LECTURE 29.

The Christian assured of his salvation by covenant. How seasonable is the encouragement which God here gives to Abraham, after the troubles related in the last chapter! How willing is God to be the shield and the exceeding great reward of such as put their trust in Him, yea and also to assure them that He is so! But though God encourages, man notwithstanding will despond. Even Abraham is dispirited, when he finds himself childless, and apprehends that Eliezer will be his heir. We cannot however suppose that his anxiety related to the succession of an heir to his property. He was thinking of the promised Seed, in whom all nations of the earth were to be blessed. Happy are those mourners whose grief arises from anxiety as to their relationship to Christ. Blessed are they who thus mourn, "for they shall be comforted." Matt. 5. 4. God promises. They believe. Their faith is counted unto them for righteousness. Thus it was that God dealt with Abraham. Thus does He still deal with the children of Abraham's faith. Let us therefore believe heartily all that God reveals, all that He has promised in Christ Jesus. Let us believe of Him that He justifies the ungodly for Christ's sake. Let us believe that He makes sinners holy by the working of his Holy Spirit in their hearts.

But God gave a further token for the comfort and support of Abraham; appointing a special sacrifice, and shewing that He accepted it by the "burning lamp" which, "when the sun went down," was seen to pass "between those pieces." Now this was a form of solemn covenant. And accordingly we are told at the end of this account, "In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land." And in a vision which took place "when the sun was going down," the like assurance had been previously revealed, but accompanied with a prophecy of four hundred years affliction in a state of captivity. And in the account of this vision we are told, "lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him." This seems to have accompanied the painful part of the prophecy. And this may serve to remind us that they who would in the end enjoy the promises of God, must not be surprised if they first endure much tribulation. The righteous, according to St. Peter, are scarcely saved. See 1 Pet. 4. 18. No wonder that they often have to go through great agonies of mind, before they feel assured of their salvation. What, can it be possible, nay is it even probable, that I shall have to dwell with everlasting burnings? What an horror of great darkness is this! And am I indeed delivered from this endless misery? am I assured of my deliverance? am I relieved of my apprehension? Have I an actual covenant with God, a covenant confirmed by the sacrifice of his Son? May I make sure of an inheritance in heaven for ever? Then, God be praised I will fear no more. He is my shield; therefore shall I not be hurt. All I suffer here shall be no loss! He is my exceeding great reward.

Sarah giveth Hagar to Abraham to be his wife.

1 Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.

2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. 3 And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.

4 And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.

5 And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee.

6 But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.

7 And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. 8 And he said, Hagar, Sarai's

maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.

9 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.

10 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.

11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.

12 And he will be a wild man ; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

13 And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?

14 Wherefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

15 And Hagar bare Abram a son and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.

16 And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.

LECTURE 30.

That we must wait patiently for the fulfilment of God's promises. It is expressly said that Sarah gave Hagar "to her husband Abram to be his wife." This therefore is one of the many cases in which the professed servants of the true God fell in with the

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prevailing practice of the times, to have more than one wife at once. But the strife and domestic misery which ensued both in this and in other like instances, seem to mark God's disapprobation of the system. Here indeed there was another point of view in which what Abraham and Sarah did was wrong. They were impatient to have God's promises fulfilled. They measured his ability to fulfil them, by the usual course of nature. And when this afforded no prospect of their fulfilment, they adopted a plan, which they might certainly have known to be by no means agreeable to his will. Under these circumstances, it was no wonder that Hagar was unduly elated, so far as to despise her mistress, nor that Sarah made complaints to Abraham though the trouble had been all of her own seeking, nor that Abraham out of regard to his long loved wife gave into her power the mother of his expected child, nor that Sarah dealt hardly with her, nor that Hagar fled. Where we distrust the power and truth of God, all is disorder. When we seek out a way of our own, instead of walking and waiting patiently in the way of God's appointment, what can we expect but vexation of spirit? But though the righteous fall, God can set him up again. And though he should live to old age, we shall never see him forsaken, nor his seed begging their bread. Hagar, though a bondwoman, is now the wife of Abraham, and therefore the angel of the Lord appeared unto her by a fountain of water in the wilderness," persuaded her to return to her duty, promised her that her seed should be multiplied exceedingly, told her by what name to call her son that should be born, and described in most exact and striking terms the character of the people which would descend from her offspring. Let us learn hence, that though we fly from the face of man, we are never out of sight of God, but can be overtaken in a moment by his angel, whether for evil or for good. Let us learn that He delights to send after us a messenger of good, to teach us what we have done wrong, and how we ought to amend. Let us consider, when we are tempted to flee from the face of those, who are put in authority over us, how much better it is to submit ourselves one to another, in the fear of the Lord. Let us observe that even in Ishmael God would give to Abraham an innumerable offspring; as if to shew that He could twice fulfil his promise, in the bondwoman, as well as in the free. And let us admire and adore his divine foreknowledge, that there should be set forth, whilst yet this child was in the womb, a description with which his offspring, the Arabs of the desert, have so exactly tallied, down to the present time.

God calleth Abram, Abraham; ordaineth circumcision.

1 And when Abram was ninety an everlasting possession; and years old and nine, the LORD I will be their God.

LECTURE 31.

How highly we must value baptism, which is Christian circumcision. How many times does God repeat his promises to Abraham, for his greater comfort and assurance! How many ways does He vary the means of assuring him; promising him by words, giving him a new name, and ordaining circumcision for a lasting token in the flesh! And do we suppose that all this was done, merely to make him certain that he should have a numerous posterity? Nay, it was designed also to assure him, that he should be a forefather of the Saviour of mankind, and that many of mankind should

through Christ be saved. And it has further an application to ourselves, giving to us also the comfort and encouragement of knowing that we are in covenant with God. For if God in old time talked with Abraham, has He not in these last days spoken to us by his Son? See Heb. 1. 2. If God changed Abram's name to Abraham, has He not promised by Christ to all them that overcome, that He will give unto them "a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it?" Rev. 2. 17. If God established his covenant with Abraham and his seed after him, are not we, according to the Scripture, children of the faith of Abraham? Is not he the father of all them that believe? See Rom. 4. 11. If Canaan was given for an everlasting possession to his children according to the flesh, lost indeed for a time by their transgression, but still theirs by the covenant of inheritance, is there not also a promised land in heaven for our inheritance; ours by covenant, ours by promise, ours by right of our Saviour's blood; though still liable to be lost by sin?

"And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.' Abraham must not expect to have all the advantage of being in covenant with God, and yet to have no duty to do in consequence. He could neither enjoy the benefits of the covenant, nor the comfort of being sure that he was in covenant with God, except by keeping the commandments which God gave him, doing the thing which God bade him, circumcising himself, his son, and every man child among them in their successive generations. This was to be the token of the covenant between God and them. And it was also the indispensable condition. For as to "the uncircumcised man child," said the Lord, "that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant." How close is the resemblance between this token given to Abraham, and the baptism enjoined on Christians! How reasonable is it to think, that if children under the old covenant must be circumcised at eight days old, under the new covenant children may be baptized! How clearly does it follow, that if a child for lack of being circumcised was declared to have broken the covenant, much more children may be in covenant, children may be reckoned, out of God's love for these little ones, to keep covenant, and we may feel assured of our children, that God will keep covenant with them! Let us then, for our parts, take care to keep God's covenant ourselves. Let us keep it by the reverent administration of this Christian circumcision, namely baptism. See Col. 2. 11, 12. Let us value the token, because God has ordained it; and because it is not only the token, but also the way and means ordained by God, without which we are not in covenant with Him at all.