The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 3 · Section 5 – Section 6
SECT. V.
ABram having thus vanquiſhed the Forces of theſe forementioned Kings, leſt he ſhould fear they would at ſome time or other be revenged of him (as poſſibly they might threaten) God appears to him in a Viſion, or open apparition, which he (being awake) beheld with his bodily Eyes, and tells him, That he would be a ſhield to him, to defend him againſt his Enemies; and ſeeing he had with ſo much piety refuſed the Reward offered him by the King of Sodom, He aſſures him that He Himſelf will be his exceeding great Reward, bleſſing him with the bleſſings of this life, and rewarding him with the tranſcendent glory of his own Kingdom hereafter. But notwithſtanding this Abram in a bemoaning manner expreſſes the great perplexity of his mind, that (growing now in years) He did not yet ſee the fulfilling of that Promiſe of giving Him a Son from whom the Meſſiah was to ſpring: And therefore He cries out, Lord what wilt thou give me, ſeeing I go Childleſs. Intimating his great and ardent deſire that the Lord would pleaſe at length to remember his Promiſe made unto him concerning that particular. And beſides He ſaw, that wanting Iſſue he wanted the comfort that other Parents had: He ſaw he had not a Son to be (under Himſelf) the guide and ſtay of his Family, but was forced at preſent to put his concerns into the hands of Eliezer his Steward, (a)Whoſe Anceſtors were of Damaſcus.and for ought He ſaw His Eſtate would be injoyed by him (when he was dead) for want of an Heir. God tells him his Servant ſhould not be his Heir, but One that ſhould come out of his own Bowels; and further aſſures him, that his Seed (how improbable ſoever it ſeem'd to him at preſent) ſhould be as the Stars of Heaven for multitude, eſpecially his ſpiritual Seed, the Children of his Faith: He might aſſure himſelf they ſhould be innumerable, as the duſt of the Earth, [Ch. 13.16.] and as the Sand on the Sea-ſhore, [Ch. 22.17.] See 1 Kings 4.20. Then Abram believed (b)Here is belief, or faith firſt mentioned in the Old Teſtament, whence Abram is called the Father of all B…lievers, Rom. 4.11, 12, 13.and firmly reſted on this great Promiſe of God, and it was imputed to him for Righteouſneſs, that is, God of his free Grace accepted him as Righteous and juſtified (who had no Righteouſneſs of his own whereby he could ſtand before Gods Judgment-Seat) upon his Faith in Gods Promiſes, and eſpecially the promiſed Meſſias. God alſo renewed to him the Promiſe of the Land of Canaan, which his Poſterity after 400(c)See Apoſtolical Hiſtory, pag. 38. years ſojourning and affliction in Lands that were not theirs, [viz. in Canaan and Egypt] ſhould poſſeſs; namely, in the 4th Generation, when the Sins of the Amorites and other Inhabitants of Canaan (this only by a figurative Speech being put for all) ſhould be full, then the Lord would judge that Nation that afflicted them, and bring them out with great ſubſtance. Abram deſiring (and poſſibly by ſome ſpecial motion of Gods Spirit) to be further aſſured hereof, God was pleaſed hereupon to make a ſolemn Covenant with him for the performance of it, and to confirm it with a ſign and a Viſion. And ſeeing it was the manner of men when they made a ſolemn Covenant to cut Beaſts in twain, and to paſs between the parts of them, wiſhing (as it were) that they might be cut in pieces if they broke the Covenant,(d)See Jer. 34.18. ſo God here was pleaſed to appoint Abram to take Beaſts and divide them, laying each piece one againſt another, with a Turtle Dove on one ſide, and a young Pigeon on the other, which accordingly he did; and when the Birds (e)Aegyptiorum ſymbola qui erant Hebraeos oppreſſuri non ſecus atque aves carnivorae in humanis corporibus inſidentes.came down upon the Karkaſſes, Abram drove them away, and when the Sun went down, Abram fell into a deep ſleep or Trance, and a great horrour ſeized him, ſhadowing out poſſibly the great diſtreſſes his Poſterity ſhould be in, through the vexations of their Enemies. And then a ſmoking Furnace and a burning Lamp paſſed between the pieces of the Beaſts, intimating the Majeſty of God paſſing between them. Then did God make a Covenant with Abram to give to his Seed the Land of Canaan (now poſſeſſed by the Kenites, Keniſſites, and other Nations)(f)Here are reckoned ten ſorts of people in Canaan, whoſe Land was promiſed to Abrams Poſterity, which by mixture or diminution of ſome of them were afterwards reduced to ſeven, as they are diſtinctly named, Deut. 7.1. Canaanites are here taken for a particular ſort of them, who for ſomething notable above the reſt, retain'd the Name of the whole Nation. from the River of Egypt, viz. Sichor, *Qui dividit Aegyptum a Cananaea & Arabia & in Sirbonidem paludem refluit. Bochart.[Numb. 34.5. Joſhua 13.3.] unto Euphrates. (e)If they poſſeſſed not all that was promiſed, the cauſe was in their breach of Covenant with God, not Gods with them.And accordingly thoſe Lands (ſo far off) became Tributary in Davids and Solomons days, 2 Sam. 8.3. 1 Kings 4.21. 2 Chron. 9.26.
Gen. 15. whole Chapter.
SECT. VI.
SArai who had a great while earneſtly deſired and longed for that bleſſed promiſed Seed, and ſeeing now ten years gone ſince their coming into the Land of Canaan, and her ſelf ſtill barren, and deſpairing almoſt (as it ſeems) of any from her own Body, ſhe (without advice from God, of her own head) counſels her Husband to endeavour the fulfilling of the Promiſe by ſuch a means, which though by many then practiſed, yet was contrary to the firſt Inſtitution of Marriage, namely, to take Hagar her Servant, an Egyptian born to be a kind of Secondary wife or Concubine to him; which he accordingly did. But Hagar being with Child by him, began to be proud thereof, and to deſpiſe her Miſtreſs, who was barren. Sarai (though otherwiſe of a ſweet and meek ſpirit, and for her obedience to her Husband propounded as a pattern to other Wives, 1 Pet. 3.6.) was ſo tranſported at this inſolent carriage of her Servant, that ſhe flies out upon Abram himſelf (who poſſibly might be a little too indulgent to Hagar, being now with child by him) and challenges him as if He were the Cauſe (g)V. 5. Injuria mea ſuper te eſt, h. e. injuriae quam patior tu Cauſa es quod inſolentiam ancillae non Corrigis. LXX foreign.of this wrong and injury ſhe ſuſtained, and deſires the Lord to judge between him and her, and to do Her right. Abram patiently tells her, He left Hagar to her, to take what courſe ſhe pleas'd with her to humble her, and make her ſubmit. Hereupon Sarai uſed her with much ſeverity and hardſhip, which ſhe not willing to indure, ran away, and thought (as it ſeems) to go down into Egypt her own Country. And accordingly travelling through the Wilderneſs (which was the rode thither) and ſitting down wearied, and full of greif and ſorrow, by a Fountain of Water, the Angel of the Covenant [Mal. 3.1.] the Lord Chriſt the Son of God (called Jehovah, verſ. 10.) appears to her, and adviſes her to return, and to ſubmit her ſelf to her Miſtreſs, telling her that ſhe ſhould bear a Son, and call his Name Iſhmael (ſignifying God will hear.) For God had taken notice of her affliction, and heard her Cry. He further tells her, That her Son would be a fierce and wild man, and a great Warrior, and his hand would be againſt every man, and every mans hand againſt him, *De Iſhmaele haec vera ſunt, & de ejus poſteris, Saracenis Arabibuſque.but yet he ſhould have a numberleſs Off-ſpring, and he and his Poſterity ſhould exceedingly inlarge the bounds of their Habitation even unto and among their Kindred,(h)See Gen. 25.18. of whom they ſhall not be afraid, but ſhall ſtoutly face them every where. Hagar thereupon called the Name of the Lord that ſpake with her, Thou God ſeeing me, magnifying his Mercy for having ſo favourable a regard to her in her great affliction, and giving her a clear ſight of Himſelf in that place, and directing her what to do. And ſhe then falls into an admiration that ſhe ſhould live, and ſee the light after ſhe had ſeen the Lord. (i)V. 13. Nonne etiam video poſt videntem me,] i. e. lucem hanc aſpicio & vivo. Miratur Hagar ſe poſt Dei viſionem vivere; quia a conſpectu Dei aut Angeli mortem ſequi putabant, ut ex cap. 32.30. Jud. 13.22. patet.So that hereupon ſhe called the Name of the Well Beer-lahai-roi, that is, the Well of one that liveth, after ſhe hath ſeen (k)Puteus videntis Dei & viventis Hagar.and been ſeen by the Lord. And poſſibly ſhe intended alſo there to leave a Memorial to Poſterity of the watchful Eye of God over her, in the time of her affliction. So ſhe return'd to her Miſtreſs, and afterwards brought forth a Son, and Abram called his Name Iſhmael (according as the Angel had appointed) in the 11th year after He came into Canaan, In the year of the world, 2094.and in the 86th year of his Age.
Gen. 16. whole Chapter.