word, to come home into the bosom of the true Church; and Canaan's issue shall be servants unto theirs. X. 8. "And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth."]-And Cush begat Nimrod, who began to usurp much rule, and by oppression to enlarge the bounds of his dominions. 9. "He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD."]He was a cruel tyrant, both in his usurpation, and in the manner of his government; without all awe of God or care of men; wherefore it is ever since grown into a proverb, As great a tyrant as Nimrod. XI. 1. "And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech."]-Then, all the men upon the whole earth had but one common language, and one fashion of speech. 2. "And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there."] And as they spread themselves from that eastern mountainous country, where the ark first stayed, they found a large and fruitful plain, since called Shinar, now Mesopotamia, and there they settled their abode. 3. "And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter."]-And some years after they had there well seated themselves, they said one to another, Come, let us make brick, and burn it in the fire. So they had brick for stone, the fittest matter that this fat plain would afford for building; and a cleaving pitchy slime, which that soil yieldeth, instead of morter. 4. "And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth."]Then Nimrod, as their ringleader, and the rest of his followers, said thus in consultation among themselves, Go to, let us build us a large city, and a tower therein, of an exceeding height; partly, that we may make ourselves famous; and partly, that we may unite our power and society, and prevent the danger of being dispersed one from another. 5. "And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded."]-But the Lord, who is every where and seeth all things, to speak of him after the manner of men, as if he should come down and look upon the city and tower which these vain men in the pride of their hearts had begun to build, so took notice of what they did and meant to do. 6. "And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do."]-And the Lord decreed thus with himself; Behold the people is one in heart, joining together in one common resolution of this work; and they all have one language, that they may the better perform it; and this they have, through our permission, begun and proceeded to do; and now nothing appears which may stop them in all that vain project they have imagined to themselves. 7. "Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech."]-Come, let us, as if we should go down amongst them, so from heaven cause their languages to be confounded, &c. XII. 2. "And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:"-Thou shalt lose nothing by the change; for, instead of a small kindred which thou shalt leave, I will cause thee to be the father of a great and populous nation: and I will prosper thee both outwardly and spiritually, and make thy name famous and reverend; and thou shalt be ever mentioned in the form of all blessings: 3. "And in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."]— And in and by that holy seed, the Messiah, which shall come of thy loins, all the people of the earth shall be blessed. 11. "And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon."]-And when he drew near to enter into Egypt, in his infirmity, consulting with flesh and blood, he said to Sarai his wife, Behold now, while I look upon the southern women, and compare them with thee, thy colour and complexion is much more beautiful than theirs. 12. "Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive."]-Therefore it will, I fear, come to pass that the Egyptians, making no conscience of their ways, but being altogether led by their lust, when they see thee, they will say, She is his wife, there is no hope of enjoying her 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. 1. "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 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 farthest 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 I 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 therefore, upon his faith God accounted him truly just and righteous 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 |