Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

if it be ftill enquired, Why the birds were not divided, according to the Mofaic inftitution? It may be answered, That as the divifion of quadrupedes may reprefent the feparation of the foul of the great facrifice from his body; fo the non-divifion of the fowls may be expreffive of his undivided perfon. "Though his foul was feparated from his body, yet neither foul nor body was feparated from the Son of God: But incomprehenfibly, and ineffably united, when in the grave, and in the duft of death*." The folidity of this opinion is fubmitted to the judgment of the learned and candid reader.

2. ANOTHER rite obferved by Abram is, his driving away the birds which came down on the carcafes. The birds which came down upon the facrifice have been deemed emblems of evil fpirits, which, like cagles, or birds of prey, come down on the children of God, efpecially when presenting themselves as living facrifices unto their heavenly Father, in the duties of his worship: And the patriarch's driving them away, has been confidered as expreffive of the faints driving away, or refifting the temptations of the devil. Others have explained thefe ravenous beafts of the Egyptians, who preyed on the feed of Abram, as was

F. Spanheim, F. F. Obfer. Hiftor. Typic. et Mor. in Levit. cap. i. Mather on the Types, p. 261.

foretold

foretold on this occafion. I fee no reason why both these fenfes may not rather be conjoined than oppofed. Only I would choose to underftand the patriarch's driving away these birds as denoting the fpecial protection, and prevalent interceflion of our Lord Jefus Chrift, rather than the faith, and prayer of Abram himself, for the deliverance of his literal feed, as various expofitors have infinuated.

III. WE promifed, in the next place, to confider the dreadful appearance which God made to Abram at this time. The first appearance, recorded by Mofes, is called a VISION; but, as there were various kinds of vifions, the nature and fpecies of appearance is not easily deter mined. Says Dr Owen, "Visions were of two forts : OUTWARD REPRESENTATIONS of things unto the bodily eyes of the prophets; and INWARD REPRESENTATIONS unto their minds. -There were fometimes appearances of perfons, or things, made unto their outward fenfes And herein God made use of the miniftry of angels. Thus, three men appeared to Abram, one of whom was the Son of God himfelf; the other two miniftring angels, as hath been proved elsewhere. So was the burning bush, &c.They were made sometimes only to their minds. So it is exprefsly faid, that when Peter faw his vifion of a fheet, knit at the four corners, and let down from heaven to the earth, he was in a TRANCE, AD EXTASIE

feized upon him, whereby, for a feafon, hẻ was deprived of the ufe of his bodily fenfes *" &c.

THIS vifion, I prefume, was of the bodily kind; for it does not appear that the patriarch was extatical, but deliberate in all the conferences that enfued. It was the WORD of Jehovah who appeared at this time; and this appearance was a renewed confirmation of the covenant which had been granted oftener than once for the ratification of the preceding covenant. 'The reafon of the Son's appearance has been above explained.

THE fecond appearance was more dreadful and ftupendious: "When the fun went down, and it was dark; behold, a smoking furnace and a burning lamp, which paffed between the pieces." By the inftitution of God, and the act of the facrificer, thefe facrifices took the place of the guilty, being fubftituted in the room of Abram and his feed. The finoking furnace figured out the dark difpenfations of providence towards the Ifraelites: Hence we find the infpired writers not only alluding upto this vifion, but alfo explaining it: "But the Lord hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the IRON FURNACE, even out of Egypt; to be a people of inheritance, as ye

Dr Owen on the Spirit, p. 108.

U

are

are this day." Said Solomon, "For they be thy people, and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midft of the FURNACE of iron." The Lord alfo addreffed the Jews to the following purpose: "The covenant which I commanded your Fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the furnace of iron."—" When the cloud began to break the fmoke went up." The fmoke afcended as the fmoke of a furnace, pointing out the manner in which their deliverance did advance. Each circumftance mentioned in the facred narrative added to the horror of the fcene, however, at this time. The fun went down; it was dark; finoke added to the horror of the darkness. Hence we need not greatly wonder, if a horror of great darkness fell on Abram, both on account of God's awful Majefty, and alfo on account of the night season predicted to the Church in his family. The burning lamp denoted God's favourable providences towards the promifed Seed: It may alfo be confidered as a prelude of the pillar of fire, and pillar of cloud, which conducted Ifrael through the wilderness; which were also emblems of the divine prefence and majefty dwelling among the Ifraelites. This vifion is

[ocr errors]

not unlike that of Ezekiel: "As for the likenefs of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire; and like the appearance

pearance of lamps *." The former importing adverfity, and the latter profperity. Though the glory of Abram's family might be greatly obfcured; yet their lamp shall not be utterly extinguished: On the contrary, it shall burn with remarkable fplendor; " When God shall judge that nation whom they shall serve, then fhall they come forth with great substance.” This promifed deliverance prefigured the Redeemer's victory over the devil; as Pharaoh was also an emblem of him: And this burning lamp was a graphical display of the Meffiah's victory, when his right hand and his holy arm got unto him the victory. Out of his noftrils came forth a smoke; he hath eyes like a flame of fire; and feet as fine brafs, as if they burned in a furnace.

IV. THE last thing we promifed was, To fhew how all these things confirmed this covenant: And these rites confirmed it,

1. As the Parties covenanting were both included in one facrifice. Learned men have obferved, how Generals and armies both paffed through between the parts of facrifices †, to intimate their ftrict coalefcence into one body. Thus believers are one with God through the flain facrifice, or feparated foul and body of our Lord Jefus Chrift. They are one in him.

* Ezek. i. 13.

+Calvin in Gen. xv. 10.

U 2

2. As

« AnteriorContinuar »