[He had determined that Jacob should have the blessing : but who could have thought that he should ever confer it in such a way ? Who would have thought that he should employ all this treachery and deceit and falsehood in the bestowment of it? Let not any one however imagine, that the divine conduct is vitiated by overruling thus the wickedness of men ; or that Jacob's conduct was justified by accomplishing thus the purposes of Heaven. Evil ceases not to be evil because God overrules it for good: for, if it did, then would the crucifiers and murderers of the Lord of glory be innocent, because by their instrumentality God accomplished the redemption of the world. But as it was " with wicked hands that the Jews crucified and slew Jesus, notwithstanding he was delivered into their hands by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of Godb," so were Jacob and Rebekah most criminal, whilst God, who wrought by them, was holy, and just, and good. We must say respecting all the ways of men, of whatever kind they be, they shall eventually "praise God;" and, however contrary to his commands, shall assuredly both accomplish his will and glorify his name0.]
2. How weak are the best of men when they come into temptation !
[It is not to be supposed that either Jacob or Rebekah would have acted thus on any common occasion : but the im- portance of the occasion seemed to them to justify the expe- dients they used. Thus are even good men sometimes betrayed into the commission of evil. They are not aware how much they may be biassed by interest or passion. They have an object to attain: that object is in itself desirable and good : how to attain it in a direct way, they know not. Therefore they incline to an indirect way, conceiving that the end will justify the means. It was thus that Peter brought upon him the rebuke of Paul. He doubtless wished to soften the prejudices of his Jewish brethren ; and he thought that a little sacrifice of liberty on the part of the Gentiles might well be made for so good an end. Hence he required the Gentiles to make the sacrifice : and so plausible were his reasonings on the occasion, that even Barnabas was drawn away by his dissimulation. What wonder then if even good men be sometimes deceived by the specious reasonings of others, or of their own minds, especially when there is some great interest to serve, and when our tempters are those on whose judgment we rely? Let every man then stand on his guard, and beware how he be drawn by any authority whatever to the commission of evil. It will be of little avail to say, My adviser was my father or my mother : there is a plain path, from which no authority under heaven
b Acts ii. 23. c Ps. lxxvi. 10.