himself, he has recourse to this expedient of denying his wife. But was not God still able to protect him ? or could the Phi- listines touch an hair of his head without God's permission ? In what had God failed him, that now at this time he should begin to doubt his faithfulness or power ? It was the limiting of these perfections that in after ages brought down upon the whole nation of Israel the heaviest judgments3: and it could not but greatly aggravate the offence of Abraham in the present instance.]
2. Its natural and necessary tendency —
[We shudder while we contemplate the tendency of this shameful expedient. It was calculated to ensnare the people among whom he sojourned ; while it exposed the virtue of Sarah to the extremest hazard. Had she been acknowledged for Abraham's wife, every one would have known the unlaw- fulness of entertaining a desire after her, and would have abstained from shewing her any undue attention, or from cherishing in his bosom an inclination towards her. But when she passed for an unmarried woman, every one was at liberty to insinuate himself into her affections, and to seek to the uttermost an honourable connexion with her. The event indeed shews what might reasonably have been expected from such a plot. What other catastrophe could well be looked for? Terrible as it might have proved, both to her and to Abimelech, it was no other than the natural consequence of the deceit which was practised.
But what was its aspect and tendency with respect to the Messiah ? We tremble to relate. Surely the whole human race combined could not have devised or executed any thing more injurious to his honour. It was but just before, per- haps a week or two, that God had promised to Abraham, that within the year he should have a son by Sarah. Suppose then that matters had proceeded according to Abimelech's inten- tion, and that God had not miraculously interposed to prevent the execution of his purpose, it would have remained a doubt at this moment whether the promises were ever fulfilled to Abraham, and whether the Messiah did indeed descend from his loins. Consequently, the covenant made with Abraham, and all the promises made to him and his seed, wovdd be left in an awful uncertainty. If it would have been criminal in Abraham and Sarah to concert such a plan under any circum- stances whatever, how much more criminal was it to do so under the peculiar circumstances in which they then were !]
3. Its having been before practised by him, and reproved —
a Ps. lxxviii. 20—22, 40—42.