5. Again, I observe: as to the rejection of Esau, it is notal)le,_ for the clearing of God's justice, Esau was not rejected from the principal blessing till he had' first rejected it himself. Whatever God had purposed within his own heart, Esau was not actually rejected till he liad rejected the blessing. The primogeniture was not only assigned by God to Jacob, but despised by Esau, Gen. xxv. 34, he sold it for
VeR. 20.] SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. 389
a mess of pottage. The birthright liad the priesthood and promiseK annexed to it, and having sold the birthright, he had no right to the blessing. Thei-efore he is called ' a profane person,' because he sold his birthi-ight ; and he goes and seeks affinity with idolaters, and marries into the stock of the cursed Canaanites, and therefore he is called a fornicator : Heb. xii. 16, ' Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.' He degenerates and falls off from God, therefore no wonder God cut him off; that he grew wild, though he were a branch of a good stock. He liaving sold the birthright, had no right to the privileges of it, there- fore he is justly deprived of them. Thus wicked men fit themselves for destruction, whatever God's counsels are in himself. The vessels of mercy are not only determined, but prepared and fitted by God for glory : but he endures with much long-suffering vessels of wrath, till they fit themselves for destruction ; so they are compassed about with a fire of their own kindling.
6. I observe again : Jacob receives this blessing in the perfumed garment which belonged to the first-born, and particularly the garment wherein Esau as priest ministered, and which was sold to him with the birthright. The first-born, who was to perform the priest's office, was herein a type of Christ, who is primor/enitus et unigenitus, the first- born and only-begotten son of God. We put on Christ, and the garment of his righteousness, and so we are blessed of the Lord.
7. I observe again : the blessing being pronounced, Isaac would not retract it when he was sensible of the mistake : Gen. xxvii. 33, ' I have blessed him, and he shall be blessed.' And though Esau sought it with tears, and would fain have the thing reversed again, yet he could not have it. ' The gifts and calling of God,' and his special blessings, * are without repentance,' Eom. xi. 29. ' He found no place for repen- tance,' Heb. xii. 17 ; that is, for changing the mind of Isaac. The Lord doth not change his mind, but continues the blessings where they are settled.
Secondly, Wherein lay the strength of Isaac's faith ? For it is said, ' By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.'
1, In that he doth with confidence pronounce a blessing concerning things to come, and doth dispose of Canaan as if he had the peaceable possession of it, and could dispose of it at pleasure. He that will consider Isaac's case with an eye of sense would wonder at his confi- dence, that he th^t had not a foot of land in Canaan, and had no right to anything there but a burying-place, and that was now exiled by a famine, and lived a sojourner in the land of Gerar, that he should pronounce those magnificent words and speeches : Gen. xxvii. 29, ' Let people serve thee, and let nations bow down to thee, and be thou lord over thy brethren.' To a man that looks upon the outward case of Isaac, all this would seem to be ridiculous pageantry. Could he confer dominions that was scarce free himself, but tossed up and down ? Yet by faith he speaks as confidently of future blessings, as if he saw them fulfilled. So should we be as certain of the blessings to come that God hath promised, as if they were present, though we see no likeli- hood of them. The word of God should be assurance enough, though
390 SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. [SeR. LIV.
we have nothing of sense to bear us up. Do but observe two things before these blessings could be accomplished — (1.) The promise was to suffer a long delay ; (2.) As to sense, it was often contradicted ; j'et ' by faith he blessed them.'
[1.] The promise was delayed for a long time. Esau had his blessing sooner than Jacob ; a fat soil, and power and force to maintain his lot, Gen. xxxvi. Esau multi})lied into many and great families, he presently grew great and mighty ; there came dukes and captains from him : ver. 15, ' duke Teman, duke Omar, duke Zepho/ &c. ; whereas Jacob was but a servant in the house of Laban till he was a hundred years old, labouring for his living ; and it was three hundred years ere a people proceeded from him that were numerous and powerful, as the stars of heaven, as the Lord had said. Nay it was not fully accom- plished till David's time ; Saul began when he smote the Amalekites, 1 Sam. XV. 3, and David says, Ps. Ix. 8, ' Over Edom will I cast out my shoe." So Ishmael grows presently great ; twelve princes came of him, Gen. xxv. 16 ; whereas Isaac continued in a private and low estate. Thus will God try the faith of his people in things to come, when it is a long time ere the blessing be obtained that is promised to them.