Genesis 15

3. A man in the dark is in danger every step he goes; so a man in the state of nature is in danger every step, of falling into hell. Thus it is before Christ teaches us; indeed, the darkness in which a sinner is, while in an unregenerate state, is worse than natural darkness; fo…

Will God speak peace to us when our minds are wandering, and our thoughts are traveling to the ends of the earth (Proverbs 17:24)? If ever you would hear the Word with attention, do as Abraham, he drove away the fowls from the sacrifice (Genesis 15:11). So when we find these exc…

Give attention to the Word as to a matter of life and death: and to that purpose, have a care, (1.) To banish vain impertinent thoughts, which will distract you, and take you off from the work in hand. These fowls will be coming to the sacrifice (Genesis 15:11), therefore we mus…

O be ambitious of pardoning grace. When God had made Abraham great and large promises, Abraham replies, Lord what is all, seeing I go childless? (Genesis 15:2). So when God has given you riches, and all your heart can wish, say to him, Lord, what is all this, seeing I want forgi…

But that which nextly and most properly gives us the advantage and encouragement to believe in Christ, is that special revelation which God has been pleased to make of him, in which revelation he gives us to understand, that as he is a complete and all sufficient Savior, so he i…

Qu. 8. How many we sanctify the name of God in the use of Gospel institutions? Answ. 1. By a holy reverence of his sovereign authority appointing of them. 2. A holy regard to his special presence in them. 3. Faith in his promises annexed to them. 4. Delight in his will, wisdom,…

Thirdly, darkness is exceedingly terrible and full of horror. When children are in the dark, they think they see fearful sights; it is therefore called 'the horror of darkness' (Genesis 15:12). So his soul here may be filled with fears and terrors from God's wrath, and of God be…

Secondly, Abraham inherited Canaan in his posterity. For though God promised it to himself, when he was 75 years old, Genesis 12:4, and to him and to his seed, Genesis 15:7: Yet neither he nor his immediate seed enjoyed it, but his posterity the Israelites, 430 years after the p…

Here we may observe a most notable work of faith: it makes a man to keep in memory the merciful promises which God has made unto him. This is it which commends Josephs faith for a lively faith, That being about to die, he remembers this merciful promise of God, made to his foref…

Not but that other things also are of as great number; as, the drops of water, dust of the earth, and hairs of men's heads, etc.: but these two are most common, and proverbial phrases, whereby to express a multitude. And again, the stars of the sky are rather named than any othe…

For neither we nor our works are capable of an eternal reward by the way of merit, that is, that the reward should be reckoned to us not of grace but of debt (Romans 4:4). And that which utterly overthrows such an apprehension is, that God himself is our eternal reward (Genesis…

From there also were faedus percutere, and faedus ferire. See (Genesis 15:9, 10, 18). [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉] or [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉] that is cum, which is joined in construction with it (Genesis 15:18; Deuteronomy 5:2).

That God should so declare himself in his covenant, was absolutely necessary to direct and encourage the obedience of the covenanters. And he did so accordingly (Genesis 17:1; Genesis 15:1). Hereby he reserves the glory of the whole to himself.

God has put this declaration hereof into the foundation of all our obedience in the Covenant. I am your exceeding great reward (Genesis 15:1). And at the close of it, the Lord Jesus does not think it enough to declare that he will come himself, but also that his reward is with h…

And the means of ingenerating this Faith in them was the Promise itself. By this Faith were they justified and saved (Genesis 15:6). But it may be enquired how this Faith could be proposed to us for an example, seeing it respected the future Exhibition of Christ, and we are to r…

And the faith which he had in hope was against hope (Romans 4:18, 19). Hence he complained that after all his long and wearisome pilgrimage he went childless (Genesis 15:2), and fell into no small mistakes in the matter of Hagar and Ishmael. Yet after all, the Promise made its w…

How many, and how punctually were the prophesies, concerning our Redemption by Christ? How plain was that, concerning the type thereof, namely, Israel's deliverance from Egyptian slavery (Genesis 15:13, 14), and yet how wonderfully fulfilled, many hundreds of years after they we…

What is a city, but an aggregation and heap of houses and inhabitants? Multitudes had died before Abraham, and gone to heaven, from Adam, Abel, Seth, downwards; and God promises him peace at his death, and a being gathered to those fathers (Genesis 15:15). There was then a city…

And so the proof of this fourth particular, will add further strength and confirmation to that we presented in the former. Now that his being our God (which is the substance of the Covenant of Grace) does engage him to provide glory for separate souls, that one instance of Abrah…

I might here observe that we have other instances of God's shortening the days of his Church's captivity and bondage, either at the beginning or end, very parallel with what has been now supposed in the case of the Witnesses. Thus the proper time of the bondage of the posterity…

Or to make profit to men, either ourselves, or others, to be more moved with the feeling, of the mercy, justice, power, authority of the Lord, in any weighty matter, to be strengthened among us. Here is forbidden the use of the name of God, when we have no such end, as we do com…

It is the procurement of the mediator that it pleads upon, and in this sense, the imputed righteousness of Christ, and the righteousness of faith are one and the same, because faith takes hold of the righteousness without us, which can be no other but the righteousness of Christ…

Second, that they were to trust to the merit of their own works, or seek righteousness in themselves, more than we? Third, or that they believed not, or that their faith was not counted to them for righteousness, as it is with us (Genesis 15:5-6; Romans 4:3-8; Psalm 32:1-2)? Fou…

It is true, the word, the works of God, are not the principal object of faith, nor objectum quod; faith rests only on God, and the Lord Jesus (John 14:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:8). Your faith toward God (1 Peter 1:21; Deuteronomy 1:32; John 3:12; Genesis 15:6; Daniel 6:23; Romans 4:3…

(Revelation 1:17) When I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. Abraham was cast into great horror (Genesis 15:12) when God appeared solemnly to enter into covenant with him. So (Isaiah 6:5) Then I said, woe is me, for I am undone.

Scribes and Pharisees have their reward from men, from men they expect it: Saints expect their reward from God, and God gives it them: Men reward them evil for their good will, and they expect no better: If better come from men, they own it as a gratuity sent from their Father:…

Now he adds the example of Abraham, and rehearses the testimony of the scripture. The first is out of Genesis (Genesis 15:6): Abraham believed God, etc. This place the Apostle here mightily prosecutes, as also he does in his epistle to the Romans (Romans 4:2-3).

The first is, the occasion, which was on this manner. After the conquest of the heathen kings, Abraham was still in some fear: in this regard the Lord comforts him (Genesis 15:1). I am your buckler, and your exceeding great reward.

Lastly, it crosses the wicked conceit and imagination of those men, that sing a requiem to their souls, in promising to themselves an impunity from sin, and an immunity from all the judgments of God, notwithstanding they go on in their bad practices; and all because God does not…

He now prevents an objection which might be made against this doctrine, to wit, it seems strange that the Lord should call those nations to him which were far off before: as if they should say, Has God then chosen the posterity of Abraham in vain? Shall his promises so often rep…

Others supposed that Cyrus did but dally with them, only permitting them to go, that having gauged and sounded the depth of their affections, he might take occasion thereby to oppress them and deal the more severely with them, not considering that those things which the Lord had…

He therefore brings them to their original; to teach them that however they were but a small handful now, yet God was able to increase and multiply them. Then he commands them to look to their father Abraham, who being but one man, yet grew into a great number, and God gave him…

He calls them mercies of David, because this covenant which was now so solemnly confirmed, was made in David's hand. True it is that the Lord made the covenant first with Abraham (Genesis 15:5 and 17:7), and afterwards confirmed it by Moses (Exodus 3:15), and lastly he establish…

Under the word Eunuch, by the figure Synecdoche, he comprehends all those that bore any note of infamy upon them, which might be an occasion to separate them from God's people. For it seemed that the eunuchs, and such as had no children, were rejected of God, and excluded out of…

Others think more correctly that the multiplication of the holy people was happy and blessed, as was said to Abraham, "I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth," (Genesis 13:16;) and again, "Tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: so shall thy seed be," (Genesis 15:…

The Greek word μετοικεσία, which the old translator renders transmigration, and Erasmus renders exile, literally signifies a change of habitation. The meaning is, that the Jews were compelled to leave their country, and to dwell as "strangers in a land that was not theirs," (Gen…

And two things are contained herein; (1.) That we do all things to his Glory. This is the proper End of all the Acts and Actings of this Life, Rom. 14. 7, 8. (2.) That we design in and by it, to come to the eternal enjoyment of him, as our Blessedness and Reward, Gen. 15. 1. (5.…

(1.) What a mercy was it to us, to have Parents that prayed for us before they had us, as well as in our Infancy, when we could not pray for our selves? Thus did Abraham, Genesis 15:2 and Hannah, 1 Samuel 1. 10, 11. and some here likely are the fruits and returns of their Parent…

The wickedness of the wicked shall come to an end. There is a time when the iniquity of the Amorites comes to the full (Genesis 15:16), it comes up to the brim in the appointed day of slaughter. When their wickedness has filled the Ephah, a Talent of Lead is laid upon the mouth…

Haeredis nomen latiore significatione possessorem & fidei Commissarium & Legatarium comprehendit; it comprehends a Possessor, a Trustee and a Legatary; so Spigelius. This sense of the word takes off the Catachresis which must be supposed in the application of it to the Son, if i…

Besides that, this is indeed no tolerable argument, namely, that learned men cannot agree in the exact computation of any time appointed to such an end, to prove that it was not designed to that end, is evident from other instances in the Scripture to the same purpose. Thus God…

First, For the family, stock, or lineage whereof he was to come; there was a threefold restitution of it, after the promise had for a long time run in general, that he should be of the seed of the woman, or take his nature from among mankind. The first was to the seed of Abraham…

Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised (Genesis 17:19; chap. 21. v. 2). Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, as the stars of…

And (Genesis 22:18): And in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. And when he doubted of the accomplishment of this Promise, because he was childless, and said, Behold to me you have given no seed, as knowing that therein lay the Promise (Genesis 15:3), God te…

Ra. Saadias Gaon, on Daniel 7:13. whose words are reported by Solomon Jarchi on Genesis 35:8. Ra. Arama on Genesis 15. as he is at large cited by Munster on this Psalm. Moses Haddarshan on Genesis 18:1.

Christ Jesus the Son of God, the head of the church, had all Afflictions gathered into an head in him; and yet the father alwaies loved him, and was alwaies well pleased with him. When God solemnly renewed his covenant with Abraham, and he had prepared the sacrifice whereby it w…

The true treasure then (to let the other passe) is in a word, the trueGod, that one only eternal essence in three persons, who made all things and gouernes all things; in him alone is all goodnesse and happines to be found. Gen. 15. 1. I am your buckler, and yours exceeding grea…

And then the great condition of the covenant of grace, which is faith, was now more fully made known. Genesis 15:5, 6 "And he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness."

The land that God had often promised to their fathers, included all the countries from the river of Egypt to the river Euphrates. These were the bounds of the land promised to Abraham, Genesis 15:18. "In that same day the Lord made a covenant with Abraham, saying, Unto thy seed…

The wicked also have their ripening time for hell, and judgment; God does with much long-suffering endure the vessels of wrath, prepared for destruction. Of their ripeness for judgment the Scripture often speaks (Genesis 15:16): The sin of the Amorites is not yet full. And of Ba…