gression in Jacob; and that the covenant relates to an eternal inheritance, and not to a mere conversion of any class of wicked men.

The apostle next proceeds to say, verse 28, that, "As concerning the gospel, they [the unbelieving Jews] are enemies for your sakes, [or, on your account, i. e., they were enemies because the partition wall was broken down, and the Gentiles were admitted to the same favor of God as themselves, and on the same terms—see Acts xiii. 42—46;] but, as touching the election, [that is, the believing Jews—see verse 7,] they are beloved for the fathers' sakes." God has a special love to a believing Jew for the fathers' sake, on the principle that he "keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him, to a thousand generations." See Deut. vii. 9. Thus, the Gentile converts were made to understand, that though God had rejected the unbelieving Jews from his favor, yet, when they believed, as they all might if they would, they were regarded with special favor for the fathers' sake; for, God had not forgotten the faith of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; and his "gifts and calling" to the "fathers," he had never repented of, or changed his purpose of making them the chosen vessels through whom he would bless the world.

Now let us examine the ORIGINAL PROMISES made to the fathers. See Gen. xiii. 14, 15: "And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art, northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for"And

ever."

Now see 17th chapter, 7th and 8th verses: I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee, in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."

Now compare these promises with Acts vii. 4, 5: "Then came he out of the land of the Chaldeans, and dwelt in Charran; and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed them into this land, wherein ye now dwell. And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child."

Now, if the promise to Abraham related to literal Canaan, then the promise of God utterly failed. But it did not relate to that; and Abraham never so understood it. In proof of this, see Heb. xi. 8—10: "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise for he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God."

The apostle goes on to say, verses 13 to 16: "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned: but now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for he hath prepared for them a city."

The apostle continues to discourse, and enumerates "David, Samuel and all the prophets," who dwelt in the literal Canaan, and yet he tells us, verses 39, 40: "And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise; God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect."

If the promise related to the possession of literal

Canaan, they did receive it; but Paul declares they did not receive the promise; which shows that the promise related to a different inheritance; even an heavenly, or the new earth; for "the meek shall inherit the earth."

:

Let us now examine the original promises as made to Isaac and Jacob. See Gen. xxvi. 3, 4: "6 Sojourn in this land; and I will be with thee, and will bless thee for unto thee and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father and I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." See, also, Gen. xxviii. 13, 14: "And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed. And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth; and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south and in thee, and in thy seed, shall all the families of the earth be blessed."

Now let us inquire, who "thy seed" is, to whom those promises are made. See Gal. iii. 16: "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ."

"Thy seed," then, "is Christ." Did Christ ever possess a foot of old Canaan? No. He had "not where to lay his head;" so he testifies himself. The promise, then, was not fulfilled to Abraham, Isaac, nor our blessed Lord; and hence remains to be fulfilled.

Let us now see if we can determine to what the promise related, and who are the heirs of it. See Rom. iv. 13—16: "For the promise, that he should be the HEIR OF THE WORLD, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made

of none effect. Because the law worketh wrath for where no law is, there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed: not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all."

Now we have found what the inheritance is—who the heirs are---and who the children are to whom the promises are made, not the literal descendants of Abraham, but all who are "of faith." The world belongs to Christ and his people: they have been persecuted and destroyed out of the earth; but our Lord is coming to glorify his saints, and to destroy his and their enemies, and take possession of the inheritance, after purifying it by fire, and renewing it in glory.

But let us examine the subject still further as to who are the heirs, and to whom the promises belong. See Gal. iii. 6—9. "Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness; know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham."

Now see the 15th to 19th verse, same chapter: "Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say, That the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator."

"For

See also 26th to 29th verse, same chapter : ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.'

If this does not settle the question, as to whom the promises belong, it seems to me impossible to settle any question.

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, neither received nor looked for a temporal inheritance. They understood the promises in a higher sense. They will be "brought in," and all the true "seed" with them; but, it is into an eternal inheritance, in the new heavens and new earth."

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When God brought Israel into literal Canaan, he directed all the wicked inhabitants to be destroyed out of it; so when he is about to bring his true Israel into the promised inheritance, and give them "the world" for their "everlasting possession," he will destroy all the wicked out of the earth. See Prov. ii. 22:" But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it."

See, also, Malachi iv. 1—3: "For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet, in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts."

Look at Rev. xi. 15—18: "And the seventh angel sounded and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall