had been renewed oftener than once before this time *: And as to that declaration, " In thy Seed fhall all the nations of the earth be BLESSED;" it is an amplification of former grants. In the first tranfaction, the promife was expreffed thus, "In thee fhall all the families of the earth be bleffed t:" But in this one, it runs thus, "In thy Seed fhall all the nations of the earth BLESS THEMSELVES."

Taken

* Gen. xii. 2. compared with chap. xiii. 16. chap. xv. 5. chap. xxii. 17. † Gen. xxii. 3.

Gen. xxii. 18." Pretereundum etiam non eft "notabilis, quæ occurrit, locutionis diverfitas. Abra"hamo identidem dicit Deus, INTE BENEDICEN

"TUR omnes familiæ terræ, Gen. xii. 3. and xviii. 18. "Sed de Semine Abrahami dicitur an ET BENE"DICENT SIBI IN SEMINE TUO OMNES NATIONES ter"ræ, Gen. xxii. 18. Quod de Semine Ifaaci repetitur, "Gen. xxvi. 4. fciz. alio modo benedicimur in Abra"hamo; aliter in ipfius Semine, Chrifto. In Abrahamo, "ut in typo et exemplari: in Chrifto, ut benedictionis "caufa meritoria, et vero datori, Eph. i. 3. Neque "folum benedicimur, fed, ET BENEDICIMUS NOBIS in "Chrifto, eum ut benedictionis ad nos dimanantis fon"tem et Scaturiginem agnofcentes et celebrantes. Qui "benedicet fibi in terra, benedicet fibi in Deo verita"tis, If. lxv. 16." Witf. De Oecon. Fad.--The meaning of which is, in fhort: There is notable diverfity of phrafe, which ought not to be difregarded; for, in Gen. xii. 3. and xviii. 18. God faid to Abraham, “In thee fhall all the families of the earth be BLESSED." But in Gen. xxii. 18. it is faid of the Seed of Abraham, Nations fhall BLESS THEMSELVES IN HIM :" That is, they are bleffed in Abraham only as the type and exemplar; in Chrift, as the meritorious caute and true author, &c. Our tranflators have not obferved the distinc

Taken in this light, which is the only one confiftent with the facred original, it points out not only the fpecial object of faith,-the BLESSED SEED; but also the peculiar nature of it For, when perfons blefs themselves in this Seed, they appropriate to themfelves all thofe bleffings with which he is stored.

:

2. THERE was an additional promife fubjoined to thofe previous grants: "And thy feed fhall poffefs the gates of their enemies." Gates were anciently the feat of judgment and

tion between the different forms of the Hebrew verb, indeed; but Munster, the Tigurine translators, and Pifcator have all adverted to it; and tranflated according. ly. Matthias Flacius Illyricus is copious on this diffe rence of expreffion. "Ter repetita eft promiffio erga A"braham; quarto erga Ifaacum; et quinto ad Jacobum. "priores dux, et ultima, funt in Niphal, feu passiva voce: "ut recte vertatur, BENEDICETUR. pofteriores vero dux, "tertia et quarta, in Hithpael, feu reciproca voce: ut "verti queat, Benedicent fe, id eft, beatas fe effè agno"fcent, ac gloriabuntur ob femen Abrahæ. Priores ergo "dux, et ultima, fententia, diferte loquuntur de paliva "benedictione, que continget Gentibus, ob Abraham"um et ejus femen: pofteriores vero, de agnitione ac "celebratione illius acceptæ benedictionis, aut promifle "felicitatis. Admodum autem pulchre, fidei, aut fide"lis credentifve hominis, vis aut ingenium, in illa reci"procatione depingitur. Nam fides, aut fidens, et agno"fcit, fe ob illud femen benedici; et impetrat fibi ap "plicationem illius benedictionis, ad thronum gratiæ cum illo ipfo femine accidens; et denique femet con"folatur in omnibus difficultatibus ac tentationibus, fe "confirmando de illa Dei benedictione." Clavem Script. apud vocem BENEDICERE.

ftrength:

ftrength: In them the elders of cities fat in council; in them the armour of the city was depofited; and from thence did they fally forth against the befiegers. This promise has been accomplished to the Seed of Abraham in every fenfe of the word. In the literal fenfe of the terms, it was accomplished, both in the victories of Joshua and David; they not only fkirmished on the coafts of their enemies, but alfo ftormed their fenced cities, and entered their citadels. In the fpiritual fenfe, it was ftill more amply verified in the victory of the Captain of our Salvation: He erected his kingdom, and fwayed his fceptre, even where Satan had his feat. This was not only accomplifhed in the conqueft of the Gentile nations by the gofpel; but is alfo daily fulfilled in the converfion of every particular believer. Prior to converfion, every heart is a ftrong-hold, fortified by all the art of hell, to hold out against the LEADER OF THE PEOPLE. But his weapons are MIGHTY to the pulling down of And all his people shall be more than conquerors through him.

STRONG-HOLDS.

THIRDLY, I fhall next advert unto the OATH which God interpofed for the CONFIRMATION of this Covenant. The writers of both Teftaments fometimes refer to this folemnity. The facred hiftorian declares, that it was intimated to the patriarch himself, by the uncreated angel who appeared to him at

this time: "And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the fecond time, and faid, by myfelf have I fworn, faith the Lord, for because thou haft done this thing, and haft not with-held thy fon, thine only fon, That in bleffing," &c. The Apostle, however, comments, at large, on this wonderful step of divine condefcenfion: "For when God made promife to Abraham, because he could fwear by none greater, he fware by himself, faying, Surely bleifing I will blefs thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. For men verily fwear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is the end of all ftrife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to fhew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counfel, confirmed it by an oath: That, by two immutable things, in which it was impoffible for God to lie, we might have ftrong confolation who have fled, for refuge, to lay hold on the hope fet before us *." I might have enquired, In what manner God fwears; and, For what pur pofes he fwears; but on thefe I need not enter, confidering what has been faid on the confirmation of Noah's Covenant.

FOURTHLY, I fhall now attend unto the OCCASIONS of this Covenant. It obtained twenty-fix years after the inftitution of circumcifion; and fifty years after the first fœderal

Gen. xxii. 15-17. compared with Heb. vi. 13-18,

tranfaction

The

tranfaction between God and Abraham. fpace of time between this and the last covenant, which is upon record, is filled up with many signal mercies on the part of God; and fome acts of obedience, not without feveral infirmities, on the part of Abraham.

1. GOD made a gracious vifit to the patriych foon after he had celebrated the facrament of circumcifion. As a fresh proof to him at this time, he was pleafed to unbofom himfelf refpecting his future defigns, particularly the deftruction of Sodom. He also permitted Abraham to entreat him in favour of that wicked city, and fhewed infinite condefcenfion, by the attention he paid to his fupplications. But fuch was the wickednefs of Sodom, that the patriarch could not expect to find even ten righteous perfons in it; which, if he had, it would have been spared for their fakes: There fore he was obliged to defift from his intercef fion. The divine condefcenfion, which defcended from demanding fifty to demand only ten righteous perfons, was eminently glorified by yielding unto the inceffant fupplications of the friend of God: And it ftill inftructs his fervants and people to fupplicate fparing mercy, on the behalf of finful cities and nations.

2. ABRAHAM had alfo relapfed into the fin of diffimulation; and, as covenant-renovation