commonwealth of Ifrael. Witnefs thy fate, Uzziah,* who fnatching at the cenfer, loft the fceptre. And fhall the tripple-crowned priest of Rome, who exalts himself above all that is called God, go always unpunifhed? But of Jefus Chrift, a prophet teftifies, He fhall fit and rule upon his thronet; as once he was a king upon his crofs. And he bleffed Abram. So Chrift, our royal Priest, was fent of God to blefs the children of Abram, not with a verbal, but real benediction, in turning every one of us from our iniquity; and men fhall be bleffed in him.Confider, in the laft place, how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the Spoils; and, as we may fay, even Levi, who received tithes from the people, by the commandment of God, was tithed in the loins of his progenitor. A moft convincing proof, that this Melchizedec was both a greater man than Abram, and a greater priest than Aaron. But we Chriftians have a great High-Prieft, in whofe prefence Abram must not glory, Levi has no pre-eminence. To our Melchizedec, the royal priesthood, the holy nation, the peculiar people, do pay, not only tithes, but all they have and are, when they prefent their bodies a living facrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is their reasonable fervicet. But the circumftances which Mofes conceals, are no lefs worthy of our notice than those he reveals. In vain you ask his genealogy, his birth, his death, or the ceremonies of his confecration: for thofe are buried in darknefs; the Holy Ghoft intending to fignify, that Jefus Chrift is really and truly what this myfterious king is in the hiftory. Without father, -not as he was God, but man.-Without mother,not as he was man, but God.-Without defcent,-for having no predeceffors in office, he needed not prove, that he was fprung from the priestly tribe; which was an effential qualification in the Levitical priesthood. Having neither beginning of days, nor end of life, for being fet up from everlasting, he abideth Rom. xij. I. -- 2 Chron. xxvi, 18. † Zech. vi. 13. a priest continually: for though he died, yet even in death he was a priest, and now he ever liveth to make interceffion for them.-What shall we fay more? In the order of Aaron were many priests, who, like other mortals, refigning their breath by the ftroke of death, their priestly honour was laid in the duft with them. We know from whence they arofe; with what carnal ordinances and ceremonies they receive their inauguration; what facrifices they offered; in what holy places they officiated; who affifted them in their various functions, and who fucceeded them when they either died, or were depofed from their office. But the priest after the order of Melchizedec, being poffeffed of immortal life, and called of God without external ceremonies to his high office, himself was his tabernacle and temple, affitted by none, nor fucceeded by any. In Melchizedec, whom Mofes fpeaks of as though he had been immortal, we have but indeed a faint fhadow, and not the very image of the things themselves, that are found in Jefus Chrift. But let the faintnefs of the refemblance remind us of the greatnefs of the mystery. For who shall declare his generation? IV. The Hiftory of Ifaac. Npiece of hiftory, of the moft difficult command TEXT we fhall glance at a very extraordinary ment that was ever given to any of the human race; yet was it punctually obeyed, and the obedience amply rewarded. It is the ftory of Abraham's offering up his fon Ifaac at the commandment of the I ord*. The famous patriarch had endured many trials, and proved the fincerity of his faith by a long courfe of obedience, and ftedfaft dependance on the divine veracity, from the time he was called to leave his native Ur in the land of Chaldea. Long did he count him faithful who had promifed, that he should have a fon, in whom all nations fhould be bleffed, even when the accomplishment of the promise feemed next to impoffible. At laft the expected child is See Gen. xxii, born, a fon of his old age; he flourishes apace, and is now flushed with the radient bloom of youth, both lovely and beloved. The joyful father might now think, that the most troublefome fcenes of life were happily finished, and that it remained for him only to die in faith and peace. But how greatly would he been mistaken ? The foreft, the fharpeft trial yet remained: "For it came to pass after thefe things, that God did tempt Abraham. And he faid, Take now thy fon, thine only fon Ifaac, whom thou loveft, and get thee into the land of Moriah, and, offer him there for a burnt-offering, upon one of the mountains which I fhall tell thee of*." Shocking precept myfterious mandate! Did ever fuch a meffage from God wound a parent's ear! Had the voice from heaven denounced, that Ifaac was to die a natural death, and to be fnatched away by a fudden ftroke, the tidings had been mournful and agonizing. But how much more when it was declared, that the hand of violence muft be lifted against him, that he must be offered up for a burnt-facrifice, butchered, mangled, and reduced to afhes! But the crowning circumftance that fets forward the calamity, and renders it worse than a thoufand deaths; the father muft be the priest to bind, to kill, to cut, to burn.his beloved fon, Abraham, what were the thoughts of thy heart when thy ears first heard fuch dreadful orders you were accustomed to hear the voice of God ? fpeaking in more foothing accents. Hadft thou not been an extraordinary believer, into what a tempest had all thy foul bean toffed? How might reafon, natural affection, and religion, have all confpired to perfuade thy disobedience?" Offer up thy fon, thine only fon Ifaac, for a burnt-offering! Can this be the voice of God? Sure it must be the voice of fome wicked fpirit, that would impofe upon my credulity, and urge a father to imbrue his hands in filial blood. But ftay the revelation is unquestionable. It was the very voice of God. I am not permitted fo much as to doubt of this. Surely then it must have some other meaning than I first thought. Surely the merciful Gen. xxii, 1, 2. God cannot mean that I should really kill my Ifaac. Take now thy fon, thine only fon, and offer him up for a burnt-offering. Alas! mine Ifaac, was it for this I received thee by fpecial promife? Was it for this thy mother brought thee forth, when she was past her age, and I called thee by a name expreffive of joy and laughter? How ill doft thou now answer thy name! Thou art not a fon of laughter, but of forrow. O God, why couldst thou not rather have demanded all my numerous flocks and kids, to smoke in one great burnt-offering? Or if a human facrifice delighted thee more, why fhould my Ifaac, rather than any other, be the victim? O that I could redeem his life with my own blood! "And must I too be the priest? Muft he bleed by a father's hand? Ah! what will the world fay? They will never believe me, when I tell them it was by thy order I did it. What will Sarah say? But, chiefly, what will come of thy own promife? How will he be the father of many nations when he is no more? O ye nations! I thought that in this my Ifaac you would all be bleffed: but now farewell for ever all fuch pleafing hopes. Ifaac must die, and the promife fails for evermore !" But fo ftrong was the faith of this eminent believer, that either fuch mifgiving thoughts were altogether strangers to his mind, or they were foon repelled. He wifely confidered, that what God had commanded could not be wrong, and what he had promifed could not be falfe. Be hufht all unbelieving fears: for he who gave an Ifaac from the barren womb to fulfil his promife, can, if he pleafe, for the fame reafon restore him from the burning altar. Come then, without delay, obey the high command, believing that what he has promifed, he is able alfo to perform." No fooner had the early dawn begun to appear in the eastern sky, than the refolved patriarch fprings from his couch, faddles an afs, takes with him the intended victim and fervants, as much wood as he thought neceffary, and proper utenfils for the future facrifice. Three days they travelled on this strange journey, and all that space he looked on his fon as dead, but the steady purpofe of his foul was not fhaken. On the third day the fatal hills of Moriah are defcried at a distance, the fervants are left behind, the wood is laid on Ifaac, and Abram carries the fire and the knife. And now, after fome endearing converfation, they are arrived at the appointed place. The altar is built, the wood is laid in order, the plot is doubtless revealed to Ifaac by his fedate father; and Ifaac, though fully able to have made refiftance, or delivered himself by flight, is not recorded to have attempted the one or the other: for the fame almighty power that touched the patriarch's heart, and made him willing to give the deadly stab, did alfo beyond all doubt, make Ifaac no lefs willing, chearfully to receive it. He is bound like another victim, he is laid upon the altar, and the hand now grafps the fatal knife to be lodged in his guiltless breaft, when lo, a heavenly voice forbids the bloody deed, and the patriarch's willing mind is accepted for the actual facrifice. His fear of God is highly applauded, and by his works his faith was proved to be perfect. "Abram, you fpared not your fon for the fake of my command, but I fpare him for the fake of thy obedience, Receive him again with my bleffing. He fhall be the progenitor of the Meffiah, and all the nations fhall be blefled in him." A ram caught by the horns in the thicket fupplies the room of Ifaac, and the grateful patriarch acknowledges the happy providence, in calling the name of the place JEHOVAH JIREH. And afterwards it became a common proverb. "In the mount of the Lord shall it be seen*" O the inconceivable power of faith, that can render the most difficult duties fo eafy! Nor is there a better way for the children of Abraham to infure their deareft enjoyments, and improve them to the highest advantage, than by refigning them, totally refigning them to the fovereign will of God. But furely a higher mystery was contained in this extraordinay occurrence. Who can forbear here to think of the adorable mystery of redemption by Jefus Chrift? For * Gen: xxii, 14i |