to both Sabeans and Chaldeans to suffer from each of them. Some writers have imagined, that there never was any such person as Job, and that his history is only an instructive fable; but nothing can be more wild than this opinion, which has no colour of argument to support it. The prophet Ezekiel supposes Job to have been as real a person as either Noah or Daniel; and St. James mentions him as having been a true example of patience.' We may at this rate raise doubts about any ancient fact in history.

About the hundredth year of Isaac's life, there happened a very remarkable accident in his family; Isaac and Rebekah seem to have had a very different opinion concerning their two sons Jacob and Esau. Isaac was a very good man; but he did not form a true judgment of his children. He was remarkably fond of Esau more than he was of Jacob; but his affection was but poorly grounded, he loved Esau because he did eat of his venison, but Rebekah loved Jacob. And it is remarkable, that before she placed her affection upon either of them, she enquired of GoD concerning them; and received for answer that the younger should be distinguished by the blessings of Heaven;" which she treasured up in her mind, and her opinion of them was according to it. From the time when GOD made the covenant with Abraham, and promised the extraordinary blessings to his seed, which have been before mentioned; it was requisite for the father of each family, some time before he died, to call his

Ezek. xiv. 14-16.
Gen. xxv. 27, 28.

.

James v. 11.

■ Ver. 23.

x

children together, and inform them, according to the knowledge which it pleased God to give him, how and in what manner the blessing of Abraham was to descend amongst them. Abraham had no occasion to do this; for GoD having determined and declared that in Isaac his seed should be called, none of Abraham's other children could have any pretence to expect the particular blessings which God had promised to the seed of Abraham. Isaac had two sons, either of whom might be designed by God to be the heir of the promise; and being now in the decline of life; for he was old, and his eyes were dim that he could not see, and not knowing how soon he might be taken from them, he was willing to determine this point, by blessing them before he died. If we compare this passage with that where Jacob afterwards called his children together, we may observe a remarkable difference between them. Jacob called his sons, and said, gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days, or rather, as it should be translated, in the times to come, or in the days of your posterity. God had given Jacob a prophetic view of his intended dispensations to his descendants and their children, and he called his sons together to relate to them, what GCD had thus revealed to him. But Isaac, in the passage before us, seems to have called Esau, without having received any particular revelation about him; nay it is evident he had received none; for he designed to tell him what God

never intended should belong to him. Isaac called Esau, and not Jacob, because he loved him more than he loved Jacob; and he loved him more, because Esau gat him venison; but Jacob's course of life lay another way. Rebekah saw the low springs of her husband's affection to his children; and that he was going to promise the blessing of Abraham, where his affection led him to wish it, and not where, by having made enquiry, she knew that God designed to bestow it. Hereupon she resolved, if possible, to prevent him; and therefore sent for Jacob, and proposed to him a scheme for his obtaining the blessing which his father designed to give Esau. Jacob was at first in great perplexity about it; was afraid his father should find out the deceit, and instead of blessing him, be provoked to curse him for endeavouring to impose upon him. But Rebekah was so well assured, that Gon designed to bless Jacob, and that her whole crime in this attempt was only an endeavour to deceive Isaac into an action, of which he ought to have duly informed himself, and to have done designedly; that she took the curse wholly upon herself, and persuaded Jacob to come into her measures. One thing is here remarkable, that when the artifice had succeeded, and Jacob was blessed, Isaac let it go, nay he confirmed the blessing; yea (says he) and he shall be blessed. We do not find that he was either displeased with his wife, or angry with Jacob for imposing apon him; but though he had before appeared full of fears and cares lest Esau should be defeated; yet now he expressed him

b

с

d

. self fully satisfied with what he had done. I cannot but think, that it pleased Gon at this time to open his understanding, and convince him, that he had given the blessing to the right person. Before this time he said nothing but what any uninspired person might have said. He wished his son of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine; adding such other circumstances of prosperity as his affection dictated; but saying nothing that can intimate that he had any particular view of any thing which was to happen to him; but now he began to speak with a better sense of things. He still wished Esau all possible happiness, the fatness of the earth and the dew of heaven; but he knew, that the particular blessings promised to Abraham and his seed, did not belong to him. He could now enter into his future life, and tell the circumstances of his posterity, and relate what should happen in after-days; describe how he and his descendants should live; acquaint him, that his brother's children should indeed be their governors; but that there should come a time, when his children should get the dominion, and break his brother's yoke from off their neck. This particular was not accomplished until almost nine hundred years after this prediction; for this prophecy was fulfilled, when the land of Edom, peopled by the children of Esau, who had been brought into subjection to the seed of Jacob by king David,' revolted in the days of

Jehoram, and set up a king of their own, and brake the yoke of Jacob off their neck; being never after that time subject to any of the kings of Judah.h

Esau was exceedingly provoked as his brother's thus obtaining the blessing from him, and determined, aś soon as his father should be dead, to kill him. Rebekah heard of his intentions, and thought the most likely way to prevent mischief, would be to send Jacob out of the way. She applied therefore to Isaac, mentioned to him the misfortune of Esau's marriages, and the comfort they might have of Jacob, if he would take care to dispose of himself better. Isaac therefore sent for Jacob, and charged him not to take a wife of the daughters of Canaan; but ordered him to go into Mesopotamia, and enquire for the family of Bethuel his mother's father, and get one of Laban's daughters for a wife, and if he did so, GoD would certainly bless him," and give him the blessing of Abraham and the land of Canaan to his posterity. Jacob did as his father had directed him, and set out for Mesopotamia. He was at first a little cast down at the length of the way, and the hazard of success in his journey; and when at night he went to sleep, with a head and heart full of cares, the GoD of Abraham and

2 Kings viii. 20—22.

See Archbishop Usher's Annals. Prideaux Conneet. vol. i. p. 11.

i Gen. xxvii. 41.

Chap. xxviii. the Hebrew

words, ver. 3. are, God Almighty will bless thee, &¤.