66 "firmation is to them an end of all ftrife. Wherein God, willing to "fhew to the heirs of promise the "immutability of his counfel, con"firmed it by an oath; that by two "immutable things, in which it "was impoffible for God to lie, we might have a ftrong confolation, who have fled for refuge, to lay "hold upon the hope fet before us*." O the goodness of God, who hath given his creatures the affurance of an oath! O the infidelity of his creatures, who diftrust that affurance t. *Heb. vi. 13. † O beatos nos, quorum caufa Deus jurat! O miferrimos, fi nec juranti Domino credimus! Tertull. 7. That 7. That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, might ferve him without fear, 8. In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. THE promife, made with an oath to Abraham, was made, after the intentional facrifice of Ifaac, in the following terms; "By myfelf have "I fworn-that in bleffing I will "bless thee, and in multiplying I "will multiply thy feed as the stars "of heaven, and as the fand which is '' 66 upon the sea shore; and thy feed "fhall poffefs the gate of his ene 66 mies; and in thy feed fhall all the nations 66 "nations of the earth be bleffed*." The objects of the bleffing here promifed are the faithful children of Abraham, whether Jews or Gentiles; the "feed," in whom they are bleffed, is Chrift; the manner in which he obtains the bleffing, is by "poffeffing the gate of his enemies," that is, by fubduing them, and feizing their strong holds; the bleffing itself confifteth in a redemption from bondage under thofe enemies, and an admiffion into the fervice of God. Such is the fubftance and intention of the promise made with an oath to Abraham, as explained by Zacharias, and fulfilled under the gofpel. In the mean time, between the promise and it's accomplishment it pleased * Gen. xxii. 16. God God to interpofe a difpenfation, which exhibited a vifible reprefentation of this great and important tranfaction, in the cafe of the children of Ifrael, or the posterity of Abraham according to the flesh, who, after having been long detained in cruel bondage by Pharaoh and the Egyptians, were delivered out of the "hands of their enemies ;" and delivered for this purpose, that they might ferve God with a prefigurative fervice, calculated to laft" till the "feed fhould come, to whom the "promife was made." For thus Jehovah faith to Mofes," When "thou haft brought forth the peo ple out of Egypt, they fhall ferve "God upon this mountain*." * Exod. iii. 12. So that that when, at the transfiguration of our Lord upon mount Tabor, Mofes difcourfed with him on the fubject of "his decease," or, as it is in the original, his EXODUS, " which he "fhould accomplish at Jerufalem," may we not imagine to ourselves the deliverer of Ifrael addreffing the world's Redeemer in fome fuch words as thefe-By my hand the Lord God of Ifrael did once vouchfafe to bring forth his people from the afflicting bondage of Egypt; but thou fhalt turn the multitude of the Gentiles from the power of Satan to God. I faw the Lord make a path through the waters, for his redeemed to pafs over; but thou fhalt find a more wonderful way through the waves of death; and though the floods fhall compafs |