himself interposed, and commanded him to comply with her desire. Had we heard no more of this, it is likely we should have considered it as a piece of familyhistory, of no very great importance but to those who were immediately concerned in it. We should, perhaps, have wondered to find so much said upon such a subject, in a book which we profess to believe was written by divine inspiration; we should probably have presumed to arraign the divine wisdom, in descending to particulars, in which, according to our views of the fitness of things, we could discern nothing either interesting or instructive. To guard us from these rash mistakes, to explain the true meaning of this particular transaction, and at the same time to furnish us with a key for understanding many passages of the like nature, in which human wisdom can discover neither beauty nor benefit; it has pleased God to favour us with an infallible exposition of the whole matter. Not for the sake of Abraham, or Isaac, or Ishmael, or Hagar, was this recorded; much less merely to gratify our curiosity. No: "These things," saith the apostle Paul, "are an allegory; for these are the two covenants; the one from mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, "which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, " and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem "which is above, is free, which is the mother of us all, -Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children "of promise. But as then he that was born after the "flesh, persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless, what saith the Scripture Cast out the bond-woman and her son: "for the son of the bond-woman shall not be heir with "the son of the free-woman. So then, brethren, we

❝ are not children of the bond-woman, but of the free;" Gal. iv. I must not detain you by showing at large how the apostle teaches us to discover the spirit and privileges of the Gospel, together with what all who truly receive it must expect to encounter, in a passage which we might otherwise have thought superfluous, if not impertinent. Keep this in Keep this in your mind when you read the Scripture. Assure yourselves, that there is nothing vain or useless in the word of God. Compare one place with another, the Law with the Gospel, the prophets with the evangelists; pray unto God that he would open your understandings to understand the Scriptures, as he did for the disciples, Luke xxiv.; and in a little time you will find, that Christ is not only spoken of in a few verses, here and there, but that as I said before, he is the main scope and subject of every book, and almost of every chapter.

I would add an instance or two of the meaning of the ceremonies, to what I have observed of Hagar in reference to the types. In the law of the passover, it was especially enjoined, Exod. xii. that not a bone of the paschal lamb should be broken. Now who would have thought that this referred to Christ? yet we see the evangelist expressly applies it to him, and is filled with wonder at the accomplishment. The legs of those who were crucified at the same time were purposely broken, John xix.; but our Lord was passed by; and that it should be so, was intimated near fifteen hundred years before, in this charge concerning the lamb. Again, we find that in several places, where a bullock was commanded to be slain for a sin-offering, it is enjoined, that the flesh and the skin should be burnt without the camp; and from the epistle to the Hebrews, chap. xiii. we learn, that this was not a slight or arbitrary circumVOL. II. 2 X

stance. We have there this explication: "For the "bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into "the sanctuary, by the high priest, for sin, were burnt "without the camp: wherefore Jesus also, that he

might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered "without the gate. Let us go forth, therefore, with❝out the camp, bearing his reproach." I must not enlarge any further, or it were easy, by the clue the apostles in their writings have given us, to trace the important meaning of many of those institutions, which scoffers, who are wise in their own conceits, though neither acquainted with themselves nor the subject, presume to censure as frivolous. The sense of the sacred writings lies too deep for a captious, superficial, volatile survey; it must be a search, a scrutiny; a humble, diligent, sincere, and persevering inquiry, or no satisfaction can be expected.

The import of the Scripture-testimony concerning Christ, which was the third thing I proposed to speak of, must be deferred to another opportunity. I hope what has been already said, may, through the divine blessing, engage you" to search the Scriptures." Remember it is the command of our Lord Jesus Christ; it is the only appointed way to the knowledge of him, whom to know, so as to love, serve, and to obey him, is both the foundation and the sum of our happiness here and hereafter. We, as well as the Jews, think we have eternal life in the Scripture, and shall, like them, be inexcusable and self-condemned if we neglect it. Let us not be like fools, with a prize, an inestimable prize, in our hands, but without heart or skill to use it. Better it would have been for us to have lived and died in the wilds of America, without either means of grace or hopes of glory, than to slight this record which God

has been pleased to give us of his Son. But happy the man whose delight is in the law of his God! He has sure direction in every difficulty, certain comfort in every distress. The beauty of the precepts are preferable in his eye to "thousands of gold and silver," Ps. cxix. The comforts of the promises are sweeter to his taste, "than honey or the honey comb," Ps. xix. He is happy in life; for the word of God is to him as a "fountain of living water." He shall be happy in death; the promises of his God shall support him through that dark valley; and he shall be happy for ever in the presence and love of him for whose sake he now searches the Scripture: "whom having not seen,' 1 Pet. i. yet, from the testimony there given of him, "he loves; in whom, though now he sees him not, yet believing, he rejoices with joy unspeakable and full " of glory."

Pleraque autem, (si detur liberè loquendi venia,) quæ etiam in Thologicis scholis tractantur, et magno cum apparatu et strepitu docentur et disputantur, spinosum fortè acumen habent, sed simul certè spinosam sterilitatem: lacerare et pungere possunt, animos pascere non possunt: "Nemo enim ex spinis uvas col"ligit unquam, aut ex tribulis ficus." "Quorsum alta, (in"quit quidam,) de Trinitate disputare, si careas humilitate, et "sic Trinitati displiceas?" Et aptè St. Augustinus ad illud Esaiæ, "Ego Deus tuus docens te utilia ;""utilia, (inquit,) "docens, non subtilia." Et hoc est quod opto et oro; ut nobis pro modulo nostro subdocentibus, ille efficaciter vos perdoceat, qui cathedram in cœlo habens, corda docet in terris.—Archief. Leighton. Pralect. Theol. pag. 4. edit. Lond. 1693. 4to.