Imatges de pàgina
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Mamre, was fitting one day at the door of his tent, under a tree, when he beheld, afar off, three men, whom he took

fuch great and valuable bleffings to that defpifed people, it could not fail of proving more fuccessful to them, if once they admitted it amongst them? might not Jofeph's time have been a proper crifis to recommend it to them? and were not thofe motives we have mentioned out of Philo, of its being reputed a promoter of fertility, cleanliness, and health, fufficient to recommend it? and, laftly, might not this be the very reason which made the Egyptian women use it as well as the men? However that be, the notion of the Hebrews having received it from them, feems so contrary to the defign and conduct of GOD to preferve them from the fuperftitions of other nations, that it meets with but few advocates; and, indeed, it seems more reafonable to think, that the Egyptians had it from fome other nation, whether the Arabs (as Bochart thinks, by reafon of the difference there was between the Jewish and Egyp tian circumcifion), or from any other of their neighbours, or even, that they might stumble upon that ceremony, without knowing, or having it from any, than to suppose, that one must have it from the other;

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and that therefore the Jews might as well have it from the Egyptians. As for the reafon of its being injoined on the eighth day after the child's birth, the best we have met with is that of Cunaus (50); that children were not thought fufficiently clean or perfect, during the firft feven days, being ftill full of the corruption they brought from the womb. And this feems to be the reason of God's ordaining, that no beast that was offered to him, fhould be less than eight days old (51). Circumcifion therefore being a kind of folemn offering of a child to GoD it seems highly reasonable, that the fame law fhould be. obferved in it, as was injoined concerning victims. But, as to the eighth day being chofen rather than any other afterwards, without feeking for myfteries in that number, as fome are fond of doing, it will be fufficient to fay, that the child being reckoned perfect and fit at that age, and there being a neceffity of fixing a day for it, and not to leave it to the choice of the parents, no time could be fitter than that; because the child is then leaft fenfible of the fmart, and leaft in danger of being hurt by it.

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to be ftrangers; he went to meet them, and in the moft civil and refpectful manner invited them to come and take

The laft inquiry we need make upon this fubject of circumcifion is, the reafons of its inftitution: and here we fhall only mention one or two of those that are thought moft confiderable. The firft is topical; because the heat of the climate required it, for the reafons mentioned above. Secondly, political, in order to diftinguifh those who were in the covenant of GOD, from other nations. Thirdly, moral; to imply the circumcifion of the heart, and the mortification of carnal appetites. Fourthly, religious; in that it was, first, the fymbol and feal of the covenant made between GOD and Abraham, and his feed, and figurative of the faith which was to be in CHRIST (52). To thefe reafons we shall fubjoin one more out of a modern author (53), which the reader will hardly meet with elsewhere: he writes thus: we reckon circumcifion amongst the trials of Abraham's faith. It is eafy to obferve, by very many circumftances of that patriarch's life, that he was defigned as a pattern to all the faithful. The more his faith was tried, the more confpicuous it became; the more difficulties he obferved in the accomplishment of God's promifes, the more he fhewed the great idea he had of him that had made

(52) Targ. Onkel. Villet. al, Teft.

them, by overcoming those obftacles.-Why did not GoD give him Ifaac, till the laws of nature seemed to exclude all hopes of his ever being a father? it was to try his faith. Why did GoD command him to facrifice that very fon to whom so many bleffings belonged, but to the fame purpofe? Why did GoD fet fo long an interval between the promise of a fon, and the accomplishment of that promise, that Sarah, thinking it impoffible she should become a mother, did give him her maid Hagar? Why was Ishmael born fo many years before Ifaac, &c. but to make ftill fresh trials of his faith? Why might not then GOD have the fame views in injoining him to be circumcifed? He not only makes him wait for this fon near twenty years, though promised in fo folemn a manner; but, when that time is nearly elapfed, and Abraham thinks himself on the eve of receiving the reward of his faith, GOD croffes his hopes afresh, and commands him to undergo an operation that feemed wholly to put an end to them. Abraham could not but look upon circumcifion as dangerous in that hot country, even to young men, much more to one of his years; and confequently, that it must put him quite out of condition

(53) Saurin difc. hift. du V. of

take a small refreshment with him; and, having obtained their confent, ordered a feaft to be got ready for them. And in this interview it was, that his divine gueft confirm- A fon proed his promife of Sarah's having a fon within the year. mifed to Sarah, who was liftening at the tent-door, and thought Sarah. herself paft child-bearing, burft out into a laughter; and the ftranger asked the reafon of it in such a serious tone, as ftruck her with a fright. She would fain have denied it; but it was to no purpose, that the endeavoured to hide any thing from the perfon that spoke to her, who difmiffed her with this gentle reproof, that fhe was highly in the wrong to miftruft what he had faid to her, fince nothing was impoffible with GoD. The three heavenly guefts (for fuch they were) rofe up in order to proceed on their journey, and Abraham courteoufly accompanied them fome part of the way. At length one of them, whom the original calls the LORD (T), as a further mark of his favour, began

y Genef. xviii. paff.

of ever being a father. The command of his having the covenant in his flesh, feemed as oppofite to the promise of his having a fon, as that of his facrificing that fon, was to the promife of his being the father of many nations. Notwithstanding which, Abraham's faith triumphed over this obftacle alfo, he being fully perfuaded, that GOD could not only renew the strength of an old man, but likewife make him fruitful after his having undergone an operation which feemed fo contrary to it. It is to extol this triumph, that the Scripture obferves, he was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcifed; and it was to preferve the memory of it, that GOD injoined that ceremony to all his pofterity, &c. (54).

(54) Gen. xvii. 24.

(T) The name Jehovah

:

, by which Mofes calls
the ftranger that talked to A-
braham, being looked upon by
the generality of Jews and
Chriftians, to be the incom-
municable name of God, it
is believed by the far greatest
part of the latter, that it was
the Son of God who appeared
in that form however others,
particularly fome modern ones
(55), maintain, that it was but
an angel, who spoke to him in
the perfon of Gon. But it
is not probable, either that
Mofes fhould call an angel by
that name, or that Abraham
fhould intercede with him as
he doth, when he fays, That
be far from thee, to destroy
the good with the wicked;
fhall not the Fudge of the
world do right? or laftly, that
an angel fhould peremptorily

(55) Le Clerc comment, in loc.
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fay,

began to reveal a moft dreadful fecret to him; which was, that the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah was gone up to hea ven; and that he was going down fully refolved to deftroy them utterly, if, upon inquiry, he found their wickedness equal to the cry of it. Whether the remembrance that Lot was in one of those cities, or rather his natural compaffion, gave the good patriarch fresh courage to intercede for thofe righteous men that might be found Abraham among the wicked; he did not ceafe expoftulating with pleads for him, till he had obtained a promife, that if there were but ten righteous men found in the place, he would fpare it for their fakes: upon which the LORD departed from him. The fate of thofe cities, and Lot's deliverance, have been already related: as for Abraham, he faw the next morning the thick fmoke of thofe unfortunate places, afcending like that of a furnace Y.

Sodom.

Not long after, Abraham, leaving the plains of Mamre, probably to be out of the ftench of the vale of Siddim, went and dwelt in the country of the Philistines between Cadesh and Shur, where the fame adventure happened to him which he had met with in Egypt. Sarah, whom neither her pregnancy, nor advanced age (fhe being now ninety years old), had deprived of her beauty, was again Abime- defired by Abraham to pals for his fifter. Abimelech, king lech takes of that country, found her ftill charming enough to invite her to his bed; but the LORD appeared to him in a Is threat dream,and threatened him with immediate death, if he did ened by not immediately restore her untouched to her husband, who God, and was a prophet very dear to him; in confequence of which, Abraham had his wife returned to him, with confiderable presents a (W).

Sarah.

reftores

ber.

* Supr. vol. ii. p. 121, & feqq.
vid. vol. ii. p. 486, fub not.
alfo vol. ii. p. 225, & feqq.

fay, If I find forty, thirty, or
twenty righteous men in the
place, I will fpare it for their
fakes. It is therefore more
probable, that it was CHRIST
himfelf, who is emphatically
called the Judge of all the
world.

(W) There feems to be a
double mistake in our tranfla-

THE

y Genef. xix. z De his, a Genef. xx. per tot. See

tion, in Abimelech's speech_to
Sarah, which runs thus: Be
hold, I have given thy brother
a thousand pieces of filver: be-
hold, he is to thee a covering
of the eyes
and thus fhe

was reproved. For it is plain,
the king was purchafing Abra-
ham's friendship, and not quar
reling with him or his wife;

and

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THE time appointed being come, foon after their leav- Year of ing the court, Sarah brought forth the long-expected son, the flood and called his name Ifaac; and Abraham failed not to 452. circumcife him on the eighth day. They were now in Bef. Chr. the zenith of their happiness. Sarah fuckled the child 1896. herself, and weaned him at the ufual time; and Abra- Ifaac born. ham made a feast to all his houfhold that day but their Year of joy could not last long without fome mixture of grief, by the flood the jealoufy which Ifaac caufed to Hagar and her fon. Ifaac was fcarce feven years old, when Sarah obferved Ishmael Bef. Chr. fhew fome marks of contempt to him (Y); which made 1891. her refolve to part them for ever, that Ihmael might have

457.

no fhare in the inheritance with her fon. Tho' Abraham Ishmael mocks

and Abraham had already fo far juftified both himfelf and her, that the king was fatif fied. And therefore the word nokecheth, fhould not have been rendered rebuked, as Kimchi and others do, that think fhe was blamed for the lye fhe had told. Pagninus renders it erudivit fe, i. e. fhe learned more wit; whereas it is the participle of the verb , which, though generally rendered to reprove, or rebuke, yet as often fignifies to fearch, or inquire thoroughly into a thing. Abimelech there fore means no more, than that he is acquitted after a full hearing; and the Chaldee paraphrafe hath tranflated it accordingly. The other mistake is Abraham's being faid to be a covering to her eyes, whereas the king feems to fpeak of the thoufand pieces of filver which he gave her, as a token of her juftification, the veil being looked upon as the fym bol of womens modesty (67).

(Y) The Jewish interpret

ers expound the word phy Ifaac. in the text, which fignifies laughing or playing, by 2 v2, which fignifies to deride and defpife; and not without good grounds, fince Sarah did fo highly refent it. They think, that it happened on the day in which Abraham made the feast for the weaning of Ifaac; and that, whilft the guests were congratulating him for having a fon and heir in his old age, Ishmael fhewed fome tokens of derifion, which Sarah obferv. ing, went and complained of it to her husband (68). How ever it is plain, it must have been fomething worse than childrens play, as the Septuagint has rendered it, fince St. Paul calls it a perfecution (69). Befides, it must be remembered, that Ishmael is defcribed by the angel (70), as a fierce and wild man ; and confequently, could not but begin to fhew fome tokens of that dif pofition, being then upwards twenty-one years of age.

of

(67) Pfeifer Flacc. in loc. Le Scene effay.
(69) Galat. iv. 29. (70) Gen. xvi. 12.

(68) Vid. Munft. in loc.

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loved

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