10. It is obfervable that many of the appearances that are called angels fpeak in the name of God, and were addreffed, and converfed with, not as meffengers from God, but as the Supreme Being himself. They muft, therefore, have been supposed to be only temporary appearances, adapted to particular occafions, and not permanent beings diftinct from God.

11. The word Ishmael fignifies God hears.

12. Literally, a wild ass of a man. By dwelling in the presence of all his brethren, was probably meant that he fhould keep poffeffion of the country affigned to him, and that it would not be in the power of any nation to difpoffefs him And this prediction has been wonderfully verified. Of all the people on the face of the earth, the Arabs alone continue in the poffeffion of their original country, and have never been conquered by any nation whatever, tho' they have been in the neighbourhood of all the great monarchies, the Babylonian, Perfian, Grecian, and Roman, all of whom had wars with them, and attempted their fubjugation, as the Turks have fince.

13. Have I indeed seen the train (retinue) of him that provideth for me? It is the fame word that is rendered attendants, Ps. xiv. 14, and the back parts, viz. of the divine glory which Mofes was permitted to fee, Exod. xxxiii, 23. Whatever this was, the fame was perhaps feen by Hagar.

16. He was feventy five when he came to the land of Canaan, and he had been ten years in the country when he took Hagar to wife; fo that he was then eighty five years old, and therefore eighty fix when Ifhmael was born.

Ch.

Ch. XVII. 1. Abraham having a child by Hagar, and thirteen years being elapfed fince his birth, while he was advanced to the age of ninety nine, and Sarah not much younger, he would naturally conclude that Ishmael was the fon that the promise respected, especially as the name of Sarah had not been mentioned as the mother of the promised child.

5. Abram fignifies high father, but Abraham the fa ther of a multitude.

7. This is the first intimation of a peculiar relation between God and the pofterity of Abraham, which was afterwards more fully explained, and confirmed in the wilderness, after they had left Egypt. At this time several nations had their peculiar gods, under whofe protection they imagined themfelves to be. In order to distinguish the posterity of Abraham from other nations, the Supreme Being himfelf would be their God, and they were to acknowledge no other.

11. Whenever the Divine Being made what is called a covenant with any perfon, he fixed upon fome fign, or token, of it, by the obfervance of which it might be brought to mind, and the obligation which it brought the parties under be confirmed. Thus the rainbow was made a fign of the covenant that God made with man kind after the deluge; and now this rite of circumcifi on, which relates to the posterity of Abraham, was made a fign of the covenant [made with him. And it is evident, from the terms in which it is expressed, that both the covenant and the fign- of it were to be perpe tual, or to continue as long as the posterity of Abraham fhould be the favoured nation. But from all the fubfequent

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quent prophecies it is evident that this is to be the cafe as long as the world continues. The obligation, therefore, on this nation to circumcife their children, muft always be in force, and cannot be fet afide without fome express direction from God for that purpose; and this has not been given.

It is equally evident from other circumftances, that all the effentials of the Jewish ritual are to be continued as long as the Jews are a people, and that facrifices, and every thing elfe that is peculiar to their religion :will be refumed whenever their restoration to their own country, and the confequent rebuilding of their temple, fhall give them an opportunity to do this. In the mean time they can continue the rite of circumcifion, and alfo observe their festivals, tho' not with all the forms prescribed by their law.

If the language ufed by the Divine Being on this occafion be exactly reported, it should seem that the meaning of the term circumcision must have been well known to Abraham, and consequently could not have been altogether new, tho' probably not in general use. To perfons full grown, and especially to Abraham himfelf, who was then old, this must have been a painful operation; but the pain which it occafions to a child of eight days old is inconfiderable, and the wound is foon healed. As to any inconvenience refulting from the operation afterwards, it is not found in fact to be any at all, as it is never complained of, tho' it might have been imagined a priori, that every part of the human body having its peculiar (ufe, it could not have been parted with without fome, injury.

Tho'

Tho' circumcifion was used by the Egyptian priests, and by fome nations who learned the practice from them, there is no evidence of their ufing it prior to the time of Abraham, and on what principles they adopted it is uncertain. The Colchi are thought by Grotius to have been of the twelve tribes, and that on this account, and not because they were of Egyptian extraction, they practifed the rite of circumcifion.

It seems extraordinary that not only Abraham, bu Ishmael, and even the flaves of Abraham, who had no interest whatever in the covenant of which it was the fign, were ordered to be circumcifed, But according to the ideas and customs of the East, every thing belonging to any person must be affected as he is. Thus the king of Nineveh ordered not only his people, but even the cattle to put on mourning, when Jonah preached to the city. And for this reafon I apprehend that the baptifm of infants would appear to have great propriety to the primitive chriftians, tho' fuch infants could not have any knowledge of the religion to which it was the introduction, and as it were, the fign. It is, there fore, lefs neceffary with us in the western parts of the world, who have no ideas, or customs, correfponding to the practice.

14. It is not easy to say what is the precise meaning of being cut off from his people. The most obvious fenfe is that he fhall no longer be confidered as one of the Israelitifh nation, the peculiar people of God, but as of any other nation. This was probably the case of a Hebrew who fhould refufe to circumcife his children. But when the fame phrafe is applied to other offences of a

more heinous nature, it may be an intimation of fome particular judgment from God awaiting him, or the punishment of death inflicted by the civil magiftrate.

16. This is the first time that the promised feed is faid to come from Sarah, and muft, no doubt, have appeared extraordinary, confidering her great age. The fignification of the name Sarai, or that of Sarah, is not easily ascertained; but the reason that is here giv en for the change of the name leads us to suppose that the latter fignifies fomething relating to fecundity, fince it is faid that she should be the mother of nations. Dr. Geddes fuppofes that her former name fignified a star, that being the meaning of the word in the Syriac or Chaldea language.

17. Laughter may arife from very different' ftates of mind. Since Abraham was not reproved for laughing, there could not be any thing in it that was offensive, as in that of Sarah afterwards. His was probably the effect of admiration and joy, and not of incredulity.

18. The word Ifaac fignifies laughter.

19. It is evident that Abraham thought that the pro mife which had been fo often made to him might be fulfilled in Ishmael, for whom, as his only child, he no doubt had a great affection.

20. The names of the twelve fons of Ifhmael may be feen Ch. xxv. 16.

22. As this is not faid to be a vifion, but an appearance of God to Abraham, it is not improbable but that it might be fuch an appearance as that which is related in the next chapter, viz. in a human form,

25. The