[He saw that there was some particular person who should spring from him, distinct from, and superior to, all his other descendants^ He saw that the covenant which God had condescended to make with him was confirmed and rati- fied in that particular individuals He saw that that person was to be a source of blessings to mankind ; and that, not to
b Gen. xviii. 2, 22, 25, 27, 30. c Gen. xiv. 17—20.
<i Isai. liii. 10. e See Heb. xi. 17—19.
* Gal. hi. 16. s Gal. iii. 17.
one nation only, but to all the nations of the earth. He saw, that though the land of Canaan was promised to him and his posterity, this was not the only, or the chief, blessing which they were to inherit : on the contrary, he regarded Canaan only as a type of a better inheritance11 ; and saw distinctly, that grace and glory were the special benefits which the promised Seed should obtain for them1. Whether he knew precisely in what manner Christ was to obtain these things for us, we do not undertake to determine ; but that Christ was to be the one fountain of these blessings to the world, he knew assuredly : for on that very truth he grounded all his hopes of salvation.]
2. The method of a sinner's justification through him —
[We are continually told, " that Abraham's faith was counted to him for righteousness." But was it the act of faith that constituted his justifying righteousness before God? If so " he has whereof to glory;" (in direct opposition to St. Paul's assertion) ; and he was saved by works, and not by faith onlyk (for faith, as an act of our own, is a work, as much as love, or any other act). No : it was by the object of faith that he was justified, even by that promised Seed, who died for him upon the cross : and it was to that promised Seed that he looked for a justifying righteousness before God1.
It may be said, in opposition to this, that St. James says he was justified by works, and particularly by offering up his son Isaac upon the altar"1. But a very little consideration will suffice to shew, that he does not contradict the assertions of St. Paul. When was Abraham justified ? I answer, the very moment he believed the declaration of God with respect to the promised Seed". But this was long before any of those acts of obedience for which we might suppose him to have been justified : it was no less than twenty-four years before he was circumcised0: and consequently, forty, if not fifty, years, before that act of obedience which St. James refers top. This indisputably proves, that the offering up of Isaac was not the ground of his justification before God ; but that it was only an evidence of the truth and sincerity of that faith whereby he was justified. The righteousness of Christ was that by which he was justified ; his faith was only the means
i» Heb. xi. 9, 10, 13—16.
1 Luke i. 68 — 75. Compare with Gal. iii. 14, 18. k Rom. iv. 1—5. ] Rom. iii. 21—26. and v. 18.
m Jam. ii. 21 — 23. n Gen.'xii. 1 — 3. and xv. 5, 6.
0 Compare Gen. xii. 4. with xvii. 1, 24. and Rom. iv. 9 — 12. p Gen. xxii. 1, 2.
Abraham's views of christ. 47
1657.]
of his justification ; and his works were the evidence of his jus- tification : by faith he apprehended Christ ; and by offering up his son {from whom Christ was to spring), he shewed the reality and strength of his faith.
This great truth, that we are justified by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, is the one grand point in which the whole Gospel centers : and this point Abraham saw, not only in reference to himself, but in reference also to the whole world; as well those who should not derive their natural descent from him, as those who should q. Other things he might see more or less dis- tinctly ; but this he saw as clearly as we ourselves can do ; yea, happy would it be for many, if they saw it half so clearly as he didr.]