who is our fhield. Therefore, fays the apostle, Above all, take unts you the field of faith, not the nature of faith, but CHRIST, the object of faith; for he says, I am thy fhield and thy exceeding great reward. What this is, time, ideas, and language, fail me to tell; for if God gives himself as our reward, what can he give more? In this gift, what does he not give? For, had he given us the heavens, and the heaven of heavens, thrones, dominions, princedoms, and powers, it would have been nothing in comparison of himself; or, at the most, it would have been no more than the wafting drop upon the bucket to the immenfe.ocean. For when the apostle would fet forth the grand and fublime love of CHRIST to his people, he fays, Eph. v. 2. who hath loved us and given himself to GOD for us. And what could he give greater?-his life and his death he gave, and what could he give more?

Friendly. But it is said, Gen. xv. 1. after these things:What things?

Truth. After Abraham returned from the conqueft of the kings, mentioned Gen. xiv. 13. and recovering Lot, his brother's fon, with the substance out of their hands, and gaining a complete victory over them. Then met him Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the moft HIGH GOD, and bleffed Abraham. Likewife he brought with him bread and wine; doubtless for Abraham and his little army, for their refreshment after so

great a victory.

Friendly. Who was this Melchizedek?

Truth. I anfwer, by the interpretation of his name, as King of Righteousness, by the fignification of the place were he reigned, Salem (peace) that is, Zion his church, mentioned Pfal. Ixxvi. 2. or, King of Peace; by the appellations and titles the apoftle gives him with his office, in Heb. vii. 2. or rather is at a lofs to give him, he can be no less a perfon than the Son of God himself; for it is utterly impoffible that thofe characters that are given to Melchizedek, in Heb. vii. 3. fhould belong to any created being; and they can never appear luculent in any other being but in him who is antegenial. Though this idea may appear new, and foreign to the judgment of our modern and ancient expofitors, yet it appears evidently to be the truth, as may be feen in a little treatise, entitled, "Melchizedek no type of CHRIST, but really the "SON of GOD himself appearing to Abraham and bleffing

“ him.”

G 3

Friendly. But what became of Abraham after GOD had promised to be his exceeding great reward?

Truth. We find, in Gen. xv. 2. that Abraham pleads with GOD, and faid. Wat wilt thou give me, feeing I go childless? aud lo, a fervant of mine houfe fhall be mine heir: Then, behold, the word of the LORD cometh unto him, faying, this man shall not be thine heir, but one that cometh out of thine own bowels, he shall be thine heir. Moreover, he brought him forth, and said, Look now towards heaven, and tell the ftars, if thou art able to number them; and he said unto him, so fhall thy feed be, and thou shalt be a father of many nations Gen. xvii. 4. and Abraham believed the Lo D and be counted that unto him for righteousness. Now Abraham believeth the faithiulnels of GOD, and the fure fulfilment of his promife, though there was not the leaft fign or appearance of it. It is the nature and glory of faith, to believe the accomplishment of the promife, in the face of a thousand difficulties and feeming improbabilities; for Abraham believed in hope, even against hope, that he fhould be the father of many nations; for he confidered not his own body, as being dead, nor the deadnefs of Sarah's womb, but was strong in faith, giving glory to GUD; therefore it is obferved by the HOLY GHOST, Rom. iv. 21. that he counted him faithful that had promijed.

Friendly. How long did Abraham's faith wait for the fulfilment of the promise?

Truth. Twenty-five years, as Abraham was seventyfive years old when GOD made a promise to him, that in him all the families of the earth fhould be blessed; and a hundred years old when fuse was born, who was the promised feed, fee Gen. xii. 4. compared with Gen. xxi. 5.

Friendly. But why does Gon delay the fulfilment of his promile to his people; it fhould feem (fome may fay) as if he wanted love, power, and opportunity, to accomplish his word?

Truth. As to love, he cannot want that; because the promile fprings from love;-as to power, he is almighty, GoD omnipotent, and all-powerful;-and as to opportunity, he is GOD omniprefent, and every where: therefore it follows that Go delays the fulfilment of his promife, firft for the trial of our faith; as it is the nature and property of faith to believe that his word fhall be fulfilled, fo it is the exercise of faith to wait the time when. As the promises are fo many teftimories of love, fo the time of their accomplishment are fo many fecrets in the bofom of love, and the vifion is for an

eprinted time, fays the prophet. Secondly, GOD feems to delay the fulfilment of his promifes, that thereby he might make them fo much the fweeter to us; Ifaac's, fons of laughter, when they come, though faith fits long at the gate of expectation, yet it is not there to be famished, but fed daily with hope, until it is feafted and fatisfied with a precious promife; therefore fays faith, It is good to hope, and patiently wait for the falvation of the LORD, Lam. iii. 26. Thirdly, Gon feems to delay the fulfilment of his promife that his power may appear the more refulgent in the fulfilment of it; this was the cafe with regard to the Ifraelites, as he had promifed to deliver them out of Egypt; but how did his power firft fhine forth in the miracles he wrought, and in the punishment wherewith he afflicted the Egyptians; and when Ifrael was delivered out of Egypt he promised to be their guide; yet there feemed not only to be a delay, but humanly fpeaking, a forgetting of his promife, when inacceffible rocks had inclofed them on each fide, a devouring fea before them, a revenging threatening army behind them, yet in their deliverance his power appeared with the more refulgency and glory. Fourthly, The hand of Providence often spreads a dearth upon the promise, just before the hand of power accomplisheth it; this was the cafe with Abrabam, his body was dead, and Sarah's womb barren, then the power and faithfulness of God fhone forth. When every fpring fails, and all the doors of hope are fhut, and no expectation appears, then the fulfilment of the promise breaks forth like the rays of the fun from under a gloomy cloud; stand still and fee the falvation of the LORD.

Friendly. Were the promises that GOD made to Abraham accomplished?

Truth. Yes; for every word of God's promises ftands as firm as his throne; therefore they had their fure accomplishment in Ifaac, in whom fays the Apostle, fhall thy feed be called. Gen. xxi. 1. 2. And the LORD vifited Sarah, as he had faid, and Sarah conceived and bare Abraham a fon in his old age, at the fet time of which GOD had spoken to him; and he called his name Ifaac, a fon of joy. No doubt but the pious patriarch, whofe diftinguished character was the friend of GOD, and the father of the faithful, had upon the accomplishment of God's promife in the birth of his fon Ifaac, the fprightlinefs of youth, the vigour of love, a ftrong parental joy, vivid hopes, bright as the morning, as a morning without a rifing cloud, and the dawn of glorious expectation. His life was bound up in the

lad's life, and counted every other enjoyment (though he had treasures of opulency) but as fhadows in comparison with this, therefore we find that Abraham made a feast the day that Isaac was weaned. But after this bright morning a dark cloud gathered, Abraham's faith must be tried in the tendereft part, tried to the life of it: therefore it came to país after these things, that God did prove Abraham (for so it should be rendered) and be faid unto him, take now thy fan, thine only fon Ifaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee unto the land of Moriah, and effer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains that I fall tell thee of, Gen. xxii. 2. As the whole of this transaction is most beautifully and lively, moft powerfully and pathetically, delineated by the ingenious Mr. Harvey, in his dialogues, page 193, vol. 3d, I fhall only juft obferve, that when GOD commands there must be no delay, whether it be in the path of life, or the path of death; we must not count our lives dear unto qurfelves, fo that we may finish our courfe with joy; we must not stand to confer with flesh and blood when GOD commands,-take now,-well, what must be done? why, faith GOD, take now thy fon, thine only fon Ifaac, whom thou loveft, that jewel in thy bofom, that darling in thine eye, and offer him for a burnt offering;-go, bind him to the appointed wood, cut his throat, and burn him to afhes; offer him for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains that I fhall tell thee of. Language the moft keen!-a command to flesh and blood the moft fevere !-a tranfaction that had a complication of aggravated woe attending it in every circumstance! -enough to have funk Abraham's heart, and buried his mind in the grave of despair of ever feeing the promises of GOD fulfilled, or the pleafing expectation of his heart accomplished in his child, who was now commanded by GOD to be offered for a burnt offering. But, Oh! amazing! Abraham staggers not yet at the promises of GOD, because he received this awful, this tremendous, command with the arms of faith, Heb. xi. 17. Therefore, faith our LORD, Mark ix. 23. all things are poffible to him that believeth. What !-poffible to flay his fon, who has had no feed, and yet all nations of the earth to be bleffed in him?--Yes, Heb. xi. 19. Accounting that GOD was able to raise him from the dead, from whence aljo he received him in a figure; well knowing that Ifaac was given to him as an ement bleffing, in a powerful manner fpringing from his dead body, and from Sarah's dead womb; therefore he believed that his Ifaac fhould be restored from the dead immediately; for Abraham faid unto the young men, abide you here with the

altes, and I and the lid will go yonder and worship, and come again to you, or, as it is in the original, return. This affords an iconteitible proof of the ftrength of Abraham's faith, that he fill counted him faithful that had promised, that in Ifaac his feed fhould be called, Heb. xi. 18. Therefore Abraham, armed with the trophies of victorious faith, proceeds with a heart full of obedience to GOD, full of affection to his fon, yet without one murmuring tear of complaint: when Ifaac faid unto him, my Father, and be faid, here I am, my fon, how quick he anfwers! his, heart bears love, and his lips foon teftify it, here I am, my fon; and Ifaac faid unto him, behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering? and Abraham faid, God will provide himself a lamb, my fon; and they went both together.-Obferve, that the fteps of faith furmount parental affections,-furmount the lofs of life, or the forrews of death. They went both together, in which walk doubtless Abraha told Ifaac of the lamb that God had provided,—it is thee, my dear fon, whom I love:-for GOD faid unto me, three days ago, Abraham, and I faid, here I am; and he faid unto me, take now thy fen, thine only fon Ifaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee to the land of Moriah, and offer him for a burnt offer ng. But ftill I count him faithful who hath promised, that In thee all nations of the earth fhall be bleffed, therefore GOD will raile thee from the dead, and we fhall return to the young men, as fure as thy mother conceived thee when he was past age. On which account we find Ifaac was all refignation and obedience to God and his father; as it is remarked, and Abraham bound Ifaac, his fon, and laid him on the wood. For Ifaac would never have yielded to have been flaughtered, and burnt to alhes, had he not known whofe command it was, and to whom he was to refign himself a facrifice. I would obferve, that GOD fometimes veils our brightest joy in life, of covers the life of the promise with a providential frown: This was the cafe here, as Ifaac was Abraham's joy; but this flower must wither, this joy muft die, muft be offered for a burnt-offering; in like manner the LORD has promised that he will give grace and gkry, and no good thing will be withold from them who walk uprightly. Yet, how often do we find the Chriftian almost left for want of grace? walking in darknefs and feeing no light? a death upon the promife, (though not in the promife,) yet this dark cloud makes the Chriftian to cry out, Pfal. xiii. 1. How long wilt thou forget me O LORD for ever? And as to providential mercies, what ftraits are they often in, environed in trouble, fhut up in forrow; I am fo troubled, faid the sweet