three hundred and eighteen, accompanied by his confederates, he pursues the enemy as far as Dan. The night favouring his design, he divides his forces into small parties, and attacks them on all sides. The unexpectedness of this sudden attempt upon a victorious army, laden with spoil, and the midnight alarm, struck them with such horror and amazement, that Abram obtained a sudden and easy victory. Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, fell in the action; and their whole army was routed, which they drove as far as Hoba, which is on the left of Damascus. Thus Abram rescued his nephew Lot, with all the prisoners, and retook all the booty.

The first person who congratulated him upon his victory was the king of Sodom,† who, in thankful acknowledgment of the benefit he had received from Abram's assistance and courage, offered him the goods which he had retaken, desiring him only to restore the prisoners. Abram was not so sordid as to take advantage of the miseries of war; for reserving to his confederates that part of the plunder which by the rules of war belonged to them, he restored to the King of Sodom both the prisoners and the goods, having before resolved not to keep any part of them, that it might be known he undertook the enterprize only for the public benefit, which all men of honour and piety ought to support.

The next who congratulated Abram upon his success, was Melchizedeck,‡ king of Salem, who, meeting him in

Confederates. See Gen. xiv. 13. and v. 24.

Sodom. By this it seems, Gen. xiv. 17. the king of Sodom was not slain at the battle of the kings aforesaid. For the text saying only that the king of Sodom came out to meet him, it may reasonably be supposed he came from some place where he had hid himself, or from Sodom, whither, after the conqueror had withdrawn, he might return.

Melchizedeck. There have been great disputes among the learned who this Melchizedeck was, and where this city Salem stood. And that which hath still aggravated the difference, is the description of him in Heb. vii. 3. where it is said, that "Melchizedeck was without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life." These words have occasioned many wild and whimsical speculations. But among all the opinions about him, that

his return from the battle, brought him a present of bread and wine, to refresh him and his men on their march; and both blessed Abram and God too, who had given him good success. In requital of which kindness, Abram made him a present of the tenth part of the spoils he had taken in the expedition.

Notwithstanding this victory over the Kings, Abram, considering himself merely as a stranger in that country, might be apprehensive that the Babylonians, whom he had lately defeated, to repair their loss might meditate a revenge; therefore to remove any anxiety of mind, that might proceed from temporal causes, God encourages him, saying, Fear not, Abram, for I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward."

Though this providential care of the Almighty was a seasonable hint to Abram, to remind him of the promise,

of Epiphanius, and others, as to his person, is very probable; who think that he was a Sidonian, which they seem to take out of Josephus, who calls him a prince of the Canaanites. But we may observe, that the apostle does not describe him by those qualities with respect to his person, but to his office or dignity of priesthood, which made him like Jesus Christ: And on that account, it is enough that his genealogy, birth and death, are not recorded in scripture, to justify this description. But since it is usual in the best authors to describe famous nations and persons, as if they had produced themselves, it is more natural to have recourse to this custom. History speaks of several people who had no original: The Italians about Rome were called Aborigines; the Athenians called themselves Autocethones and Seneca, speaking of two Kings of the Romans, Ancus and Servius, says, The first had no father, and the second no mother. After all, if it be true that Melchizedeck was descended of wicked and idolatrous parents, as most of the fathers think, and that he was the first and last priest of the true God, of his race, the Apostle might, in the epistle to the Hebrews, very well describe him under those characters in ver. 3. And since our language is not so metaphorical as the dead languages, we should follow in a popular version the meaning which we have observed, and translate with Outram the text, Heb. vii. 3. That Melchizedeck was the most illustrious of his family, and had neither predecessor nor successor in his employ. He was an eminent type of Christ, who is both the “ King of Righteousness," and "King of Peace;" who is in the highest sense," Priest of the high God," who blesseth all the faithful; who receiveth the homage of his people; and who was truly without progenitors or successors, with respect to his office

that his issue should inherit the land; yet he had not been pleased hitherto to bestow any heir upon him; but his servant seemed likely to inherit his estate. Whereupon, God, to satisfy him, tells him, that not his servant, but one that should come out of his own bowels should be his heir; and that he should not only have an heir of his own body but a numerous offspring, like the stars of heaven for number. But Abram desiring some assurance of these things, God gratified him, making a covenant with him by express promise, attended with a very solemn ceremony, after this manner: "Take (saith God) an hei"fer of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, " and a turtle dove, and a young pigeon." Abram obeyed, and dividing the beasts, but not the birds, laid each piece one against the other; and when the fowls came down upon the carcasses, he drove them away. About sun-set a deep sleep seized upon Abram, which affected him with horror. But God spoke to him, saying, "Know for cer

tain, that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is "not theirs, and shall serve them, who shall afflict them "four hundred years: But that nation which shall afflict "them will I judge; and afterwards shall they come forth "with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers "in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But "in the fourth generation they shall come hither again : "For the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full." And for a similar demonstration how this should come to pass, the Lord caused two emblems of all this to appear; first a smoking furnace, (a plain representation of the heavy sufferings his seed should undergo in Egypt,) and a lamp of fire, (a lively emblem of their deliverance after the ex

* An borror of great darkness fell upon him.-Abram seems to have employed the whole day in watching, fasting, and prayer, till the stars appeared, and this horror, with darkness of mind, was strongly expressive and emblematical of what his posterity was doomed to undergo in Egypt.-Four hundred years intervened from this time to their deliverance by the Almighty, and four hundred and thirty years from the first call of Abram, according to the united testimony of the best com

mentators.

piration of their four hundred years servitude :)* These passed between the divided pieces of flesh.

Sarai having for about ten years expected a performance of God's promise, and judging according to the course of nature, that the promised heir must proceed from some other, and not from herself, now despairing of her own conception, partly from her great age, which was seventyfive, and partly from a sense she had that God had restrained her from bearing, prevailed upon her husband to take her handmaid Hagart to be his concubinary wite, pleasing herself with the thought, that if her maid should conceive by her husband, it would be a means of building up her and her house, in the accomplishment of the Divine Promise.

Hagar soon conceived by her Master' Abram; and forgetting her former condition of a slave, values herself upon her conception, and treats her mistress with contempt. Sarai, who had been the cause of this Egyptian's advancement, is stung to the quick at her scornful carriage, which not being able to endure, she complains to her husband; hinting as if Hagar durst not have been so impertinent without some encouragement from him, and expostulates with him very sharply about the matter. But Abram to convince Sarai that he would not countenance her

Gen. xv. 17.

+ Prevailed. This shews the singular chastity of Abram, Gen. xvi. 2. who could not without the importunity of his wife, be persuaded to take their servant to his bed.

Hagar. She is supposed by St. Chrysostom to have been given by Pharaoh to Abram, whilst he sojourned in Egypt, and was by the pious example of her master and mistress converted to the faith and worship of the true God.

Concubinary. In concubinage, those secondary or half wives, were accounted lawful and true wives, and their issue reputed legitimate, and they had a lawful right to the marriage bed. Yet in all other respects they were inferior. And as they had no authority in the family, nor share in the household government; so if they had been servants in the family before they came to be concubines, they continued to be so afterwards, and in the same subjection to their mistress as before.

in any disrespectful behaviour towards her, delivers Hagar into her power as her mistress, bidding her do as she pleased with her. Sarai, no doubt, shewed her resentment in some severity which we find not particularly expressed: However, it was such, it seems, that Hagar's proud mind could not bear; for she ran away immediately, making the best of her way towards her own country, which was Egypt. As she travelled through the desert, finding a fountain of water, she tarried to rest and refresh herself. Here the Angel of the Lord found her; and in his first address, put her in mind of her relation and duty, giving her the appellation of Sarai's servant; plainly denoting that her advancement to her master's bed had not exempted her from her mistress's service. Then expostulating with her about her intended journey, whither she would go? She answered, that she fled from her mistress. The Angel enquired no farther; but bid her return, and submit herself to her. And the more effectually to persuade her to a thing so much against her inclination, he told her that God would multiply* her seed exceedingly, so that it should not be numbered; and to convince her that he was a messenger sent on purpose from God to take care of her, he told her that which none else could, namely, that she was with child and should bear a son, giving her a particular charge about the name she should give him, which was Ishmael.

Hagar having been brought up in Abram's family, was no doubt instructed in the knowledge and fear of the true God, which is plain from her acknowledging that it was God who had visited her: The fountain also, at which the angel found her, was called Beer-lahai-roi, that is "The well of him that liveth and seeth me." And now having in so extraordinary a manner been comforted and admonished, she returned to her mistress, and being upon her submission received, she in due time was delivered of a son, whom Abram, according to the angel's direction, called Ishmael.

Gen. xvi. 10.