finger in Ifrael, that I cannot speak; and fays Job, the terrors of GOD fet themselves in array against me, Job vi. 4. And here

would alfo obferve, that when Providence is darkest, our forrows greateft, the neceffity of our wants moft preffing, and every friend and comfort fail, then the hand of God is nigheft: for when Abraham, had ftretched out his hand to flay his fon, then the Angel of the LORD JEHOVAH JESUS, called unto him from Heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham! who faid, here I am; and he faid, lay not thy hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him, for I know that thou fearest GOD, feeing thou haft not witheld thy fon, thine only fon, from ME: And Abraham called the name of the place Jehovahjirah, that is, in the mount the LORD will be feen: Our deepest extremity is the season of his kindeft opportunity; when all men forfook me, fays the Apostle, the LORD ftood by me.

Friendly. But was not Ifaac a type of CHRIST?

Truth. Yes, Ifaac was a type of CHRIST, in his birth, as it was above the ufual courfe of nature, and attended with joy ;-in his life, as he was perfecuted by Ishmael;-in his refignation, and, as we may fay, in his refurrection, Abraham receiving him as from the dead;-and particularly in his carrying the wood on which he was to be offered: So CHRIST'S conception was miraculous, his birth celebrated with the higheft joy, was perfecuted by Herod, was refigned to the will of GOD the Father, faid he, not my will but thine be done; and rofe the third day, &c. Was Ifaac a beloved fon? fo was CHRIST; this is my beloved fon. Was Ifaac offered up by his father? fo was CHRIST; be spared not his own Son, but freely delivered. him up for us all, Rom. viii. 32.

Friendly. But what became of Ifaac, after the LORD had fo eminently appeared for his deliverance?

Truth. We find what Abraham acted as a wife and prudent father; for when Ifaac was about forty years old he engaged himself to provide a wife for him; but not of any of the Hea then princes' daughters round about him, but a daughter of his native country, and of his own kindred; or rather the LORD had fixed upon a wife for Ifaac, therefore he remarkably appeared for Abraham's fervant, according to his fervant's prayer, Gen. xxiv. 12. and he faid, O LORD GOD of my mafter Abraham, I pray thee fend me good speed this day, and fhew kindnefs unto my mafier Abraham; which requeft was remarkably anfwered in verse 48.

Friendly. What became of Isaac after his marriage? had he a fruitful table of children; becaufe GOD had promifed to

Abraham that he would multiply his feed as the stars, and as the land upon the fea-shore?

Truth. No, Ifaac had no great family, for almoft twenty years rolled on, and no promited feed appeared, for Rebekah his wife was barren: Herein the LORD tried Ifaac's faith as well as his father Abraham's before him. The promises of GOD in their accomplishment are like the dawning light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day; therefore we find that Ijaas intreated the LORD, and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekab his wife conceived, and fhe found an unusual ftruggling in her womb, and the faid, why am I thus? And The went to inquire of the LORD; and the LORD faid unto her, two nations are in thy womb, and the elder shall ferve the younge; becaufe GoD had fixed the fulfilment of his promife in facob the younger fon, viz. a numerous iffue, the birth of the MESSIAH, which was called the feed of Abraham, and of Ifaac, to whom pertained the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the fervice of GOD, and the promises, Rm. ix. 4. therefore, fays GOD, Jacob have I loved, Mal. i. 2.

Friendly. Wherein does it appear that the LORD loved Jasb fo diftinguishingly?

Truth. First, It appears in the fixing of his eternal love upon him, Mal. i. 2. Yet I loved Jacob; and the apostle tells you when he loved him, Rom. ix. 11. for the children (meaning Efau and Jacob) not being yet born, neither having done good or evil that the purpose of GoD according to election, might ftand, not for works, but for him that calleth,

Second, In preferving him by his mother's direction from the malice of his brother Efau, from whom he had obtained his birth-right, and by the directions of his mother, with the co-operation of Providence, had obtained his father's bleffing likewife; which was prophetical of the future bleffing he was to enjoy in his perfon, in his family, and in his future pofterity. Therefore fays Ifaac, when Efau would have revoked his father's bleffing, I have blessed him, and he shall be blefed: Indeed the bleffing of right belonged to Jacob, as Efau had before fold him his birth-right; and what was the birth-right but his father's bleffing? though he would afterwards have obtained it, but he was rejected, fays the apoftle, because he bad fold his birth-right, Heb. xii. 16, 17. Yet, notwithftanding he hated his brother Jacob; Abraham had a mocking omael, Ifaac had a fierce hating Efau, David a wicked Absalam, and Eli had fons of Belial. Thus the faith of the godly

is often tried, by the ungodliness of their children; and indeed let me obferve (for it is what many feel) that there is no fword cuts the heart fo deep as that which is made out of our own bowels; but I apprehend that Efau did not hate Jacob so much for obtaining the bleffing, as he did from a natural enmity he always had in his mind against him; only now he thought he had an occafion, and therefore would feek an opportunity to vent his inward rage. For Efau ftruggled with Jacob in the womb, which was a lively allegory or figure, of the strugglings of fin and grace in the womb of the believer's mind, for the Edomites were always enemies to the Ifraelites, fee Pfalm cxxxvii. 7. Oba. 1c. but, faith the LORD, the elder fhall ferve the younger, which was true in a litteral fense, when the Edomites (who fprung from Efau) were fervants to the Ifraelites, 2 Sam. viii. 14. and all they of Edom became David's Jervants; but much more fo fpiritually, the elder fhall ferve the younger, which denotes the fubjection of fin to the authority of grace, shall serve, fhall be awed by, and commanded over by grace.

Third, Divine love appeared to Jacob, in the fimilitude of a dream, and likewife by voice: firft in the fimilitude of a dream, And he dreamed, and behold a ladder fet upon the earth, and the top of it reached to Heaven: and behold, the Angels of GOD afcending and defcending on it; and the LORD flood above it, And faid, I am the LORD GOD of Abraham, thy father, and the GOD of Ifaac; the land wherein thou lieft, to thee will I give it, and to thy feed. And in thy feed fhall all the families of the earth be bleffed: And behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goeft, 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. And Jacob awaked out of his fleep, and faid, furely the LORD is in this place, and I knew it not, this is none other but the house of GOD, and this is the gate of Heaven. And Jacob vowed a vow, faying, if GOD will be with me, and will keep me in the way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, jo that I come again to my Father's house in peace, then fhall the LORD be my GOD. Gen. xxviii. from verse

12, to 20.

Friendly. If it might not be too great freedom in me, and too great an interruption in our prefent enjoyment, give me leave to ask the favour of your ideas upon Jacob's dream; as it seems to be a fpiritual dream, I fhould be glad of a fpiritual interpretation of it, if the digreffion will not be too extenfive?

Truth. My dear Friendly, you have my whole heart, and every treasure there contained is at your pleafure; and if my ideas upon Jacob's dream afford you any pleafure, your fatisfaction is my harveft. In the first place, I apprehend that Faceb's dream was God's making himfelf known unto him, agreeably to his promife, Numb. xii. 6. If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known to him in a vifion, and will speak to him in a dream. And the ladder he faw, was a pre-figuration of the human nature of CHRIST, and by its being placed upon the earth, denoted CHRIST dwelling with us, or the humiliation of the fon of GoD, whofe vifage was marred more than any man's. The word was made flesh and dwelt among us; by its reaching up to heaven, it points out to us the high exaltation of the human nature of CHRIST in union to his divine. For GoD has given the Man JESUS a name, above every name that is named, whether in this world, or that which is to come, Eph. i. 21. By the angels afcending and defcending upon it, I humbly conceive we are to understand that delight, readiness, and joy, that the Angels take, in fifting, fearching, and prying, into the mystery of the incarnation, life, death, and sufferings of the LORD JESUS, which is ftyled by the HOLY GHOST, their food and delight, Pf. Ixxviii. 25. Man did eat angels food, and what they eat the apostle tells you in I. Cor. x. 3, 4. And they did all ea of the fame fpiritual meat, and did all drink of the jame spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that › reck was CHRIST; which things the Angels defire to look into, 1. Pet. i. 12. By the rounds of the ladder, upon which the angels of GOD afcended and defcended, was his life, his death, his refurrection, his exaltation, and glorification: Or by the angels may be understood the angels of the churches, the minifters of CHRIST, Rev. i. 20. by the rounds of the ladder, the fure fteps that the feet of faith take upon the life, death, refurrection and exaltation of CHRIST; or the exceeding great and precious promifes, which are all yea, and amen, in CHRIST JESUS, by which the foul afcends within the veil, enters into the Holy of Holies by the blood of JESUS, as the new and living way.

By the LORD ftanding above the ladder, denoted the selfexiftent glories of CHRIST's divine nature; ftanding above it, that he had a nature that was independent of it, that was above all bleffings, and above all praifes. Therefore he fays, I am JEHOVAH, the GOD of Abraham thy father, and the GOD of Ifaac,; the land wherein thou lieft, to thee will I give it, and

to thy feed. Now if it had not been JEHOVAH that appeared unto Jacob, he could not have had the difpofing of the earth, for the earth is the LORD's.

Friendly. But how do you prove that it was JEHOVAH JESUS that appeared unto Jacob?

Truth. Evidently by Jacob's own words, Gen. xxxi. 11. who there informs you who it was that faid unto him at Bethel, I am JAHOVAH, the GOD of Abraham, thy father, and the GOD of Ifaac; and the angel of the LORD spoke unto me in a dream, faying, Jacob, and I faid here I am; and the angel faid, ver. 3. I am the GOD of Bethel, where thou anointeft the pillar, and where thou vowedeft a vow unto me. You fee here, that the angel was the GOD of Bethel that appeared unto Jacob, and that CHRIST bears the appellation and title of an angel, is evident in Ifa. Ixiii. 9. In all their afflictions he was afflicted, and the angel of his prefence faved them, which I think, is an incontestable proof of the deity of CHRIST being naturally and effentially the fame with the FATHER. For what proof would an Arian have, to fatisfy his ungrateful mind of the self-exiftent and underived glories of Chrift's divine nature greater than this? That he is revealed under the character of an angel they own; that this angel is JEHOVAH, the GOD of Bethel the GOD of Abraham, the GoD of Ifaac, is proved to a demonftration by Jacob's own words, Gen. xxxi. 11. 13. and confirmed by GOD himself, Gen. xxxv. 1. And GOD faid unto Jacob, arife, go up to Bethel, and dwell there, and make there an altar unto GOD, that appeared unto thee when thon feddeft from the face of Efau thy brother. And indeed an Arian, or a Socinian, may with as much truth and cogency of argu→ ment deny the felf-exiftence of JEHOVAH the FATHER, as the felf exiftence of JEHOVAH JESUS. They think, contrary to truth, that his original nature flows from his Sonfhip; but let me tell them plainly, and in its proper place it fhall be proved, by a train of arguments, that all the divine perfections of the deity fhine radically, effentially, and eternally, in the LORD JESUS, as JEHOVAH by nature; whofe perfections and divine glories are as natural to him, as light and heat is unto the fun; and whofe exiftence is not brought forth created, or begotten, but naturally antegenial. But I beg pardon for this digreffion; and pardon, my dear Friendly, the warmth of my foul, when treating on this fubject; for my mind is pierced with forrow, and with briney tears could I write the lamentations of my foul, to think how many dear lovers of CHRIST have endeavoured to establish the proper deity