Wesley Corpus

17, &c.) Does God say here, “I will do it, because I will?” Nothing less. The reason is explicitly assigned: “All nations shall be blessed in him; for he will command his children, and they shall keep the way of the Lord.” The reason is yet more (clearly it cannot, but more) fully set down in the twenty-second chapter, verse 16, &c.: “By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son : That in blessing I will bless thee; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;” that is, the Messiah shall spring from thee, “because thou hast obeyed my voice.” This is yet again declared: “And the Lord appeared unto Isaac, and said,--Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and bless thee: For unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father. In thy seed shall all nations of the earth be blessed: Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my com mandments, my statutes, and my laws.” (Gen. xxvi. 2, &c.) 65. This covenant, made to Abraham and his seed, is mentioned again: “And the Lord called unto Moses, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the chil dren of Israel: Ye have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people.” (Exod. xix. 3, &c.) In the following chapter, God declares the terms of the covenant they were to keep, in ten commandments. And these themselves are sometimes termed “the covenant,” some times “the book of the covenant.” So, after God had made an end of speaking to the people, it is said, “And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord, and rose up early in the morning,--and he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people; and they said, All that the Lord hath said will we do.