§1. ISAAC was an holy person, who, though a pilgrim, seems to have spent most of his time in peace, and without great perils and dangers; wherefore, there is less spoken of him, and the trials of his faith, than either of his father or his son. Nevertheless there is no doubt but that this son of the promise led his life in the faith of the promise; and the promise was particularly renewed to him; Gen. xxvi, 4. The apostle chooseth to instance in his faith with respect to the blessing of his sons, which was in his old age, and was the most eminent act of it, because of the convey. ance of the promise made thereby to his seed. Whatever may be spoken in excuse of Isaac, it is certain he failed greatly in his inordinate love to Esau, whom he could not but know to be a profane person, and that on so slight an account as eating of his venison, Gen. xxv, 28; nor had he sufficiently inquired into the mind of God in the oracle that his wife received concerning their sons; there is no question, on the one hand, but that he knew of it; nor on the other, that he did not understand it; for if the holy man had known that it was the determinate will of God, he would not have contradicted it; but this arose from want of diligent inquiry into the mind of God. §2. The faith of Isaac was right in this, that the promise was sure to his seed by virtue of the covenant, and that he was instrumentally, by way of external evidence, to `convey it by his solemn benediction: the first was express in the covenant; for his blessing was a promise of things to come, as in the text; but he missed in the application of it to the object of his own intention, though in fact by the divine disposal of circumstances, he was in the right; this mistake hindered not but that he blessed Jacob in faith; wherefore, it cannot be denied, but that sometimes, when true faith is rightly fixed on divine promises, that those who truly believe may, through darkness, infirmities, and temptations, put themselves on irregular ways for their 3 accomplishment; and as in these ways may fail and S miscarry, to the scandal of religion, and a dangerous: concussion of their own faith; so, if they succeed, their ways are not approved of, as they will quickly understand; as it is our duty firmly to believe the promises, so it is our wisdom not to attempt, upon any temptations, provocations, or advantages, their accomplishment in any unwarrantable way. §3. We may see herein the infinite purity of the Divine will, effectually accomplishing its own purposes: and designs through the failings and miscarriages of men, without the least mixture with, or approbation of their iniquities or miscarriages; he accepted their persons, pardoned their sins, and effected the matter according to their desire. §4. (Euλoynoε) He blessed them; these patriarchal blessings were, partly, prayers; and partly, predictions; ̈ they were authoritative applications of God's promises to the person to whom they belonged for the confir mation of their faith; so far as they consisted in solemnTM prayer, they were an effect of the ordinary parental ministry, and as such ought to be used by all parents; not as some, by the trifling custom of daily asking and giving blessing, but by solemn reiterated prayer to that purpose (i) by faith. But here is a double diffi- i culty; for the blessing of Jacob was from immediate inspiration, and not intended by Isaac to be applied to Jacob; and the blessing of Esau only related to tem- ! poral things, not with respect to any special promise; I answer, as to the first, faith was acted by the promise, and was guided as to its object by God's providence; and immediate inspiration doth no way hinder the actings of faith on preceding revelations; he had the warrant of the word of God before revealed for the ground of his faith, and his immediate inspiration guided him to act according to it; and, as for the blessing of Esau, although it respected only temporal things, yet he gave it him in faith also, in that it was the fruit of his prayer for him, and contained predictions which he had received by divine révélation. $5, The subject matter of both these things were (μehovTwv) things to come; that is, things that were not yet, nor yet to have their present accomplishment; for:: that part of the blessing of Jacob, that he should be the "Lord of his brethren," or, as expressed in the blessing of Esau, "thou shall serve thy brother," was not fulfilled in their days, there being a great appearance of the contrary; wherefore, the things contained in these blessings, absolutely considered, were yet to come among their posterity. Now the blessing of Jacob did not contain only a better portion in this world than that of Esau, as Grotius would have it; nor had there been any need of so great a contest about the difference between the land of Canaan and that of Edom; but, as it comprised the numerous posterity of Jacob, their quiet habitation, power, and dominion in the land of Canaan; so the principal subject of it was the enclosure of the church, the confinement of the covenant, the enjoyment of the promise of the blessed seed, to him and his offspring; and it was the contempt of this, and not of a double portion of earthly things, for which Esau is stigmatized as a profané VERSE 21. By faith Jacob when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning on the top of his staff. $1. Jacob's faith, in blessing the sons of Joseph. 62. Why this instance selected. §3. This holy reverence and faith. §4, 5. Observations. §1. "By faith Jacob when he was a dying." (axolvèsnav, moriens, moriturus, cum moreretur,) when he drew nigh to death; probably a few days before his death; "worshipped leaning on the top of his staff;" (εTI тo anpov тus paßde avls) The Vulg. Lat. (et adoravit fastigium virgæ ejus,) he adored the top of his rod, leaving out the preposition (ET) on, corrupts the sense; and hence a vain and foolish opinion hath been fancied about adoring or worshipping creatures, as remote from the sense of this place as from truth. §2. But why does the apostle choose to instance in this particular? for Jacob, as he abounded in trials and temptations above all the other patriarchs; so he gave sundry illustrious testimonies of his faith, seemingly of greater evidence than this of blessing the sons of Joseph. This is the only difficulty of the place, which yet by expositors is taken little or no notice of. But if we look attentively into the thing itself, we shall find that it was an effect of singular divine wisdom in the apos. tle, whereby he fixed on this instance of the faith of Jacob. For in his "blessing of the sons of Joseph," the good man, being near to death, makes a recapitulation of all the principal concernments of his life, as it was a life of faith; and we shall therefore consider some of those circumstances, which manifest how proper this instance was to the purpose of the apostle. 1. It was the exercise of his faith in his old age; his natural decays abated not in the least his spiritual strength. 2. In this blessing of Joseph and his sons, he solemnly recognized, pleaded, and asserted the covenant made with Abraham; "God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk," Gen. xlviii, 15; this is the life of faith,-"to lay hold on the covenant,"-and this he did expressly. 8. As he made a solemn acknowledgment of all spiritual mercies by virtue of the covenant; so he added thereunto that of all temporal mercies also; "the God which fed me all my life long unto that day." It was a work of faith to retain a precious thankful remembrance of divine Providence, during the whole course of his life. 4. He reflects on all the hazards, trials, and evils that befell him, and the exercise of his faith in them all. Redeemed me from all evil." 5. In particular, he remembers the actings of his faith in the matter recorded by Hosea, chap. xii, 3, 4; and of his faith in the Son of God in an especial manner, as he was the angel of the covenant. "The angel, saith he, that redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads." By this "angel" the person of the Son of God, as he was to be the messenger of the covenant and the redeemer of the church is undoubtedly intended. 1. 6. The difference here made between the sons of Joseph, when he was blind, the disposal of his hands, contrary to the desire of their father; with the prediction of their condition many ages after, were all evidences of the special presence of God with him, and consequently of his own faith in God. 7. He laid the foundation of his faith in an especial revelation; Gen. xlviii, 3, “And Jacob said unto Jo |