promises to be the God of Abraham and of his seed after him. And this is the first time that this peculiar character assumed by God occurs in Scripture, and it is evidently connected with the everlasting covenant; and this indicates two distinct covenants as mentioned in this place. This subject carried on. The everlasting covenant was established with Isaac the son of Sarah, and not with Ishmael the son of Hagar, though he fully partook of the temporal promises, and was admitted to the benefit of the temporal covenant as well as Isaac. This distinction between the two covenants is the foundation of St. Paul's argument to the Galatians: It is written that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a free woman, &c.

Since then the promises of temporal prosperity to Abraham and his seed are distinct from the subject matter of the everlasting covenant made with him, and limited to Isaac and Jacob, and afterwards to the tribe of Judah and family of David, it remains to see what the subject of the covenant so limited is.

If we look back to the call of Abraham, and the promises that attend it, we shall find one blessing added, in which all the world has an interest, and which was to be conveyed to them through Abraham and his seed. In thee, says God, shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Whatever Abraham understood by this, he surely could not understand it as his children at this day understand it; who expect, in virtue of the promises, to have dominion over all people; which indeed would be a strange kind of blessing to them, thus to lose their liberty, and become subject to the dominion of one nation! But before we inquire into the special meaning of this blessing on all nations, we must see whether it were truly the matter of God's special, everlasting covenant with Abraham.

Ishmael, as we have seen, was excluded from this special covenant, and Isaac admitted to it. Both are admitted to the

temporal covenant; but the covenant with Isaac renews this very promise: In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed: Gen. xxvi. 4.—a plain proof that the special matter of God's covenant, limited from Abraham to Isaac, and exclusive of Ishmael, consisted in the promise of this universal blessing. We have the like evidence from a like case between the children of Isaac, Esau, and Jacob. The blessing of Abraham was limited to Jacob, and denied to Esau; yet Esau received a temporal blessing from his father as well as Jacob: this case enlarged on. The profaneness which the Apostle to the Hebrews attributes to Esau in selling his birthright, accounted for by his selling the blessing of Abraham. The limitation of Jacob's blessing on Esau, thou shalt serve thy brother, commented on and explained. It appears therefore that the blessing given to Jacob, and expressed in words implying, rule over his brethren, was truly a conveyance of the birthright to him in the family of Abraham; that the birthright in Abraham's family respected the special blessing and covenant given to Abraham by God; that Isaac himself calls this right of primogeniture in his house the blessing of Abraham; that God himself, in confirmation of Jacob's right of primogeniture, assures him that in his seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

Now this promise being the only special promise made to Isaac and Jacob in preference to their brethren, and in consequence of God's everlasting covenant limited to them, this promise must necessarily be understood to be the subject-matter of the everlasting covenant. False interpretation of this promise by some commentators exposed. What distinct notion Abraham had of the blessing promised to all nations through him and his seed, as well as of the manner and method by which it should be effected, we cannot pretend to say; but that he understood it to mean a deliverance of mankind from

the curse of the fall, there can be little doubt: this fully shown.

To preserve the hopes of this restoration in the world, and the expectation of future life and immortality, was Abraham called from his own country, then tainted with idolatry, to be a witness to God and his truth. Without this, the knowlege of God had been lost, and the remembrance of his creating man at first, and the hopes of a second and better creation after the fall. Abraham was not called for his own sake; much less were his stiff-necked posterity preserved for their own sakes, but that both parties might be instruments in the hands of God in the redemption and restoration of the world. The great article of the covenant, limited to Abraham and his chosen seed, evidently regarded the whole human race, and was to grow, in fulness of time, into a blessing on all nations. He and his posterity were depositories of these hopes; for the Jews' chief advantage above others was, that unto them were committed the oracles of God.

This account will help us to a distinct view of the prophecies relating to the period of time of which we are speaking: this point enlarged on.

Many of the ancient prophecies relate to both covenants; hence it comes to pass that at the first appearance many ancient predictions seem to be hardly consistent with themselves, but to be made up of ideas which can never unite in one person or in one event. Thus the promises to David of a son to succeed in his throne, have some circumstances which are applicable only to Solomon and temporal dominion over Israel; some which are peculiar to that Son of David, who was heir of an everlasting kingdom hence it is that we often find the promise of temporal felicity and deliverance raised so high that none can answer the description; the thoughts and expressions of the prophets naturally moving from the blessings of one covenant

to those of the other, &c. Nor is it to be wondered at that they often speak of both kingdoms together, or make use of the temporal deliverances as an argument to encourage hopes of the spiritual; since the temporal deliverances being the actual performance of one covenant, were a great security for the performance of the other and it would have been unnatural to see the hand of God performing one promise, without reflecting on the certainty of his performing the other.

The blessings belonging to the special covenant with Abraham and his seed were reserved to be revealed in God's appointed time. The prophets under the law could not be commissioned to declare them openly, without anticipating the time of their revelation: hence it is that the predictions concerning Christ and his kingdom are clothed in figures proper to raise the hopes and attention of the people, without carrying them beyond the bounds of knowlege prescribed to the age of the Jewish covenant.

If each kind of prophecy be considered distinctly by itself, it will be more clearly seen how this case stands.

Abraham was called from his father's house, on a promise that he should become a great nation, and that his seed should possess the land of Canaan. This promise could not be fulfilled in all its parts, till Abraham's family was multiplied into a nation. This required many years; and what must become of these children of promise in the mean time, who had no country of their own wherein to settle and multiply? Without launching out into speculations on the methods of Providence, let any one read the prophecies from the call of Abraham to Moses, and he will see evidently that they refer to this state of things: this point made out. The times of Moses and of Joshua, those days of miracles as well as prophecies, want no explication the intention of Providence appears plain in every step.

The commonwealth of Israel was raised, and flourished,

under the temporal covenant, given at first to Noah; and in a particular manner, with additional promises, confirmed to Abraham and his seed for this reason all the promises and threatenings of the law are temporal, suitable to the age and season of the world. But these temporal blessings and punishments were so visibly administered by the hand of God, that every execution of the threats and promises of the law became a new proof of its divine authority. If it be asked why God did so visibly interpose in their temporal affairs, the answer may be thus given: No other nation ever had a divine law given on the establishment of temporal blessings and punishments; and therefore God had not so bound himself to any other nation, to account to them for their temporal prosperity and adversity but to the Jews, with whom he had established a law and a covenant on temporal promises, he stood obliged to make good his word, and to justify himself to them in the administration of temporal affairs. For this reason a succession of prophets was raised up among them, at whose mouths they might receive the direction of God; and this is what Moses means in Deut. iv. 7.

That they might not be tempted by the prosperity of other nations and their own adversity to fall away to other gods, they were forewarned of the things that were to befal them; their calamities were prophetically described to them, that they might know, whenever they suffered, that it was the very hand of their own God that was on them: hence it is that we find so many prophecies, under the law, relating to the civil state of the Jews for this cause the great captivity of Babylon is so largely and fully foretold by the prophets, that the people might not be tempted to think that the gods of the nations had prevailed against them, and thereby be seduced to forsake God in their distress; but might know that his hand was in all their sufferings; might become humble and obedient; and farther, might know that all their adversity and prosperity