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and particularly that he should be put to death by his enemies, that there might be no pretence of fraud or collusion in his resurrection. And in order to this, it was expedient that a traitor should be found in the family of Christ, who should deliver up his master to those who sought his life. was by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, that Jesus was delivered up, and by wicked hands was crucified and slain.

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Thus it is, that moral, as well as natural evil, is constrained to accomplish the wise and benevolent purposes of divine Providence, and when it has performed its office, it shall be finally exterminated, and shall no longer find a place in the works of God. "Whatsoever God does, it shall be for ever, nothing can be put to it, and nothing can be taken from it, and God does it that men should fear before him." Eccles. iii. 14.

SERMON XII.

REFLECTIONS ON THE CHARACTER AND THE

DESTINY OF ESAU.

HEB. xii. 16, 17.

Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

THE design of the writer of this epistle is to preserve the Hebrew Christians from apostacy, and to this end, in the context, he recommends to those believers who were most enlightened and confirmed in the faith, to keep a watchful eye upon two sorts of persons, whose example would otherwise have a most pernicious influence upon the society. The first were those, who in consequence of persecution, combined with strong Jewish prejudices, were

disgusted with the christian religion, and were desirous of seducing others from the christian faith. These are the persons to whom the writer refers, when he exhorts them to look diligently, lest any man, failing of the grace of God, that is, becoming an apostate from the christian religion, in other words, lest any root of bitterness springing up, should cause trouble, and thereby many be defiled; that is, lest a disgust against the christian doctrine growing up secretly in the church, like some noxious weed, should spread its bane around and destroy the precious plants which were within the reach of its pernicious influence. Such roots of bitterness were without hesitation to be plucked up and cast away. They who were disgusted with the christian religion, and who were endeavouring to spread that disgust among others, were to be disowned by, and to be dismissed from the communion of believers.

The second class of persons over whom the writer directs sound and established Christians to keep a vigilant eye, are those

who undervalue their christian privileges, and who were ready to sacrifice their principles, either to the gratification of their passions, or to the advancement of their secular interest. These he calls fornicators, or profane persons, like Esau, who for one morsel of meat, that is, for one repast, sold his birthright. 66 For ye know," continues he, "how, that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance," that is, he could not prevail on his father to change his mind, "though he sought it carefully with tears." The writer intimates that such persons as these, who acted against their better judgment, who sacrificed their privilege and birthright as Christians, to their passions and self-interest, ought likewise to be excluded from christian communion, that their example might not infect others. Nor should they hastily be admitted again, even though they professed to repent of their folly, and earnestly desired to be received once more into christian fellowship.

I propose briefly to represent the character and the conduct of Esau-his crime and punishment-the unavailableness of his regret to procure the remission of his sentence —and shall conclude with some reflections.

Esau was the twin brother of Jacob, and the elder of the two. He was a man rough in appearance and in manners, but open and unsuspicious in his temper; a man of courage, who delighted in the sports of the field, and the favourite of his father, because he hunted for him and partook of his good cheer. Jacob was more of a domestic character, retired, artful, and over-reaching : he was the favourite of his mother.

Esau, being the eldest, regarded himself as entitled to the right of primogeniture, and a blessing having been entailed upon the posterity of Abraham and Isaac, he of course expected that his own posterity would be put into possession, if not of the whole, at least of the principal share of the promised blessing, whatever that might be. And most probably he did not know that God, before his birth, had expressly ordained

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