while he is alive: so they will kill me, that they may with more liberty enjoy thee, and live with thee.

XIII. 10. "And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar."]--So when Lot had taken a view of all that country, he saw that part of the plain of Jordan to be well watered every where, and therefore very rich and commodious for pasture; for before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, with those other three bordering cities, it was a goodly and fruitful land; like unto the garden of Eden for pleasure; or like unto the land of Egypt watered with the streams of Nilus: especially that part that is toward Zoar, as it is now called, then Bela.

11. "Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan &c."]— Then Lot, being led only by his eye, not at all inquiring into the quality of the people, chose to himself, although the younger, all that part of the plain of Jordan.

14. "And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward;"]--Seeing thou hast so willingly yielded to thy nephew, thou shalt sustain no loss by it. Lift up thine eyes now; and look round about thee, from this high place where thou art, northward and southward, &c.

15. "For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever."]-For all the land which thou seest, and all that pertains unto it, will I give to thee in right, and to thy seed after thee, in possession for many ages.

16. "And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered."]—And I will increase thy seed, both carnal and spiritual, unto a very exceeding great number; so as they shall not be counted for multitude.

XIV. I. "Tidal, king of nations."]-Tidal, king of a mixed people, which dwelt near unto them.

14. "And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan."]-When Abram heard that his nephew Lot was taken captive, he brought forth into the field and armed three hundred and eighteen per

I

sons of them that were born and brought up in his house; besides
them that he had bought and procured to his service; yea, besides
the companies of his confederates: and pursued them to the far-
thest point of that land which God should give to his posterity,
even to Dan.

18. "And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and
wine, &c."]-And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth store
of provision for the entertainment of Abram and his company;
which as he did royally, like a king,

19. "And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:"]-So, as he was a priest of the most high God, by virtue thereof he blessed him, saying, Blessed be thou, Abram, &c.

20. "And he gave him tithes of all."]-And Abram, acknowledging his office, voluntarily offered to him the tithe of all the goods that were taken.

22. "I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, &c."]—I have solemnly sworn by the Lord, the most high God, &c.-And, in token thereof, lift up my hand unto him ere I went to this fight.

23. "That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet," &c.]-Wishing all evil to myself, if I shall take from thee so much as a thread, &c.

XV. 2. "And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus ?"]-And Abram, which hitherto had only heard God's promises to him, now said, Alas, Lord, all the blessings that thou shalt personally give me cannot much avail me, seeing go childless; and the man whom I shall leave heir of my house is but a stranger in blood and country, this Eliezer of Damascus. 5. "And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be."]-Moreover, he brought him forth of his house in the evening, after he had spent the day within in the exercise of his faith, and said, Look up now to heaven, and count the stars thou seest there, if thou canst possibly number them, so far shalt thou be from barrenness, that thy seed, both spiritual and carnal, shall be as infinite in number as they.

6. "And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness."]-And Abram believed in God, and steadfastly relied on these gracious promises which were made unto him; and

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therefore, upon his faith God accounted him truly just and rightcous in his sight.

8. "And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?"]-And Abram said, O Lord God, I do believe that my seed shall, as thou sayest, inherit this land; but yet I desire thee to give me some further confirmation and assurance of my faith in this point.

12. "And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him."]And when the sun was set, there fell, by the appointment of God, a deep sleep upon Abram; and his mind was troubled in his dream with much fear and unquietness.

13. "And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;"]—Then the Lord said to him, for the declaring of these doubtful visions of his sleep, Know, for certain, that thy seed shall be a stranger in Egypt and Canaan, which as yet also is not thine, for the space of four hundred years; in a great part whereof they shall serve, and be evil entreated.

16. "But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full."]-And in the fourth succession of men they shall come forth to this place again, which then shall be theirs, for the wickedness of the Amorites, who must be driven out hence to give room to thy posterity, is not yet come to their full ripeness for my intended judgments.

17. "And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces."]-Also, yet somewhat longer after the going down of the sun, there was represented unto him a great darkness, and behold, a smoking furnace in which God would foreshow to Abram the affliction and servility of his posterity; and withal there was a clear lamp, betokening his deliverance; both which passed between the pieces formerly divided.

XVI. 3. "And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife."]-Then Sarai, Abram's wife, being past all hope of issue, seeing she was now seventy-five years old, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, after she had waited ten years for the performance of God's promise concerning Abram's seed, (so long had Abram now dwelt in

Canaan), and, by consent of all sides, out of her weakness and distrust, gave her to her husband to be his wife, in regard of all the rights of the marriage bed, though not of household govern

12. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren."]-And he shall be a wild and savage man, of a fierce and untamable disposition; he shall be ready, in the height of his courage, to fight with every man, and every man shall be as ready to wage war with him; all which notwithstanding, his success shall be such, that he shall live, and rule far and wide in all the coasts of his brethren.

13. For she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?"]-For she said, Have I not here also, even in the waste desert, and not only in the house of Abram, seen that good God of mine, which hath first graciously looked upon me and mine affliction?

XVII. 1. “And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect."]-And when Abram was ninety and nine years old, and had now waited thirteen years after the birth of Ishmael, the Lord, by some visible representation of his presence, appeared unto Abram, and said to him, I am God omnipotent, and therefore able to fulfil all my promises, which may seem delayed; only carry thou thyself holily and awfully as ever in my sight, and let thy heart be still sincere and upright towards me.

2. "And I will make my covenant between me and thee."]And I will renew, and, by a sensible sign, confirm and ratify my covenant between me and thee.

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"And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant."]-But the man child, which at due age shall, through his own default, be uncircumcised, contemning mine ordinance, even that person shall be cut off from the fellowship of my people, both on earth and in heaven; because he hath, in neglect of the sign, broken and despised my covenant.

17. "Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear ?”]— Then Abraham fell upon his face, and partly for joy, partly for

admiration and astonishment, laughed in himself; and thought thus in his heart, Shall a child be born to me at an hundred years of age; and, which is more wonderful, shall this son be born of Sarah my wife, after her ninety years' barrenness? Seeing our youth could raise no seed, shall our old age be blessed with posterity?

18. "And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!"]-And Abraham said to God; I believe, O Lord, as thou sayest, that my old age shall be blessed with further issue; for which also thou wilt, in all likelihood, reserve thy special and highest favour: but let not the son thou hast given me already, even Ishmael, be cast out and neglected by thee; let it please thee to continue him to me also, with much prosperity.

XVIII. 2. "And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him."]-And as he looked about, behold, three angels, in the appearance of men, though not yet so known of him, stood within view of him.

3. "And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant.”]—And he, noting one of them to carry some extraordinary majesty above the rest, as being indeed the Son of God, spake especially to him, not excluding the rest; Lord, if I have now found favour in thy sight, go not, I pray thee, hastily away from me thy servant; but be content that I may give thee some entertainment.

10. "And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son."]— And he said, I will most certainly return again to thee at that time, when the conception, by course of nature, may have life and being; and lo, then Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son.

II. And it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women."]-That disposition of body, which naturally, in their months, is necessary for child-bearing women, was, through dryness of age, long ago ceased in Sarah.

12. "Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?"]Therefore Sarah distrustfully laughed in the secret of her heart, and said in herself, After I am waxen old, above the course of nature in those that are capable of conceiving, and my husband Abraham also, shall I have the pleasure of the marriage bed, which in my younger days I could not find?

18. "Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and