"men verily fwear by the greater; and an oath for "confirmation is to them an end of all ftrife: "wherein God willing more abundantly to fhew to "the heirs of promise the immutability of his coun"fel, interpofed himself by an oath, that by two "immutable things, in which it was impoffible for "God to lie, we might have a strong confolation."* Now what can these two immutable things be, but first, God's interpofing himself, and then the oath, both fhewing the immutability of his counfel? And how could we Chriftians derive confolation from this folemn transaction, unless it referred to a covenant of mercy, in which the whole race of mankind were concerned, and of which that partial exhibition made to Abraham, was only defigned to preferve the memory, and fecure the benefits of it to him and his posterity, till the feed fhould come, to whom the first promife was made; even that promise which was alfo ratified with an oath, and of which it is faid-" Jehovah hath fworn, and will "not repent, thou art a priest for ever, after the "order of Melchizedek." St. Paul has clearly pointed out the person here referred to, and the nature of that unchangeable priesthood, which, according to the terms of the everlasting covenant, confirmed and even fworn to by the adorable Three in Jehovah, was to remove the curfe from, and procure a bleffing to, all the nations of the earth. Even Abraham

ham himself was bleffed by this Melchizedek, prieft of the most High God; and beholding his promised Redeemer under that myfterious character, he rejoiced to fee the day of his incarnation, and our Saviour himself affured the Jews, that "he faw it and "was glad."* It was with a view of enforcing conviction on his unbelieving countrymen, and fhewing how ftrangely they had departed from the faith of their ancestors, that our Lord gave them this affurance; thus proving himself to have been the object of hope and dependence to their venerable progenitor, and that all the predictions and promises made to the faithful Abraham, were now fulfilled in him, whom yet they would not believe, because he told them the truth. Very different were the opinion and behaviour of one of their own priests, the father of John the Baptift, who, on the birth of his fon, as the appointed forerunner of the Meffiah, gave thanks to the "Lord God of Ifrael, because "in vifiting and redeeming his people, he had re"membered his holy covenant, and the oath which "he fware to their father Abraham."* From the fubject of this oath, as defcribed in what follows, it is evident, that Zacharias, on this remarkable occafion, was taught and directed, by the holy Spirit, to celebrate the redemption of the world by the promised Saviour, as the great object of God's holy covenant, ratified by the oath of Jehovah, and fhadowed

fhadowed out in all the types and figures which exhibited to the eye of faith that "tender mercy of "our God, whereby the day-fpring from on high "hath visited us, to give light to them that fit in darkness, and in the fhadow of death, and to 'guide our feet into the way of peace."*

This was the mercy which, Zacharias could fay, was "promised to our fathers," and spoken of by all the holy prophets, from the beginning of the world. On these promifes and predictions was built that ftrong and vigorous faith, which supported the patriarchs in all their trials; and in which they lived and died, looking forward, by the light which they enjoyed, to that falvation, which they knew was prepared, and would in due time be manifefted, "before the face of all people." It was this light, which conducted the faithful Abraham to one of the mountains of Moriah; whither he was ordered by God to "take his fon, his only fon Ifaac, whom "he loved, and offer him there for a burnt offer"ing: And by faith," fays the apostle, "Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Ifaac; "and he that had received the promises, offered his only begotten fon, of whom it was faid, that "in Ifaac fhall thy feed be called; accounting, "that God was able to raise him up even from the "dead; from whence alfo he received him in a figure:" or more literally, in a parable, where fomething

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* St. Luke, i. 78, 79. + Gen. xxii. 2.

Heb. xi. 17, 18, 19.

fomething more is meant, than that which is expreffed. The impending death, and unexpected deliverance of Ifaac, the only begotten fon of Abraham, are the things here related: But the actual facrifice, and refurrection of Chrift, the only begotten Son of God, are the things which are also meant to be pointed out, with all the circumstances in which these will be found to agree with what is recorded of Ifaac; of whom "God faid unto Abra"ham-In Ifaac fhall thy feed be called," and St. Paul affirms, that this feed" is Christ.”*

As it is particularly mentioned in the history of these patriarchs, that "after the death of Abra"ham, God bleffed his fon Ifaac," as the type or representative of the promised feed; fo when Ifaac was old, and had bleffed his fon Jacob, as chofen of God for the fame purpose, we are informed of a very striking vifion, in which "Jacob beheld a "ladder fet upon the earth, and the top of it reach"ed to heaven, and behold, the angels of God af"cending and defcending upon it; and behold, the "Lord ftood above it, and faid-I am the Lord

God of Abraham thy father, and the God of "Ifaac:"after which follows a renewal of the promise made to both these fathers-" In thee, and "in thy feed, fhall all the families of the earth "be bleffed." So this vifion, with the bleffing which accompanied it, was intended to confirm the patriarch's hope and truft in the one Mediator between

* Gen. xxi. 12. and Gal. iii 16. + Gen. xxv. II.

Gen. xxviii. 12, 13.

between God and men, the man Chrift Jefus ; who himself alluded to this fymbolical appearance, when he faid to Nathanael-an Ifraelite indeed"Hereafter you fhall fee," what Jacob's vifion prefigured, "Heaven open, and the angels of "God afcending and defcending," not on a ladder, but on him that was reprefented by it-" upon "the Son of man,"* But this was not the only encouraging affurance, which the patriarch Jacob received, that the "God of Bethel" was to be "in Chrift, reconciling all things both in hea"ven and earth to himfelf." This fame God was pleafed foon after to exhibit a moft wonderful fupport to the hope of his future incarnation, by appearing as a man to this distinguished patriarch, and wrestling with him, for the fake of changing his name from Jacob to Ifrael, and fhewing what power he had both with God and with men, as a Prince: alluding thereby to the name which he had just received; for Ifrael properly fignifies" a prince of "God." Though this appears to have been a very mysterious tranfaction, we can plainly difcern, that the person who wrestled with Jacob, was a divine person, even "Jehovah God of Hofts." For so we read in the book of the prophet Hofea, that "Jacob had power with God; yea, he had power "over the angel, and prevailed: he wept and made fupplication unto him; he found him in Bethel, "and there he fpake with us, even Jehovah God of

* St. John, i. 51.

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+ Gen. xxxii. 24-29.

"Hofts: