nor are they taken notice of by the ancient scholiasts. And it is far more probable that these words were inserted in one or two copies, than that they were left out of all the rest. For there is no colour of reason why they should be omitted; but the addition of them, especially containing a truth, seems to set out more fully the greatness of the instance proposed.

Eiç KarabоANY OTερμаToç. Vul. Lat. In conceptione seminis. Rhem. 'Received virtue in conceiving seed.' Avvaç is properly vis, strength, power;' the Vulgar renders it here virtutem, proper enough in Latin, but virtue is very improper in our language, as to the use of the word. 'In the conception,' for to conceive.' Ad concipiendum semen, ad retinendum semen, ad concipiendum et retinendum semen. Syr. Sapnī, Ny ut susciperet semen. The inquiries and disputes of expositors on these words, as to their precise signification with reference to Sarah, are useless, and some of them offensive. Strength to conceive a child, after the manner of other women, is all that the apostle intends.

ETEKEV, is absent in one ancient Greek copy, which supplies it by To TEKνwσaι, after εlabɛ, 'to beget children.' It is omitted in the Vulgar, which reads the words etiam præter tempus ætatis, 'yea past the time of age.' The Syriac retains it, n, brought,' or 'bare a child.' Those who omit it, refer the whole to the cause, or her conception; those who retain it, express the effect also, in child-bearing.

'Hynoaro. Vul. Credidit, she believed.' So the Syriac, NT, Believed assuredly.' Reputavit, judicavit; accounted,' 'judged.'

VER. 11.-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.

First. The person whose faith is here proposed as exemplary, is Sarah. But many expositors suppose that it is not Sarah's faith, but Abraham's, which wrought this effect by Sarah, that is commended. The reasons which I have seen on the one side or the other are light, and easily answered. But there are those which are cogent, to convince that it is the faith of Sarah that is intended. For,

1. The manner of expression is a certain determination of her person to be the subject spoken of; kaι avтn Zappa, 'and,' or 'also,' 'Sarah herself.' The words plainly signify the introduction of another person in the same order, or to the same purpose, with him before spoken of. 2. As Abraham was the father of the faithful, or of the church, so she was the mother of it, so as that the distinct mention of her faith was necessary. She was the free woman from whence the church sprang, Gal. iv. 22, 23. And all believing women are her daughters, 1 Pet. iii. 6. See Gen. xvii. 16. 3. Her working and obedience is proposed to the church as an example, and therefore her faith may justly be so also, 1 Pet. iii. 5, 6. 4. She was equally concerned in the divine revelation with Abraham, and was as sensible of great difficulties in its accomplishment as Abraham, if not more. 5. The blessing of the promised seed was confined and appropriated to Sarah, no less than to Abraham, Gen. xvii. 16, 'I will bless her, yea I will bless her, and

she shall be a mother of nations.' See Gen. xvii. 19, xviii. 10. Herein her faith was necessary, and is here recorded.

Secondly. Some things may be observed in the proposition of this instance and example. As,

1. That it is the faith of a woman that is celebrated. Hence that sex may learn, even that they also may be examples of faith to the whole church, as Sarah was. And it is necessary for their encouragement, because, 1. Of the especial concernment of their sex in the first entrance of sin, which the apostle animadverts on, for their instruction in humility, and subjection to the will of God, and makes it a matter of especial grace, that they shall be saved, 1 Tim. ii. 9-15. 2. Because of their natural weakness, subject in a peculiar manner to various temptations, which in this example they are encouraged to conflict withal and overcome by faith. Whence it is that they are heirs together with their believing husbands of the grace of life, 1 Pet. iii. 7.

2. Here is a signal commendation of the faith of Sarah, even in that very instance wherein it was shaken and failed, though it recovered itself afterward. For whatever working there might be of natural affections, in the surprise which befel her on the promise of a son, whereon she laughed, yet there was a mixture of unbelief in it, as appears from the reproof given her, 'Is any thing too hard for the Lord?' Gen. xviii. 13, 14. But being awakened by that reproof, and receiving a fuller evidence that it was the Lord which spake to her, she recovered herself, and rested by faith in his power and truth. Wherefore,

Obs. I. Faith may be sorely shaken and tossed at the first appearance of difficulties lying in the way of the promise, which yet at last it shall overcome. And there be many degrees of its weakness and failure herein. As, 1. A mere recoiling, with some disorder in the understanding, unable to apprehend the way and manner of the accomplishment of the promise. This was in the blessed virgin herself, who on the promise of her conception of a child, replied, How shall,' or can this be, seeing I know not a man?' Luke i. 34. But she immediately recovered herself into an acquiescency in the power and faithfulness of God, ver. 37, 38, 45. 2. It ariseth to a distrust of the event of the promises or their accomplishment, because of the difficulties that lie in the way; so was it with Zacharias, the father of John Baptist, who thereon had his own dumbness given him for a sign of the truth of the promise, Luke i. 18, 20. So was it with Sarah on this occasion, for which she was reproved. This is denied of Abraham, he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief,' Rom. iv. 20. And this at times is found in us all. 3. When there is for a season an actual prevalency of unbelief. So it was with the apostle Peter, when he denied his master, who yet was quickly recovered. It is therefore our duty, 1. To watch that our faith be not surprised or shaken by the appearance of difficulties and oppositions. 2. Not to despond utterly on any degree of its failure, for it is in its nature, by the use of means, to recover its vigour and efficacy.

3. The carriage of Sarah is twice repeated by the Holy Ghost, here and 1 Pet. iii. 6, and in both places only what was good in it, namely, her faith toward God on her recovery after her reproof, and her obser

vance of her husband, whom, speaking to herself, she called Lord, are mentioned and proposed without the least remembrance of her failing or miscarriage. And such will be the judgment of Christ at the last day, concerning all those whose faith and obedience are sincere, though accompanied with many failings.

Thirdly. The next thing in the words is, what is here ascribed to the faith of Sarah, or what she obtained by virtue of it. She received strength to conceive seed.'

1. She received' it, &λaßɛ. It was not what she had in her, or of herself; she had it in a way of free gift, whereunto she contributed nothing but a passive reception. 2. That which she received was dvva

v, strength, that is, power and ability for the especial end aimed at; this she had lost through age. And I do believe that this was not a mere miraculous generation, but that she received a general restoration of her nature to an ability for all its primitive operations, which was before decayed; so was it with Abraham afterward, who after this, after his body was as dead,' received strength to have many children by Keturah.

2. What she received this strength for by faith, was, aç karaẞoλnv σTEOμаTOÇ, 'to conceive seed.' There is no need to debate the precise signification of the word karaẞon, in this place, as elsewhere. The arguings of some about it are offensive. It may suffice, that the meaning of the phrase is, 'to conceive a child in the womb after a natural way and manner, such as there was not in the conception of our Lord Jesus Christ in the womb of the blessed virgin. Wherefore it is most probable that the holy virgin conceived in her womb immediately on the angelic salutation declaring it to her. But Sarah conceived not till some good while after the divine revelation made to her, that she should have a child. See Gen. xvii. 21, xxi. 2.

Here some copies read σrapa ovσa, 'being barren,' which was true, and increaseth the miracle of her conception. That whereas she had been barren all the usual and ordinary time of women's bearing children in the course of their lives, she should now in her old age conceive seed. It is observed, indeed, that Sarai was barren,' Gen. xi. 30. But yet when the trial of her faith came, the difficulty did not arise from a natural barrenness, but that the time of life for bearing of children was now past with her. 'She was old, and it ceased to be with her after the manner of women,' Gen. xviii. 11, 12, or as the apostle expounds it, 'her womb was dead,' Rom. iv. 19. And this is that which here the greatness of this effect of faith is ascribed to, namely, that she was delivered of a child when she was past age.'

If we read ETEKE with most copies, 'she was delivered of a child,' or 'she childed,'' she bare a child,' then the particle ka is conjunctive, and denotes an addition to what was said of her conceiving seed, namely, that she also childed,' or brought forth a child. If it be absent, it is to be rendered by 'even,' to denote a heightening circumstance of what was before effected. She received strength to conceive seed, 'even' when she was past age. But the former is to be followed; she conceived, and accordingly 'bare a son,' Gen. xxii. 2.

That which was eminent herein, manifesting that it was a mere effect

of faith, is, that it was thus with her, Tapa Kaiроv λikiαç, after the. season of age was past.' So the apostle expounds that passage in Moses, 'Sarah was old and well stricken in age, and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women,' Gen. xviii. 11, 12. She was ninety years old at that time, Gen. xvii. 17. And this was that which at first shook her faith, for want of a due consideration of the omnipotency of God; for that the improbability hereof, and the impossibility of it in an ordinary way of nature, was that which shook her faith for a season, is evident from the reply made by God to her, 'Is any thing too hard for the Lord?' Gen. xviii. 14. She considered not, that where divine veracity was engaged, infinite power would be so also to make it good. And we may observe that,

Obs. II. Although God ordinarily worketh by his concurring blessing on the course of nature, yet he is not obliged thereunto.-Yet,

Ŏbs. III. It is no defect in faith, not to expect events and blessings absolutely above the use of means, unless we have a particular warrant for it; as Sarah had in this case.

Obs. IV. The duty and use of faith about temporal mercies are to be regulated by the general rules of the word, where no especial providence doth make application of a promise.

Obs. V. The mercy here spoken of, concerning a son unto Abraham by Sarah his wife, was absolutely decreed, and absolutely promised; yet God indispensably requires faith in them for the fulfilling of that decree, and the accomplishment of that promise. The great engine whereby men have endeavoured to destroy the certainty and efficacy of the grace of God, is this, that if he have absolutely decreed and promised any thing which he will accomplish, then all our duty with respect unto it is rendered unnecessary. And if this be so, all the faith of the church under the Old Testament, concerning the promised seed or coming of the Messiah, was vain and useless, for it was absolutely decreed, and absolutely promised. So would have been the faith of Sarah in this case, nor could she have deserved blame for her unbelief. But it is no way inglorious unto the methods of God, as unto his own grace and our obedience, that they are unsuited unto the carnal reasonings of men.

Fourthly. The last thing in the words is, the ground of the effect declared, or the nature of that faith whereby she obtained the mercy mentioned. And this was, because she judged him faithful who had promised. ETTE, quoniam, because ;' it doth not intimate the meritorious cause of the thing itself, nor any procuring cause of it; it only shows the reason of what was before asserted; namely, that it was by faith that she obtained a child; for 'she judged.' That which is ascribed unto her on this occasion, which contains the general nature of that faith whereby she received strength, is, that she judged him that had promised,' &c.

The act ascribed unto her is, that she йynoaro, 'judged,' she reckoned, esteemed, reputed him so to be. Vulg. Lat. and Syr. 'she believed,' which is true; but there is more in this word than a naked assent; a determinate resolution of the mind and judgment, on a due consideration of the evidence given for its assent unto any truth. And

herein the nature of true faith in general doth consist, namely, in the mind's judging and determination upon the evidence proposed. Sarah's faith in this case was the issue of a temptation, a trial. When she first heard the promise, she considered only the thing promised, and was shaken in her faith by the improbability of it, being that which she had lost all expectation and even desire of. But when she recollected herself, and took off her mind from the thing promised unto the promiser, faith prevailed in her. This is manifest in the especial object of her faith herein; and that was Tov Tayyɛıdaμɛvov, he that promised,' that is, God himself in his promises. She first thought of the thing promised, and this seemed unto her altogether incredible; but at length, taking off her thoughts from consideration of all second causes, she fixed her mind on God himself who had promised, and came unto this resolution, whatever difficulties or oppositions lie in the way of the accomplishment of the promise, he that made it was able to remove them all; and such was his faithfulness, that he would make good his word wherein he had caused her to put her trust.

So it is added in the last place, that she judged him σTOV, 'faithful.’ She resolved her faith into, and rested upon the veracity of God in the accomplishment of his promises, which is the immediate proper object of faith, Tit. i. 1. But yet also she joined with it the consideration of almighty power; for she thus recollected herself upon those words of God, Is any thing too hard for the Lord? And we may see,

Obs. VI. That the formal object of faith in the divine promises is not the things promised in the first place, but God himself in his essential excellencies of truth, or faithfulness and power.-To fix our minds on the things themselves promised, to have an expectation or supposition of the enjoyment of them, as suppose mercy, grace, pardon, glory, without a previous acquiescency of mind in the truth and faithfulness of God, or on God himself as faithful, and able to accomplish them, is but a deceiving imagination. But on this exercise of faith in God we make a comfortable application of the things promised unto our own souls, as did Sarah in this case.

And,

Obs. VII. Every promise of God hath this consideration tacitly annexed to it, 'Is any thing too hard for the Lord?'-There is no divine promise, but when it comes unto the trial, as unto our closing with it, no promise of the new covenant, but we apprehend as great a difficulty and improbability of its accomplishment unto us, as Sarah did of this. All things seem easy unto them who know not what it is to believe, nor the necessity of believing. They do so to them also who have learned to abuse the grace of God expressed in the promises, and to turn it into wantonness; but poor, humble, broken souls, burdened with sin, and entangled in their own darkness, find insuperable difficulties, as they apprehend, in the way of the accomplishment of the promises. This is their principal retreat in this distress, 'Is any thing too hard for the Lord?' This, God himself proposeth as the foundation of our faith in our entering into covenant with him, Gen. xvii. 11. And therefore,

Obs. VIII. Although the truth, veracity, or faithfulness of God be in a peculiar manner the immediate object of our faith, yet it takes in