The taste of Isaac, as well as his sight, was easily deceived. His ear however was more capable of discernment, and excited strong suspicions, that the person who addressed him was not the person he professed to be, but Jacob in disguise. To satisfy his mind, he determined to call in the evidence of his other senses : and by these, as well as by the firmness of Jacob's asseverations, he was deceived. He smelt the rich odours of Esau's garment (which probably was preserved in the family as the distin- guishing property of the eldest son), and he felt, as he thought, the roughness of Esau's hands and neck; and therefore imputing his suspicions to his own in- firmities, he proceeded without further hesitation to bestow his benediction, together with all the privi- leges of the birthright, on this treacherous impostor. When Esau, who had been thus defrauded, came to him, the unhappy father found out the treachery that had been practised upon him, and announced to his bereaved son the melancholy tidings ; " Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing." Much is to be learned from this extraordinary por- tion of Holy Writ. Let us consider,
I. The event referred to —
The circumstances being so universally known, we need not go particularly into them. The fraud practised in order to obtain the birthright is that which more immediately calls for our attention —
1. In reference to the end, it was unnecessary — [It is certainly true, that God had, while Esau and Jacob were yet in the womb, promised the birthright to Jacob the younger son: and no doubt, the birthright was a blessing greatly to be desired. It was also true that Isaac, either through forgeti'ulness or partiality for his favourite son, was about to bestow the birthright upon Esau. But were there no other means to be used in order to the accomplishment of the divine counsels? Why could they not have reminded Isaac of the promise which God had made, which, as it had been made seventy-six years before, might now well be supposed to have been forgotten by him, especially in his present infirm and dying state? Isaac was a pious man, and would not have dared knowingly and intentionally to thwart the revealed pur- poses of his God. But supposing, what indeed cannot be