346 NOVATIAN THE ROMAN PRESBYTER alone; and therewrestledwith him a man even tilldaybreak. And He saw that He did not prevailagainsthim ; and He touched the broad part of Jacob's thigh while He was wrestlingwith him and he with Him, and said to him,Let me go, for the morning has dawned. And he said,I will not letThee go,exceptThou blessme. And He said,What is thy name ? And he said,Jacob. And He saidtohim, Thy name shallno longer be calledJacob, but Israelshall be thy name ;becausethou hastprevailedwith God, and thou art powerful with men." 1 And it adds, moreover : " And Jacob calledthe name of that placethe Visionof God : for I have seen the Lord face to face,and my soul has been made safe. And the sun arose upon him. Afterwardshe crossedover the Vision of God, but he halted upon his thigh."* A man, itsays,wrestledwith Jacob. If thiswas a mere man, who ishe ? Whence is he ? Wherefore does he contend and wrestlewith Jacob? What had intervened! What had happened ? What was the cause of so greata disputeas that,and so great a struggle? Why, moreover, isJacob, who isfound to be strong enough to hold the man with whom he iswrestling,and asksfora blessingfrom Him whom he isholding,assertedto have asked therefore,except because thisstrugglewas prefiguredas that which should be between Christ and the sonsof Jacob, which is saidto be completedin the gospel? For againstthisman Jacob's peoplestruggled,in which struggleJacob'speoplewas found to be the more powerful,because againstChrist it gained the victoryof itsiniquity: at which time,on account of the crime thatitcommitted,hesitatingand givingway, itbegan most sorelyto haltin the walk of itsown faithand salvation; and although it was found the stronger,in respectof the condemnation of Christ,it stillneeds His mercy, stillneeds His blessing. But, moreover, the man who wrestledwith Jacob says," Moreover, thy name shallno longer be called Jacob, but Israelshallbe thy name ;" and if Israelis the man who seesGod, the Lord was beautifullyshowing that itwas not only a man who was then wrestlingwith Jacob, 1Gen.xxxii.24-27. 2 Gen.xxxii.30,31.