unbelief and difobedience.

Hence, Ishmael was circumcifed, as well as Ifaac; nor were the fons of Keturah, and thofe of the hired fervants, on an inferior footing, till they relinquifhed the fervice of God.

In fine, Abraham must be confidered, in this tranfaction, as having the Meffiah in his loins. Now, as he paid tythes to Melchifedec, for Levi, who was then in his loins; fo he received promises for the Meffiah, his extraordinary feed, then in his loins likeways *.

SECONDLY, We may now confider the PARTS of this Covenant. With refpect unto the All-fufficient Jehovah, I inay observe,

1. HE promifed to "multiply Abraham's feed exceedingly, to make him exceeding fruitful,to make nations of him, and kings come out of him." And the prediction has been circumftantially verified, both in his natural and spiritual progeny. Erom Abraham, according to the flesh, fprang not only the Ifhmaelitès, and Edomites (as well as the Ifraelites); but alfo, the Saracens, Arabians, and Midianites. He was fruitful to a miracle, even in his old age. Forty-fix years before the. death of Sarah, when God announced the birth of Ifaac, he exclaimed, "Shall a child be born

to him who is a hundred years old!" Yet, after the death of Sarah, Keturah bare him no fewer than fix fons.As to his fpiritual progeny, nations have been born at once, and a people brought forth in one day; and, in the lowest state of his fpiritual family, it fhall be faid, This man and that man was born in it, and the Higheft himfelf fhall establish it. In refpect of the ROYALTY promifed to the pa triarch, it has also been moft punctually fulfilled. There fprang from the patriarch, not only a race of famous kings, in the Davidical line, not to mention the princes of Midian and Ifhmael; but alfo MESSIAH THE PRINCE, with all his royal nation: For all his fubjects are made KINGS and priests unto God and his father *.

2. JEHOVAH engaged to be a God unto A+ braham, and his Seed after him. This blef fing is all-comprehenfive, and inutterably precious: It includes all things pertaining unto life and godliness, whether it be a life of grace or glory. All the perfections of God, and each perfection in the Godhead, are made over to Abraham and his Seed. Divine wifdom is engaged for the device of their falvation; divine power for their protection and defence, as alfo for the performance of all those promises which contain the bleflings of falvation;

divine

* Rev. i. 6.

Gen. xvii. 7.

mercy

mercy pledged for their remiffion and acceptance; holiness for their enjoyment of every promised bleffing. Juftice, for the deftruction of all their enemies: And, in one word, grace for their holiness and confolation while in this world, as well as their reward in the world to come.The Father is the portion of the fpiritual Seed, in his electing and adopting love, and in his giving love: He gives his Son to be a fuffering furety and himfelf in him as the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift.— The Son is the portion of the fpiritual family, in all the fulness of his grace and righteoufnefs. The Holy Ghoft, in refpect of his perfonal inhabitation, and fpecial influences and faving operations. Hail, happy people, whofe God is Jehovah! Such as are filled with the fulness of God, How durable their portion!How fubftantial their blifs!

3. As an appendage unto thefe grants, God was pleased to renew the promife of Canaan : "And I will give unto thee, and unto thy Seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a ftranger,-all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting poffeffion *." Befides what has been obferved on a former covenant, I fhall examine the two following queftions, relative to this inheritance: First, How could God fay, I will give the land wherein thou art a stranger UNTO

THEE; feeing he gave him no inheritance in it, no, not fo much as to fet his foot on? It might be answered, That Canaan was given to Abraham, in perfon, in point of right; and to his Seed after him, in point of poffeffion and enjoyment.--Secondly, Why is Canaan ftyled AN EVERLASTING POSSESSION? I would reply, Though it was certainly among the number of temporal enjoyments, as well as other lands; yet it might be ftyled AN EVER • LASTING POSSESSION as it prefigured that inheritance which is incorruptible and undefiled, and which fadeth not away. Nor is it uncommon, in the facred style, to affirm thofe things of the type, which, in their fulleft emphasis, are only true of the antitype.

WITH respect to ABRAHAM, he was enjoined,

1. TO WALK BEFORE GOD *, VALK The pa triarch's life was a life of pilgrimage; but all the fteps of it were under the immediate infpection of Jehovah. Though he wandered over many distant lands, yet he never wandered out of God's fight. God faw meet to put him in mind of his fituation at this time, becaufe he feemed fometimes to have forgot it, by finning against him. To WALK BEFORE GOD, is, to maintain an impreffion of God's

Gen. xvii. 1.

omnifcience on the confcience, fo as to adventure on no action but fuch as it would dare to own when fifted before the fupreme judge. This precept is of much the fame import with the first of the ten commandments delivered from Sinai Said God to Abraham, "I am God all-fufficient, walk before me." Said he to Ifrael," I am the Lord thy God, Thou fhalt have no other Gods before me."

2. HE was commanded to BE PERFECT He was already perfect in refpect of his juftification; for he believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. But, though he was the friend of God, and the father of the faithful; yet he had not already attained, neither was he already perfect in respect of his fanctification: Otherways this precept had been fuperfluous. Perfection, however, must be the fcope of all his defires. He is not a faint that can be fatisfied with any thing fhort of it: For fatisfaction with any lower terms' amounts to a regarding of iniquity in the heart; and if we regard iniquity the Lord will not hear us t.

* Gen. xvii. 1.

t. Should the ferious reader defire to fee more on Abraham's perfection, he may confult a Treatife of the Covenant of Grace by Mr John Ball, p. 73-89. The author of the Marrow of Modern Divinity frequently mentions this little piece with pleafure and refpect: And, I humbly judge, both the learned and unlearned may read it with profit,