r

pleafed to enter into with Abraham and his pofterity, to be a God unto him and them ", imported, in the fpiritual fenfe, a promife of eternal life in heaven For as a Chrift proves the refurrection in general, from I am the God of Abraham, &c. fo the apoftle explains it to mean a resurrection to life eternal. • God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he hath prepared for them a city, that is in heaven, which accordingly Abraham looked for.

Thus was God pleased to enter into covenant with Abraham; and to confirm it, and support his hope therein, he changed his name from Abram, which fignifies high father, to Abraham, which imports the father of a multitude; by adding one Hebrew letter called He (as our H,) being the first letter of the word Hamon, which in Hebrew fignifies a multitude"; for, fays God, A father of many nations have I made thee: As alfo for the fame reafon He (or H) might be added to the name of Sarai to make it Sarah ". The fign or token, and feal of this covenant was circumcifion, according to God's appointment *.

This circumcifion was the cutting off the forefkin of the member, which is the inftrument of generation, of every male that was the offspring of Abraham: In which part of the body, rather than any other, God might appoint the mark of his covenant to be made, that they might be denominated to be an holy feed, confecrated to him from the beginning: For fince God covenanted with Abraham to multiply his feed, and to bless all the nations

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nations of the earth in him, it was meet that the feal of the covenant fhould be impreffed on the very inftrument of generation, that it might be fuitable to the nature and intent of the covenant, and the better renew the remembrance of it. Another fecondary reafon for circumcifion, mentioned by one of the moft judicious among the Jewish rabbies, is not unworthy our notice; and that is, Its "being a common fign of unity among the pofterity of Abraham, and of di"ftinction from other people; fo as they might "be known to be fuch: Forafmuch as a flight marking of a limb might be imitated, and obliterated or healed up again; but not fuch an one as this; nor would any perfon comply with it, "or with fo painful an one, except on the fcore of "faith and religion." This inftitution of circumcifion afterwards was made part of Mofes's law: Upon which the Jews did always much value themfelves, that they, of all nations, fhould have on their bodies the token or feal of the covenant, which God himself made with their forefathers: So they accounted it their glorious and peculiar privilege, and the chief ground of their dependence on God's favour: Upon which they esteemed circumcifion more than all the other rites and orders of the ceremonial law; and the term uncircumcifed was the higheft reproach, as with us an heathen or infidel 2. As for ftrangers admitted among them, (as profelytes, of which hereafter) their males alfo were to be circumcifed, and fo they were accounted the adopted children of Abraham 2.

y Maimon. Mor. Nevoch. pars iii. chap. 49. Gen. xvii. 12, 13. Exod. xii. 48.

xiv. 3.

This

z Judges

This circumcifion was to continue till Chrift came, and then to ceafe; because it was a figa or token of both the parts of the covenant God made with Abraham, viz first, That the promised feed, the Meffiah, fhould (as man) proceed from his loins; but when the covenant was made good, and Chrift the promised feed was come, there was no reafon for the continuance of the fign of it. Secondly, Circumcifion was alfo a fign of the other part of the covenant God made with Abraham, That he would be a God to him and his pofterity, or they should be his peculiar church and people; but in Chrift, the Gentiles, as well as the Jews, were b to be members of God's church, (as hath been obferved before :) And the promise of this, was made before Abraham was circumcifed, as the apostle remarks . But the Jews, after Christ's appearance in the world, would not believe nor underftand this, nor allow that any befides Abraham's feed, or unless they were circumcifed, and made profelytes, fhould be in covenant with God: And fo were much prejudiced against the apoftles, for preaching down the ceremonial law, and more efpecially abolishing the facrament of circumcifion. The careful obfervation of this will render a great deal of the New Teftament more easy to be underftood, when we come to confider that part of the Holy Bible.

Thus far we fee God's kindness to Abraham, and the covenant made with him, and promife to him; of which circumcifion was made a token and feal.

Not

Sed etiam veteres Hebraei in eâ fuerunt Sententiâ, quod tempore Meffiæ, cricumcifio fpiritualiter, non carnaliter amplius, fieri debet. P. Fagius in Deut. x. 16. d Rom. iv. 9, &c.

xii. 3.

Gen.

Notwithstanding all this favour God fhewed to Abraham, yet he had many afflictions, as we read in this hiftory, and feveral trials of his faith in God, and obedience to his will; for, befides his. entire refignation to God, and firm dependence on him, when he called him out of his own country into Canaan, when he was feventy-five years old, he was forced to leave his abode by reason of a famine, and go to fojourn in Egypt; where he was in danger of having his beloved wife Sarah taken from him f. The inftruction he gave his wife, to fay that fhe was his fifter, was no lie; for fhe was fo indeed, as being the daughter of his father Terah, (who had, it feems, two wives) but not the daughter of his own mother; and so his half fifter by the father's fide; and it was not esteemed unlawful among the Gentiles to intermarry in fuch cafe 1. Again, there were feuds and difquiets in his family, which obliged him to difmifs Ifhmael, one of his fon's i. But the foreft affliction, and moft fevere trial was, when God commanded him *, to flay and facrifice his only and beloved fon Ifaac, whom he had given to him in a miraculous manner, to be the heir of his great eftate, and (which was infinitely more) the heir of the promife which God had made, to establish his covenant with this very fon Isaac, for an everlasting covenant, and with his

feed

e Gen. xii. 4. f Gen. xii. io, &c. as again afterwards, Gen.. xx. 2, &c. 8 Gen. xx. 12. h Grotius in Gen. xx. 12. Others esteem her to have been the daughter of Haran, Abraham's brother, and grand-daughter to Terah, and fo the niece of Abraham; it being ufual with the Hebrews to call fuch near relations by the name of fifter, and grandchild by the name of daughter. Ainsworth. i Gen. xxi. 9, &c. * Gen. xxii. 2, &c.

feed after him; and though he knew that God, who, contrary to the ufual courfe of nature, hatt bleffed him with a fon, was able to raife him up even from the dead ", which he believed, though there had been no example then, of any fuch refurrection; yet this was such a trial as might stagger the firmeft refolution. Still he perfifted in believing God, and difcharging his duty; and God delivered him, and made good all his promifes.

Here we may learn a religious behaviour, viz. to endeavour to intitle ourselves to God's favour, by doing our duty, and fubmitting to his will; and then relying on his gracious promifes, which in their proper season, and in God's own way; fhall at length be all accomplished.

Furthermore, from this hiftory of Abraham's attempting to flay and facrifice his fon, we are not to conclude that a parent has an authority and power over the life of his child, or that Abraham was unnaturally cruel towards his; but that God, who is the fovereign Lord of all his creatures, may difpofe of them as he pleafes: And for that caufe Abraham is juftified in complying with the divine appointment. In the next place, we are here taught, that the prophets (and fuch were the ancient Patriarchs) were fully affured of thofe things which God revealed or fpake unto them; which they believed as ftrongly as things of fense: For if Abraham had in the leaft doubted, whether this were the will of God, or no, he would never have confe ted to a thing which nature abhorred; nor, without the like affurance afterwards, have difmiffed his fon, on his hearing a voice, Lay not thine hand upon the lad. In like manner

■ Heb. xi. 19

! Gen. xvii. 19.

we