from Aare the eldeſt S-n of Sem. Or 2. For a recompence of his fidelity, compate Prov. 17. 2. Or 3. Becauſe he only had the exatt knowledge and 'abſolute power of all his Maſter's eſtate,
Gen, 24. 10. and therefore could eaſily keep all after his Maſter's
_ All which reafons concurring, might give occaſion for this peech.
4 And behold, the word of the LORD eame unto him, faying, This ſhall nor be thine heir : bur he that thall come forth out of thine own bowels & thall be thine heir.
k (7.4. )) Our of thy own Body, ſee Gen. 35.11. 2 Sam. 7. 12. 2 Chron. 6 9.
5 And he brought him forth abroad, and ſaid, Look now towards heaven, and ce!l the ſtars /, if thou be able
to number them 2: and he faid unto him, * So (ball thy ſeed be.
I Queftf. Seing the Sun was not yet going down, v. 12. how could he ſee the Stars? Anſw. 1. He might ſee them by repreſentation in 2 Viſion, or by a Divine Power ſtrengthning his Eyes to behold them. 2. It was not neceſſary he ſhould then a&ually fee them, He bids him make trial when he pleaſed, if he con!d number the Stars which were now preſent to his mind; and wou'd ſhort'y be preſent and viſible to his bodily Eye. m Which thou art nor ab'e to do ;; f r tho Aſtronomers have preſumed to give us the number of thoie Stars which are diſtin&]y. viſible to the Eye, wherein yet they vary one from anocher, yet there are other Stars innumerable,
a wy confuledly to the Eye, and evidently by rhe help of raſles. |
18
Chap. *% Fa
*; Chron! 27: 27? Rom: 4 ©
. 6 Andhe* believed in the LORD»; and he counted * rom:
* jt to him for righteouſneſs\s, |
2 (i.e, ) He was fully perſwaded that God was able to
Child, and efpecial'y concerning che Meſſias, who ſhould come out
| of his Loins by rhat Child, and rhat both himſelf and all the People 1m For as Abram had a right to Spoils, fo had they, whecker they |
ſhould be Juſtified and Blefſed in and through him. -* Or, reckoned or imputed, as this word 1s tranſlaced, Rom: 4:-10, 22: -0 (2.6. ) For a righreous and wortrt.y Aion, as Pſal: 106: 31: and further, in reſpe& of tnis aCtion and grace of Fauh, whereby he relied upon Gol for the promiſed Seed, and upon the promiſed Sed roo, he pronounced him a juſt and righrequs: Perſon notwithſtanding his tailings, which even this Hiſtory acquainrs us with; and gracio:fly accep:ed him as ſuch. Which ſence is eaſily gathered from St. Paut's Expligation and Accommodation of this paſſage, Rom: 4: 99 18, 22) =
7 And he taid unto him, I -» the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it-
8 And he faid, Lord GO p that I ſhali inherit ir ?
p Hea;ki a ſign, nor out of diſtruſt of God's promiſe, for he was ffrong in Faith, Rom: 4: 20: bur for further affurance and conarmation of it. And ſuch an asking of a fign was not an unufual praftice with good Mcn, as Jueger.6: 37: 2 Kings 20: 8. nor arethey reproved for it; but on the contrary, 4az was commanded to ask a ſign, and reproved for notasking it, 1|s14/ 7.
D, whereby ſhall I know
%
9 And he faid unto kim, Take me Þ an heifer of three years 01d, qanda ſhe-goar of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtte dove, | a young Þigeon r. x Hh
f Take and offer at my command, and for my ſervice. q At which time 1f is perfeCt in ſtature and ſtrength, ard therefore firteſt far Goa's Service. r This and the other Creacures here following,
and S«cr:fices, are the ſame which afterwards were preſcribed in the Levirica}) Law.
1Þ Ard he s teok unto him all theſe, and'divided them in the midſt t, and Jaid each piece one againft another 4; but the birds divided he nor x.
s (.e. ) Abram, who by divine inſtin& and precept did all this which tere follows. # Into two equal Parts, This was dene for two Reaſons. 1. To repreſent the torn and diſtrafted condition 11 Which his Seed was ro lie for a Seaſon. 2. To ratifie God's Co- venant with Aram and his Seed; forthis was a rite uſed in making Covenants, as appears both trom Scripture, Jer; 34: 18: and other, Authors. « Partly to excourage hope, that God w«u'd ia bis time put thoſe Parts rogerhey, and unite thoſe dry Bones ( to which the Iſraelite: Were Conpared, Ezek: 37: ) ard clothe ' them with Fieth - and partly, that the Perjons entring inte Covenant; might paſs be= rween thole parts, and ſo teſtify rheir Union; and Conjun&ion in one and the ſame Sacrifice, x Enher becauſe there were two Birds, and the one was laid againſt the other, which anſwered to rhe divi= ſion of the Jarger Crearures; or becauſe they belor:ged not ro the Ceremony of the Covenart, but were for the Uſe of Szcrifice, where- 1 they were to be offered whole, as afterwards was "preſcribed, Levit: 17 15,17: = ;
11: And when the fowls came down upon the car- caſles y, Abram drove them away z,
y To devour them : whereby is ſignitied, eirher x. The diſtur« ' bance and diſtrattion which good Men are expoſed to itt the Service of God from evil Spirits and Men : or rather 4, The great peril of Abram's Poſtetiry, who were not only rorn in pieces like theſs Sacrihces, but even the remainder of them were likely to be ge- voured, by the Egyptians, whofe King is con:-pired to an Eagle, the
.chiefofthe Bizes of prey, Exel: 17: & By the blaſt ofhis Mouth, as ES | D |
+ the
4: 35 2 fulfill, Gal: 3:6;
and wou'd certainly fulfi}l the promi'e made ro him concerning a Jam: 2:23:
-H* 5. 'Ys | the Hebrew word ſignifies ; repreſenting Abram's Conqueſt over all his Enemies by Faith a and Prayer, whereby he engaged Ged to be the Preferver and Deliverer of his People. | 12 And when the ſun-was going down, a deep _ fell-upon Abram #4; and lo, an horror of great darknels fell upon him 6.
s Partly natural from his Jabour in killing and ſacrificing thoſe Creatures; and partly ſent upon him from God, to make way for the following Repreſentation. 6 (7. e. ) He ſeemed to be covered with a dreadful darkneſs, which was, either r. A Token'of God's ſpecial Preſence ; compare 1 Kings 8: 12. Or, 2. A fignification of the diſtreſſed and doleful condition of Abram's Seed ; for darkneſs in Scrip- rure is frequently mentioned as an emblem or ſign of great Miſery, as Pal: $8: 6: and 107:14, Oc. © =
13 And he ſaid unto Abram, Know of a ſurety that thy Seed ſhall be a ſtranger in a land rhat is not, theirs c, and ſhall ſerve them, and + they ſhall aftlict
them four hundred years 4,