[2.] The persons blessed — ' Jacob and Esau.' Jacob is put first, as having obtained the precedency, though the younger son, by the peculiar direction of God in this matter.
[3.] The matter of the blessing — ' Concerning things to come.' that is, the great things which should happen to his posterity. Which things were revealed to him, partly, by a general promise : Gen. xxvi. 24, ' I will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake ; ' partly, by a peculiar instinct at the time of blessing, wherein, according to the extraordinary dispensations of those times, the Lord had a special hand and direction. You see the scope and drift of the words. I shall take this method in the handling of them — (1.) I siiall give brief observations upon the passages of this story of blessing Jacob and Esau so far as they relate to the text. (2.) Wherein the virtue and strength of Isaac's faith was manifested. (3.) What is to be learned out of the whole for our comfort and instruction.
First, For the observations upon the passages of the story, whicli is here alluded unto. You have the story in Genesis xxvii. In reading of it, you may observe these things —
1. I observe (and so the text intimates) that both were blessed ; ' He blessed Jacob and Esau.' Esaus have their portion as well as Jacobs. Partly, as they are creatures : God will have all his creatures to taste somewhat of his goodness. Look, as Abraham gave the heritage to Isaac, but yet he gave gifts to the sons of the concubines. Gen. xxv. 5, 6. Or as Jehoshaphat gave to his 'sons silver and gold, precious things, and fenced cities in Judah ; but the kingdom he gave to Jehoram,' 2 Chron. ii. 1-3. So thougli the Lord hath given himself to his people, and given them a portion among the sanctified, yet he will give gifts also to his creatures, they shall all taste of his goodness : Ps. xvii. 14, ' The men of this world have their portion in this life, whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasures.' All God's creatures, as they are his creatures, taste of his common bounty ; he provides for the young ravens, they have their food from him ; much more men, that are made after his image. Partly he doth it, not only as they are his creatures, but many times as they descend from parents in covenant
382 SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. [SeR. LIV.
•with him. And thus you know Isaac had his blessing, and Ishmael had his blessing, both for Abraham's sake. As Isaac had the great l)lessings of the covenant, so Ishmael had temporal benefits. The children of the covenant, they that are born of parents in covenant with God, though they have not the blessing of Isaac, yet they have the blessing of Ishmael, many temporal mercies for their father's sake. And so here, Jacob had the blessing of Abraham, he had the special blessing ; and Esau, because born of Isaac, he had a blessing too ; they carry away the temporal part of the covenant with them. And partly, because many times they make some common profession of the name of God. God will be beliind hand with no creature ; so far as they are good, they shall see good. A wicked man hath his i-eward, he is no loser by what he doth for God. Ahab's humiliation, you know, had a courteous message, a reprieve of the judgment, 'It shall not come in thy days,' 1 Kings xxi. 29. And Esau, for his general profession, at least because he was in Isaac's family, therefore God makes provision for him, he hath his portion — * The dew of heaven from above, and the fatness of the earth,' Gen. xxvii. 39. As far as they work, they have their reward.
Use. Well then, learn from hence, tliat we can draw no argument of love or hatred from outward things. Many ungodly men may prosper in this world ; they cannot say therefore that God loves them. Prisoners have an allowance till the time of their execution, so have carnal men ; God in the bounty of his providence gives them a great many comforts and mercies in the present life. And .many times their allowance is very plentiful ; partly, to wean the godly from placing their happi- ness in these enjoyments. "When men of God's hand, Ps. xvii. 14, that is, men of violence, have their bellies filled with hid treasure, this is a hint to the children of God that this is not the happiness they should expect. They that are not favourites of God are suffered to grow great and wealthy, to have riches and honours heaped upon them. God may give a large store of carnal comforts to wicked men, that we may say, Ps. cvi, 4, ' Kemember me, 0 Lord, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people ; ' thatwe may reason thus. What! shall we be contented with wicked men's mercies, that have not one drachm of grace, no interest in God's favour and peculiar love ? Partly for the increase of their judgment, that conscience may gnaw more in the place of tor- ments. The happiness that wicked men enjoy in this world is but matter for the worm that never dies to feed upon. When they are cast out among the devils and damned spirits, their consciences will tell them how good the Lord was to them while they lived in the world, and that it is by their own fault that they are come into that place of torment.