generous. In making use of
the term stolen, without any mention of particulars, he
seems to have intended to throw a veil over the cruelty of
his brethren, whom he did not wish to reproach to a stranger.
And the same generous spirit is discovered in what he says
of his treatment in Egypt. We have seen in a former dis-
course how this great and good man refused to reproach
his tempter, confining himself to what was his own duty;
and now when he had suffered so much through her base
and false treatment, and when it might have been thought
necessary to expose her in order to justify himself, he con-
tents himself with asserting his o\\'n innocence — And here
also I have done nothing that they should pvt me into the
dungeon. What an example is here afforded us of tempe-
rateness and forbearance, under the foulest and most in-
jurious treatment ! Such was Joseph's request, and such
his pleas to enforce it. If there had been any gratitude,
any bowels of mercy, or any justice in the butler's heart,
surely he must have thought of these things.

Ver. 16 — 19. But before telling us the issue of the
above, the sacred writer informs us of the request of the
baker. Observing the success of his companion, he is en-
couraged to tell his dream also ; but here is a sad reverse.
In three days his life will be taken from him ! Whether he
would suffer justly or unjustly, we know not ; but as his
death was so near, it was an advantage for him to know it :
and if he had been properly affected, he had now an op-
portunity of enquiring at the hand of a servant of God,
concerning his eternal salvation.

Ver. '20 — 23. The third day after these things, being
Pharaoh's birth-day, both these prisoners were brought
forth. Whether they were put to a formal trial, or whether
their fate was determined by the mere will of the king.

Gen. XL.] Joseph's advancement. '2\){)

we are not informed ; but the chief l)utler was reinstated
in his office, and the chief baker hanged, accordiiifr to th»
word of the Lord by his servant Joseph.

We should now have expected to read of the cliief but-
ler's intercession to the king in behalf of an amiable and
injured young Hebrew, whom he had met with in prison.
But instead of this we are told, Yet did not the chief hvt-
ler retnember Joseph, but forgot him ! Alas, wliat a selhsh
creature is man ! How strangely does prosperity intoxi-
cate and drown the mind. How common is it for people
in high life to forget the poor, even those to whom thev
have been under the greatest obligations. A^'ell, be it so ;
Joseph's God did not forget him : and we, amidst all the
neglects of creatures, may take comfort in this, Jesus does
not neglect us. Though exalted far above all principalities
and powers, he is not elated with his glory, so as to forget
his poor suffering people upon earth. Only let us be con-
cerned not to forget him. He who needs not our esteem,
as we do his, hath yet in love condescended to ask us to do
thus and thus in remembrance of him !

DISCOURSE XLVIII.

Joseph's advancement.
Genesis xli.

Ver. 1 — 14. Hope deferred maketh tlie heart sick. It
is not the intenseness of our trials, but the duration of
them, that is the greatest test of patience. Two full years
longer Joseph must remain in prison. How long he was
at the house of Potiphar before he was sent to this dismal
place, I do not recollect that we are informed ; but u »■
learn that it was thirteen years in the whole: for wlitn Jir
came ^t--ef Egypt he was but seventeen, and was tliirty
when he stood before Pharaoh. God seldom makes liaste
to accomplish his designs. His movements, like those of

300 Joseph" s advancement. [ Dis. 48.

a comet, fetch a large compass, but all comes right at last.
The time is now come for Joseph's advancement, and God
makes way for it by causing Pharaoh himself to dream.
Abraham made a point of not laying himself under obliga-
tion to the king of Sodom ; and though Joseph in the grief
of his soul would gladly have been obliged to both Pharaoh
and the butler for his deliverance, yet God will so order
it that he shall be obliged to neither of them. Pharaoh
shall send for him ; but it shall be for his own sake.
Though a poor friendless young man himself, yet he is a
servant of the great King, and must maintain the honouF
of his Lord. It might be for this that God suifered the
butler to forget him, that he might not take, from a thread
to a shoe-latchet, what was theirs ; and that the king of
Egypt might not have to say, 1 have made Israel rich.
Abraham and his posterity were made to impart blessed-
ness to mankind, rather than to receive it from them. If
it be more blessed to give than to receive, theirs it is to be
thus blessed, and thus honoured. Oh, the depth of the
wisdom and goodness of God ; not only in giving, but in
withholding his gifts till the time when they shall best sub-
serve the ends for which they are conferred !

And now that the set time to favour Joseph is come,
events rise in quick succession. Pharaoh's mind is im-
pressed with an extraordinary dream — the same is repeated
in another form — each appears to portend something of
importance — his spirit is troubled— he sends for his ma-
gicians, and wise men ; but their wisdom fails them — all
are non-plused — What is to be done ? Just now it occurs
to the butler that this had once been his own case—' Oh,
and have I forgotten my kind and woj'thy friend I Stupid
creature! That is the man for the king.' — Obtaining an
audience, he confesses the whole truth, and ingenuously
acknowledges his faults. Joseph is now sent for in haste.
He shaves himself, changes his raiment, and obeys the
summons. Thus in a few hours he is delivered from the
dungeon, and introduced to the court of what was then

Gen. XLi.] Joseph's adcunccment . 3(>1

perhaps the first nation upon earth. Were we unac-
quainted with the event, with what anxious solicitude
should we follow him ; and even as it is, we cannot wholly
divest ourselves of these feelings.

Ver. 15—24. Being introduced to the king, he is told
for what cause he is sent for. " I have (said Pharaoh)
dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it :
and I have heard say of thee that thou canst understand a
dream to interpret it." The meaning of this was, that he
had a case in hand which baffled all the wise men of
Egypt, but that from what he had heard of Joseph, he sup-
posed he might be a wiser man, or more deeply skilled in
occult science, than any of them. Such a compliment
from a king would have been too much for a vain mind :
if he had affected to disclaim superior wisdom, it would
have been done in a manner which betrayed what lurked
within. But Joseph feared God ; and is the same man in
a palace as in a prison. It is not in 771c, said he ; God
shall give Pharaoh an ansiver of peace. — In this brief
answer we see a spirit of genuine hnmility, disclaiming all
that kind of wisdom for which Pharaoh seemed ver}^ willing
to give him credit, or indeed any other, but what God gave
him. We see also a disinterested concern to glorifj/ the
true God, in the face of the mightiest votaries of idolatry,
and who had power to do what they pleased with him. It
is observable, he does not say the God of Abraham, Isaac,
or Jacob, or the God of the Hebrews. Such language
might have been understood by Pharaoh and his courtiers
as setting up one titular deity in opposition to others, the
God of his country against the gods of Egypt : but he
simply says God ; a term which would lead their thoughts
to the One great Supreme, before whom all idols would
fall to the ground. Thus with great wisdom, modesty and
firmness, he states truth, and leaves error to fall of its own
accord. In assuring Pharaoh that God would give him an
answer o^ peace, he would remove all fear from his mind of
an unfavourable interpretation, which he might have some

302 Joseph's advancement, [Dis. 48

reason to apprehend from the butler's report, inasmuch
as though he had foretold his restoration to office, yet he
had prophetically hanged the chief baker.

Pharaoh's mind being thus relieved and encouraged, he
without farther hesitation proceeds to tell his dreams of
the fat and lean-fleshed kine, and of the rank and withered
ears of corn.

Ver. 'lb — 31. The answer of Joseph is worthy of the man
of God. You perceive no shuffling to gain time, no jug-
gling, no peeping and muttering, no words of dark or doubt
ful meaning : all is clear as light, and explicit as the day.-
« The dreams are one ; and they were sent of God to fore-
warn the king of what he w^ould shortly bring to pass.
The seven good kine, and the seven good ears, are seven
years of plenty ; and the seven evil kine, and thin ears,
are seven years of famine. And the reason of the dream
being doubled is to express its certainty, and the near ap-
proach of the events signified by it.'

Ver. 32—36. Having made the matter plain, and so re-
lieved the king's mind, he does not conclude without offer-
ing a word of counsel; the substance of which was to
|)rovide from the surplus of the seven good years, for the
supply of the seven succeeding ones. If he had only
interpreted Pharaoh's dreams, he might have gratified his
curiosity, but that had been all. Knowledge is of but
little use any farther than as it is converted into practice.

With respect to the advice itself, it carried Avith it its
own recommendation. It was no more than what common
])rudence would have dictated to any people. If they had
doubted Joseph's interpretation of the dreams, and whether
any such years of plenty and of scarcity would follow, yet
they could not even upon this supposition object to his
counsel : for nothing was to be expended, nor done, but
upon tlie actual occurrence of the plenteous years ; and
which, as they were to come first, afibrded an opportunity
of which wisdom would have availed itself, if there had
been no dreams in the case, to provide for a time of want.

Gen. XL I.] Joseph's advancement. [\{)\\

Nor is there any reason, from what we know of Joseph's
character, to suspect him of interested designs, like those
of Haman, who wished to recommend himself. He a[)-
pears to have had no end in view but tl»e good of the
country where God had caused him to sojourn.

Ver. 37— 38. Happily for Egypt, Pharaoh and his
ministry saw the propriety of what was offered, and readily
came into it. It is a sign that God has mercy in store for
that people whose rulers are open to receive good counsel,
and know how to appreciate the worth of good men. As
Joseph had recommended a wise man to be employed in
the business, Pharaoh without farther hesitation appeals to
his courtiers, whether any man in Egypt was so tit for the
work as himself. A man who had not only proved him-
self wise in counsel, but had also intercourse with God,
and was inspired of him to reveal the secrets of futurity.
Such language proves that Joseph's mentioning the true
God to Pharaoh had not been without efi'ect. To this,
however, the courtiers make no answer. If they felt a
little jealous of this young foreigner, it were not to he
wondered at. Such were the feelings of the Babylonish
nobles towards Daniel. It were easier to see the goodness
of the counsel which left a hope to each man of a new
office, than to see that Joseph was the only man in the
land that could execute it. They knew very well that
they had not, like him, the Spirit of God ; but might
think themselves capable, nevertheless, of managing this
business. However, they silently acquiesce; and Pha-
raoh proceeds without delay to carry his purposes into
effect.

Ver. 39—43. And now all power, except that which
is supreme, is put into his hands, over the house, and over
the nation ; and as the courtiers had probably discovered a
secret reluctance, Pharaoh repeats his determination tlu-
more earnestly, that as the dream had been repeated to
him, the thing might be established, and immediately put
in execution. To words were added siffiis, which tended

804 Joseph's advancement. [Dis. 48.

to fix his authority in the minds of the people. The king
took his ring from his hand, and put it upon the hand of
Joseph, clothed him in fine;linen, and put a gold chain about
his neck. Nor was this all ; he caused him to ride in the
second cliariot through the streets of the city, and that it
should be proclaimed before him, Bow the knee, or tender
father. TJie Chaldee translates it, as Ainsworth observes,
" The father of the king, master in wisdom, and tender in
years"— as who should say. Though a youth in age, yet a
father in character. In addition to this, Pharaoh uses a very
solemn form of speech, such as that which is prefixed, or
affixed to many of the Divine commands— /am P/?amo^ ;
and without tliee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in
all the land of Egypt ;* Finally : To crown him with re-
spect, he gave him a new name, the meaning of which was,
a revealer of secrets, and the daughter of a priest, or
prince, to be his wife. Pause a moment, my brethren,

and reflect Who, in reading the preceding sufi'erings

and present advancement of Joseph, can forbear thinking
of Him, who for the suffering of death was crowned with
glory and honour ? WJiom God hath highly exalted,
giving him a name which is above every name ; that at
the name of Jesus every knee should boiv, of tlmigs in
heaven , a?id things in earth, and things under the earth ;
and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the leather ? Surely it was
the design of God, by these svveet analogies, to lead the
minds of believers imperceptibly on, that when the Messiah
should come, they might see in him their Josephs, and
Joshuas, and Davids, as well as their sacrifices, their cities
of refuge, and their jubilees, in perfection.

V( r. 46 — 49. Joseph being thirty years old when he
stood before Pharaoh, Mas just suited for active life. At
such a period however, and raised from such a situation,
many would have been lifted up to their hurt : but He who

* See Lev. xix.

Gen. xli.] Joseph's advancement. 305

enabled him to repel temptation, and endure afiliction,
enabled him also to bear the glory tliat was conferred
upon him with humilit3\ It is observable, that on going
out from the presence of Pharaoh, he did not go hitlicr
and thither to shew his greatness ; but immediately betook
himself to business. New honours, in his account, con-
ferred new obligations. The first thing necessary for the
execution of his trust was a general survey of the country ;
which having taken, he proceeded to execute his plan, lay-
ing up grain during the seven plentiful years beyond all
calculation.

Ver. 50 — 52. During these years of plenty, Joseph
had two sons by his wife Asenath, both which are sig-
nificantly named, and express the state of his mind in his
present situation. The first he called Munasseh, that is,
forgetting ; for God, said he, hath made me to forget all
my toil, and all my fathers house. A change from the
extremes of either joy to sorrow, or sorrow to joy, is ex-
pressed by the term forgetfulness ; and a very expressive
term it is. Thou hast removed my soul far off from peace ;
I FORGET prosperity — A icoman when she is in travail
hath sorrow, because her hour is come : but as soon as she
is delivered, she remembereth no moke the anguish,
for joy that a man is born into the 7vorld.^ But wiiat,
had Joseph forgotten his father's house ? Yes, so far as
it had been an affliction to him ; tliat is, he had forgotten
the cruel treatment of his brethren, so as no longer to
lay it to heart. His second son he called Ephraim, that
is, made fruitful ; for God, said he, hath caused me to be
fruitful in the land of my affliction. In both he eyes the
hand of God in doing every thing for him, and gives the
glory to him only.

Ver. 53—57. But now the day of prosperity to Egypt
is at an end, and the day of adversity cometh: God hath
set the one over against the other, to sweep away its

* Lam. iii. 17. .lohn xvi. 21.

306 Joseph's first intervieio [Dis. 49.

fulness, that man should find nothing after him. And
now the people being famished for want of bread, resorted
to Pharaoh. Had not Pharaoh been warned of this evil
beforehand, he might have replied, as Jehoram did to her
that cried, " Help my lord, oh king I" If the Lord do
not help thee, whence shall I help thee ? Out of the barn-
floor, or out of the wine-press ? But provision was made
for this time of need ; and the people are all directed to
go to Joseph. — And here, I may say again, Who can for-
bear thinking of Him, in whom it hath pleased the Father
that all fulness should dwell, and to whom those who are
ready to perish are directed for relief?

This sore famine was not confined to Egypt, but ex-
tended to the surrounding countries ; and it was wisely
ordered that it should be so, since the great end for which
God is represented as calling for it^ was to bring Jacob's
sons, and eventually his whole family, into Egypt; which
end would not otherwise have been answered.

Joseph is now filling up his generation work in useful
and important labours ; and like a true son of Abraham,
he is blessed and made a blessing. Yet it was in the
midst of this career of activity that his father Jacob said
with a deep sigh, Joseph is not ! What a large portion of
our troubles would subside, if we knew but the whole
truth !

DISCOURSE XLIX.

The first intervieio between Joseph and his brethren.

Genesis xlii.

Things now approach fast to a crisis. We hear but
little more of the famine, but as it relates to Jacob's
family, on whose account it was sent. It is remarkable

* Psa. cv. IG.

Gen. XL II.] tvith his brethren. 307

that all the three patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
experienced a famine while sojourning in the land of
promise ; a circumstance sufficient to try their faith. Had
they been of the disposition of the s})ics in the times of
Moses, they would have concluded it to be a land which
ate up the inhabitants, and therefore not worth accepting :
but they believed God, and thought well of whatever he
did.

Ver. 1, 2. Jacob and his family have well nigh ex-
hausted their provision, and have no prospect of recruiting
it. They had money, but corn was not to be had for
money in their own country. They could do nothing
therefore, but look one at another in sad despair. But
Jacob, hearing that there was corn in Egypt, rouses them
from their torpor. His words resemble those of the four
lepers : " Why sit we here until we die ?" It is a dictate
of nature not to despair while there is a door of hope ;
and the principle will hold good in things of everlasting
moment. Why sit we here, poring over our guilt and
misery, when we have heard that with the Lord there is
mercy, and with him there is plenteous redemption ? How
long shall we take counsel in our soul, having sorrow in
our hearts daily ? Let us trust in his mercy, and our
hearts shall rejoice in his salvation.

Ver. 3, 4. The ten brethren immediately betake them-
selves to their journey. They are called Joseph's brethren,
and not Jacob's sons, because Joseph is at present the prin-
cipal character in the story. But when Benjamin is called
his brother, there is 'more meant than in the other case.
It would seem to be assigned as the reason why Jacob was
unwilling to part with him, that he was the only surviving
child of Rachel, and brother of him that was not ! As mis-
chief had befallen him, he was afraid the same should befal
his brother, and therefore wished the young men to go with-
out him. Jacob does not say, ' Lest you should do liini

mischief, as I fear you did his brother' but I suspect

there was something of this at the bottom ; and which, when

308 Joseph' $ first interview [Dis. 49.

afterwards urged by a kind of necessity to part with Ben-
jamin, came out. Me ye have bereaved Joseph is not I

(ver. 36.) At first he appears to have thought that some
evil beast had devoured him : but upon more mature ob-
servation and reflection, might see reason to suspect at least,
whether it was not by some foul dealing on their part that
he had come to his end. As nothing however could be
proved, he at present kept his suspicions to himself, and the
matter passed, as it had done from the first, that mischief
in some unknown way had befallen him.

Ver. 5. Nothing is said of their journey, except that a
number of their countrymen went with them on the same
errand ; for the famine was in the land of Canaan. Such
a number of applicants might possibly excite fears in their
minds, lest there should not be enough for them all. Such
fears however, if they existed in this case, were unneces-
sary ; and must always be unnecessary, where there is
enough and to spare.

Ver. 6. Now Joseph being governor of the land, they
find him on their arrival fully employed in serving the
Egyptians. He had assistants ; but his eye pervaded every
thing. As soon as they could get access to the governor,
they according to the Eastern custom, bow themselves be-
fore him, with their faces to the earth.

Ver. 7. We may wonder that Joseph could live all this
time in Egypt, without going to see his father or his bre-
thren. We might indeed allege, that while with Potiphar,
he had ])robably neither opportunity nor inclination ; when
in prison, he was not allowed to go beyond its walls ; and
when advanced under Pharaoh, his hands were so fully em-
ployed that he could not be spared. We know that when
his father was to come down to him, he could only send
for him; and when he went to bury him, there was great
formality required to attend his movements, a number of
the Egyptians going with him. But it was doubtless or-
dered of God that he should not go, but that his brethren
should come to him ; for on this depend the issue of the

Gen. xlii.] luitk his brethren. 309

whole affair. And now comes on the deUcate part of the
story : Josej^h saw hia brethren, and hieiv thou. What
must have been his feelings ! The remembrance of the
manner in which he parted from them, two-and-twcnty
years ago, the events which had since befallen liim, their
prostration before him, and the absence of Benjamin, from
which he might be apprehensive that they also had made
away with him, — altogether, must have been a great shock
to his sensibility. Let him beware, or his countenance will
betray him. He feels the danger of this, and therefore im-
mediately puts on a stern look, speaks roughly to them, and
affects to take them for spies. By this innocent ))iece of
artifice, he could interrogate them, and get out of them all
the particulars that he wished, without betraying himself,
which he could not have done by any other means, 'i he
manner in which he asked them. Whence come ye 9 Would
convey to them an idea of suspicion as to their designs. It
was like saying, ' Who and what are you ? I do not Uke
your looks.' Their answer is humble and proper, stating

the simple truth they came from Canaan, and had no

other design in view than to buy food.

Ver. 8. Joseph kneiv his brethren, and felt for them, not-
withstanding his apparent severity : but they knew not him !
It was wisely ordered that it should be so, and is eaily ac-
counted for. When they last saw each other, they were
grown to man's estate, but he was a lad; they were proba-
bly in much the same dress, but he was clothed in vestures
of fine linen, with a golden chain about his neck ; and they
had only one face to judge by, whereas he had ten, the
knowledge of any one of which would lead to the knowledge
of all. Now Joseph sees, without being seen ; and now he
remembers his dreams of the sheaves, and of the stars.

Ver. 9 — 14. Determined to continue at present un-
known, and yet wishing to know more of them, and of mat-
ters in Canaan, Joseph still speaks under an assumed cha-
racter, and affects to be dissatisfied with their answer. Ye
are spies, saith he ; to see the nakedness of the land are ye

310 Josep/i s Jirsl interview [Dis. 49.

come. They modestly and respectfully disown the charge,
and repeat the true, and only object of their coming ; ad-
ding, what is very much in point. We are all one mail's
sons. This was saying, ' Ours is not a political, but a
domestic errand : we are not sent hither b}^ a king, but by
a father, and merely to supply the wants of the family.'
Still he affects to disbelieve them ; for he does not know
enough yet. He therefore repeats his suspicions, in order
to provoke them to be more particular ; as if he should say,
« I will know all about you before I sell you corn, or send
you away.' This had the desired effect. Thy servants,
say they, are, or ivere twelve brethren, the sons of one man
in the land of Canaan ; a7id behold, the youngest is this day
with our father, and one is not. This is deeply interesting,
and exquisitely affecting to Joseph. By this he learns that
his father was yet alive, and his brother too : oh, these are
joyful tidings! This was the drift of his questions, as they
afterwards tell their father Jacob — " The man asked us
straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your
father yet alive ? Have ye another brother ? And we
told him according to the tenor of these words."* But
what must have been his sensations at the mention of the

last words. One is not ! Well, he conceals his feelings,

and affect sto turn their account of matters against them :
They had not told all the truth at first. It seemed at first
there were only ten of them, and now there were eleven :
That is what I said unto yoii, saying, ye are spies.

Ver. 15, 16. He now proposes to prove them. By the
life of Pharaoh, saith he, ye shall not go henca except your
youngest brother come hither. Send one of you and fetch
him, that your words may be proved, whether there be any
truth in you ; or else, by the Ife of Pharaoh, surely ye are
spies. Some supposed that Joseph had learned the man-
ners of the Egyptians by living amongst them, or that he
would not thus have sworn by the life of Pharaoh : but I

* Chaji. xliii. 7.

Gen. xLii.] with his brethren. 3ll

see no ground for any such thing. We might as well say,
that he had learned to speak untruth, because \w. ically
had no such suspicions as he feigned; or that he had
learned magic, seeing he afterwards talked of divining ; or
that our Saviour had learned the proud and haughty spirit
of the Jews, w^ho treated the Gentiles as dogs, because
for the sake of trying the woman of Canaan he made use of
that kind of language. The truth is, Joseph acted under
an assumed character. He wished to be taken for an
Egyptian nobleman, with whom it was as common to swear
by the life of Pharaoh, as it was afterwards for a Roman to
swear by the fortune of Csesar.

But wherefore does Joseph thus keep up the deception ;
and why propose such methods of proving them ? I suppose
at present his wish is to detain them. Yes, they must not
^eave Egypt thus : had they done this, he might have seen
them no more : yet he had no other cause to assign but tliis,
without betraying the truth, whicli it was not a fit time to
do at present.

Ver. 17, 18. * Take these men up,' said Joseph to his
officers, * and put them into a place of safe custody; it is
not proper they should be at large.' Here they lie three
days ; a period which afforded him time to think what to
do, and tlxem to reflect on what they had done. On the
third day he paid them a visit, and that in a temper of more
apparent mildness. He assures them that he has no designs
upon therr life, nor any wish to hurt their family ; and ven-
tures to give a reason for it which must to them appear no
less surprising than satisfying: I fear God. What, an
Egyptian nobleman know and fear the true God ! l\^ so,
they have no injustice to fear at his hands! nor can he
withhold food from a starving family. The fear of God
will ever be connected with justice, and humanity to man.
But how mysterious an affair I If he be a good man, huw
is it that he should treat us so roughly ? How is it that
God should suffer him so to mistake our designs ? Seve-
rity from the hand of goodness is doubly severe. Their

312 Joseph' sjir St interview [Dis. 49.

hearts must surely by this time have been full. Such were
the methods which this wise man made use of to agitate
their minds, and to touch every spring of sensibility within
them ; and such were the means which God by him made
use of to bring them to repentance. This indeed is his
ordinary method of dealing with sinners: now their fears
are awakened by threatenings, or adverse providences, in
which death sometimes stares them in the face ; and now a
little gleam of hope arises, just sufficient to keep the mind
from sinking ; yet all is covered with doubt and mystery.
It is thus, as by alternate frost, and rain, and sun-shine,
upon the earth, that he humbleth the mind, and maketli
soft the heart of man.

Ver. 19 — 2-J. Joseph, still under a disguise, though he
consents that nine out of the ten shouhl go home with pro-
vision for the relief of the family, yet that he may have some
pledge for their return, insists on one being detained as a
hostage till they should prove themselves true men, by
bringing their younger brother ; and his will at present
must be their law. Jdlaving thus determined their cause,
he withdraws from their immediate company to a little dis-
tance, where perhaps he might stand conversing with some
other persons, but still within hearing of what passed among
them. As he had all along spoken to them by an inter-
preter, they had no suspicion that he understood Hebrew,
and therefore began talking to one another in that language,
with the greatest freedom, and as they thought without any
danger of being understood. Their full hearts now began
to utter themselves. Perhaps their being obliged to speak
of Joseph as not, might serve to bring him to their remem-
brance. Whatever it was, the same thoughts had been in
all their minds, which probably they could read in each
others looks. As soon therefore as one of them broke si-
lence, the rest immediately joined in ascribing all this evil
which had befallen them to this cause. They " said one to
another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in
that we saw the anguisii of his soul, when he besought us,

Gen. XLii.] with his brethren. 313

and we would not hear ; therefore is this distress come upon
us !" God, in dealing with sinners, usually a(laj)ts the pu-
nishment to the sin, so as to cause them to read the one in
the other. Hence, adverse providences call our sin to re-
membrance; our own wickedness corrects us, and our
backslidings reprove us. They would not hear Joseph in
his distress, and now they could not be heard : tiiey had
thrown him into a pit, and are themselves now thrown into
prison !— These convictions are heightened by the re-
proaches of Reuben, who gives them to expect blood for
blood. Reuben was that, methinks, to his brethren, which
conscience is to a sinner ; remonstrating at the outset, and
when judgment overtakes him, reproaching him, and fore-
boding the worst of consequences. His words are sharp
as a two-edged sword : " Spake I not unto you, saying, Do
not sin against the cliild ; and ye would not hear? There-
fore, behold also, his blood is required !" — But that which
is still more afi'eciing, Joseph hears all, and understands it,
and this without their suspecting it. Such words how-
ever were too muc^h for the heart of man, at least such a
man as he was, to bear : it is no wonder therefore, that he

" turned himself abouu from them and wept!'' But

having recovered himself, he returned to them, and with
an austere countenance, took Simeon and bound him before
their eyes. This must be cutting work on both sides. On
the part of Joseph, it must be a great force put upon his
feelings ; and on theirs, it would seem a prelude to greater
evils. There might be a litness in taking Simeon rather
than any other. He had proved himself a ferocious cha-
racter by his conduct towards the Shochemites ; and there-
fore it is not unlikely he was one of the foremost in the
cruelty practised towards Joseph. I'erhaps he was the man
who tore off his coot of njany colours, and threw him into
the pit. If so, it would tend to humble him, and heighten
all their fears, as beholding in it the righteous judgment of

(iod.

p

314 JosepKs first interview [Dis. 49.

Ver. 25 — 28. This done, their sacks are ordered to be
filled, and their money restored ; not by giving it into their
hands however, but by putting it into the mouths of their
sacks. But why all tliis mysterious conduct ? Was it love ?
It was, at the bottom ; but love operating at present in a
way tending to perplex, confound, and dismay them. It
could not appear to them in any other light than as either
an oversight, or a design to ensnare, and find occasion
against them. It was certain to fill their minds with con-
sternation and fear ; and such appears to have been the in-
tention of Joseph from the lirst. It accords with the wisdom
of God, when he means to bring a sinner to a right mind,
to lead him into dark and intricate situations, of which he
shall be utterly unable to perceive the design ; to awaken
by turns his fears and his hopes : bring his sin to remem-
brance ; and cause him to feel his littleness, his danger,
and his utter insufficiency to deliver his soul : and such, in
measure, appears to have been the design of Joseph, ac-
cording to the wisdom that was imparted to him on this
singular occasion. If his brethren had known all, they
would not have felt as they did : but neither would they
have been brought to so right a state of mind, nor have
been prepared, as they were, for that which followed. And
if we knew all, with respect to the mj^sterious dispensations
of God, we should have less pain ; but then we should be
less humbled, and less fitted to receive the mercy which is
prepared for us.

It is remarkable how tliis circumstance operates on their
minds. They construe it to mean something against them ;
but in what way tliey know not. They do not reproach
the man, the lord of the land, though it is likely from his
treatment of them that they would suspect some ill design
against them : but overlooking second causes, they ask,
" What is this that God hath done to us!" To his righ-
teous judgment they attributed what they had already met
Avith ; (ver. 21, 22.) and now it seems to them that he is
5till j)ursuing them in a mysterious way, and with a design

0 E N. X L 1 1 .] with h is b nth ten. 31')

to require their brotlier's blood at tlicir hand. Such a
construction, though painful for the present, was tlie
most useful to them of any that could have been put
upon it.

Ver. 29—35. Arriving at their father's house, they tdl
him of all that had befallen them in Egypt, that they may
account for their coming home without Simeon, and being
required when they went again to take Benjamin with
them. But the mysterious circumstance of the money
being found by the way in their sacks, they appear to have
concealed. Mention is made of only one of the sacks being
opened ; yet by what they afterwards said to the steward,* it
appears that they opened them all, and found every man's
money in his sack's mouth. But they might think their
father would have blamed them for not returning with it
when they were only a day's journey from Egypt, and
therefore agreed to say nothing to him about it, but leave
him to find it out. Hence it is that they are represented,
on opening their sacks, as discovering the money in a man-
ner as if they knew nothing of it before; not only partici-
pating with their father in his apprehensions, but seeming
also to join with him in his surprise.

Ver. 36 — 38. If the discovery of the money affected
Jacob, much more the requirement of his darling son. This
touches him to the quick. He cannot help thinking of the
end that Joseph had come to. The reasons he had had to
suspect some foul dealing in that affair, had probably made
him resolve long ago that Benjamin should never be trusted
in their hands ! Yet things are now so circumstanced tliat
he must go with them. It was a distressing case. Jacob
speaks, as well he might, in great anguish; having in a
manner lost all his earthly hopes, save one i and of that he
is now in danger of being deprived. His words have too
much peevish sorrow about them : they certainly reflect

* Chap, xliii. 21.
p2

316 Joseph's second int.iiview [Dis. ^0.

upon his sons ; and the last sentence would almost seem to
contain a reflection upon providence. The words, all
these things are against me, must have some reference
to the promise, " I will surely do thee good ;'"* and if so,
they were like saying, ' Is this i]h way? Surely not I'

Yet so it was. The conduct of God toNvards Jacob

is covered with as great a mystery as that of Joseph
towards his brethren ; but all will be right at last. Much
present trouble arises from our not knowing the whole
truth.

In mentioning the name of Joseph, lacob had touched
a tender place ; an old wound, which providence too had
been lately probing. On this occasion, all that were guilty,
you will perceive, are silent. Reuben is the only one that
speaks, and he dares not touch that subject ; but with
strong and passionate language, seems to aim to divert his
father's mind from it, and to fix it upon Benjamin only :
" Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee !" This
language so far answers the end, as that no more is said of
their having bereaved him of Joseph : but he still dwells
upon his being dead, nor can he at present be persuaded to
part with his brother. " If mischief (said he) befal him in
the way in which ye go, then shall ye bring down my grey
hairs with sorrow to the gi'ave."

DISCOURSE L.

7//e second interview between Joseph and his brethren.
Genesis xliii.

Ver. 1, 2. The relief obtained by the first journey to
Egypt is soon exhausted : for '« the famine was sore in the
land," and therefore nothing of its native productions could
be added to the other to make il last the longer. " Go,"
said Jacob to his sons, " and buy us a little food." Avarice

Oen. xliii.] with hi.^ bnthren.

31

and distrust would have wished for much, and have been for
hoarding it at such a time as this : but Jacob is contented
M'ith a little, desirous that others should have a})art as well
as himself; and with respect to futurity, he puts iiis trust
in God.

Ver. 3 — 5. But here the former difficulty recurs ; tliey
cannot, must not, will not go without their younger brother.
This is trying. Nature struggles with nature : the affec-
tion of the father with the calls of hunger: but the former
must yield. Jacob does not appear however, at present,
to be entirely willing; wherefore Judah considering it as a
fit opportunity, urges the matter, alleging the peremptoiy
language of the man, the lord of the land, on the subject.

Ver. 6, 7. This brings forth one more feeble objection,
or rather complaint, and which nmst be his last : " Where-
fore dealt ye so ill with me as to tell the man whether ye had
yet a brother ?" To which they very properly answer that
they could not do otherwise, being so straitly examined •
nor was it possible for them to know the use that would br
made of it.

Ver. 8 — 10. While matters were thus hanging in sus-
pense, Judah very seasonably and kindly attempts to smootli
the difficulty to his father, by offering in the most solenui
manner to be surety for the lad, and to bear the blame for
ever, if he did not bring him back and set him before him.
In addition to this, he alleges that the life of the whole fa-
mily depended upon his father's acquiescence, and that they
had been too long detained already.

Ver. 11 — 14. And now Jacob must yield, must yield
up his beloved Benjamin, though not without a mixture
of painful reluctance : but imperious necessity demands it.
He who a few weeks before had said, " My son shall not
not p-o down with you," is now upon the whole constrained
to part with him. Thus have we often seen the tender re-
lative, who in the first stages of an affliction thought it im-
possible to sustain the loss of a beloved object, gradually

318 Joi-cpJi a second interview [Dis. 50.

reconciled; and at length, witnessing the pangs of wasting
disease, almost desirous of tlie removal. Thus it is that
tlie wisdom and goodness of God are seen in our bereave-
ments ; the burden which at first threatens to crush us into
the grave, being let down gradually upon our shoulders,
becomes not only tolerable, but almost desirable.

But mark the manner in which the patriarch acquiesces ;
his is not the sullen consent of one who yields to fate, but
in his heart rebels against it. No, he yields in a manner
worthy of a man of God; proposing first that every pos-
sible mean should be used to conciliate the man, the lord
of the land, and then commits the issue of the whole to
God. Just thus he had acted when his brother Esau was
coming against him with four hundred men.* " Take of
the best fruits of the land in your vessels, and carry down

the man a present take double money in yotir hands,

and the money that was brouglit again in the mouth of your

sacks take also your brother ... .and God Almighty

give you mercy before the man, that he may send away
your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved, I am
bereaved !" The fruits of Canaan, especially in a time ot*
famine, would be a great token of respect ; the double
money might be necessary, as the continuance of the
famine might enhance the price of corn ; and the res-
toration of that which was returned would prove their
integrity.

Hut we must not pass over the concluding part without
noticing two or three things in particular. (1.) The cha-
rm (cr under which the Lord is addressed : God Almighty,
or Gad a I /'Sufficient. This was the name under which
Abraham was bh^ssed ; " I am God Almighty ;" and which
was used by Isaac in his blessing Jacob : " God Almighty
bh'ss thee, and give thee the blessing of Abraham."f It
is natural to suppose that Jacob, in putting up this prayer,

• CliHi). -^xxii. f.-l-J. t Chap. ,^vii. ]. xxviii. 3, 4.

Gen. XLIII.] with his brethren. :J19

thought of these covenant promises and blessings, and that
it was the prayer o^ faith. (2.) The mistake on which the
prayer is founded, which yet was acceptable to God. He
prayed for the turning of the man's heart in a way of
mercy; but the man's heart did not need turning. Yet
Jacob thought it did, and had no means of knowing other-
wise. The truth of things may in some eases be concealed
from us, to render us more importunate ; and this impor-
tunity, though it may appear at last to have been unneces-
sary, yet being right according as circumstances ai)peared
at the time, God will approve of it, and we shall find our
account in it. (3.) The resignation with which he con-
cludes : " If I am bereaved, I am bereaved !" It is God's
usual way, in trying those whom he loves, to touch them
in the tenderest part. Herein the trial consists. If there
be one object round which the heart has entwined more
than all others, that is it which is likely to be God's rival,
and of that we must be deprived. Yet if when it goes, we
humbly resign it up into God's hands, it is not unusual for
him to restore it to us, and that with more than double in-
terest. Thus Abraham, on giving up Isaac, received him
again ; and David, on giving up himself to God to do with
him as seemed good in his sight, was preserved in the
midst of peril.

Ver. 15—16. Jacob's sons now betake themselves to
their second journey, and do as their father directed them.
On arriving in Egypt, they are introduced to Joseph. Jo-
seph looking upon them, beholds his brother Benjamin. It
is likely his eyes would here be in some danger of betray-
ing his heart; and that being conscious of this, he instantly
gives orders to his steward to take these men home to his
house, and prepare a dinner, for that they must dine with
him at noon. By this means he would be able to
compose himself, and to form a plan how to conduct
and in what manner to discover himself to them, which
it appears by the sequel it was his design at this time

320 Joseph's second interview [Dis. 50.

to have accomplished. See how fruitful love is of kind
contrivance; seeking, and finding opportunities to gratify
itself, by closer and closer interviews. Thus when two
of John's disciples were kindly asked, " What seek ye?"
they answered, '* Master, where dweUest thou?" As who
should say, ' We want to be better acquainted with thee,
and to say more than could be said in tliis public place.'
And thus when Jesus himself would commune with
his disciples, he saith unto them, " Children, come and
dine !"*

Ver. 17, 18. But to Joseph's brethren, things still wear
a mysterious and confounding aspect: that which he meant
in love, they construed as a design to ensnare and enslave
them. Tiie mind, while in a stale of dark suspense, is apt
to view every thing through a discouraging medium. It
will misconstrue even goodness itself, and find fear where
no fear is. Thus it is that souls depressed under God's
hand, often misinterpret his providences, and draw dismal
conclusions from the same things which in another state
of mind would afford them relief. When the soul is in
such a frame as to refuse to be comforted^ it will remember
CioD, and be troubled.f

Ver. 19—23. Being introduced into the house of Jo-
seph however, though it excited their fears, yet it afforded
an opportunity, during his absence, of speaking to the
steward concerning the money found in their sacks,
wiiich was the circumstance that at present most alarmed
thcui. It was wise in them to be first in mentioning this
mutter, that if any thing was afterwards said by Joseph
about it, tiiey might appeal to the steward, and he could
declan' on their behalf that they without any accusation
h:id, of their own accord, mentioned the whole business to
him, and returned the money. But the answer of the
steward is sur])risir)g. He could scarcely have spoken
iMon.' suitably, if he had been in the secret. I do not sup-

• JoIhi, i. 38 ; xxi. 12. t Psalm Ixxvii. 2, 3.

Gen. XLiii.] with his Ircihren, 321

pose he knew that these were Joseph's brethren : but he
would know that tliey were his countrymen, and perceiv-
ing the interest which he took in them, and the air of
mystery which attended his conduct towards them, he
would be at no loss to conclude that there was no ill-de-
sign against them. It is likely he knew of the money being
returned by Joseph's order ; and he knew his master too
well to supj)0se that, whalever might be his design in it,
he would hurt the poor men for what had been done by
his own order. Moreovei-, this steward, whoever he was,
appears to have learnt something by being with Joseph,
concerning the true God, tlie God of the Hebiews. His
answer is kind, and wise, and religious. " Peace be unto
you, fear not : your God, and the God of your father hath
given you tieasure in your sacks : 1 had your money."
q. d. <■ Let your hearts be at rest : I will be answerable
that you paid what was due ; enquii-e no farther about it;
providence brought it, and let that satisfy you.' To render
them still more at ease, Simeon is brought out of his con-
finement, and introduced to them ; Aviiich being done by
the order of Joseph, was a proof of his being satisfied.
The deliverance of the hostage was an evidence that all
was well. Thus the hr'nujing again from the dead our
Lord Jesus^ that great Shepherd of the ilieep^ was to us a
token for good, and therefore is ascribed to God, as the
God ofpeace.'^

Ver. 24, '25. While Joseph is busy about his concerns,
and thinking how he shall conduct towards his brethren,
they are busy in washing and dressing themselves to
appear before him, and in preparing the present which
they had brought for him. What was done required to be
done in a handsome manner, and they are disposed to do
their best.

Ver. 26, 27. And now, the business of the morning
being over, Joseph enters. They immediately request his

* Heb. xiii. 20.
p 3

3-22 Joseph's second intervteio [Dis. 50,

acceptance of the spices and sweet-meats of Palestine,
sent as a present by their father, bowing down their
faces to the eartli, as they had done before. Thus Joseph's
dream, whicli was repeated to him, is repeated in its ful-
filment. There is nothing said of his manner of receiving
it; but doubtless, it was kind and affable And as they
•would present it in the name of their father, this would
furnish a fair opjiortunity to enquire particularly respect-
ing him ; a subject on which his feelings would be all
alive. It is charming to see how he supports the cha-
racter which, he had assumed, that of an tlgyptian noble-
man, who remembered what they had said about a vene-
rable old man, of whose welfare he very politely enquires.
" Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is
he yet alive ?"

Ver. 28. They answer very properly, and call their
father Jih servant, and again make obeisance. Thus, in
them, Jacob himself bowed down to Joseph ; and thereby
that part of his dream was also fulfilled.

Ver. 29. When Joseph first saw his brethren, his
eyes, perhaps without his being aware of it, were fixed on
Benjamin, (ver. 10.) But having detected liimself in that
instance, he appears to be more upon his guard in this.
He receives the present, and converses with them about
their father's welfare, without once turning his eyes to-
wards his brother. But having done this, he tliinks he
may venture a look at him. He " lifted up his eyes, and
saw liis brother Benjamin, his motlier's son, and said," to
the others, but still under the same disguit^e, " Is this your
younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me?" If he
could have waited for an answer, they would doubtless

iiave told him, it was but his heart is too full. No

sooner is tlur ((ucstion out of his lips, than, it may be with
his hand upon liis head, he adds, " God be gracious unto
thee, my son !" Oii J()se[)li, on what tender ground dost
tliou |)resume to walk ! This benediction, though under
tlie disguise of a good wish from a stranger, was in reality

G E N . X L 1 1 1 .] urith his hrctfi reii . 3i23

an effusion of a full heart, which in this manner sought for
ease. Genuine love longs to express itself.

Ver. 30. This little indulgence of affection however,
had well nigh betrayed him. Ardent desires will always
plead hard to go a little way, and presume not to go too
far; but to indulge them a little, is like letting air into a
room on fire. Joseph is so affected by what has passed,
that he is obliged to quit the company, and retire into his
chamber to weep there.

Ver. 31. Having recovered himself, and washed his
face, that they might not discover his tears, he re-enters,
and behaves with much hospitality and attention.

Ver. 35 — 3t. And now, I apprehend, it was Joseph's
wish to discover himself to his brethren, or rather to
enable them to discover him. There are three things
in particular while they were at dinner, each tending
to this end, and as I conceive, designed for it. (1.)
The order of the tables. One for himself, one for the
strangers, and one for the Egyptians. The design of this
was to set them a thinking of him, and who he was, or
could be ? That the Egyptians and Hebrews should eat
apart, they could easily account for : but who, or what
is this man ? Is he not an Egyptian ? Yet if he be,

why eat by himself? Surely he must be a foreigner

(2.) The order in which they themselves were seated ; it
was " before him," so that they had full opportunity of
looking at him ; and what was astonishing to them, every
man was placed " according to his age." But who can
this be that is acquainted with their ages, so as to be able
to adjust things in this order? Surely it must be some
one who knows us, though we know not him. Or is he
a diviner? Who or what can he be? They are said to
have " marvelled one at another," and well they might.
It is marvellous that they did not from hence suspect who
he was. (3.) The peculiar favour which he expressed to
Benjamin, in sending him a mess five times more than the
rest. There is no reason to suppose that Benjamin ate

324 The cup in [Dis. 51.

more than the rest; but this was the manner of shewing
special favour in those times.* It was therefore saying in
effect, ' I not only know all your ages, but towards that

young man I have more than a common regard Look

at all this, and look at me ... . Look at me, my brother
Benjamin. Dost thou not know me ?' But all was hid
from them. Their eyes, like those of the disciples towards
their Lord, seem to have been holden, that they should not
know him. Their minds however are eased from all appre-
hensions, and they drank, and were cheerful in his company.

DISCOURSE LI.

The Clip in Benjamins sack.

Genesis xliv. 1 — 17.

Ver. 1,2. As every measure which Joseph had yet
taken to lead his brethren to discover who he was, had
failed, he must now have recourse to another expedient to
detain them. Their sacks are ordered to be tilled, and
their beasts laden with as much corn as they can
carry, their money restored as before, and a silver cup
put into the sack's mouth of the youngest. All this
is love : but it is love still working in a mysterious way.
The object seems to be to detain Benjamin, and to try
the rest.

Ver. 3, G. Having stopped over the night, next morn-
ing at break of day, they are dismissed, and set off for
home. After the treatment which they had received, we
may suppose tlicy were now all very happy. Simeon is
restored, Benjamin is safe, and they are well laden with
provision for the family. They would now be ready to
anticipate the pleasure of seeing their father, and easing
his anxious hcjut. But lo, another dark cloud presently
overspreads their sky. They had scarcely got out of the

• See Chap. xlv. 22, 23.

Gen. xliv.] Benjamin's sack. 325

city before the steward overtakes them, and charges them
with the heinous crime of having stolen his lord's cup; a
crime which would be highly offensive at any time, but
much more so after the generous treatment which they
had received. And to perjjlex them the more, he inti-
mates as if his lord was a diviner, and therefore must
needs be able to find out stolen property ! Such we see
was heathenism in those early ages ; and such heathenism
is found even in Christian countries to tliis day.

Ver. 7—9. At this tliey are all thunderstruck Mith sur-
prise: yet conscious of their innocence, they disown the
charge, and express the utmost abhorrence at such a con-
duct. They appeal also to a fact with which the steward
was well acquainted, namely, their having brought again
the money which they had found in their sacks. Did this
conduct comport with the character of thieves ? « Can it
be supposed after this, say they, that we should steal out
of my lord's house, either silver or gold ? Search us
throughout. On whomsoever it be found, let him die,
and we will all consent to become slaves !' Such Avas
their confidence that the charge was unfounded ; and their
invoking so severe a penalty, would be a presum})tive evi-
dence that it was so.

Ver. 10, 11. The steward, who is well aware of some
profound design on the part of his master, though he knew
not the whole of it, humours the thing with much address.
He accedes to the mode of trial, but softens the penalty,
proposing that none but the guiViy should suffer, and he
nothing more than the loss of his liberty. With this they
readily acquiesce ; and ])eing stung with reproach, they
with indignant sensations hastily unlade every man his
beast, in order to disprove the charge. How willing is con-
scious innocence that things should be searched to the
bottom ; and how confident of an honourable acquittal !

Ver. 12. And now, search is made from the eldest to
the youngest. Ten out of eleven are clear, and enjoy the
triumph of a good conscience : but lo, in the sack of the

326 The cup in [Dis. 51.

youngest tlie cup is found ! Every thing seems contrived
to give an edge to tiieir sorrow. It was when they were
leaving Hgypt, in high spirits, that they were stopped : and
now when tliey have disproved the charge, except in one
instance, lo, that instance fails them ! To have their
hopes raised within one step of an acquittal, and then to
be at once disappointed, was very affecting. "•' Thou hast
lifted me up, and cast me down."*

But what a confounding event ! Could they really think
for a moment that Benjamin had been guilty of the mean
and wicked action which seems to be proved upon him ?
I do not suppose they could. They must remember
having found the money in their sacks' mouths, when,
nevertheless, they knew themselves to be innocent. Nay,
and in searching for the cup, though nothing is now said
of the money, yet they must have found it there a second
time. All this would acquit Benjamin in their account.
Yet what can they allege in his favour, without reflecting
upon his accusers? The article is found upon him ; which
is a species of proof that seems to admit of no answer. A
deep and dismal silence therefore pervades the company.
In very agony they rend their clothes, reload their beasts,
and return into the city. As they walk along, their
thoughts turn upon another event ; an event which
had more than once occurred to their remembrance
already. * It is the Lord! We are murderers: and
though we have escaped human detection, yet Divine
vengeance will not suffer us to live ! There, though
guilty, w(! were ac{|uitted: here, though innocent, we shall
be condt inned.'

Ver. 1:3 — 17. Arriving at Joseph's house, where he
still was, no doubt, expecting their return, Judah and his
brrthrrn fall j)r()strate before him. Judah is particularly
mentioned as having a special interest at stake, on account
i>f his suretyship; but neither he nor his brethren can

• Psalm cii. 10.

Gen. XLiv.] Benjamin" s sack. 327

utter a word, but wait in this humble posture to hear what
is said to them.

Joseph having carried matters to this height, once more
assumes the tone of a great man highly oflended ; sug-
gesting withal, that they ought to have known that such a
man as he could certainly divine, and that therefore it
would be in vain to think of escaping with his property
undetected.

As Judah appeared foremost on their entrance, Joseph's
words w^ould probably be directed to him, for an answer.
But what answer can be given ? The surety and the ad-
vocate is here dumb : for he had been a partj'^ in guilt •
not indeed in the present instance, but in another. He
can tliert fore only exclaim, " What shall we say unto my
lord ! What shall we speak ; or how shall Me clear our-
selves? God hath foi/nd out the iniquity of his
SERVANTS ! Behold, we are my lord's servants; both we,
and he also w^ith whom the cup is found ! " He did not
mean by this to plead guilty to the charge ; but neither
dare he plead innocent, for that would have been accusing
the offended party of having ensnared them, and so have
made the case still worse ; neither was he able to confront
the evidence which appeared against his younger brother.
What can he say or do ? He can only suggest that it is
a mysterious providence, in which it appears to be the
design of God to punish them for their former crimes.
This answ^er, which was manifestly dict-.ted by what lay
uppermost in all their minds, w^as at the same time the
most delicate and modest manner in which he could possi-
bly have insinuated a denial of the charge. \S hile it im-
plied their innocence in the present instance, it contained
no reflection upon others; but an acknowledgment of
the Divine justice, and a willingness to bear the punish-
ment that might be inflicted upon them, as coming from
above. If Joseph had really been the character which he
appeared to be, such an answer must have gone far towards
disarming him of resentment. How forcible are right

328 The cup in [Dis. 51

words ! The simple and gennine utterance of the heart is
the most irresistible of all cloqacnce.

Jose[)h in answer, disclninis every thing that might
wear the aj)|jeo ranee of crneliy. No, he will not make
bondmen of them, biu merely of him on whom the
cup was found. iSceh is the sentence. They may go
about their business; but Benjamin must be detained in
slavery. Alas, and is this sentence irrevocable? Better
all be detained thnn him; for it will be the death of his
father! Whai; can be said, or done? The surety now
becomes the advocate, and that to purpose. Such an in-
tercession as tliat which follows we shall no where find,
unless it be in lliswlujui the Father Jteareih always. But
I shall here close the ])resent discourse, with only a re-
flection or two ou the subject.

1. We see a striking analogy between the conduct of
Joseph towards liis biother Beujann'n, and that of Jesus
towards lus people. "Whom I love, I rebuke and
chasten." Benjamin must have thought himself peculiarly
unhappy to be one day marked out as a favoiiiite, and the
next convicted as a criminal; and yet in neither instance
able to account Tor it. It might teacth him hovv^ever, when
the mystery came to be nnravelled, not to draw hasty
conclusions from uncertain premises; but to wait and see
the issue of things, before he decided upon them. Such a
lesson it will be Mcll for us to leain from it. The Lord
often briiius us into difncullies that he may detain us, as
I may say, from leaving him. Weve it not for these, he
would iiave fev.cr im])ortnuate apjilications at a throne of
grace than he has. lie does not afflict willinyhj or from
his heart : * but from necessity, and that he may bring us
nearer to him.

•2. We see also a striking analogy between Joseph's

conduct towards his brethren, and that of the Lord

towards us. In all he did, I suppose, it was his desigu to

It y tiicm. His putting the cup into Benjamin's sack, and

• Lam. iii. 33.

Gen. xliv.] Benjamins sack. 329

convicting him of the supposed guilt, would try their love
to him, and to their aged father. Had they been of the
same disposition as when they sold Joseph, they would not
have cared for him. Their language would have been
somewhat to this effect— 'Let this young favourite go, and
be a slave in Egypt. If he have stolen the cup, let him
suffer for it. We have a good riddance of him ; and with-
out being under the necessity of dealing with him as we
did with his brother. And as to the old man, if he will
indulge in such paitial fondness, let him take the conse-
quence.' But, happily, they are now of another mind.
God appears to have made use of this mysterious provi-
dence, and of Joseph's behaviour, amongst other things, to
bring them to repentance. And the cup being found in
Benjamin's sack, would give them occasion to manifest it.
It must have afforded the most heart- felt satisfaction to
Joseph, amidst all the pain which it cost him, to witness
their tender concern for Benjamin, and for the life of their
aged father. This of itself was sufficient to excite, on his
part, the fullest forgiveness. Thus God is represented as
looking upon a contrite spirit, and even overlooking
heaven and earth for it.* Next to the gift of his Son, he
accounts it the greatest blessing he can bestow upon a
sinful creature. Now that on which he sets so high a
value, he may be expected to produce, even though it may
be at the expence of our present peace. Nor have we any
cause of complaint, but the contrary. What were the
suspense, the anxiety, and the distress of Joseph's brethren,
in comparison of that which followed ? And what is the
suspense, the anxiety, or the distress of an awakened sin-
ner, or a tried believer, in comparison of the joy of faith,
or the grace that shall be revealed at the appearing of
Jesus Christ? It will then be found that our light
affliction, which was but for a moment, has been working
for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

♦ Isai. Ixvi. 1, 2.

330

DISCOURSE Lir.

JudaKa Intercession. ^'

Genesis xliv. 18—34.

Joseph, in the character of a judge, has sternly decided '
the cause, that Benjamin, the supposed offender, should be
detained a bondman, and the rest may go in peace. But
Judah, the surety, wounded to the heart with this decision,
presumes as an advocate to plead, not that the sentence
may be annulled, but changed with respect to its object.
It was a difficult and delicate undertaking: for when a
judge has once decided a cause, his honour is pledged to
abide by it. He must therefore have felt the danger of
incurring his displeasure by attempting to induce him in
that stage of the business to alter his purpose. But love
to his father, and to his brother, with a recollection of his
own engagement, impose upon him the most imperious
necessity.

Ver. 18. Prompted by these sentiments, he approaches
his judge. His first attempt is to conciliate him: "Oh
my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my
lord's cars, and let not thine anger burn against thy
servant : for thou art even as Pharaoh." This brief intro-
duction was admirably calculated to soften resentment,
and obtain a patient hearing. The respectful title given
him, " my lord;" the entreaty for permission to '* speak; ''
the intimation that it should be but as it were " a word; "
the deprecation of his anger, as being in a manner
(•(]ual to that of "Pharaoh;" and all this prefaced with
an interjection of sorrow, as though nothing but the
deepest distress should have induced him to presume to

Gen. xliv.] Judah's intercession. 331

speak on such a subject, shewed him to be well quali-
fied for his undertaking.

Ver, 19. And now, perceiving in his judge a willing-
ness to hear, he proceeds, not by passionate declama-
tions, and appeals to his generosity, but by narrating a
simple tale, and then grounding a plea upon it. Truth
is the best weapon wherewith to assail the heart, only
let truth be represented in an affecting light. His object,
remember, is to persuade the judge so far to reverse the
doom, as to accept of him, the surety, for a bondman,
instead of the supposed offender. Mark how every thing
he says leads to this issue. " My lord asked his ser-
vants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother?" Here
the judge is gently reminded that the occasion of this
unhappy young man coming at all into Egypt was what
he himself had said. He does not mean to reflect upon
him for it; but he might hope that merely this circum-
stance would have some weight in softening his resentment
against him. It is observable however, that in repeating
the questions of Joseph, or their own former answers to
him, he does not confine himself to terms. Joseph did not

say in so many words, Have ye a father, &o noF

did they make answer in the exact form as is here re-
peated : but he pretends only to repeat the tenor of what
passed, of the justness of which the judge himself would
be well acquainted. Nor is this verbal deviation to be
attributed merely to the failure of memory : for he avails
himself of it to introduce every affecting circumstance
that could possibly touch the heart, which if he had
adhered to a mere verbal rehearsal, would have been lost.
Of this the following words are a remarkable instance.

Ver. 20, "And we said unto my lord, we have a
father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little
one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of
his mother, and his father loveth him." All these things
were said, I believe, either expressly or by implication,
but not in this order. As they were said before, they

332 JudaJi's hitercession. [Dis. 52.

were nurcl}' rays of light diffused in the air; but here
tlicy are reduced to a focus, vA'hich burns every thing
before it ! 1 need not repeat, how every word in this
inimitable passage tells, ho\y it touches every principle
of compassion in the human mind; in short, how it rises,
like a swelling wave, till it overcomes resistance, and in
a manner compels the judge to say, in his own mind,
' Well, whatever this young man has done, he must not
be detained ! '

Ver. 21 —29. Having already intimated that the
coming of the lad was occasioned by the enquiries con- ^
cerning the family, and made the proper use of that,
the advocate proceeds another step, and reminds his judge
that it was in obedience to his command: "Thou saidst,
bring him down to me, that I may set mine eyes upon
him." This circumstance, though it conveyed no re-
flection, any more than the former, yet would work
upon a generous mind, not to distress an aged father by
taking advantage of an affair which had occurred merely
from a willingness to oblige him. To this he adds, that
they discovered at the time a reluctance, on their father's
account, to comply with this part of his request: but he
would have no denial, protesting that "except their
younger brother came with them, they should see his
face no more." Nor was this all: not only did they feel
reluctant on their father's accouvjt, but lie when told of it
on their return, felt a still qi eater reluctance. The manner
in which he introduces liis father's objection, repeating it
in his own words, or rather in his own words at different
times, reduced as to a focus, is amazing. ' We repeated,
<|. d. ihe words of my lord to our father; and when feeling
file imperious calls of nature, he requested us to go again,
and buy a little food, we answered him that we could
not go without our younger brother ; for we could gain
no admittance except he were with us. On this pain-
hil occasion, thy servant our father addressed us as fol-
low^,' — "Ye know that my wife bare me two sons. The

Gen. xliv.] JiidaKs intercession. 333

one went out from me, and I said, surely he is torn in
pieces, and 1 saw him not since. And if ye take tliis
also from rae, and mischief befal him, ye siiall bring down
my grey hairs with sorrow to the grave ! "

To point out the force of this overwJielming argument
requires a view of the human mind, when, like a complicate
machine in motion, the various powers and passions of it
are at work. The whole calamity of the family arising
from obedience to the judge's own command; an obedience
yielded to on their part with great reluctance, because of
the situation of their aged father ; and on his part with
still greater, because his brother was as he supi)osed torn
in pieces, and he the only surviving child of a beloved
wife ; and the declaration of a venerable grey-headed

man, that if he lose him it Avill be his death was

enough to melt the heart of any one possessed of iiuman
feelings. If Joseph Jiad really been what he appeared, an
Egyptian nobleman, he must have yielded the point. To
have withstood it, would have proved him not a man,
much less a man who " feared God," as he had professed
to be. But if such would have been his feelings even on
that supposition, what must they have been, to know what
he knew? What work must it have made upon his mind
to be told of Jacob's words : " My wife bare me two sons ;
and the one went out from rae, and I said, surely he is
torn in pieces I ''

It is also observable with what singular adroitness
Judah avoids making mention of this elder brother of the
lad, in any other tiian his father's Avords. He did not say
he was torn in pieces. No, he knew it was not so ! But
his father had once used that language, and though he had
lately spoken in a manner which bore hard on him and
his brethren, yet tliis is passed over, and nothing hinted
but what will turn to account.

Ver. 30, 31. The inference of what effect the deten-
tion of Benjamin would have on the aged parent, might
have been left for the judge to make ; but it is a part of

334 Judaic s intercession. [Dis. 52.

the subject which will bear a little enlargement, and that to a
very good purpose : thus therefore he proceeds. " When
1 come to tiiy servant, my father, and the lad be not with
us ; (seeing that his life is bound up with the lad's life) it
will come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with
us, he will die : and thy servants shall bring down the grey
hairs of thy servant, our father, with sorrow to the grave !"
The whole of this intercession taken together, is not one
twentieth part the length of what our best advocates would
have made of it in a court of justice; yet the speaker finds
room to expatiate upon those parts which are the most ten-
der, and on which a minute description will heighten the^
general effect. We are surprised, delighted, and melted
with his charming parenthesis : " Seeing his life is bound
up with the lad's life." It is true, it does not seem to in-
form us of any thing which we might not have known
witlioutit; but it represents what was before stated, in a
more affecting light. It is also remarkable how he repeats
thinirs which are the most tender; as, " when I come, and
the lad be not with us, ,. .'li shall come to pass, when he
seeth that the lad is not ivith us'' .... So also in de-
scribing the effect which this would produce: " When he
seeth that the lad is not with us, he will die ; and w^e shall
bring down the grey hairs of thy servant, my father, ivith
sorrow to the (/rave." This last sentence also, not only re-
peats tlic death of the aged parent in a more affecting man-
ner than the first, but contains a plea for Benjamin's re-
lease founded on the cruel situation of their being other-
wise forced, in a manner, to become parricides !

Ver. :V2 — ;J4. One })lea more remains, and which will at
once contain an apology for his importunity, and make
way for what, with humble submission, he means to pro-
pose : this is, " Thy servant became surety for the lad
unto ni} father ;" and that it may make the deeper impres-
sion, he repeats the terms of it. " If I bring him not unto
thee, 1( t me bear the blame for ever " And now, having
stated his peculiar situation, he presumes to express his

Gen. xLiv.] Joseph made knoivn to his brethren. 335

petition. But why did he not mention that at first, and
allege what he has alleged in support of it ? Such mif»ht
have been the process of a less skilful advocate : but J u-
dah's feelings taught him better. His withholding tliat
till the last, was holding the mind of his judge in a state of
affecting suspense, and preventing the objections wliich an
abrupt introduction of it at the beginning might have
created. He might in that case have cut him short, as he
had done before, saying, " God forbid that I should do so :
the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my
servant." But he could not refuse to hear his tale ; and
by that he w^as prepared to hear his petition. Thus Esther,
when presenting her petition to Ahasuerus, kept it back
till she had, by holding him in suspense, raised his desire
to the utmost height to know what it was, and induced in
him a predisposition to grant it.

But what is Judah's petition ? That the crime may be
passed over, and that they may all return home to their
father ? No ; let thy servant, I pray thee, abide instead of
the lad, a bondman to my lord, and let the lad go home
with his brethren !" If we except the grace of another,
and greater Substitute, never surely was there a more
generous proposal ! And when to this is added, the filial
regard from which it proceeds, " for how shall I go up to
my father, and the lad be not with me ; lest peradventure,
I see the evil that shall come on my father !" This in it-
self;, distinct from all which had gone before it, was enough
to overcome every objection.

DISCOURSE LIII.

Joseph making! himself known to his brethren.

Genesis xlv.

Ver. 1 — 3. The close of Judah's speech must have

been succeeded by a solemn pause. Every heart is full ;

but every tongue is silent. The audience, if they under-

336 Joseph made known [Dis. 53.

stood the language, would be all in tears. The ten
brethren, viewing the whole as the righteous judgment
of God uj)on them, would be full of fearful amazement as
to the issue. Benjamin would feel both for his dear father
and his beloved brother, wlio had offered to give himself
for him! But what saith the judge ? How does he stand
affected ? I have no doubt Ixit that he must have covered
his face during the gieater part of the time in which Judah
had been pleading : and now this will not suffice. The
fire burns within him, and it must have vent. " Cause
every man (said he) to depart from me I" And then
breaks out in a loud weeping, so that the Egyptians from
without heard him. Their minds no doubt must be filled
with amazement, and desire to know the cause of this
strange affair ; while tlie parties witliin would be still more
confounded, to witness such a burst of sorrow fiora him,
who but awhile before was all sternness and severity. But
now the mystery is at once revealed, and that in a few
words — I AM JOSi^PH!!! Doth my father yet
LIVE? If t!ioy had been struck by an electrical shock, or
the most tremendous peal of tinnider had instantly been
heard over their heads, its effect had been nothing in com-
parison of tliat whicli these w^ords must have produced.
They are all struck dunil), and as it Avere petrified with
terror. If he had been actually dead, and had risen, and
appeared to them, they could not have felt greatly dif-
ferent. Tlie flood of thoughts which wouhl at once rush
in upon their minds is past description. No words could
btttor express tiie getieral effect than those which are
used : " They could not answer him ; for they were
troubled at his presence I"

Ver. 4 — 8. A little mind, amidst all its sympathy,
might have enjoyed the triumph which Joseph now had
over them m lio once hated him, and have been willing to
make them feel it: but he has made them feel suf-
ficiently already ; and having forgiven them in his heart,
he remembers their sin no more, Tjut is full of tender

Oen.xlv.] to his brethren. 337

solicitude to heal their wounded spirits. " Come near
tinto me, saith he, I pray you. And they came near :
and he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into
Egypt." This painful event he does not seem to have
mentioned, but for the sake of convincing them that it
was he himself, even their brother Joseph, and not another;
and lest the mention of it should be taken as a reflection,
and so add to their distress, he immediately follows it up
with a dissuasive from overmuch sorrow, " Now there-
fore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye
sold me hither ; for God did send me before you to pre-
serve life. For these two years hath the famine been in
the land : and yet there are five years in the which there
shall be neither earing nor harvest. And God sent me
before you to preserve a posterity in the earth, and to save
your lives by a great deliverance. So now, it was not you
that sent me hither, but God : and he hath made me a
father to Pharaoh, &c."

In this soothing and tender strain did this excellent man
pour balm into their wounded hearts. A less delicate
mind would have talked of forgiving them ; but he en-
treats them to forgive themselves, as though the other was
out of the question. Nor did he mean that they
should abuse the doctrine of Providence to the making
light of sin ; but merely that they should eye the hand of
God in all, so as to be reconciled to the event, though
they might weep in secret for the part which they had
acted. And it is his desire that they should for the pre-
sent, at least, view the subject much in that point of light ;
which would arm them against despondency, and a being
swallowed up of overmuch sorrow. Their viewing things
in this light would not abate their godly sorrow, but rather
increase it : it would tend only to expel the sorrow of the
world which worketh death. The analogy between all
this, and the case of a sinner on Christ's first manifesting
himself to his soul, is very striking. I cannot enlarge on
particulars : suffice it to say, the more he views the doc-

Q

338 Joseph made known [Dis. 53.

trine of the cross, in which God hath glorified himself, and
saved a lost world, by those very means which w^ere in-
tended for evil by his murderers, the better it will be with
liim. He shall not be able to think sin on this account a
less, but a greater evil ; and yet he shall be so armed
against despondency, as even to rejoice in what God hath
wrought, while he trembles in thinking of the evils from
which he has escaped.

Ver. 9 — 11. It is not in the power of Joseph's brethren
to talk at present : he therefore talks to them. And to
divert their minds from terror, and gradually remove the
effects of the shock, he goes on to tell them they must
make haste home to his father, and say thus and thus to
him in his name ; and invite him and all his family to come
down forthwith into Egypt, where he and they shall be
well provided for, during the five years' famine yet to
come, and where he shall be near unto him.

Ver. 12—15. While he is thus talking with his
brethren, they would be apt to suspect whether all could
be true, and whether they were not in a dream, or im-
posed upon in some supernatural way. To obviate these
misgivings of mind, he adds, " And behold your eyes see,
and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth
which speaketh unto you. And you shall tell my father
(»f all my glory in Egypt" .... The former part of this
speech must needs have produced in him a fresh flood of
tears. As to them, I know not whether they could weep
at present. Nothing is said of the kind ; and it is natural
to suppose that they had too much fear as yet mingled
with their sorrow, to admit of its being vented in this man-
ner, lie however, having made mention of Benjamin ^
cannot forbear falling upon his neck, and weeping over
him : and Benjamin not feeling that petrifying guilty
shock, which must have confounded them, fell upon his
neck, and wept with him.

Joseph had said nothing to his brethren of forgiving
them ; but he would now express as much, and more, by

Gen. XL v.] to his brethren. 339

his actions ; giving an affectionate kiss to every one of
them, accompanied with tears of tenderness. This ai)p('ar.s
more than any thing to have removed their terror, so that
now they are sufficiently composed to " talk uith him,"
if not to mingle their tears vi^ith his.

Ver. 16 — 24. The secret being once disclosed within-
doors, soon got out ; and the news of Joseph's brethren
being come, flies through the city, and reaches the palace.
Pharaoh and his court too, are well pleased with it ; or if
there were any who might envy Joseph's high honour, they
would not dare to express it.

In other cases, Pharaoh had left every thing to Joseph ;
and Joseph knowing what he had done, and the confidence
which he possessed, had given orders in this case ; yet to
save his feelings in having to invite his own relations, as it
were to another man's house, as well as to express the
gratitude of the nation to so great a benefactor, the king
in this instance comes forward, and gives orders himself.
His orders too were more liberal than those of Joseph : he
had desired them to bring with them all the property they
had ; but Pharaoh bids them to disregard their stufl', for
that the good of all the land of Egypt was theirs. Joseph
had said nothing about the mode of conveyance ; but
Pharaoh gives orders for waggons, or chariots, as the
word is sometimes rendered, to be sent to fetch them.

Joseph however, in executing these orders, gives fresh
testimonies of affection, not only in furnishing them with
"provisions by the way," but to each man changes of
raiment, and to Benjamin his brother three hundred
pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment. And to his
honoured father, though he could not on account of
business go and fetch him, yet he sends him the richest
present, viz. ten asses laden w^ith the good things of Egypt,
and ten she asses laden with corn, and bread, and meat for
him by the way. These things might not be all neces-
sary: Jacob would need no more for himself than any
other individual of the family ; but as we saw in the mess
q2

340 Joseph made known [Dis. 53.

which was sent to Benjamin, this was the mode at that
time of expressing peculiar affection. To all this kindness
he added a word of counsel. " See that ye fall not out by
the way." Joseph had already heard from Reuben some
severe reflections on his brethren,* and might suppose that
such things would be repeated when they were alone.
One might be accused of this, and another of that, till all
tlieir minds would be grieved and wounded. But he that
could find in his heart to love them, after all their un-
worthy conduct, gives them, as I may say, a new com^
mandment that they should love orte another !

Ver. '25 — 28. And now the young people betake
themselves to their journey, and in a little time arrive at
tlieir father's house. Jacob had doubtless been looking
and longing for their return, and that with many fears and
misgivings of mind. If the matter was announced as
suddenly as it is here related, it is not surprising that
" Jacob's heart fainted, and that he believed them not !"
It must appear too much to be true. The suddenness of
the transition would produce an effect like that of fire and
water coming in contact: and though he had suspected
tiiat Joseph had not been fairly treated by his brethren,
yet he never seems to have doubted but that he was
(lead. It would appear therefore at first as if they
meant to tantalize him. Perhaps too, we may partly
account for this incredulity from the aptness there is in
a dejected mind to believe what is against him, rather than
what is for him. When they brought him the bloody
garment, he readily believed, saying, Joseph no doubt is
torn in ])ieces ! But when good news is told him, it seems
too good to be true.

They went on however, and told him of all the words of
Joseph, that is, of the invitations which he sent by them ;
and as a j)roof, pointed to the waggons which were come
to take him down. The sight of these overcomes the in-

• Chap. xlii. 22.

Gen. XL v.] to his brethren. o4 1

credulity of the patriarch, and revives his spirit. "It is
enough, said he : Joseph my son is yet alive. I will go

and see him before I die ! " Yes, this was enough, not

only to remove his doubts, but to heal his wounded heart,
to set all right, to solve all mysteries, and to satisfy his
soul. He had no more wishes on this side the grave. No
mention is made of how he received the gifts, or what he
said of his son's glory: it was enough for him that he was
alive. The less must give way to the greater. .. .He
seems to have considered death as near at hand, and as
though he had nothing to do but to go and see him, and
like old Simeon by the Saviour, depart in peace.* But
he must live a few years longer, and reflect upon the
wisdom and goodness of God in all. these mysterious
events.

DISCOURSE LIV.

Jacobus going doivn into Egypt.
Genesis xlvi.

The patriarch having resolved to go and see his beloved
Joseph, soon gets ready for his journey, and takes with him
" all that he had." It was generous in Pharaoh to propose
his leaving the stuff behind him, but Jacob was not elated
with the riches of Egypt, and might wish to put his friends
to as little expense as possible. Those things which
Pharaoh would call " stuff, " might also have a peculiar
value in his esteem, as having been given him in answer
to prayer.f What is given us by our best friend, should
not be set at nought.

But does not Jacob acknowledge God in this under-
taking ? It is a very important one, to him, and ta his
posterity. Surely he does not " use lightness " in such an

* Chap. xlvi. 30. f Chap, xxviii. 20.

342 Jacob's going into Egypt. [Dis. 54 •

affair ; and " the thing which he purposeth, is not accord-
ing to the flesh."* No, he will solemnly invoke the
Divine blessing ; but not till he had gone one day's jour-
ney. He had doubtless privately committed his way to
God, and we hope was satisfied as to the path of duty ;
but he miglit have a special reason for deferring his
public devotions till he should arrive at Beersheba. This
was a distinguished spot: what had there taken place
would tend to assist him in his approaches to God. It
was there that Abraham, after many changes and trials,
*< called on the name of the everlasting God ; " and there
that Isaac had the promise renewed to him, " built an
altar, and called also upon the name of Jehovah. "f This
therefore shall be the place where Jacob will offer a
solemn sacrifice, and invoke the Divine blessing on him-
self and his children.

Arriving at the appointed place towards evening, he and
all his company stop; and '.aving reared an altar, or
repaired that which had been built aforetime, " offered
sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac." Jacob in his
approaches to God, did not forget to avail himself of the
covenant made with his forefathers, and of the promises
already on record. His coming to this place seems to
have been with the very design, that his eyes, in beholding
the surrounding objects, might assist his mind, and
affect his heart in the recollection. Nor must we in
ours forget to avail ourselves of the covenant of God in
Christ, in which is all our salvation. The remembrance
of the godliness of our predecessors, also, in like cir-
cumstances with ourselves, may have a happj'- influence
on our devotions. It is sweet to a holy mind to be able
to say, *' lie is my God, and I will exalt him: my father's
(jod, and I will build him a habitation ! "

Vi:r. 2 — 4. Jacob having closed the day by a solemn
act of worship, retires to rest ; and, as in a former

• 2 Cor. i. 17. t Gen. xxi. 3(3, xxn- 23—5-2.

Gen. XL VI.] Jacob's going into Egypt, 343

instance, God appeared, and spake to him in visions of the
night ; calling him twice by name, " Jacob, Jacob I "
To which the patriarch answers, " Here am I," ready to
hear what God the Lord will speak unto his servant.
And he said, " I am God." To one so well acquainted
with the Divine character as Jacob was, this would be cheer-
ing ; especially as it would indicate his acceptance of the
sacrifice, and his being with him in the way he went. It
would seem enough for a godly mind to know that God is
with him. But in compassion to Jacob it is added, " the
God of thy father." As such he had sought him ; and as
such he found him. This language amounted to a re-
newal of the covenant of Abraham, that God would bless,
and make him a blessing ; and that in him, and his seed,
all the nations of the earth sJwuld be blessed. And lest
this should be thought too general, it is further added,
*« Fear not to go down into Egypt ; for I will there make
thee a great nation. I w"l go down with thee into
Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and
Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes." Though
Jacob's affection to Joseph made him resolve at first to go
and see him, yet it is likely he had afterwards some mis-
givings of mind upon the subject. Abraham went once
into Egypt; but he left it under a cloud, and never
went again. Isaac, in a time of famine, was forbidden to
go.* And though Jacob had sent his sons to buy corn,
yet it did not seem to be the place for him. But God
removes his fears, and intimates that Egypt is designed
to be the cradle of that great nation which should descend
from his loins. They were idolaters, and should prove in
the end oppressors ; but the promise of God to " go with
him" was enough. Neither temptation nor persecution
need dismay us when we are led into it by the Lord ;
if he lead us into it, we may hope that he will keep us
in It. The Lord in promising Jacob that he would

* Chap. xxvi. 2.

344 JacoUs going into Egypt. [Dis. 54,

"surely bring him up again," did not mean that he
himself should come back again alive; but that his
posterity should, after becoming a great nation. With
respect to himself, he was given to expect that his be-
loved Joseph should survive him, and be present at his
death to close his eyes. But his descendants should be
brought back ^ith a high hand : and as what was spoken
of bringing him up again, respected them, so that of going
down with him, extended to them also.

Ver. 5 — 7. After so signal an instance of mercy,
Jacob can leave Beersheba with a cheerful heart. He is
now so far advanced in life however, as to be glad of
a carriage to convey him, and of all the kind and dutiful
assistance of his sons to accommodate him. Time was
when he wanted no accommodation of this sort; but set off
on a much longer journey with only a " staff:" but sixty
years' toil and trouble, added to the seventy which had
gone before, have reduced him to a state of feebleness and
debility. Nature is ordained to decay : but if grace do
but thrive, it need not be regretted. It is wisely and mer-
cifully ordered, that the strong should bear the infirmities
of the weak; and that those who in infancy and childhood
have been borne by their parents, should return the kind-
ness due to them under the imbecility of age.

In taking all his substance, as well as all his kindred, be
would cut off occasion from those who might be disposed,
at least in after times, to reproach the family with having
come into Egypt empty handed, and to throw themselves
upon the bounty of the country.

Ver. 8—27. The names of Jacob's descendants, who
came with him into Egypt, are here particularly recorded.
Compared witii tiie families of Abraham and Isaac, they
a})pear to be numerous, and afford a prospect of a great
nation : yet compared with those of Ishmael and Esau,
they are but few. Three and twenty years ago there was
" a company of Ishraaelites," who bought Joseph : and as
to Esau, he seems to have become a. nation in a little time.

Gen. XL VI.] Jacob's going into Egypt. 34.>

We see from hence that the most valuable blessings arc
often the longest ere they reach us. The just shall live
by faith.

There seems to be some difference between the account
of Moses and that of Stephen, in Acts vii. 14. Moses
says, " All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt,
which came out of his loins, besides his sons' wives, were
three-score and six" (Ver. 26.) And "all the souls of
the sons of Jacob which came into Egypt," i. e. first and
last, including Jacob himself, his son Joseph, and his two
sons Ephraim and Manasseh, who came in his loins,
**were threescore and ten" (ver. 27,) But Stephen says,
" Joseph called his father Jacob to him, and all his kin-
dred, threescore and fifteen souls." Moses speaks of him
and those who descended from his loins, to the exclusion of
his sons' wives ; but Stephen of his " kindred " in general,
which would include them.

Ver. 28. Drawing nigh to Egypt, Judah, is sent before
to apprise Joseph of his father's arrival. Judah had ac-
quitted himself well in a former case of great delicacy,
and this might recommend him in the present instance.
He who could plead so well for his father, shall have the
honour of introducing him. It is fitting too that the father
of the royal tribe, and of the Messiah himself, should not
be the last in works of honour and usefulness, but rather
that he should have the pre-eminence. When enquiry was
made in the times of the Judges, " Who shall go up first
against the Canaanites." The Lord answered " Judah shall
go up."*

Ver. 29. Joseph, on receiving the intelligence, makes
ready his chariot to go and meet his father : for being in
high office he must act accordingly, else another kind of
carriage, or perhaps a staff only, would have satisfied him,
as well as his father ; but situations in life often impose that
upon humble minds which they would not covet of their

* Judges i. 1, 2.
q3

:j4G Jacob" s going into EgypL £Dis. 54,

own accord. The interview is as might be expected, ten-
der and affecting. The account is short, but appropriate.
He presents himself to his venerable father ; but, unable to
speak, ** fell upon his neck and wept a good while !" And
who that reflects on the occasion can forbear to weep with
hira ?

Ver. 30. As to the good old man, he feel so happy that
lie thinks of nothing but dying. Perhaps he thought he
should die soon : having enjoyed as much as he could de-
sire in this world, it was natural now to wish to go to
another. Having seen all things brought to so blessed an •
issue, both in his circumstances and in the character of his
children, it is not surprising that he should now desire to
quit the stage. Lord now let thy servant depart in peace;
for mine eyes have seen thy salvation ! Yet Jacob did not
die for seventeen years ; a proof this, that our feelings are
no certain rule of what shall befal us.

Ver. 31 — 34. As soon as the tenderness of the inter-
view would permit, Joseph kindly intimates to his father
and his brethren what was proper to be done, as to their
being introduced to the king ; and that they might be pre-
pared for that piece of necessary formality, he gives them
some general instructions what to answer. And here it is
observable, how careful he is to keep them clear of the
snares of Egypt. A high minded young man would have
been for introducing his relations into posts of honour and
])rofit, lest they sliould disgrace him. But Joseph is more
concerned for their purity, than their outward dignity. ' I
will go before you (says he), and will tell the king that you
are shepherds, and have been so all your lives, and your
fathers before you. This will prevent his making any
proposals for raising you to posts of honour in the state ;
and he will at once feel tlie propriety of assigning you a
jiart of the country which is suited to the sustenance of
your flocks and herds, and Mhere you may live by your,
selves uneontamiiiatcd by Egyptian customs. And, when
you come before the king, and he shall ask you of your oc-

Gen. xLvi.] Jacobus going into Egypt. 3-47

cupation, then do you confirm what I have said of you :
and as the employment of a shepherd is meanly accounted
of in Egypt, and those that follow it are despised, and
reckoned unfit for the higher offices of the state, this will
determine the king to say nothing to you on that subject,
but to grant you a place in Goshen.'

Thus, M^hile men in general are pressing after the highest
stations in life, and sacrificing every thing to obtain them,
we see a man who had for nine years occupied one of these
posts, and felt both its advantages and its disadvantages,
carefully directing his dearest friends and relations into
another track ; acting up to Agur's prayer, " Give me
neither poverty nor riches ; but give me food convenient."
The cool and sequestered path of life is the safest, happiest,
and most friendly to true religion. If we wish to destroy
our souls, or the souls of our children, let us seek for
ourselves and them great things ; but if not, it becomes
us, having food and raiment, therewith to be content. A
rage for amassing wealth, or rising to eminence, is a whirl-
pool in which millions have perished

DISCOURSE LV.

Jo&eph^s conduct in the setthmcnt of his brethren and in the
affairs of Egypt.

Genesis xlvii.

Ver. 1, 2. Joseph having adjusted matters with his
father and his brethren, with respect to their appearance
before the king, takes with him five of the latter, and in-
troduces them. His object is not merely a compliance
with the rules of respect which were proper on such an oc-
casion, but to obtain for them a residence in Goshen, where
they might pursue their usual avocations, and be near unto
him. To this end he mentions that they were then in that
part of the country, with their flocks and their herds ;

'MS Joseph's brethren [Dis. 55.

lioping that this might induce the king to consent to their
continuance there.

Ver. 3, 4. The young men appearing before Pharaoh,
he * asked them, as Joseph supposed he would, what was
tlieir occupation ? A very proper question to be put by a
magistrate to young men at any time ; but the object in
this case seems to have been to ascertain what posts in the
state they were qualified to fill. He took it for granted
that they were of some lawful calling ; and every govern-
ment has a right to require that those who enjoy its pro-
tection should not be mere vagrants, but by their industry ,
contribute in some way to the public good. Their answer
accords with their previous instructions ; they were
" slicpherds, both they and their fathers." To this they
added what was their wish, if it might please the king,
which was, not to be naturalised, but merely to sojourn for
a season in the country, with their flocks and their herds,
which were starved out by the severity of the famine in
their own land. This language implies their faith in the
Divine promises; for they that say such things declare
plainly that they seek another country. It would also tend
to second the endeavours of Joseph, in removing from the
king's mind all thoughts of promoting them to places of
honour, and ol?taining for them a residence in Goshen.
Their answer concludes with an express petition for this
object.

Ver. 5, G. Pharaoh turning himself to Joseph, with much
j)oliteness and frankness, thus addressed him. * Thy father
and thy brethren are come unto thee : the land of Egypt
is before thee. In the best of the land, in the land of
(ioshen. seeing they prefer it, let them dwell. And as to
))r()moting them, it does not seem to suit their calling, or
their inclinations, to be raised in the manner which 1
might have proposed on their behalf; I will therefore leave
it to you to make them happy in their own way. If there
be one or more of tliem better qualified for business than
the rest let thtin be appointed chief of my herdsmen.'

Gen. xLVir.] appear before Pharaoh. 349

Ver. 7 — 10. The grand object being accomplished, all
hearts are at rest, and now Joseph introduces to the king
his aged father; not upon business, but merely in a way of
respect. When the young men were presented, they stood
before him ; but Jacob, in honour of his years, and in com-
passion to his infirmities, is placed upon a seat. The first
object that meets his eyes is Pharaoh, sitting in his royal
robes before him. The sight of a prince who had shewn
such kindness to him and his, in a time of distress, calls
forth the most lively sensations of gratitude, and which he
is prompted to express by a solemn blessing I How be-
fitting, and how" affecting is this ! It was reckoned by the
apostle as a truth " beyond all contradiction, that the less
is blessed of the better " or greater. In one respect Pha-
raoh was greater than Jacob, but in another Jacob was
greater than him ; and Jacob knew it, and thought it no
presumption to act upon such a principle. He was a son
of Abraham, whose peculiar honour it was, that he and his
posterity should be blessings to mankind. " I will bless
thee, and thou shalt be a blessing." He was also himself a
man who, " as a prince, had power with God and men, and
prevailed." The blessing of such a man was of no small
account : for God suffered not the words of his servants to
fall to the ground.

It would seem at first sight, as if Pharaoh was not struck
with the blessing, but merely with the venerable aspect of
the man, and therefore proceeded to enquire his age : but I
incline to think he was chiefly struck with the former. He
must have perceived a wide difi'erence between this, and
any thing he had ever met with from the Egyptian sages ;
something heavenly and divine ; and as the steward ap-
peared to be well acquainted with the religion of the family,
telling the brethren that " their God and the God of their
father had given them the treasure in their sacks ;"* so
we may suppose was Pharaoh himself. Pie would see also

• Chap, xliii. 23.

350 Jacob's appearance [Dis. 55.

in this solemn blessing, in which Jacob no doubt made use
of the name of the Lord, something perfectly correspondent
with what might have been expected from the father
of " a man in whom was the Spirit of God." If he felt
the force of these things, it would overcome him, and ren-
der him scarcely able to speak ; and hence it would be na-
tural, ill order to recover himself, to turn the conversation
upon a less affecting topic, enquiring, *' How old art thou ?"
The answer to this question is very pathetic and impres-
sive: " The days of tlie years of my pilgrimage are a
hundred and thirty : few and evil have the days of the-
years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days
of the years of the life of my fathers, in the days of their
pilgrimage." We have a comment upon this answer, in
Heb. xi. 13, 14, where it is called a '* confession," and its
implication is insisted on: " They that say such things de-
clare plainly that they seek a country." We may see in it
a charming example of spirituality, and how such a state of
mind will find a way of introducing religion, even in answer
to the most simple and common questions. We go into
the company of a great man, and come away without once
thinking of introducing religion : nay, it would seem to us
ahnost rude to attempt it. But w herefore ? Because of
our want of sj)iritual-mindedness. If our spirits were im-
bued with a sense of Divine things, we should think of the
most common concerns of life in a religious w^ay ; and so
tliinking of them, it would be natural to speak of them.
Jacob, in answer to this simple question, introduces several
important truths, and that without any force or awkward-
ness. He insinuates to Pharaoh, that he and his fathers
before him were strangers and pilgrims upon the earth —
that their portion was not in this world, but in another —
that the life of man, though it extended to a hundred and
thirty years, was but a few days— that those few days were
mixed witli evil ; all wiiich, if the king properly reflected
on it, would lead him to set light by tiie earthly glory with
Nvhicli he was loadc;!, and to seek a crown which fadeth

Gen. XL VII.] before Fharao/i. 351

not away. It is admirable to see how all these sentiments
could be suggested in so prudent, so modest, so natural,
and so inoffensive a manner. If Pharaoh was affected with
Jacob's blessing him, and wished by his question to turn
the conversation to something less tender, he would be in
a manner disappointed. He is now in company with a
man, who, talk on what he will, will make him feel : and
yet it shall be in a way that cannot hurt him : for he says
nothing about him, but speaks merely of himself.

Having thus made a suitable confession, the patriarch,
whose heart was full, could not take leave of the king with-
out repeating his solemn blessing. Whether Pharaoh ever
saw him again, we are not told : but if what was then said
had a proper effect, he would remember this interview as
one of the most interesting events of his life.

Ver.Tl. 12. Joseph having obtained the consent of the
king, places his father and his brethren in the situation he
intended, and there continued to nourish and cherish them
" as a little child is nourished." And thus he is made,
more than at the birth of Manasseh, to forget all his toil,
and all the distresses which he had met with in his father's
house.

Ver. 13 — 26. The sacred writer informs us, as a mat-
ter by the bye, of the state of things in Egypt during the
remaining five years of famine under Joseph's administra-
tion. The famine was so sore in the land, that to purchase
the necessaries of life, the inhabitants first parted with all
their money : and not only they, but the countries adja-
cent : so that the king's treasury became greatly enriched.
And when money failed, their cattle were required ; and
last of all their lands, and their persons, save only that the
lands of their priests, or princes, were not sold ; for being,
according to tha laws of the country, considered as a part
of the royal household, they were not under the necessity
of selling their estates, but were participants of all the
advantages which Pharaoh derived by Joseph.

This part of Joseph's conduct has been thought by some

35*2 Joseph's brethren [Dis. 55.

very exceptionable, as tending to reduce a nation to po-
verty and slavery. 1 am not sure that it was entirely
right, though the parties concerned appear to have cast no
reticc'tion upon him. If it were not, it only proves that
Joseph, though a good and great man, yet was not perfect.
iJut difference of time and circumstances may render us
incompetent to judge of his conduct with accuracy. The
following remarks, if they do not wholly exculpate him
from blame, may at least serve greatly to extenuate the
evil of his conduct. — (1.) He does not appear to have been
employed by the country, but by the king only, and that
for himself. He did not bu}' up corn during the plentiful
years, at the public expense, but at that of the king, pay-
ing the people the full price for their commodities, and as
it would seem out of the king's private purse. — (2.) If the
Egyptians had believed the word of God, as the king did,
tlicy had the same opportunity, and might have laid by
grain enough, each family for itself, during the seven plen-
tiful years, fully to have supplied their own wants during
the years of famine. But it seems they paid no regard to
the dreams, nor to the interpretation, any more than the
antediluvians did to the preparations of Noah. All the
plenty which had been poured upon them, according as
Joseph had foretold, did not convince them; the only use
they made of it was to waste it in luxury as it came. It
was just, therefore, that they should now feel some of the
consequences— (3.) In supplying their ^ wants, it was ab-
solutely necessary to distribute the provisions, not by gift^
but by sale; and that, according to what we should call the
njarket price ; otherwise the M'hole would have been con-
sumed in half tlie time, and the country have perished.—
(4.) Th(; slavery to which they were reduced was merely
that of being tenants to the king, and who accepted of
on ('.fifth of the produce for his rent. Indeed it was scarcely
possible; for a whole nation to be greatly oppressed,
\Mthoiit being driven to redress themselves ; and, probably,
what they jiuid in aftcrtimcs as a rent, was much the same

Gen. xlvii.] settled in Egijpt. . 353

thing as we pay in taxes, enabling the king to maintain
his state, and support his government, without any oilier
burdens. There is no mention, I believe, in history, of
this event producing any ill effects upon the country. —
Finally : Whatever he did, it was not for himself, or his
kindred, but for the king, by whom he was employed. The
utmost therefore that can be made of it to his disadvantage,
does not affect the disinterestedness of his character.

Ver. 27, 28. The sacred historian now returning to
Israel, informs us that they " dwelt in Goshen, and had
possessions, and grew and multiplied exceedingly ;" and
this, di ring the lifetime of Jacob, who lived seventeen years
in Egypt. The vision which he had at Beersheba contained
an intimation that he should die in that country, else we
may suppose he would have been for returning as soon as
the famine had subsided : but Jacob is directed as by the
cloud in the wilderness.

Ver- 29—31. And now the time drawing nigh that
Israel should die, he sends for his son Joseph, and engages
him by a solemn oath to bury him not in Egypt, but in
the sepulchre of his fathers. This request was not merely
the effect of natural affection, but of faith. As it was by
faith that Joseph gave commandment concerning his bones,
doubtless this arose from the same principle. The patriarch
relying on the covenant made with his fathers, and believ-
ing that his posterity would hereafter possess the land,
wished to lie amongst them, and to have his body carried
up to take a kind of previous possession on their behalf.
To this request of his father, Joseph readily consents. The
Venerable man, however, is not yet at the point of death,
but is desirous of setting things in order, that when he
comes to die he may have nothing else to think about.

354

DISCOURSE LVI.

Joseph's interview with his dying father ^ with the blessing
of his sons.

Genesis xlviii.

Ver. 1. Jacob (lid not die immediately after having sent
for his son Joseph ; but he seems at that time to have been
confined to his " bed," and probably it was by the same
affliction which issued in his death. Joseph, as soon as he
was told of his father's being sick, without waiting to be
sent for another time, proceeded to the place, and took his
two sons to obtain his dying benediction,

Ver. 2. On entering the house, his name is announced:
the mention of which gives the venerable patriarch a por-
tion of new life. He " strengthened himself, and sat upon
the bed." And now we may expect to hear something
worthy of attention. The words of dying men to their
children are, or should be, interesting, especially of good
men, and still more of men inspired of God.

Ver. 3. The man of God has neither time nor strength to
lose in ceremony : he comes therefore immediately to the
point. ** God Almighty," said he, "appeared unto me at Luz
in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, and said unto me.
Behold 1 will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee : and I
will make of thee a multitude of people, and will g' c itus
land to thy seed after thee, for an everlasting possession."
— Observe, (1.) The appearance at Luz, or Bethel,* if it
were not the first time in which God had made himself
known to Jacob, it was certainly the most remarkable
epoch in his life : and almost all that had gone before it,
was notliing, or worse than nothing. — (2.) Tiiough the

* Chap, xxviii.

Gen. xLviii.] Joseph's interview, S)-c. 355

mention of Luz, or Bethel, must ever be sweet to Jacob,
and though he could have told what a support the promise
there made had been to him through the pilgrimage of life i
yet he confines himself at present to the aspect which he
bore to his posterity, whom he was now about to bless. The
promise made to Abraham's seed involved all the goodness
intended for the world in after ages ; and this occupies the
chief attention of Jacob. The dying words of David dwell
upon the same thing : the everlasting covenant, which con-
tained all his salvation and all his desire, was, that in which
God had promised of his seed to raise up the Messiah,
whose kingdom should endure to all generations. To see
the good of his chosen, to rejoice in the gladness of his na-
tion, and to glory with his inheritance, is enough for a ser-
vant of God : and for an aged parent, after seeing much
evil in his family, to be able to take leave of them in the
full expectation of the Divine blessing attending them, is a
death which better characters than Balaam might wish to
die.— (3.) The mention of Canaan to Joseph was designed
to draw off his attention from a permanent settlement in
Egypt, and to fix his faith upon the promise ; that, like his
fathers before him, he might pass his life as a pilgrim till it
should be accomplished.

Yer. 4—7. And now, having given this general inti-
mation to Joseph, he solemnly adopts his two sons,
Ephraim and Manasseh, as his own, constituting them
two tribes in Israel. Thus Joseph had a double portion,
the first birthright being taken from Reuben, and given
uato him.* And thus his sons, as well as himself, were
taught to fix their faith and hope, not in Egypt, whatever
might be their expectations as the descendants of Joseph
by an Egyptian princess, but in Canaan, or rather in the
promise of the God of Israel. The mention of the death
and burial of Rachel might be partly to add another mo-

* 1 Chron. v. 1, '2.

856 The blessing of [Dis. 56.

tive of attacliment to Canaan, to Joseph ; and partly to
account for tliis double portion conferred upcn him ; she
being in the most proper sense his wife, and he in a sense
Iiis first-born son.

Ver. 8 — 11. Jacob made mention of Ephraim and
Manasseh before, but he had not seen them. Lifting up
his eyes, he perceives two young men standing by the side
of his beloved Joseph, and enquires who they are. " They
are my sons, said Joseph, whom God hath given me in
this place." On this he requests them to be brought unto
him, that he might bless them. He could scarcely see
them, for his eyes were dim of age; but his heart was full
of tenderness towards them for their father's sake, and
for the sake of the hope of which they were heirs : there-
fore he kissed and embraced them. And being full of holy
affection, he looks back upon his past sorrows, and admires
the grace of God towards him and his. " I had not
thought," said he to Joseph, " to see thy face ; and lo,
God hath shewed me also thy seed." How much better is
God to us than our fears ! Only let us wait with faith and
patience, and our desponding thoughts will be turned into
songs of praise.

Ver. 12—14. After this affectionate embrace, Joseph
brought forth the two young men from between his father's
knees, and bowed himself with his face to the earth, in
token of thankfulness for the kindness conferred upon
himself and his sons, and in expectation of a further
blessing. And having probably observed the order in
which Jiis fatlier had spoken of them, putting Ephraim
before Manasseh (ver. 5.), he wished to correct it as a
mistake, and therefore placed the young men according
to their age, Ephraim towards Israel's left hand, and Ma-
nasseh towards his right hand, and in this manner pre-
sented them before him. But the conduct of the patriarch
was not thus to be corrected. God, from whom the
blessing proceeded, tjirected him in this case to cross

Gen. xlviii.] Josep/is sons. 357

hands. Nor is this the only instance in which the order
of nature is made to give way to that of grace ; for of
this, Jacob himself had been an example.

Ver. 15, 16. In this attitude Jacob proceeds to bless
the lads. " And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before
whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God
which fed me all my life long unto this day; the Angel
which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads ! And let
my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers
Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multi-
tude in the midst of the earth." — Observe, (1.) Though
Ephraim and Manasseh were each constituted heads of
tribes, yet they were blessed in the person of their father
Joseph : " He blessed Joseph, &c." In this, as in many
other instances, God would exemplify the great principle
on which he designed to act in blessing mankind in the
name and for the sake of another. — (2.) Jacob, though
now amongst the Egyptians, and kindly treated by them,
yet makes no mention of their gods, but holds up to his
posterity the living and true God. In proportion as Egypt
was kind to the young people, such would be their danger
of being seduced : but let them remember the dying words
of their venerable ancestor, and know from whence their
blessedness cometh. — (3.) The God whose blessing was
bestowed upon them was not only the true God, but the
God of their fathers ; a God in covenant with the family,
who loved them, and was loved and served by them.
" God, before whom my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, did
walk." How sweet and endearing the character; and
what a recommendation of these holy patterns to the
young people ! Nor was he merely the God of Abraham
and Isaac, but Jacob himself also could speak well of his
name; adding, "The God who fed me all my life long
unto this day !" Sweet and solemn are the recommenda-
tions of aged piety. " Speak reproachfully of Christ, "^
said the persecutors to Polycarp, when leading him to the
stake. *' Eighty-six years I have served him," answered

358 The blessing of [Dis. 56.

the venerable man, '• during all which time he never did
me any injury : How then can I blaspheme him who is
my King, and my Saviour?" Hearken, oh young people,
to this affecting language ! It is a principle dictated by
common prudence, " Thine own friend, and thy father's
friend, forsake not :" and how much more forcibly does it
apply to the God of your fathers! — (4.) This God is
called " the Angel who redeemed him from all evil." Who
this was it is not difficult to decide. It was the Angel, no
doubt, with whom Jacob wrestled and prevailed, and con-
cerning whom he said, " I have seen God face to face,
and my life is preserved.* — (5.) The blessing of God
under all these endearing characters is invoked upon the
lads, their forefathers' names put upon them, and abund-
ant increase promised to them. Surely it is good to
be connected with them that fear God: 'yet those only
wiio are of faith will ultimately be blessed with their faith-
ful predecessors.

Ver. 17 — 20. Joseph's enjoyment of this sweet and
solemn blessing was sadly interrupted by the unpleasant
circumstance of his father's crossing his hands, and he
could not refrain from respectfully remonstrating. Thus,
our frail minds are liable to be ruffled by some trivial
event, even on the most solemn occasions, and so to lose
the advantage of some of the happiest opportunities.
Jacob however is not to be dissuaded. He had been
guided by an unseen hand ; and, like Isaac, after having
blessed him, he could not repent. " 1 know it my son,
said he, I know it .... He shall be great; but his
younger brother shall be greater than he." God is as
iumiutable as he is sovereign. It does not become us to
contend with him ; and it is to the honour of Joseph that
as soon as he perceived his father knew what he did, be-
lieving him to be directed from above, he acquiesced.
Hence the patriarch went on without further interruption,

•. Chap. xxii. 24-30. IIos. xii. 2.

Gen. xlviii.] Joseph's sons. 359

saying, "■ In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make
thee as Ephraini, and as Manasseh I"

Ver. 21. A word or two more to Joseph, and the pre-
sent interview is closed. " I die," said Israel ; " but God
shall be with you, and bring you again into the land of
your fathers." All that he had said before tended to break
off their attachment to Egypt, and to fix their faith in the
Divine promise; such also was the design of these words.
How satisfactory it is to a dying saint to consider that God
lives, and will carry on his cause without him, as well as with
him. The great John Owen, two days before he died,
which was in 1683, a time when Popery and arbitrary power
threatened to overspread the land, thus wrote in a letter
to a friend — " I am leaving the ship of the church in a
storm ; but whilst the great Pilot is in it, the loss of a
poor underrower will be inconsiderable."

Ver. 22. One more special token of love is added to
Joseph's portion, namely, a parcel of ground which had
been originally bought of the sons of Hamor ; but as it
would seem, being seized by some of their descendants,
Jacob was necessitated to recover it by force of arms.*
This portion he gave to Joseph, and the tribe of Ephraim
afterwards possessed it.f The hazard at which this portion
was obtained would no doubt endear it to Joseph ; for we
prize those things which they who are dear to us acquired
at a great expense. On this principle we have often been
admonished to hold fast our civil liberties. On this prin-
ciple especially, it becomes us to value our religious advan-
tages, for which so much blood has been shed. And on
this principle we are called to prize, more than any thing,
the hope of the Gospel, to obtain which our Saviour laid
down his life !

* Chap, xxxiii. 18—20. f John iv. 5.

360

DISCOURSE LVII.

Jacob's blessings on the tribes.
Genesis xlix.

Ver. 1, 2. Jacob having blessed Joseph's sons, and
feeling that he drew near his end, sent for the rest of his
children, that he might in the same prophetic style declare
to them what should befal them, and their posterity after
them. The solemn manner in which he called them
together, and bespoke their attention, shews, that being
under a Divine inspiration, he would deliver things of
great importance; and such as, corresponding in many
instances, not only with the meaning of their names, but
with their personal conduct, would furnish matter for re-
flection and encouragement.

Ver. 3, 4. " Reuben " being his first-born son, is first
addressed. He is reminded of his superior advantages.
He was the first eflfect of "his might," or " the beginning
of his strength ; " and to him as such naturally belonged
" tiie excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power."
But as Esau, and others, forfeited the birthright, so did
Reuben. His character answered not to the dignity of his
situation. He is charged with being " unstable as water."
The word is used, I believe, in only three more places in
the Old Testament,* and in them it is rendered light, or
lightness ; denoting not only a readiness to turn aside for
want of solid principles, but that species of levity in parti-
cular which belongs to a lascivious mind, and which is
ordinarily denominated looseness^ or lewdness. Such was
tlie spirit of Reuben, or he could not have acted as he did

• Judges ix. 4. Jer xxiii. 32. Zeph. iii. 4.

Gen. XLix.] on the Triles. 361

towards Bilhah, his father's wife.* The manner in vvliicli
the patriarch expatiates upon this crime, sliows how
heinous it was in his eyes. " Thou wentest up to thy

father's bed: then defiledst thou it" and to show his

abhorrence, he turns away from him, and addresses iiis
other sons, as it were by way of appeal : " He went up to
my couch ! " For this lewd behaviour lie is told, " he
shall not excel." It is a brief mode of expression, alluding
to the excellency of dignity and of power which pertained
to him as the first-born ; and denotes that all his advan-
tages were reversed by his base conduct, and that which
would otherwise have been a blessing, was turned into a
curse. The double portion was taken from him, and given
as we have seen, to Joseph,f the kingdom to Judah, and
the priesthood to Levi ; and thus the excellency of dig-
nity, and the excellency of power, were separated from his
tribe, which never sustained any conspicuous character in
Israel.

From what is said of Reuben we may learn, the offen-
sive, the debasing, and the dangerous nature of that light-
mindedness which indulges in filthiness, and foolish talking,
jesting, and lewd behaviour. Such appears to have been
the spirit of the false prophets in the times of Jeremiah,
whose " lies and lightness " caused God's people to eTr.%
And such, alas ! is the character of too many who sustain
the name of Christians, and even of Christian ministers, at
this day ! Assuredly they shall not excel ; and without
repentance, wo unto them, when God shall call them to
account !

Ver. 5 — 7. The next in order of years are "Simeon
and Levi," who also in their posterity, shall reap the bitter
fruits of their early sins : and having not only descended
from the same parents, but been associates in iniquity,
they, according to the meaning of the name of the latter,

* Chap. XXXV. 22. t Chap, xlsdii. 5—7.

I Jer. xxiii. 32.
R

•362 Jacob's blessings [Dis. 57.

are joined together in receiving the reward of it. At the
time when these young men, with equal treachery and
cruelty, took each his sword and slew the Shechemites,
Jacob expressed his disapprobation of the deed : but now
he censures it in the strongest terms. " Instruments of
cruelty are in their habitations ; " which is saying that
they were bloody men. Ainsworth renders it sojourning
/iabitatio7is, which heightens the sin, as being committed in
a i)lace where they had no residence, but by the courtesy
of the country. " Oh my soul, come not thou into their
secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou
united!" What we cannot prevent, we must be contented
to disavow, having no fellowship with the unfruitful works
of darkness. These young men took counsel together :
they were very careful to conceal their design from Jacob
their father, knowing beforehand that he would be cer-
tain to oppose their schemes ; and now Jacob is no less
careful to disavow all connection with them in the hor-
rid deed. Such a disavowal, though it must give the most
acute pain to the sons, yet was worthy of the father. A
great deal of evil had been wrought in his family : but be
it known to all the world, by the dying testimony which
he bears against it, that it was altogether contrary to
his mind. And let young people hear and know, that
the crimes of youth will sometime find them out. If
they repent, and obtain mercy, as there is reason to
believe these young men did, yet they shall reap the
bitter fruits of their sin in the present life : and if they
remain impenitent, tribulation and anguish will overtake
them in the next.

The crime of these brethren is thus described: "In
their anger they slew a man," even Hamor, king of the
country, as well as Shechem his son ; and that not in the
open fit'lil of contest, but by assassination ! Anger, in
general is outrageous ; but in young men, whose immature
judgment and slender experience afford but little check to
it, it is commonly the most mischievous. '' In their self.

Gen. xlix.] on the Tribes. 363

will they digged down a wall," or as some render it,
" they houghed the oxen." The former would express
their breaking into houses to murder the inhabitants, and
the latter their cruelty, extending even to the dumb
animals. Anger, when accompanied with " self-will,"
rages like fire before the wind. How important is the
government of one's own spirit : and considering what
human nature is, what a mercy it is that the wrath of man
is under the Divine controul ! If Simeon and Levi had
not repented of this sin, it is likely that the curse, like
that of Noah on Canaan, would have fallen upon their
persons ; but as it was, it alights only upon their disposi-
tions and actions — " Cursed be their anger, for it Avas
fierce ; and their wrath, for it was cruel ! " God in
mercy forgave them, but took vengeance of their inven-
tions. And with respect to the tribes of which they were
the heads, they were to be divided and scattered in Israel.
" The Levites, " says Mr. Henry, " were scattered
throughout all the tribes, and Simeon's lot lay not to-
gether, and was so straight that many of that tribe were
forced to disperse themselves in quest of settlements and
subsistence. This curse was afterwards turned into a
blessing to the Levites ; but the Simeonites, for Zimri's
sin, had it bound on (Num. xxv.) Shameful divi-
sions are the just punishment of sinful unions and con-
federacies."

Ver. 8 — 12. From what was said of the three first sons,
the rest might begin to tremble, lest the whole should be
a succession of curses, instead of blessings. But in what
respects " Judah,'' we see a glorious reverse. The
blessedness of this tribe principally consists in that
blessing which was in it, the Lord Messiah. " Judah,''
saith the partriarch, " thou art he whom thy brethren shall
praise : thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies,
and thy father's children shall bow down before thee.''
In the first sentence, allusion is had to his name, which
signifies praise ; and the meaning of the whole is, that
R 2

364 Jacob's blessings [Dis.57.

this tribe should be distinguished first by its victories
over the Canaanites, and afterwards by its being the tribe
which God would choose to bear rule in Israel. Hence
also it is represented in verse 9, by a lion, the most
majestic of animals, and the proper emblem of royalty.
INIucli of this prophecy was doubtless fulfilled in David,
and his successors: but all was prefigurative of the
Messiah, who, in allusion to this passage, is called "the
Lion of the tribe of Judah."* In him all that is said of
Judah is eminently fulfilled. He is indeed the object of
praise ; his hand has been in the neck of his enemies, and
before him his brethren have bowed down. Grappling
with the powers of darkness, we see him as a lion tearing
the prey : ascending above all heavens, as a lion going up
from the prey : and seated at the right hand of God,
as a lion couchant, or at rest after his toils, where it
is at the peril of the greatest monarchs to rouse him
up.f

That which before is represented under strong figures,
is in ver. 10, declared plainly; viz. that Judah should be
the governing tribe, and that its chief glory should con-
sist in the Messiah, who should descend from it : yea, the
very time of his coming is marked out. The sceptre, or
government, should not depart from Judah, nor a law-
giver from between his feet, until Shiloh come. The
government departed from ten tribes out of the twelve,
during the reign of Hezekiah, and has never been restored :
but Judah continued to rule with God. At length they
also were carried into captivity ; yet God's eye was upon
them, and in seventy years they were restored. And not-
withstanding the many overturnings of the diadem, by the
successive monarchies of Persia, Greece, and Rome, yet
it continued till the coming of Christ. The theocracy
tlion being dissolved, and the power given to him whose
rigijt it was, Judah in a few years ceased to be a body

• Rev. V. 3. t Tsal. ii. 10—12.

Gen. xlix.] on the Tribes. 365

politic, or to have any government of its own. If there
be such a thing as an irrefragable proof, surely this is one,
that Shiloh, the peaceable, the prosperous, the Saviour
is come; and it is a mark of judicial blindness antl
hardness of heart in the Jews, that they continue to dis-
believe it.

Of Shiloh it is added, " To him shall the gathering of
the people be." As all the tribes of Israel gathered
together, and anointed David king in Hebron; so all
the tribes of man shall sooner or later submit to the king-
dom of Christ. During his ministry, his enemies touched
with fear and envy, were ready to say, Behold the world
is gone after him ! And no sooner was he lifted up upon
the cross, than he began to draw all men unto him.
Many myriads of his own countrymen, who had before
seen no form nor comeliness in him, now believed in him.
Now also began to be fulfilled all the prophecies which
had gone before of the calling of the Gentiles. For such
was the value of his sacrifice and mediation, that it was
considered as a light thing for him merely to raise up the
tribes of Jacob ; he must be a light to the Gentiles, and
God's salvation to the ends of the earth. Nor has this
promise yet spent its force ; probably the greater part of
it is yet to be fulfilled. What is foretold to the church in
the sixtieth of Isaiah, of multitudes of all nations gathering
together unto her, will be the accomplishment of this pro-
mise concerning Christ ; for those that are gathered to her
are gathered first to him.

The 11th and 12th verses are expressive of the great
plenty of wine and milk which the tribe of Judah should
possess. Vines, even the most choice, were there so com-
mon, that you might have tied your beasts to them, as you
would here tie them to an elm or ash ; or so abundantly
productive, that it should be the ordinary practice to bind
a colt to the vine, and load it with its fruits. Wine with
them should be so plentiful, that you might have washed
your garments in it. The inhabitants, even the common

366 Jacob's blessings [Dis. 57.

people, might drink of it till their eyes were red ; and such
an abundance should there be of the milk of kine, that
their teeth might be white with it. This plenty of milk
and wine may have a farther reference however, to the
plenty of evangelical blessings under the reign of the
Messiah, in the same manner as the dominion ascribed to
Judah has an ultimate reference to his dominion. The
language used by Isaiah, " Come, buy wine and milk,
without money and without price,"* certainly refers to
the great plenty of those articles in the land of promise,
and seems to allude to the very words of Jacob in this
prophecy.

Ver. 13. The blessing of " Zebulun " predicts the
situation of that tribe in the promised land. They should
be a maritime people, bordering upon the sea of Galilee
eastward, and upon the Mediterranean on the west. Its
" border reaching unto Zidon," does not mean the city,
but the country of that name, that is, Phenicia. If the
future settlement of the tribes had been o^ choice, it might
have been said that they contrived to fulfil these predic-
tions ; but being by lot, the hand of God is seen both in
them and their accomplishment. There seems to be a
distinction made between Zebulun being " at the haven of
the sea," and his being '■'for a haven of ships." The first
may denote his advantages ; and the last the benevolent
use he should make of them, opening his harbours for the
reception of distressed mariners. We have all our situa-
tions and advantages according to the will of God, and
sliouhl bo concerned to employ them to a good purpose.
Tliis tribe liad also its disadvantages: being far from the
seat of Divine instruction, its inhabitants are described as
sitting in darkness. Upon them however, the light of
the Gospel, by the personal ministry of our Lord, sprung
up.*

Ver. 1 I, 15. Next follows the blessing of " Issachar."

• Isa. Iv. * Matt. iv. 15, 16,

Gen. xlix.] o?e the Tribes. 367

The character given to this tribe intimates that it slioukl
be addicted to husbandry, as Zebulun was to tlie dangers
and perils of the sea. He is compared to a '•' strong ass,
couching down between two burdens : " not on account of
any thing mean in him, but for his industrious, patient,
and peaceable disposition. This situation would neither
require the heroic qualities of Judah, nor the enterprising
ones of Zebulun ; and his disposition should coincide with
it, preferring the fruits of peace and industry, though
obliged to pay tribute for them, to the more splendid
fortunes of commerce, or triumphs of war. Some men
would pronounce Issachar, and those of his mind, mean
spirits : but let not this part of the community be thought
light of. If it be less brilliant, it is not less useful than
the others. The king is served by the field. No condi-
tion of life has fewer temptations, nor is any more friendly
to true religion. Though the people of this tribe were
still and peaceable, yet there were amongst them men ivho
had understanding of the times, and who knew what
Israel ought to do : nor was it any disparagement to their
brethren to be at their commandment *

Ver. 16, 17. The blessing of "Dan" alludes to the
meaning of his name, that \s, judging ^ and signifies that he
should maintain his authority ; not only in respect of his
rank amongst the tribes, but in the preservation of order
in his own territory. His being compared to " a serpent
by the way, that biteth the horseheels so that his rider
shall fall backward," would seem to intimate that the
Danites would however be a subtle and mischievous people,
carrying on their wars more by stratagem and artful sur-
prise, than by conflict in the open field. Such Avere the
wars of Sampson, who was of this tribe, against the
Philistines.

Ver. 18. Here the man of God seems to have paused,
perhaps on account of bodily weakness : and lifting up his

* 1 Chron. xii. 32.

368 Jacob's blessings [Dis. 57.

eyes to heaven, said, " I have waited for thy salvation, O
Lord." Had these words followed the blessing of Judah,
we might have supposed that the salvation he referred to
was the coming Messiah : but standing where it does, it
appears to have been merely a sudden ejaculation, sent up
at the close of his pilgrimage, in a view of being delivered
from all its evils. It serves to show the state of the
patriarch's mind ; and fliat while pronouncing blessings on
his posterity in respect to their settlement in the earthly
Canaan, he was himself going to a better country, even a
heavenly one. When he thought that Joseph was dead,
he talked of going down into his grave mourning ; and
afterwards, when he found him alive, he seems as if he
could have descended into it rejoicing : * but it was not
for him to determine the time of his departure, but to
"wait" his appointed time. Old age is the time for the
patience of hope to bear its richest fruits ; and a pleasant
thing it is to see this and other graces in full bloom, while
the powers of nature are falling into decay.

Ver. 10. The patriarch resuming his subject, proceeds
to bless the tribe of" Gad." His name signified a troopy
and it is intimated that they should be a warlike people.
Their situation was east of Jordan, where they were ex-
posed to the incursions of the neighbouring nations ;
particularly those of the Moabites, the Ammonites, and
the Syrians. But it is predicted, that however they might
for a time be overcome, yet they should overcome at last ;
and this exactly accords with their history.-]- In this
blessing we see not only an example of the life of every
believer, but the wisdom of God in so ordering it, as an
antidote to presumption and despair. Present defeats
have a tendency to preserve us from the one, and the
promise of being finally victorious, from the other.

' Cliap. xxxvii. 35 ; xlvi. 30. f Judges x. xi. xii.

1 Cbron. v. 18—2-2.

Gen. xlix.] on the Tribes. 369

Ver. 20. Next follows " A slier," whose name signifies
the happy ^ or the llessedy or making happy ; and witli liis^
name corresponds his blessing. The meaning is, that liis
lot should be a rich one : yielding not only necessaries,
but dainties, even royal dainties. Such is the lot of a few
in this world, and it is well that it is but a few ; for while
men are what they are, great fulness would soon render
them like Sodom and Gomorrha.

Ver. 21. "Napthali" is described by "a hind let
loose," and is said to " give goodly words." The descrip-
tion would seem to hold up, not a warlike tribe, nor a
tribe noted for. its industry; but rather a people distin-
guished by their vivacity, timidity, and softness of man-
ners. The diversity of natural dispositions contributes,
upon the whole to human happiness. Men have their
partialities, some to this, and others to that; and if their
wishes could be gratified, would commonly shape all
others by their own favourite model : but, after all, variety
is the best. As the delicate could not subsist without the
laborious and the resolute ; so many a rugged spirit, both
in the world and in the church, would be worse than
useless, but for its union with others more gentle and
affectionate.

Ver. 22 — 26. We next come to the blessing of
« Joseph;'' and on this the patriarch delights to dwell.
His emblem, taken from the meaning of his name, is that
of *' a fruitful bovgh, situated by a well, by which its
roots were watered, and its branches caused to run over
the wall." The meaning is, that his posterity should be
distinguished by their extraordinary increase. But now
the imagery is dropped, or rather changed, and his per-
sonal history reviewed. He was attacked at an early
period, as by a band of archers, who " sorely grieved him,
shot at him, and hated him." There is a delicacy in his
speaking of the brethren (who were standing by), in the
third person rather than the second, and that under a
figure: let him express it however in what form he will,
R 3

370 Jacob's blessings [Drs. 57.

they must feel it. He adds, "But his bow abode in
strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong
by the niiglity God of Jacob : from thence is the shep-
herd, the stone of Israel." As his brethren were a band
of archers, he is described under the same character,
but as one only against many. Their arrows were those
of " hatred ; " but his of love, overcoming evil with good.
They strengthened one another in an evil cause; but he
was strengthened by " the mighty God of Jacob." In
these particulars, surely he was a type of Christ ; and still
more in being, by the blessing of the God of Jacob, " the
shepherd and stone of Israel; " providing for their wants,
and supporting their interests.

In blessing Joseph, Jacob feels his heart enlarged ;
pouring upon him the blessings of Almighty God, the
God of his father; blessings of heaven above, blessings of
the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of
the womb ; intimating also that his power of blessing when
terminating on him exceeded that of his fathers, extending
not only to the land in general, but to the very mountains
on which his children should reside. And that which
drew upon his head all these blessings was, the painful,
but endearing circumstance, of his having been " sepa-
rated from his brethren."

Joseph considered his separation as ordered of God
for the good of others,* and he seems all along to have
acted upon this principle : but a life so spent shall lose
nothing by it in the end. God will take care of that
man, and ])our the richest blessings upon his head, whose
great concern it is to glorify him, and do good in his
generation. Jacob felt much for Joseph's " separation."
The spirit of his benediction was, By how much he was
afflicted for the sake of others, by so much let him be
blessed and honoured, and that to the latest posterity !
And such is the mind of God, and all his true friends,

* Cliap. xlv. 7, 8.

Gen. XLIX.] on the Tribes. 371

concerning a greater than Josejjh. For the suffering of
deaths he is crowned tvith glory and hotiour—And 1
heard the voice of many angels round about the throne,
and the living creatures, and the elders : and the nhni-
ber of them was ten thousand tiines ten thousand, and
thousands of thousands ; saying, WORTHY is the
Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches,
and tvisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and
blessing I — Unto Him that loved us, and washed us
from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings
and priests unto God and his Father; to Him be glory
and dominion, for ever and ever. Amen*

Ver. 27. The last blessing is that of " Benjamin."
Of him it is said, "He shall ravin as a wolf: in the
morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall
divide the spoil.'' In this vv^e see that it should be a
warlike tribe ; and this it was, or it could not have resisted
all the tribes of Israel in the manner it did, as recorded in
the last chapters of Judges. But this is saying no more
than might have been said of many of the heathen nations.
If Jacob had been influenced by natural affection, there
had doubtless been something tender in the blessing of
Benjamin, as well as in that of Joseph : but he was guided
by a spirit of prophecy, and therefore foretold the thing
as it was.

Ver. 28. Such were the tribes of Israel, and such
" the blessings wherewith their father blessed them." But
how blessed them ? It might be thought that the first
three at least were cursed, rather than blessed. No, they
were rebuked, but not cursed, nor cast off like Esau :
they still continued among the tribes of Israel. It must
have been very affecting for these brethren thus to stand
by and hear, as from the mouth of God, what would be
the consequences of their early conduct on their distant
posterity : and as their minds were now tender, it may be

* Heb. ii. 9; Rev. v. 11, 12; i. 5. 6.

372 Jacob's blessings on the Tribes. [Dis. 57.

supposed to have wrought in them renewed repentance,
or gratitude, as the subject required.

Ver. 29— 33. The patriarch now gives directions con-
cerning his burial. He desires to be interred, not in
Egypt, but in the burying place at Mamre, where lay
Abraliam and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, and Leah. If
he had been governed by natural affection, he might have
cliosen to lie by the side of his beloved Rachel : but he
died in faiths and therefore requests to mingle dust with
his fathers, who had been heirs with him of the same pro-
mise. Having said all he had to say, he cheerfully re- .
signed his soul into the hands of him that gave it, and was
numbered with his departed ancestors.

Thus died Jacob ; a man whose conduct on some occa-
sions was censurable ; whose life was filled up with nu-
merous changes; but whose end was such that his worst
enemies might envy.

DISCOURSE LVIII.

The burial of Jacob, and the death of Jojseph,
Genesis l.

Ver. 1. We have seen the venerable patriarch yield-
ing up the ghost; and now we see the expressions of
affection towards him by the survivors. Let the memory
of the just be blessed. It was revealed to Jacob in his
life-time, that Joseph should "put his hand upon his
eyes ; " and Joseph not only did this, but in the fulness
of his heart, " fell upon his face after he was dead, and
wept upon him, and kissed him." This is all that we can
do towards the most beloved objects, when death has
performed his office. The mind is gone ; the body only
remains ; and of this we must take a long farewell. Faith,

Gen. l.] The burial of Jacob. 373

however, looks forward to a joyful resurrection, and teaches
us not to sorrow as those that have no liope.

Ver. 2. Joseph next proceeds to liave his dead body
embalmed with sweet spices. This was an art carried to
great perfection in Egypt : the effects of it are not totally
extinct even to this day. It was suitably applied in the
present instance, not only as an honour done to a great
and good man, but as a means of preserving the body from
putrefaction, during its removal to Canaan.

Ver. .3. Nor was this the only honour that was paid to
^\^' him. The family no doubt mourned very sincerely for
him ; and, to express their respect for Joseph, the
Egyptians, probably the court and the gentry, went into
mourning : and not merely forty days, which was custom-
ary, it seems, for every one who had the honour of being
embalmed, but in this instance, another month was added.
The customs of polite nations, though often consisting of
mere forms, yet serve in some instances to show what
should be. They express in this case a respect for de-
parted worth, and a sympathy with afflicted survivors,
weeping with them that weep.

Ver. 4—6. The days of formal mourning being ended,
Joseph next proceeds to the burial of his father. But for
this he must first obtain leave of absence from the king ;
and, desirous of conducting the business with propriety, he
applies to some of the royal household to make the request
for him ; not, as some have supposed, because it was im-
proper for him to appear before the king in mourning
apparel : for " the days of his mourning were past : " but
with a view of honouring the sovereign, and cultivating
the esteem of those about him. A modest behaviour is
said to be rarely found in royal favourites : but by the
grace of God it was found in Joseph. The plea he urged
was nothing less than his being under a solemn oath, im-
posed upon him by the dying request of his father; a plea
to which Pharaoh could make no objection, especially as
it was accompanied with the promise of a return.

874 The burial of Jacob, [Dis. 55-

Ver. 7 — 11. We now behold the funeral procession.
The whole family (except their little ones, who with their
cattle, M'cre left behind), were, as we should say, the first
followers : but all the elders of respectability, of the court,
and of the country, with both chariots and horsemen,
were in the train. It was " a very great company," not
only in number, but in quality. For grandeur and mag-
nificence, it is said to be without a'parallel in history. This
great honour Mas not in consequence of any wish on the
part of Jacob : all he desired was, to be carried by his sons,
and buried in the land of promise. His desire was that of
faith, not of ambition. But, as in the case of Solomon,
seeing he asked for that which God approved, he should
have his desire in that, and the other should be added to
it. Thus God delights to honour those who honour him.
And as it was principally /or Joseph^ s sake that this great
honour was conferred on his father, it shews in what high
esteem he was held in Egypt, and serves to prove that
whatever modern adversaries may say of his conduct, he
was considered at the time as one of the greatest benefac-
tors to the country.

Nothing remarkable occurred in the procession, till they
came to the threshing-floor of Atad, which was within the
land of Canaan, near to Jericho, and not many miles from
the place of interment. Here they stopped, it would seem,
for seven days, performing funeral obsequies, or " mourn-
ing with a great and sore lamentation." So great was it,
that it drew the attention of the Canaanites, who, on seeing
and hearing what passed, observed one to another, " This
is a grevious mourning to the Egyptians" (for such fchey
considered them, seeing they came from Egypt); wherefore
the name of the place was afterwards called, " Abel-Miz-
raim," the. mourning of the Egyptians.

Ver. 1-2 — 21. Joseph and his brethren, having buried
their father in the place where he requested to lie, return
to Egypt, witii the company which went with them. The
pomp and iiuny of the funeral, while it lasted, would oc-

Gen. l.] The burial ofjatoh. 375

cupy their attention : but this having subsided, the thoughts
of the ten brethren were directed to other tilings. The death
of great characters being often followed by great changes ;
conscious guilt being always alive to fear ; and the chasm
which succeeds a funeral, inviting a flood of foreboding
apprehensions, they find out a new source, of trouble;
< Peradventure, all the kindness hitherto shewn us has

been only for our father's sake Peradventure, Joseph,

after all, never forgave us in his heart and now our

father is dead, so as not to be grieved by it, peradventure
he will feel that hatred to us which we once felt to him ;
and if so, he will certainly requite the evil which we have
done unto him/ Oh jealousy ! Is it not rightly said of thee.
Thou art cruel as the grave ?

But how can they disclose their suspicions ! To have
done it personally, would have been too much for either
him or them to bear, let him take it as he might. So they
'' sent messengers unto him," to sound him. We know
not who they were ; but if Benjamin were one of them
it was no more than might be expected. Mark the deli-
cacy, and exquisite tenderness of the message. Nothing is
said of their suspicions, only that the petition implies them ;
yet it is expressed in such a manner as cannot offend, but
must needs melt the heart of Joseph, even though he had
been possessed of less affection than he was. — (1.) They
introduce themselves as acting under the direction of a me-
diator, and this mediator was none other than their deceased
father. He commanded us, say they, before he died, that we
should say thus and thus. And was it possible for Joseph to
be off'ended with them for obeying his orders ? But stop a
moment — May we not make a similar use of what our Savi-
our said to us before he died ? He commanded us to say, O^ir
Father—forgive ns our debts. Can we not make the same
use of this, as Jacob's sons did of their father's command-
ment ? — (2.) They present the petition as coming from their
father : " Forgive, I pray thee, the trespass of thy bre-
thren, and their sin ; for they did unto thee evil." And

376 The burial of Jacob, [Dis. 58.

vas it possible to refuse complying with his father's desire ?
The intercessor, it is to be observed, does not go about to
extenuate the sin of the offenders ; but frankly acknowledges
it, and that if justice were to take its course, they must
be punished. Neither does he plead their subsequent re-
pentance as the ground of pardon ; but requests that it may
be done for hh sake, or on account of the love which the of-
fended bore to him.— (3.) They unite their own confession
and petition to that of their father. It was certainly pro-
per that they should do so: for though they no more plead
their own repentance as the ground of forgiveness, than the
mediator had done, yet it was fit they should repent, and
acknowledge their transgressions, ere they obtain mercy.
Moreover, though they must make no merit of any thing
pertaining to themselves ; yet if there be a character
which the offended party is known to esteem above all
others, and they be conscious of sustaining that character,
it will be no presumption to make mention of it. And this
is what they do, and that in a manner which must make a
deep impression upon a heart like that of Joseph. " And
now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the
God of thy father /'' It were sufficient to have gained their
ix)int, even though Joseph had been reluctant, to have
pleaded their being children of the same father, and that
fatiier making it, as it were, his dying request ; but the
consideration of their being " the servants of his father
God," was overcoming. Were we to look back to some
former periods of their history, we could not have consi-
dered them as entitled to this character : but since that
time God had brought them through a series of trials, by
means of which he had turned them to himself. And
though they are far from considering their present state of
mind as obliterating the guilt of their former crimes ; yet,
knowing that Joseph was himself a servant of God, they
knew that this consideration would make a deep impres-
upon him. It is no wonder, that at the close of this part
of the story, it should be added, « And Joseph wept when
they spake unto him."

Gen. l.] The death of Joseph. 377

But this is not all : they go in person, and " fall before
his face," and offer to be his " servants." This extreme
abasement on their part seems to have given a kind of gen-
tle indignancy to Joseph's feelings. His mind revolted at
it. It seemed too him to much. *' Fear not, saith he:
for am I in the place of God ?" As if he should say, It
may belong to God to take vengeance ; but for a sinful
worm of the dust, who himself needs forgiveness, to do so,
were highly presumptuous : you have therefore nothing to
fear from me. What farther forgiveness you need, seek it
of him.

Ver. 20, 21. There was a delicacy in the situation of
the ten brethren in respect to this application to Joseph, as
it would imply a doubt of his former sincerity. They were
aware of this, and therefore in every thing they say,
whether by messengers, or in personal interview, are care-
ful to avoid touching upon that subject. Nor is there less
delicacy in Joseph's answer. He does not complain of this
implication, nor so much as mention it ; but his answering
them in nearly the same words as he had done seventeen
years before, " Ye thought evil against me ; but God meant
it unto good, to bring to pass as it is this day, to save much
people alive ;" I say his answering them in this language was
saying in effect, ' Your suspicions are unfounded. AVhat I
told you seventeen years ago, I meant; and the con-
siderations which then induced me to pass over it, induce
me still to do the same. « Now therefore, fear ye not ; I
will nourish you, and your little ones." I will not be your
master, but your brother, and as it were, your father.' In
this manner did he " comfort them, and spake kindly unto
them."

Ver. 22, 23. Joseph was about fifty six years old when
his father died : he must therefore have lived fifty four
years afterwards ; during which period he saw Ephraim's
children, of the third generation ; and the grandsons of
Manasseh were brought up, as it were, upon his knees.

Ver. 24 — 20. And now the time draws nigh that Joseph

878 The death of Joseph. [Dis. 58.

also must die ; and, like his worthy ancestors, he dies in
faith. — (1.) He is persuaded of the truth of God to his
covenant promises. " I die, saith he : and God shall surely
visit you, and bring you out of this land, unto the land
which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob." —
(2.) Under the influence of this persuasion he takes " an
oath of the children of Israel :" that when they should de-
part from Egypt they would take his " bones with them-"
Such a desire might have arisen from merely a wish to
mingle dust with his forefathers ; but we are directed to
attribute it to a higher motive. It is in reference to this
exercise of faith, that his name is enrolled in the catalogue^
of believing worthies.* Having said all he wished to say,
" he died, being a hundred and ten years old: and they
embalmed him, and he was put in a coflfin in Egypt." As
the burial of Jacob in Canaan would attract the minds of
Israel to that country ; so the depositing of Joseph in a
moveable chest, together with his dying words, would serve
as a memento, that Egypt was not their home.
* Heb. xi. 22.

CONCLUSION.

I HAVE endeavoured to intersperse reflections on th^
various subjects as they have occurred ; but there are a few
others which arise from a review of the whole, and with
these I shall conclude.

First: The truth of revelation^ and its leading doctrines.
That which accounts for things as they are, or as they ac-
tually exist in the world, and that in such a manner as noth-
ing else does, carries in it its own evidence. Look at things
as they are, and look at this, and you will find that as face
answereth to face in water, so doth the one answer to the
other.

Look at the material creation around you ; and ask the
philosophers of all ages how it came into being. One as-
cribes it to a fortuitous assemblage of atoms ; another con-
ceives matter to have been eternal; another imagines
God himself a material being. But Revelation, like the
light shining upon chaos, dissipates in a few words all this
darkness, informing us that, " In the beginning, God cre-
ated the heavens and the earth.*'

Look at human nature as it now is ; depraved, mise-
rable, and subject to death. Ask philosophy to account
for this. The task will be found to surpass its powers.
None can deny the fact, that men are what they ought not
to be : but how they came to be so, cannot be told. To
say, as many do, that the stock is good, but that it gets
corrupt in rearing, is to reason in a manner that no one
would have the face to do in any other case. If a tree
were found, which in every climate, every age, every soil,
and under every kind of cultivation, brought forth the
fruits of death, nobody would hesitate to pronounce it of a

380 CONCLUSION.

poisonous nature. Such is the account given us by- reve-
lation, and this book informs us how it became so. It is
true, it does not answer curious questions on this awful
subject. It traces the origin of evil as far as sobriety, and
humility would wish to enquire. It states the fact, that
God hath inade man upright, and that he hath sought out
many inventions: but there it leaves it. If men will object
to the equity of the Divine proceedings, and allege that
what is in consequence of their first father's transgression,
is on their part guiltless, they must go on to object. Every
man's conscience tells him, he is accountable for all he does
from choice, let that choice have been influenced by what
it may ; and no man thinks of excusing his neighbour m
his ill conduct towards him, because he is a son of Adam.
Out of their own mouth therefore will such objectors be
judged. — But if the doctrine of the fall, as narrated in this
book, be admitted, that of salvation by free grace, through
the atonement of Christ, will follow of course. I do not
say that redemption by Christ could be inferred from the
fall itself : but being revealed in the same sacred book, we
cannot believe the one without feeling the necessity of the
other.

Look at the page of history, and you will find yourselves
in a world, of the existence of which you can find no traces
till within about four thousand years. All beyond is
darkness ; and all pretensions to earlier records carry in
them self-evident marks of fable. These things are ac-
counted for in this book. If the world were destroyed
by a flood, there could no nations have existed till a little
before the times of Abraham. Nay, this book gives us the
origin of all the nations, and calls many of them by the
names which they sustain to this day.

Finally : Look at the antipathy which is every where to
be seen between the righteous and the wicked, between
them that fear God and them that fear him not. All the nar-
ratives which have passed under our review, as those of
Cain and Abel, Enoch and his contemporaries, Isaac and

CONCLUSION. 381

Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, are pictures of originals which
the world continues in every age to exhibit. But this book
traces this antipathy to its source : and give us reason to
expect its continuance till Satan and his cause shall be
bruised under our feet. Secondly : The 'peculiar charac-
ters of sacred history. It is the most concise, and yet
comprehensive of any record that has ever yet appeared
in the world. In the book of Genesis only, we have gone
over the history of two thousand, three hundred, and sixty
nine years. A common historian might have used more
words in giving us an account of one of Nimrod's expe-
ditions. But it is not like the abridged histories of human
writers, which often contain a string of unconnected facts,
which leave no impression, and are nearly void of useful
information. You see human nature, as created, as de-
praved, and as renewed by the grace of God ; you see the
motives of men and the reason of things, so as to enable
you to draw from every story some important lesson, some
warning, caution, counsel, encouragement, or instruction
in righteousness.

The reason of so much being included in so small a
compass, is, it is select. It is not a history of the world,
but of persons and things which the world overlooks. It
keeps one great object always in view namely, the progress
of the church of God, and touches other societies and their
concerns only incidentally, and as they are connected with
it. The things which are here recorded are such as would
have been mostly overlooked by common historians, just as
things of the same kind are overlooked to this day. If you
read many of even our Church Histories, you will per-
ceive but little of the history of true religion in them.
There is more of the genuine exercises of grace in a page
of the life of Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob, than you will fre-
quently find here in a volume. If the world overlooks
God, and his cause, God in return overlooks them and
theirs. His history holds up an Enoch, and preserves a
Noah, while a world lying in wickedness is destroyed by

382 CONCLUSION.

an ovcnvhelming flood. It follows an Abraham, an Isaac,
a Jacob, and a Joseph, tbrough'all their vicissitudes, narrat-
ing the trials and triumphs of faith in these holy men ; while
the Ishuiaels, the Esaus, and all who apostatized from the
true God are given up, and lost in the great world. It
traces the spiritual kingdom of God to its smallest begin-
nings, and follows it through its various obstructions ;
while the wars, conquests, and intrigues of the great na-
tions of antiquity are passed over as unworthy of notice.
In all this we see that the things which are highly esteemed
amongst men, are but lightly accounted of by the Lord ;
and that He who hath heaven for his throne, and earth for
his footstool, overlooks both, in comparison of .a poor and
contrite spirit.

Lastly : Thesloio^ but certain progress^ of the divine de-
signs. God promised Abraham a son when he was
seventy-five years old ; but he was not born till he was a
hundred. And when he is born, he lives forty years un-
married : and when married, under an expectation of great
fruitfulness, it is twenty years more ere Rebecca bears
children ; and then it is not without earnest prayer. And
now that he has two sons born, Jacob, in whom the pro-
mise is to be fulfilled, lives seventy five years single, and his
life is a kind of blank : and when he goes to Padanaram
for a wife, he must wait seven years longer ere he obtains
her ; and when he has a family of children, they prove some
of the worst of characters. The only one that is any way
hopeful is taken away, he knows not how ; and a long series
of afflictions follow one upon another, ere any thing like
hope makes its appearance. Yet all this while the Lord
had promised, / will surely do thee good; and in the end
the good is done. God's ways fetch an astonishing com-
pass. His heart is large, and all his plans are great.
He docs not make haste to fulfil his counsels; but waits,
and causes us to wait, the due time. But at that time they
are all fulfilled.

Wc may observe a difference however, as to the time

CONCLUSION. 30d

taken for the fulfilment of different promises. Those which
were made to Abraham's other children, and which had no
immediate relation to God's spiritual kingdom, as hath
been remarked in the course of the work, were very soon
accomplished, in comparison of that which was confined to
Isaac. Small legacies are often received and spent before
the heir comes to the full possession of his inheritance.
And even those which are made to the church of God, and
have respect to his spiritual kingdom, vary in some pro-
portion to their magnitude. " God made promise of a son
to Abraham ; Jive and twenty years elapse ere this is ac-
complished. He also promised the land of Canaan for a
possession to his posterity ; there the performance required
a period of nearly Jive hundred years. At the same time,
Abraham was assured that the Messiah should descend
from his loins, and that in him all the nations of the earth
should be blessed ; this promise was nearly two thousand
years ere it came to pass. These events resemble the oval
streaks in the trunk of a tree, which mark its annual
growth ; each describes a larger compass than that which
which precedes it, and all which precede are preparatory to
that which follows. The establishment of Abraham's pos-
terity in Canaan was a greater event than the birth of
Isaac, and greater preparations were made for it. But it
was less than the coming of Christ, and requires less time
and labour to precede it.''

From this ordinary ratio, if I may so speak, in the Di-
vine administration, we are furnished with motives to pa-
tience, while waiting for the fulfilment of promises to the
church in the latter days. The things promised are here
so great and so glorious, that they may well be supposed
to fetch a large compass, and to require a period of long
and painful suspense ere they are accomplished. The
night may be tixpected to bear some proportion to the day
that succeeds it. It is a consolation however, that the night
with us is far spent, and the day is at hand. The twelve
hundred and sixty years of antichrist's dominion, and of

:]S4 CONCLUSION.

the church's afHictioii, must needs be drawing towards a
close : and a season so dark, and so long, augurs glorious
times before us. We may have our seasons of despondency
like the patriarchs; but there will come a time, and that,
probably not very distant, when what is said of Israel in the
times of Joshua, shall be fulfilled on a larger scale: And
the L,ord gave them rest round about, according to all
that he sware unto their fathers — There failed not aught of
any good thing which The 'Lob.h Jiad spoken unto the house
of Isruel ; all came to pass.

THE END.

T C. JOHNS, Printer, R«d Uoa-conrt, Fleet itreet.

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