divine nature, the way of pardon and acceptance for obnoxious mankind, the wonders of the unfeen world, and the things that belong to our peace are difplayed in full fplendor. The night of heathen darknefs and the twilight of the Abrahamic and Mofaic difpenfation kindle into day, wherever the gofpel fhines. Abraham lived in the twilight, or early dawn; and therefore, fays Chrift, he defired to fee my day. It is tranflated, he rejoiced to fee my day; and it must be owned, this is the ufual fenfe of the original word; * but this cannot be its meaning here, for this would make a needless tautology with the laft part of the verfe, he was glad. To rejoice, and to be glad, is the fame thing: but would hardly be fenfe to fay, Abraham rejoiced to fee my day, and he faw it and rejoiced. Befides, to rejoice that he might fee, feems abfurd; for his rejoicing could not be to the end that he might fee, but because he did fee. I therefore conclude the word here must fignify a strong transport of defire, and should be rendered, "your father Abraham earnestly defired that he might fee my day: he wifhed to live in an age when Chrift and the gospel fhould be fully revealed. From the egaileafato-Since agalleomai, which is commonly used metaphorically, and fignifies to exult or leap for joy, literally fignifies to leap, why may it not be understood literally without a metaphor in this place? As if he had faid, "Abraham leaped up, he raised hiinfelf like one endeavouring to catch a glance of fome diftant object, that he might fee the diftant gleamings of Chrift's day."-But this new criticism I only hint, and fubmit it to examination. The editor of thefe Difcourfes of Mr. Davies, thinks it not improper to fubjoin a criticifm upon this word from Mr. Anthony Blackwall."I beg my reader's leave, fays he, to propofe one conjecture, by putting down agalleaomai, as a peculiarity in St. John, fignifying to defire with vehemence. And this fenfe affixed to it, which is not ftrained or unnatural, will folve what feems to me to be a grofs tautology in our tranflation. It is this, "he rejoiced to fee my day, and faw it, and was glad ;" that is, he was glad to fee my day, and faw it, and fo was glad.In this fignification it runs eafy and clean, he earnestly wished or defired to fee my day, and faw it and rejoiced. The Perfian, Syriac, and Arabic verfions all give it this fenfe, and the particle ina in the original, feems to require it. It is a very natural metonymy, whereby antecedents and confequents are put for each other." Sacred Claffics, Vol. I. p. 35, 36. the dawn he looked forward with eager defire to fee the fun rifing, and the heavenly day fhining around him, revealing to his view those lovely profpects which were then wrapt in darkness. He longed to fee that illuftrious Perfonage fpringing from his feed," in whom all nations fhould be bleffed," and who was his Lord and Saviour, as well as his fon." Nor was his defire in vain: for Jefus adds, he saw it; that is, my day. His defire was granted, and he was favoured with the fight he longed for. But here it may be queried, "how, or in what fenfe, could Abraham be said to see Chrift's day, fince he died fo long before his appearance in the flesh ?" To this fundry anfwers have been given, particularly, 1. That he faw Chrift's day by faith in the promises given him, of the accomplishment of which he was confident; and this corfidence infpired him with joy. Faith, fays the apoftle, is the fubftance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not feen, Heb. xi. 1. and fuch was Abraham's faith in the promise of a Meffiah. He faw his day by faith, and was perfuaded of his certain appearance, and embraced him, as though he had been then in the reach of his arms. 2. Abraham might be faid to fee the day of Chrift in that strange tranfaction, the offering up of his own fon Ifaac. This is the moft ftriking typical representation, I think, which we find in the whole Bible, of the manner in which the world fhould be redeemed by Jefus Chrift; namely, by human facrifice, and by God's making his own Son a propitiatory facrifice, as Abraham was commanded to offer up his; and probably this feemingly hard and unnatural trial was impofed upon him, as a peculiar favour, that he might fee by a fignificant action, what he fo earnestly longed to fee, the manner of man's redemption. This welcome fight he probably had upon mount Moriah, where he went to offer up his only fon. And the infcription he, as it were, left upon that mount, may intimate thus much, In the mount of the Lord it (that is, the day of Chrift) shall be seen. Gen. xxii. 14. This may also be St. Paul's meaning, when he fays, Abraham received Ifaac from the dead •1 a figure, or typical reprefentation, which plainly prefignified to him the refurrection of Chrift from the dead, without a figure; that is, literally, after he had been actually facrificed for the fins of men.* This appears to me as probable a fenfe as any. Yet, 3. Perhaps it may mean, that when Jehovah appeared to Abraham in human form, and familiarly conversed with him, it was a prelude to his incarnation, and gave him a clear idea of the day of Chrift's actual appearance in the flesh. But in whatever fenfe he faw it, it was a very welcome and joyful fight to him; for Jefus farther tells us, he faw it and was glad. Light is fweet; but no light was fo fweet to Abraham's eyes as that of the day of the Son of man. He faw him not as Simeon, when he took him in his arms, and wifhed that he might never take up any thing else, but depart in peace from this world of fin and forrow; but Abraham faw him in fuch a light, as to fill his heart with joy and gladnefs, though only through the medium of faith, and not of fenfe. These remarks may fuffice to explain the text, as it refers to this patriarch: but it is your perfonal advantage I aim at, and therefore I fhall make fome reflections upon it, as it may be accommodated to you: and the reflections are fuch as thefe: That the difpenfation of the gospel may be called a bright and illuftrious day : That it is a day which good men under former difpenfations earnestly defired a fight of: That *Heb. xi. 19. Dr. Warburton in his Divine Legation, offers fo many plaufible things in favour of this fenfe, that I think it has fome confiderable appearance of probability. And thus he and Wolfius apply their text, urging that en parabole, anfwers to and fignifies a typical reprefentation. The word kai prefixed, kai en parabole which fhews there is a particular ftrefs to be laid upon en parabole, confirms this expofition: as if he had faid," he received him from the dead, not only as he narrowly escaped death, but alfo in a figure; that is, as a figure or type of fomething future." That good men earneftly defire clear difcoveries of Jeft Chrift, and his gospel : That these defires fhall be accomplished: and, That the accomplishment of them affords great joy. I. The difpenfation of the gospel may be called a bright and illuftrious day. When John the Baptift, the forerunner of Christ, was born, the morning-ftar arofe, or as his father Zacharias expreffes it, The day-fpring from on high vifited us. Jefus is the fun of righteoufnefs; Mal. iv. 2. the light of the world; John viii. 12. and chap. xii. 46. a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of his people Ifrael; Luke ii. 32. and when he made his appearance in the world, then, we are told, The people that fat in darkness faw great light; and to them who fat in the region and fhadow of death, light fprung up. Matt. iv. 16. To carry on the metaphor with uniformity, the gofpel is called the day of falvation, 2 Cor. vi. 2. the light, 2 Cor. iv. 4. a marvellous light, 1 Pet. ii. 9. a true light fhining, when the darkness is paft, 1 John ii. 8. and chriftians are faid to be light, Eph. v. 8.-the children of the light and the day. 1 Theff. v. 5. There is good reason for the use of this fignificant metaphorical language; for as the day difcovers the fair face of nature, and opens her lovely profpects to view, which were unfeen while covered with darkness, fo the gofpel reveals the perfections of God, the wonderful fcheme of Providence, the beauties of holiness, the nature of true religion, the duty of man in all its extent, the wonders of the fcheme of redemption through Jefus Chrift, and the method in which obnoxious finners of the race of man may be reconciled to God, the profpects of life and immortality, and the important realities of the eternal world. All these are brought to light by the gofpel, after they had long been concealed, or feen but faintly through the glimmering light of reason in the heathen, and the typical or prophetical revelation of the Mofaic difpenfation. The The gofpel-day, like a light fhining in a dark place, pierces the darkness of the human heart, reveals the myfteries of iniquity, and the depths of Satan there, and discovers fin in all its native deformities. This penetrating light, when enforced by his power who first commanded the light to fhine out of darkness, has flashed conviction upon many a fecure confcience, and opened the moft furprising discoveries to many a blind mind. The gofpel, like clear day-light, fhews us the way of duty and happinefs, for which the world had long groped in darkness, fo that now we may walk in it without ftumbling; for if any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he feeth the light.John xi. 9, 10. Divine things are not only brought to light by the gofpel, but also represented in the most amiable and engaging view; efpecially when there is not only a clear medium without, but the organ of fpiritual vifion, the mind, is rectified fo as to be able to perceive those objects in this medium. If we fhould fuppofe a man had spent twenty years of his life in darkness, and never feen nature about him in that lovely and magnificent view in which it appears through the medium of light, and should he be fuddenly brought into the light, how would he be overwhelmed with delightful aftonishment at the first fight of the universe. What amazing profpects, what new and glorious wonders would open to his eyes! How different would the face of nature appear from the view he had of it while an inhabitant of darknefs! Thus is the finner furprized, when not only the gofpel fhines round him, but his mind is alfo enlightened to view divine things in that heavenly light. Then, as St. Peter expreffes it, he is brought out of darkness into God's marvellous light, 1 Pet. ii. 9. a light that represents the most marvellous things to his aftonished fight. Then in what a new and glorious light does the great God appear, and all the truths revealed in the gofpel! What new and surprising views has he of himself, of fin, and of the |