Gen. 1. 26. from which, if you fubtract 39, which was his age at the time of Jacob's defcent, there will remain 70 years. From the death of Jofeph are to be reckoned about 65 years down to the birth of Mofes, the grandson of Kohath, who went down very young with his father Levi into Egypt, Gen, xlvi. 11. and begat Amram the father of Mofes, when upwards of 60 years old; but Amram, when he was 70, begat Mofes, who was younger than Aaron, Exod. vi. 17, 19. From the birth of Mofes to the bringing the people out of Egypt, are 80 years; and thus the years of their continuing in Egypt, amount to 215. Which if added to as many years from Abraham's going out of Charan, to his going down into Egypt, we have a period of 430 years. And by fo many years did the federal promife made to Abraham, go before the giving of the law.

X. But in this covenant we will confider. Ift, The STIPU LATIONS. 2dly, The PROMISES, Which were, indeed, repeated at various times, and expreffed under different heads or articles; but which we shall recite briefly and in order, for the help of the memory.

XI. The STIPULATION contains chiefly three precepts. ft, THAT OF LEAVING HIS COUNTRY, his kindred and father's houfe: though he knew not whither God was to bring him, Gen. xii. 1. This imports a denial of himself, and of thofe things which are ufually moft dear and defirable; and in fine, an univerfal surrender of himself to God. Compare Pf. xlv. 11. and Luke. ix. 59, 60, 61, 62, and Mat. x. 37. 2dly, OF NOT FEARING, Gen. xv. 1. By this, faith fecurely acquifces in God, was enjoinupon him. For, fear is oppofite to faith, Mark v. 36. and Mark. iv. 40. 3dly, OF WALKING BEFORE GOD, and being upright, Gen. xvii. 1. This is the precept of holiness; which extends not only to the external actions, but alfo to the inward motions of the foul, believing, that all must be done as in the prefence, and under the all-feeing eye of God. In those few words, the infinitely wife God has comprehended all the duties incumbent on a religious perfon towards the Deity.

XII, The PROMISES annexed to the ftipulation, are of various kinds; fome are fpiritual, others corporal. The fpiritual, are either general and common to all believers, or special and peculiar to Abraham.

XIII. The general promifes are thefe, Gen. xv. 1. "I am thy hield and thy exceeding great reward," and Gen. xvii. 17, 1, 7. "I, who am EL-SHADDAI, God all-fufficient, will be a God unto thee, and to thy feed after thee." In these words God promises, 1ft, Protection against every evil, while he calls himfelf a fhield. 2dly, A moft eminent reward and of infinite

:

value, feeing he makes over to him not only his benefits, in which he is most affluent, but also himself, the fountain of every bleffing. In ike manner, as Eliphaz fays to Job, the Almighty will be thy moft choice gold, and filver of ftrength will bè to thee it therefore fignifies eminently" an exceeding and eternal weight of glory," 2 Cor. iv. 17. which we could not bear, unless, we were endowed with new powers. 3dly, The communion and fruition of this all-fufficient God, in grace and glory, in foul and in body. See what we faid of the word, Shaddai, Book III. Chap. 1. fect. 2. and of the expreffion, " to be the God of any one, ibid." chap. 2. fect. 5. 4thly, The con tinuance of that favour in the elect feed.

XIV. More especially, God promised, first, that Abraham fhould be the head, and honorary father of all believers, who in him as the type of the bleffing, were to obtain the bleffing. For, fo the words run, Gen. xii. 2, 3. "I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a bleffing-and in thee shall all families of the earth be bleffed." He not only makes the most ample promises of every kind, as well earthly as heavenly, but he likewife promifes a new and a great name, that he should be the father of all believers, Rom. iv. 11. than which fcarce a greater can be granted to any mere man. Nay, he declares, that he fhould not only be bleffed but blessing itself; fo that all the bleffing of God might be feen accumulated on him, and to refide in him, as the fountain and fource, but a fecondary and less principal; and be the type and exemplar of every bleffing. For, it is added," and in thee fhall all the families of the earth be bleffed. In thee may be fimply explained, with thee: as it is faid, Gal. iii. 9" they which be of faith, are bleffed with faithful Abraham." For, of the Hebrews is fometimes the fame thing as with: as Exod. viii. 5, "ftretch forth thine hand" wa WITH thy rod," and Exod. xv. 19. "the horfe of Pharoah went in 1373 WITH his chariots and his horsemen into the fea." But, in thee, feems to denote fomething more: for, in Abraham all the nations of the earth are bleffed. ift, Because the Meffiah was in his loins, in whom every bleffing is contained. 2dly, Because he was the head and prince of God's covenant, and the pattern of faith and blessing to those who were to come after him.

XV. Paul has given a notable commentary on this place, Gal. iii. 6, 7, 8, "even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore, that they which are of faith, the fame are the children of Abraham. And the fcripture forefeeing, that God would justify the hea

then

then through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham faying, in thee fhall all nations be bleffed." The Apostle there fuppofes, as a thing well known among Chriftians, that Abraham was the honorary father of all the bleffed feed, and confequently, that there was no other mean of obtaining the bleffing, that is juftification and the favour of God, than that by which Abraham obtained it : but he obtained it by faith. Moreover, seeing it is foretold, that in him all the families of the earth are to be blessed, they must needs be united to him, and be accounted, to him, as their fpiritual parent. But, in order to that union, it is not fufficient, that there be even an affociation with his natural defcendants by a communion of ceremonies, or of political laws: but a communion in the fame faith is requifite. And feeing this promife extended to all the families of the earth, and confequently even to the Gentiles; the Apoftle has justly concluded, that the Gentiles alfo are to be joined to Abraham, by the imitation of his faith, and, by the fame faith, become partakers of the fame bleffing with him.

XVI. Secondly, God especially promised him a SEED: which does not fignify promifcuoufly, any one who was to defcend from Abraham according to the flesh. For even Ifhmael was his feed, Gen. xxi. 13. And therefore great, but carnal promises were also made to him, Gen. xvi. 10. and Gen. xvii. 20. But by feed we are to understand. Ift, ISAAC, who fprung from a father almost dead, and of a mother barren and paft bearing. For, "in Ifaac fhall thy feed be called, Gen. xxi. 12. Moreover, Ifaac was not only the stock, but also the type of the Meffiah, who was afterwards to be born, and that of a virgin, who was certainly not more, if not lefs, capable than Sarah to bring forth a feed. And therfore, 2dly, the feed denotes also CHRIST, that feed which was formerly promised in paradise, "he faith not, and to feeds, as of many; but to thy feed, which is Chrift, Gal. iii. 16. Befides, as Ifaac was born, not by the virtue or power of the flesh, but of the promise, he is alfo a type of all BELIEVERS, who are indebted to the word of the promise of the gofpel for their fpiritual birth. And 3dly, Believers are alfo denoted by the seed; they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are accounted for the feed, Rom. ix. 8.

*

XVII.

* This is more explicit and particular than the firft promife, in the garden, concerning the feed of the woman; for this determines the family, as well as the race, or kind; that he fhould not only be in our nature, but defcend from fuch a stock, even from Abraham, who was not only the father of the Jewish nation, but of all the faithful.

XVII. Here we have a difficulty to be refolved, which, it seems, cannot well be omitted. Seeing the word feed fometimes denotes not only, but alfo chiefly a multitude of men; and especially, as it was promifed to Abraham, that his feed fhould be as the duft of the earth, and fince it has just been shewn, that, by the promised feed of Abraham, both Ísaac and all believers are to be understood; how then could the Apostle infift on the fingular, number, in order from thence to make out, that by the feed we are to understand Chrift? and which feems to be the lefs cogent, because the facred writers of the Old Testament, when treating of men, never use the word in the plural number. This difficulty appeared fo great to Jerome, that not knowing how to untye the knot, he ventured, though not with fufficient piety, to cut it asunder. He obferves, that Paul only made ufe of this argument with the dulland ftupid Galatians, which he knew would not, in other refpects, be approved by the prudent and the learned, and therefore forewarned the prudent reader of this, wen he said "brethren, I speak after the manner of men." Jerome's words are as follows: "whence it is evident, that the Apoftle performed what he had promised, and did not make use of abstruse meanings, but fuch as daily occur and are common, and which (had he not premifed," after the manner of men) " might difplease the prudent." But this is giving up the caufe to thofe, who defpife and ridicule the fcripture. The Apoftle certainly, by the expreffion mentioned by Jerome, was far from intimating, that by abufing the stupidity of the Galatians, he would argue lefs accurately and folidly. This is highly unworthy the gravity of an Apoftle and the unfearchable wisdom of the Spirit of God, by whose inspiration he wrote these things. Nor was this epiftle written only for the dull and ftupid Galatians, if we may call them fo, but alfo for the whole church to be a directory of faith. He intimated only this, that, he was to draw a fimilitude, from human things in order to explain things divine, and thus compare great things with fmall.

*

XVIII. And, indeed, as all other things, fo these also, appear to me to have been moft wifely obferved by the Apostle. It is certain, that the term feed, often fignifies a multitude, but it is a multitude collectively taken and united in one; at least with regard to the firft ftock or origin. When he speaks of the feed of Abraham, as the feed of the promise which he had promifed, to which the fame bleffings are to flow

from

The author's words are in fidei cynosuram, in which he refers to Cynofura, which was the leffer bear-ftar, by which the mariners of Tyre and Sidon, steered their courfe,

from the fame fountain, it must be confidered as one body. If I mistake not, when the Apostle fays, the promises were made to Abraham and to his feed, he points to the formula of the covenant, which we have, Gen. xvii. 7. I will be a God unto thee and to thy feed after thee." On this occafion the Apostle declares, that seeing all the families of the earth were, in their proper time, to become partakers of this bleffing, it was neceffary, they fhould be accounted to the feed of Abraham, and united to him in one body, and, as he speaks, Eph. i. 10. "gathered together in one in Chrift." But this is not done by circumcifion, or the other Jewish ceremonies. For befides that the promise was made to Abraham, while he was yet uncircumifed, and 430 years before the giving of the law; these ceremonies are the middle wall of partition, which separate the Ifraelites from the Gentiles, and therefore cannot be the band of union. But this incorporation or coalition is effected by the fpirit of faith, which indiffolubly unites believers to Chrift the head, who is the principal feed, and with one another mutually: and thus they all form together one spiritual feed of Abraham a whole Christ, with his myftical body. For, here we take the word CHRIST in the fame fenfe, as 1 Cor. xii. 12. Seeing therefore, as is evident, the promises were made to the spiritual feed of Abraham alone, exclufive of all others; but that spiritual feed ought to have alfo the same spiritual stock and origin; it muft needs form one myftical body, whofe head undoubttedly is Chrift, from whom all the other members have the honour to be called. Well therefore did the Apostle urge, that by the appellation feed, an union was intended, not precifely of perfon, but of fome myftical body, united by faith under the head Chrift. See on this place Drufius, Cameron. Gomarus, Diodati and others, who explain it of Christ and his mystical body.

XIX. But we are not to overlook a notable diversity of expreffion, that occurs here. God feveral times repeats to Abraham," in thee fhall be bleffed all families of the earth," Gen. xii. 3. and Gen. xviii. 18. But of the feed of Abraham it is said, "and in him fhall all nations of the earth m blefs themselves," Gen. xxii. 18. which is repeated, Gen. xxvi. 4. of the feed of Ifaac. But furely, we are one way blessed in Abraham, and another in his feed, Chrift. In Abraham as the type and exemplar; in Chrift, as the meritorious cause and real beftower of the bleffing, Eph. i. 3. We are not only bleffed, but alfo blefs ourselves in Chrift, acknowledging and praifing him, as the fountain and source of the bleffing, flowing

-that he who blei * אשר המתברך בארץ יתברך באלהי אמן : down to us

feth