force of persuasion and conviction, when we argue from men's own knowledge and concessions. You know this yourselves; you know it full well from the scripture, and therefore let it be of great weight and consideration with you. Esau is represented as a man under great amazement, as if he had little thought to fall into such a condition. And thus at one time or other it will fall out with all profane persons, who have refused the mercy and privileges of the gospel; they shall at one time or other fall under dreadful surprisals. Then shall they see the horror of those crimes, which before they made nothing of. "How that afterwards." This afterwards was not less, perhaps, than forty or fifty years; for he sold his birthright when he was young: now when he designed the recovery of the blessing, Isaac was about an hundred and forty years; so long did he live in his sin, without any sense of it or repentance for it. Things went prosperously with him in the world, and he had no regard in the least of what he had done, nor of what would be the end of it. But falling now into a new distress, it fills him with perplexity; and so it is with all secure sinners whilst things go prosperously with them, they can continue without remorse; but at one time or other their iniquity will find them out.

(Θελον κληρονομησαι την ευλογίαν) he would have inherited the blessing. He esteemed himself the presumptive heir of the patriarchal blessing, and knew not that he had virtually renounced it, and meritoriously lost it, by selling his birthright. So the apostle here distinguisheth between the birthright and the blessing. He sold his birthright, but would have inherited the blessing: and herein he was a type of the unbelieving Jews at that time; for they adhered to the outward things of the blessing, the carcass of it, to the rejection of him who was the whole life, soul and power of

it. Note; It is not unusual, that men should earnestly desire the outward privileges of the church, who value not the inward grace and power of them; but they are profane persons.

§7. The event of this attempt was, that he was rejected. Not that his eternal reprobation is hereby intended, but this open, solemn rejection of him from the covenant of God, and the blessings thereof, was an evidence of his being reprobated; whence he is considered as the type of reprobates, Rom. ix, 11, 12. The refusal of his father to give him the patriarchal blessing is here intended. It is all one whether we refer (avlny) it, in the close of the verse, to the remote antecedent the blessing, or to the next, which is repentance. For that which he sought, even in repentance, (namely, the repentance of his father, or the change of his mind) was the blessing also. For it is now generally agreed by all, that there is nothing in the words, which should in the least intimate, that he sought of God the grace of repentance; nor is there any thing in the record that looks that way. And I shall rather interpret this word with Beza of the blessing, than of the repentance even of Isaac; because his cry was immediately and directly for the former. The manner how he sought the blessing, is, that he did it diligently with tears. So the apostle expresseth the record, Gen. xxvii, 38.

1. He did it when it was too late; for he had not only forfeited his right to it long before, and lived in impenitency under that forfeiture, but the sacred investiture of another in that blessing was solemnly past, which could not be recalled.

2. He sought not at all in a due manner. Outward vehemency in expressions and tears may be influenced by such considerations as are not an evidence of in

ward sincerity. He sought it not of God, but only of him who was the minister of it. There are no bounds put to the infinite treasures of divine goodness, if ap plication be made in a due manner. But he sought the end without the means; he would have the blessing, but used not the means for attaining it,-faith and repentance. For, notwithstanding all his sorrow and trouble, upon his disappointment he immediately resolved, as Cain in the like case, to kill his brother.

§8. From the premises observe the ensuing particur lars:

1. That church which tolerates in its communion men living in such gross sins, as fornication, &c. is utterly departed from the rule of the gospel. And it is also hence evident,

2. That apostatising professors are prone to sins of uncleanness; for being overcome of the flesh, and brought into bondage, as 2 Pet. ii, 19; they are slaves and debtors to it, to serve it in the lusts of uncleanness.

3. Evil examples proposed in scripture light, laid open in their roots and courses, are efficacious warnings to believers to abstain from all occasions leading to the like evils. Take warning from Esau.

4. When there is in any a latent predominant principle of profaneness, a sudden temptation or trial will let it out to the greatest evils. Thus it was with Esau; and we see it daily verified to amazement.

5. This principle of profaneness, in preferring the morsels of the world before the birthright privileges of the church, is what at this day threatens the present ruin of religion.

Let men pretend what they please, it is from a spirit of profaneness that they forsake the privileges and assemblies of the church for any outward advantages; and what will be their success, we shall see in the next verse.

§9. Again observe;

1. This example of Esau cuts off all hopes by outward privileges, when there is an inward profaneness of heart. He had as much to plead for the blessing, and as fair a probability for attaining it, as ever any profane hypocrite can have in this world. And,

2. Profane apostates have a limited season only, wherein the recovery of the blessing is possible. For although here be no intimation of a man sseking repentence from God in a due manner and being rejected, which is contrary to the revealed nature of God, who is a rewarder of all who diligently seek him; yet here is an indication of severity, in leaving men, guilty of such provocations, in an irrecoverable condition, even in this life.

3. The severity of God in dealing with apostates is a blessed ordinance for the preservation of believers, and the edification of the whole church, Rom. xi, 22.

4. Sin may be the occasion of great sorrow, where there is no sorrow for sin; as with Esau. Men may rue that in its consequences which yet they like well enough in its causes.

5. No man knows to what event a deliberate sin may lead him. Esau little thought, when he sold his birthright, that he had utterly forfeited the eternal blessing.

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6. Profaneness, the despising of spiritual privileges, is a sin that God will, at one time or other, testify his severity against; yea, this, on many accounts, is the proper object of God's severity. It shall not be spared in the eldest son, and most dearly beloved of an Isaac.

7. Steadfastness in faith, with submission to the will of God, will establish the soul in those duties which are most irksome to flesh and blood. Nothing could

prevail with Isaac to change his mind, when he knew what was the will of God.

VERSES 18, 19.

For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and temptest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more.

$1. Some general considerations premised. $2, 3. (I.) Exposition. Not come to the mount that might be touched 4. The fire that burned. §5. Blackness. §6. Darkness and tempest, $7 The sound of a trumpet. $8. The voice of words. $9. The request of the hearers. $10, 11. (II.) Observations.

$1.THIS discourse, from hence to the end of the chapter, is of great weight, and accompanied with sundry difficulties; which expositors do scarcely so much as notice. I shall, therefore, premise those generat considerations which will direct us in its exposition, taken from the scope of the words, and nature of the argument in hand. And,

1. The whole epistle, as we have often observed, is as to the kind of writing, parenetic; intended as a persuasive to constancy and perseverance in the profession of the gospel.

2. The main argument which he insists on in general to this end, and wherein the didactical part of the epistle doth consist, is the excellency, glory, and advantage of that gospel state to which they were called.

3. Having insisted particularly and distinctly on these things, and brought his argument from them to an issue, he makes, in the discourse before us, a recapitulation of the whole; for he makes a brief scheme of the two states of the law and gospel which he had compared, balancing the one against the other, and thereby demonstrates the force of his argument and exhortation.