own perfon or in his feed *. I apprehend both fenfes may be included, though the latter is chiefly intended: Abram was conftituted a BLESSING, as he was fet apart to be the channel through which the SEED OF THE WOMAN, and of Noah, fhould come; being, at once, the type and one of the ancestors of the Meffiah, as well as Noah. He was not only a bleffing in refpect of his usefulness in his own day and generation, but alfo as a figure of the Meffiah: Accordingly, that which is affirmed of the type, in this promife, is affirmed of the antitype, in a later prophecy †. In this promife, the Meffiah was exhibited in the perfon, and under the figure of Abram, to be bleffings, efpecially juftification to finners under the curfe: "And men fhall be blefled in him."

5. GOD promifed to BLESS THEM WHO BLESSED ABRAM . Thofe who bleffed him were fuch as wifhed well to his foul, and the fouls of all who walk in his footsteps. Such as with ed well to the kingdom and intereft of the Meffiah; and also ascribed bleffing and praise unto the Meffiah himfelf. God engageth to. bring fuch perfons in, along with Abram, to fhare of pardon and reconciliation; yea, their bleffing the Meffiah is an evidence he hath

* Dr Gill confines this promife to the former fignifica tion, and Dr Owen to the latter,

Gen. xxii. 18.

Gen. xii. 3.

pardoned

pardoned them already, and that he will bless and increase them ay more and more, till he bring them to glory.

6. GoD promised to CURSE THEM WHO CURSED ABRAM. The fenfe which is ufually given to this verfe is to the following purport: That God has cominon friends and common foes with his people. And this is certainly true in itfelf, though not the truth here revealed: This promife refers to the enemies of the Meffiah and his feed, as thefe are united under the old ferpent. Said God, "I will CURSE HIM that speaketh evil of thee." The perfons bleffed are expreffed in the plural number, and the objects of the curfe in the fingular. The reafon of this change, fay fome, is, becaufe there are many to fpeak well of Abram and his feed, compared with thofe who fpeak evil of them. But the very reverfe, I humbly judge, is the truth in this cafe, while that feed are in this world: The world is their ftep-mother, and speaks all manner of evil concerning them. The reafon why God fpeaks of the object of the curfe as one individual perfon is, because all the curfed race are actuated by one and the fame fpirit, and united under one head. The old ferpent then, and all his brood, are an accurfed race: The curfe which God pronounceth on this mals is expreffed by another term

Gen. xii. 3.

than

than that which expreffeth that curfe which Abram's enemies pronounce on him*. The latter fignifies to speak lightly of a perfon, as well as to curfe. Accordingly, the serpent and his feed vend their malice against the genuine fons of Abram, by obloquy and reproach, when

* The curfe wich God denounced against the haters of Abram and his feed is exprefled by 88, from maledixit, execratus eft; which is ufed to denote the heaviest curfes mentioned in all the book of God: Such as the curfe pronounced on Cain, Gen iv. 11. On Ham and Canaan, Gen. ix. 25. And those from mount Ebal, Deut. xxvii. 15. ufque ad finem. This laft is a representation of the curfe of the Covenant of Works; that curfe under which the feed of the ferpent, from among men, will be found at the last day; when the righteous judge fhall fay unto them, depart from me ye CURSED! Than which no one thing can be more dreadful; as God can eafily put all his wishes into execution, and perform all that he has threatened.-The curfe which Abram's

,קלל from מקללך eneinies with on him is exprefled by

which imports SMALL WEIGHT, when applied to physical fubjects, and LITTLE HONOUR when applied to morals. In the former fenfe it is used, Gen. viii. 1.: So Noahı knew that the waters were abated (Heb. were lighter on) from off the earth. In the latter fenfe it occurs more frequently in the Old Teftament; and is variously rendered by our tranflators :- Sometimes it is tranflated DESPISE, as Gen. xvi. 4, 5. when Hagar defpifed, or lightly-esteemed her miftrefs. At other times it is rendered CURSE, as 2 Sam. xvi. 5, 7, 10. and xix. 21. when Shimei curfed David; that is vilified and reproached him. In this laft fignification it obtains in the text under confideration. The feed of the serpent nibble at the heel of the Seed of the Woman after the example of Shimei; or, in imitation of the ACCUSER of the brethren. See Dr Owen on the Heb. Exerc. Vol. I. p. 90.

reftrained

reftrained from manual perfecution: they vilify them with their tongues, drawing them like fharp fwords, when their circumftances cannot admit of more. The former denotes, a devoting to direful torments, whether temporal or eternal. Thus, it was ufed by God himfelf, when he doomed the devil, under the notion of a ferpent, unto eternal punishment *. This promife denounceth eternal wrath upon upon all who continue to act like their father the devil unto the end: Verily they fhall have their reward! Taken in this light, then, it is a notable renovation of the first promife; and a farther profecution of that grand defign: For threatenings against the devil and his children, are promifes to the Woman and her feed. Of confequence, as the first promife was engroffed in this covenant, it cannot imply lefs than covenant-renovation.

1

7. GOD faid unto Abram, AND IN THEE

SHALL ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH

BE BLESSED. This promife is certainly an amplification of the fourth, which has been confidered above; and it is frequently renewed in after covenants. It imports, that a part of all the kindreds of the earth fhould be justified and faved through the feed of Abram: For to BLESS has been explained, by the Apostle, to JUSTIFY; and whom God juftifies,

Gen. iii. 14. + Gen. xii. 3.

them

them he alfo glorifies. The emphasis of the promife lies on the prepofition IN*. Juftifi cation, and all thofe bleffings which are connected with it, are promifed IN Abram,——————As the grand exemplar to the Church, even in gofpel times: Said the Apoftle Peter, "Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, faying unto Abraham, And IN thy feed fhall all the families of the earth be bleffed t." This promife was a ground of faith, not only to Abram, a fingle father, but alfo to all the fathers of the Old Teftament Church, this cove nant being made with the fathers: Not only to the members of the Old Teftament, but alfo to fuch as lived after the refurrection of Christ, when the Gospel Church was conftitu

"Particula (IN) triplicem in hac promiffione fig"nificatum obtinet: BENEDICENTUR IN TE. I. ut in ex"emplari. Abraham, quippe ex fide juftificatus et bene"dictus exemplar ac typus fuit benedictionis ac justifica“tionis gentium ex fide. Hinc Petrus Act. III. 25.— 2. ut in Patre. Sic Deus dicit ad Abrahamum: In Ifaсо vocabitur femen tuum. Perinde ac fi diceret, vo"cando femen et filios Ifaco, femen tuum vocabo.-3. ut "in caufa. Benedicentur IN te, hoc eft, femine tuo, nempe Chrifto, omnis benedictionis fonte. Hunc fen"fum reddit Paulus Gal. III. 16." Heidegger Hiftor. Patriarch. Tom. II. Exercit. 3. Thef. 8. Nam in "Abrahamo omnes familiæ terræ benedicentur. I.

Quia in ipfo continebatur Mellias in quo eft omnis be"nedictio. 2. Quia Dux et Princeps fœderis Dei, et fe"cuturis fidei atque benedictionis Exemplar." With Oecon. Fed. Lib. IV. Cap. iii. Thef, 14.

† Acts iii. 25.

ted.