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the Church: While it ferves to inftruct her ftill to vow an adherence unto the divine fyftem which belongs to her peculiar state.

II. We may confider the harmony between the exhibition of the divine promifes and Jacob's acceptance of them. Did God say, “ Behold I am with thee?" Jacob echoed, "Surely God fhall be with me."-Did God declare, "I will keep thee in all places whither thou goeft?" Jacob's refponfe was, "Surely God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I go."-Did the Son of God fecure unto Jacob the divine bleffing on the fatnefs of the earth? Jacob avowed his affured persuasion of fupply at God's hand.-Did God announce his intention to bring Jacob again into this land? Well might Jacob folemnly profess his affurance of being brought back again. Jacob's avowal of God, as his God, was founded on the covenant character of the Son of God; and the promife of the prefence of God, already explained. His resolutions to build an altar, and dedicate part of his fubftance unto the Lord,

ly arbitrary prior to the making of them; but, when once made, they became of inviolable obligation. No one thing can be more imaginary than to fuppose, that the friends of Covenanting, in New Teftament times, plead this clafs of vows as a pattern. Covenanting in gospel days has moral obedience for the matter of it; and the heavenly mandate, Vow AND PAY, transfers this duty from the clafs of indifferencies; or, rather demonftrates that it never belonged unto them.

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were also founded on divine grants: The foriner on the promise of being brought back again unto his own country; and the latter on the promise of temporal bleffings, which figured out thofe which are fpiritual and eternal. Though he was, at that time, fo poor as to pafs over Jordan with his ftaff only; yet he did not defpair but God would give him abundance; and it was fit he fhould acknowledge that he held all his wealth by the tenor of a divine gift, by paying the tenth, as a quit-rent unto his gracious benefactor *.

III. I SHALL now confider Jacob's Engagemeat, contained in this acceptance of the divine promife. It will be remembered, that I take the acceptance of God's covenant, with a refolution to abide by it, to be the fame as vowing, or covenanting. In the tranfactions already confidered, the divine grant is expreffed, and the rule of obedience either implied or declared, as Ġod faw meet; while the Church's engagements untó duties is likeways either afferted or implied in the facred narrative. In none of them, however, is the form of the vow rccorded, except in this one. in this one. The former cove→ nants were certainly mutual, and each implied an engagement or a vow: But this exhibits a more perfect pattern, as the vow is formally expreffed, expreffed in the very form and

Compare Gen. xxviii. 12–15. with verfe 18-22.

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terms in which it was made. I fhall firft tranf late the facred text containing thefe terms, which may be rendered thus: "Surely God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I go; and will give me bread to eat and raiAnd (furely) I thall return to

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my father's houfe in peace: and the Lord fhall be my God. And (furely) this ftone, which

I have fet for a pillar, fhall be God's house: And of all that thou fhalt give me,.in tithing, I will tithe it for thee *."

The scope of these verfes

* Gen. xxviii. 18-22. Nothing is requifite to vindicate the tranflation I have offered; but to afcertain the meaning of a term or two, which has been given different from our translation. The first is the adverb N, which I have rendered SURELY. There are abundance of places in which it is fo rendered, even in our own verfion, E. G. Pfal. cxxxix. 19. Prov. iii. 34. xxiii. 18. Eccle. x. 11. Ifa. xxix 16. The learned Stockius enumerates the various fignifications of this particle; and proves, by examples, that (inter alia) it denotes ADVERBIA AFFIRMANDI certe, profecto, for which he quotes Job xvii 16. xlii. 8. In both texts, our tranflators have impaired the fenfe, and deftroyed the emphafis: In the hift of them they fupplied OUR. The true tranflation is, "SURELY they fhall be laid together in the dust.”— SCHULTENS, that treafury of oriental learning confirms this fenfe of the term: See his Index of Hebrew words, fubjoined to his Comment on Job, "N PROFECTO, in affertionibus." NOLDIUS aligns this fenfe to it likeways. Concordant. Heb. Par. apud vocem. et annot. No. 408. KOERBERUS hits the idea ftill more accurately, perhaps.

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Proprie igitur notat propofitionem, pofitionem, &c, Gen. xxiii. 13. If. i. 18. fit pofitio (pofito) peccata veftra funt ficut dibaphum, inftor nivi tamen exalbefcent. Lex. Heb. Particul. The fenfe is much the fame, indeed,

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verfes feems to be as if Jacob had faid, “I am verily perfuaded, that the God of my fathers, Abraham and Ifaac, hath admitted me to the most intimate fellowship with himfelf; and will preferve me by his fpecial grace and watchful providence, in all the various difficulties and dangers of my way; and will fupply me with the neceffaries of life while I am an exile from my native land: And I am affured, that he will bring me again to my father's house, as a prelude of his bringing me into the house not made with hands at the laft; he will continue to be my God for ever and ever. And I am equally certain, that this ftone, which I have fet up as a memorial of this vifit, will, at my return, be dedicated for an altar unto my God: And, as he will multiply to blefs me with worldly substance; so will I devote that

whether we tranflate it SURELY OF SEEING: But the impropriety of rendering it IF is obvious at first fight; it would make the patriarch's engagement uncertain and precarious; whereas it is plain he was paft all peradventure. This impropriety has been obferved and obviated by JUNIUS and TREMELLIUS, the Tigurine Tranflators, Ainsworth, as well as Dr Gill; the Rev. Mefits Moncrieff and Boston, and alfo Meflis Morifon and Hall.———— The other variation from our tranflation is in the conjunctive 1. In verfe 21. our tranflation renders so THAT. And fome critics feem to coincide with it, when the particle connects the confequence with the antecedent. But, after all, I apprehend that the fame particle ought always to have an identical fignification, unless there be an abfolute neceflity for changing it, which by no means exifts in the prefent cafe.

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portion of it to him which he hath appointed."

IT may be further obferved, That, as Jacob took up the covenant of the patriarchs, by his covenanting with the God of Abraham and Ifaac; fo he acknowledged the previous obligations unto duty, under which he had been brought in their loins. Hence he was bound to perform all thofe duties which were incumbent on the patriarchs; even although they are not mentioned in this tranfaction. He was bound, for example, to walk before God, and to be perfect, as well as Abraham; and to circumcife his feed in like manner. ingly, his fons were certainly circumcifed, feeing they refused to give their fifter to the uncircumcifed.

Accord

THIRDLY, I fhall attend unto the SOLEMNITIES by which this Covenant was ratified and they are, A Solemn Appearance on the part of the Son of God, and a Sacred Monument fet up by Jacob.

1. THE facred hiftorian records this appearance in the following terms: "And behold a ladder fet upon the earth, and the top of it reached unto heaven: and behold, the angels of God afcending and defcending on it. And behold, the Lord ftood above it, and faid, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and

the

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