and half asleep. Awake! Awake! Behold!

Behold!

1. What Jacob SAW.

He saw a ladder which reached from earth to heaven, angels ascending and descending, God at the top or head of this ladder. What a wonderful sight! The ladder represented the Providence of God, by which there is a continual intercourse or communication between heaven and earth. The counsels and works of God are executed on earth, and all that is done on earth is known in heaven. This ladder also points out to us that God does his work gradually. The designs of God in his providence are accomplished step by step, and not all at once. Angels are employed by God in executing the designs of God. They are active spirits and rest not day nor night, continually descending to execute the commands of God on earth, and ascending to bear a report of what they have done, and to receive new orders from the Almighty God, who is represented as being at the upper end of the ladder, directing and governing all their motions. The wisdom of God is seen in the manner in which he governs the

the world and rules over the inhabitants of the earth. This ladder also represents the mediation of Jesus Christ, through whom we havė access by one Spirit to the Father. For there is one Mediator between God and Man, the Man Christ Jesus. Christ is the way, all God's blessings come to us through Christ, and all our services must go to him through Christ. We must offer up our prayers and seek for pardon in his name. All the kind offices which Angels perform are all owing to the Lord Jesus Christ. This vision must have been Very comforting to Jacob's mind, to find that he was under the care and protection of his father's God, and that the Angels were his guard. He had a sight, a short and pleasing sight of that glory which was to be accomplished in his children's children.

2. What Jacob HEARD.

Jacob heard God speaking from the top of the ladder-Confirming and enlarging the blessing of his father, giving new promises, very precious, full of consolation and encouragement. Jacob had lately acted a very bad part, and if he was sensible of it he must have been very unhappy. He cannot feel that.

C 2

peace

peace of mind which he wished to enjoy. He was taking leave of Canaan, and knew not whether he should ever return, but God promised to give him the land whereon he slept, that it should be given to him and to his children, which he would know that he was only going to stay at Háran for a short time. God said he should have a numerous family, that those who descended from him should spread abroad to the west, east, north and south, and that all nations should be blessed in him; by which it was intimated that Christ Jesus, the desire of all Nations, should be born from among those who were to descend from him.

He had no doubt been thinking as he walked along, that he might possibly have many dangers and difficulties to encounter, that he was travelling in an unknown road to an unknown country, to persons who were strangers to him. He was also afraid of danger from Esau. But God graciously promised, that he would be with him to keep him in all places, and that he would bring him back again in safety to the land he was now leaving, that he would go with him and not leave him till he had brought all

all these things to pass.-Let us now notice,

III. The EFFECTS of this DREAM on JACOB'S MIND.

"And Jacob awaked out of this sleep, and he said, surely the Lord is in this place and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! This is none other but the House of God, and this is the gate of heaven." Awaking from his sleep in the night time he seemed to be greatly impressed with his dream. Surely this can be no common dream. He is surprized at the tokens he had seen of the presence of God: surely God is in this place and I knew it not. He was afraid, there was a holy fear that took possession of his mind at the time. How dreadful is this place. I shall always remember it with reverence and fear. I shall have a respect for this place, my dream will make me remember it as long as I live. What he saw at this time made it appear that it was none other than the house of God, the place where the Lord lived; yea, he had seen it to be as the gate of heaven; as the entrance into that holy happy place where God, the holy Angels and good C 3

men

men live after death. It seemed to him as if the Angels had met at the entrance of the holy city, and he saw them going out and coming in. Like travellers passing and repassing through the gates of a large city. This was a season much to be remembered and most pro-· bably the happiest period of his life. It is supposed by some that at this time, during this remarkable night, an important change took place in Jacob's character, that he now became acquainted with true religion and acted from this time upon right principles. Whether he slept any more that night or not, we cannot say; but we know that he rose up early in the morning. What he did and said I will tell you in the next Lecture.

IV.

CATECHETICAL QUESTIONS.

1. What are the words of the Text? And he dreamed and behold a ladder set upon the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending upon it.

2. What did Jacob see at the top of this ladder? And behold the Lord stood above it. 3. What did the Lord say to Jacob? I

am