The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 3 · Section 11
SECT. XI.
GOd having now viſited Sarah with ſo much mercy, as to give her power and ſtrength to conceive (upon her belief of his gracious Promiſe,(k)Hereupon Iſaac is ſaid to be born by Promiſe, Gal. 4.23, 28. Heb. 11.11.) and her full time being come, ſhe brought forth a Son to Abraham, he being an 100, and ſhe 90 years of age. And as God had appointed, Abraham Circumciſed him on the eighth day, and called his Name Iſaac, Ch. 17. 19. and Sarah greatly rejoyced, and ſaid, God hath made me to laugh, and others that hear of this thing will laugh alſo, and rejoyce with me. For (ſays ſhe) Who would have thought that I ſhould have born a Son, or given ſuck (l)V. 7. Given Children ſuck] the plural number for a ſingular ſometimes uſed in Scripture, ſee Ch. 46.7, 23. Numb. 26.8.in my old age. So the Child grew, and at a fit time was weaned, and at his weaning Abraham made a great Feaſt, a properer time for it (as may be ſuppoſed) than at his Birth or Circumciſion. At this Feaſt Sarah eſpied Iſhmael (now about 17 or 18 years old)(m)Compare Ch. 17.24, 25. & 21.5. mocking and jeering at Iſaac and poſſibly calling Him their young Maſter, who (forſooth) muſt be heir of all, whereas by right of Primogeniture He ſuppoſed the Inheritance belonged unto him; and poſſibly his Mother Hagar might have ſome hand in it alſo, by incouraging him therein. And this mocking ('tis like) was accompanied with ſome expreſſions of hatred and bitterneſs of Spirit, ſo that the Apoſtle calls it a Perſecution, Gal. 4.29. Sarah at this was ſo incenſed, that ſhe ſaid to Abraham, (doubtleſs by the motion of Gods Spirit, for God himſelf afterwards confirms the Sentence) Caſt (n)Her ſaying was not only paſſionate, but prophetical.out this Bondwoman and her Son, for he ſhall not be Heir (o)Under this Inheritance Heaven was figured.with my Son. This was very greivous to Abraham, who was very loth to part with Hagar and Iſhmael. But God by a viſion in the night commanded him to hearken to Sarah in this thing, and the rather no doubt that Hagar and Iſhmael by the miſery of being caſt out might be brought to a ſenſe of their ſin, who in mocking at Iſaac had in a ſort deſpiſed the bleſſed Seed promiſed in him. And the more to diſpoſe Abraham to a willingneſs hereunto, God tells him, That in Iſaac his Seed ſhould be called, (p)In Iſaaco, i. e. per Iſaacum vocabitur, h. e. exiſtet tibi ſemen nempe illud numeroſiſſimum quod tibi promiſi, & praecipuè Chriſtus.that is, from Iſaac, (not from Iſhmael) ſhall ſpring the Meſſias, and that numerous ſeed he had promiſed to him, who ſhall be called the true Seed of Abraham, and Gods own peculiar people with whom he will eſtabliſh his Covenant. Abraham therefore giving Hagar ſome bread and victuals, and a bottel of Water to refreſh her in her travel thorow the Wilderneſs towards Egypt, he diſmiſs'd her and her Son. When ſhe came into the Wilderneſs ſhe loſt her way, ſo that the bottel of Water being ſpent, and her Son ſick and fainting for thirſt, and ſhe not able to ſupply him, deſpairing of his life, ſhe left him under a buſh, and went and ſat her ſelf at a ſmall diſtance from him, as being loth to ſee him die, and ſhe lift up her voice and wept. Upon this an Angel of God called unto her, and ask'd her what ſhe meant to take on in that ſort, having had experience of Gods Fatherly Care over her before, and he bad her not to fear or be diſcouraged, for God had heard the voice of the Youth (who doubtleſs cryed no leſs than his mother in this their great extremity) and bad her lift him up, and hold him in her hand, for God would make of him a great Nation. Then the Angel ſhewed her a Well of water hard by, which ſhe did not ſee before, and there ſhe fill'd her bottel, and gave her Son to drink. He being refreſhed thereby, and reſcued from this preſent danger of periſhing by thirſt, God was afterwards very favourable to him, and bleſſed him according to his promiſe with temporal things, and He grew up and became an Archer, that is, a valiant Hunter, and a Warrior, ſhooting with the Bow uſed in War. And he dwelt in the Wilderneſs of Paran, next adjoyning to the deſert of Sinai, and his Mother choſe(q)Obſerve the right of Parents, yea of Mothers alone in beſtowing their Children in Marriage. an Egyptian Woman, as her ſelf was, for a Wife for him.
About that time Abimelech ſpake to Abraham, ſaying, I perceive God doth wonderfully bleſs thee, and therefore I deſire to make a Covenant with thee, and that thou wilt ſwear to me to deal kindly with me, and my Children, and Childrens Children, and the Inhabitants of this Land wherein thou ſojourneſt, according to the kindneſs thou haſt here received. Abraham readily conſented to it, knowing that it was his Poſterity only that was in time to come actually to enjoy that promiſed Land, and that he himſelf was to live there only, as a Stranger and Sojourner; therefore he was willing to give him his Oath, that as for himſelf, he would no way hurt either him, or his Son, or his Sons Son. But before he did it, he expoſtulates with Him about a Well of Water (of great uſe in that dry Country) which he had digged, and Abimelech's Servants had by violence taken from him. Abimelech proteſts himſelf wholly ignorant thereof. Then Abraham made a great Preſent to him of Sheep and Oxen, by way of gratitude for the great kindneſs he had received from him. And ſo they made a Covenant one with another. And to prevent future Controverſie about this Well, Abraham gave him ſeven Ew-lambs, as a valuable conſideration, and deſires that they might be as a teſtimony (r)So an heap of ſtones made a witneſs, Ch. 31. 48.that the Well (though before taken from him) was now acknowledged to be His; And becauſe at this Well they both ſware, and made a Covenant, Abraham called the Place Beerſheba, (s)As Abraham dwelt here, and made this Covenant, and digged this Well, ſo Iſaac afterwards dwelt here, and made a Covenant, and digged this Well again, and renews the Name, Ch. 26.23, 33. And Jacob dwelling there with his Father, went thence to Laban in Haran, and going into Egypt, with all his Family, comes thither, and here Sacrifices, and hath a Viſion; afterwards it was a Seat of ſome Solemn Idolatry, Amos 8.14.5.5.that is, the Well of the Oath. Abraham now looking upon himſelf as like to ſettle here, he planted a Grove, intending it for a place of Prayer and Religious Worſhip, that under the ſhade of thoſe Trees they might more commodiouſly call upon the Name of the Lord, the everlaſting God, and perform all other publick Duties of His Worſhip and Service, which within their Tents they could not ſo conveniently do. So that at this time the uſe of Groves was not unlawful. But afterwards when men began ſuperſtitiouſly to think that God was better worſhipped in them than in other places, and poſſibly did it in imitation of the Idolatrous Nations, (who ſet up their Idols in Groves, and there ſacrificed to falſe Gods) the Lord did thereupon forbid his people all planting of Groves for Religious Ʋſes, Deut. 16.21. Thou ſhalt not plant thee a Grove of any Trees near the Altar, &c. And this planting of Groves was afterwards one of the Abominations for which God was angry with the Children of Iſrael, 1 Kings 14.15. God will root up Iſrael out of his good Land which he gave to their Fathers, becauſe they have made their Groves, (t)Gods people were hardly kept from planting Groves, and placing their Idols in them, and ſerving them, even as the Canaanites and the other Heathens did, Deut. 12.2. Thus it was in the times of the Judges, Ch. 3.7. In the times of the Kings of Iſrael throughout. 2 Kings 17.16. eſpecially in the Reigns of Jeroboam, 1 Kings 14.15. and of Ahab, whoſe Queen Jezabel had 400 Prophets of the Groves that did eat meat at her Table. Yea and in the Reigns of the Kings of Judah, eſpecially of Ahaz and Manaſſeh. But the godly Kings of Judah cut them down and burnt them: as Jehoſhaphat, Hezekiah, and Joſiah. And Aſa put down his Grandmother Maachah from being Queen becauſe ſhe had made an Idol in a Grove.provoking him to anger.
Gen. 21. whole Chapter.