qu. 25.

Curfe; and a numerous Off-fpring, a Bleffing, fo often promised, that it is evident that many Difpenfations of the Divine Providence depended upon it.

And the better to revive and keep up a Senfe of Religion amongst Men, those who were most eminent for Piety were employed to be God's Heralds and Emballadors to the rest of the World, as the whole People of Ifrael are appealed to as his Witnesses, Ifai. xliii. 12. and xliv. 8. The Jews have a (b) S. Hie- Tradition, (b) That Abraham refufing to worrom.Quaeft. fhip the Fire, the God of the Chaldeans, was in Genef. S. Auguft. thrown by them into it, and was delivered Quaft. in out of it by Miracle: And therefore they Genef. 1. v. understand it, not that he went forth from Ur of the Chaldees, as it fignifies a Place, but from the Fire of the Chaldees; Ur in the Hebrew Tongue fignifying Fire. But we have no need of recourfe to fuch Traditions: This is certain, Abraham was fent, by God's Command, out of Chaldæa into Canaan; and there he had no fix'd or fettled Habitation, but journeyed, going on still towards the South, Gen. xii. 9. till a Famine happening in that Countrey, the Providence of God fo difpofed of Things, that He and Lot, went into Egypt. And when he was there, he was by a very remarkable Accident taken great notice of by Pharaoh himself. For Pharaoh admiring the Beauty of Sarah, Abraham's Wife, takes her into his Houfe: for

20

which, great Plagues were inflicted on him and his Houfhold; and Pharaoh perceiving the reason of it, fends him away, with his Wife, and all that he had. By this it became notorious to Pharaoh and his Princes, that Abraham was under God's peculiar Care and Providence, and that therefore it concerned them to regard what he profeffed concerning Religion, and the Worship of God. Abimelech likewife, King of Gerar, fent and took Sarah: Upon which God appeared to him in a Dream, and declared to him that Abraham was a Prophet, and that he should pray for him; and this Abimelech told to all his fervants, Gen. 20. 7, 8. and he calls upon God, by his Name Jehovah, ver. 4. which fhews that he had Knowledge of the True God.

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After Abraham and Lot were returned into Canaan from Egypt, upon fome difagreement between their Herds-men, they parted from [ each other, Lot going towards Sodom, and Abraham to the Plain of Mamre, in Hebron. And it came to país, that there was War between Nine Kings of that Countrey, four being Confederate on the one fide, and five on the other. But the King of Sodom and his Confederates being defeated in Battle, Lot, who dwelt in Sodom, was, with all his Goods, carried away by the Enemy: Of which when Abraham was informed, he armed his Servants, and with no more than F 2 Three

Three hundred and eighteen Men, gained a fignal Victory, retook Lot, and brought him back, with all his Family and Goods. And at his return he is met by the King of Sodom, and by Melchizedeck King of Salem, who being the Priest of the most high God, in a moft folemn manner bleffeth Abraham, who gives him the Tenth of all his Spoil: Which whole Action muft needs render Abraham mightily renowned in all that Countrey. So much Mercy did God extend to the Canaanites, who, after they had filled up the measure of their Iniquities, were to be rooted out, to make way for the Ifraelites to poffefs their Land; that Abraham, and Lot, and Melchizedeck, and their Families, were appointed as Monitors and Inftructors to them in the ways of Righteousness and Piety: And when all this was ineffectual to their Amendment, Sodom and Gomorrah were deftroyed by a moft miraculous and visible Judgment, with Fire from Heaven, after God had declared, at Abraham's Interceflion, that if there had been but Ten Righteous Perfons in those Cities, he would have faved the reft for their fakes. Lot, with his Family only, efcaped this dreadful Judgment; and his Wife looking back, out of fondnefs for the Place fhe had left, was turned into a Pillar of Salt; which were fo ftrange and to remarkable Judgments,that it must be a prodigious obftinacy in Sin, not to be reclaimed and brought to an acknowledgment of God's Power and Authority by them. The

The Moabites and the Ammonites were defcended from Lot, and therefore it must be through their great Sin and Negligence, if they did not retain a true Notion of Religion: They had Poffeffion given them of the Land they dwelt in, by God himself, by whom the former Inhabitants, a wicked and formidable Race of Giants, were de. ftroyed before them, as the Canaanites afterwards were before the Children of Ifrael, Deut. ii. 9, 19. Our Saviour was defcended from Ruth the Moabitefs. And the Ammo): nites are diftinguished from the Heathen, C Ezek. xxv, 7.

Nic. Da

c. 8.

But as Abraham has the peculiar Character given him of, the Friend of God, and the Fa ther of the Faithful; fo his Power and Influence was very great. He is faid, (4) both (i) Justin, by Justin, and Nicolaus Damafcenus, to have 36. c.2. been King of Damafcus; and the latter fur- maf. apud ther adds, that in his own time the Name of Jofeph. AnAbraham was famous in that City, and that tiq.1. 1. a Village was nominated from him, being called Abraham's Houfe or Palace. He was a mighty Prince among the children of Heth, and was refpected as fuch by them, Gen. xxiii. 6, 10. The Saracens, and other Arabians, were defcended from Abraham; and Circumcifion, which was practifed by fo many Nations, being a Seal of the Covenant, and a C Rite have fome Notion of the Covenant it felf commu

fome Initiation, must be supposed to

F3

nicated

nicated together with it. For there is no probability that Circumcifion, used as a Religious and Mysterious Rite, could have any other Original among Heathen Nations, than from Abraham; and the only Reafon brought to prove that it had another beginning amongst them, is, because it was used upon a Natural Caufe, and varied in the Time of Adminiftration but the Time might happen to be changed by fome 'unknown Accident; and it was always, I think, used upon a Religious account, whatever Natural Caufes might be likewife affigned; and fuch the Jews them(k) Philo felves were (k) wont to affign, as well as that Maimonid, of their Religion; and it is poffible, that in fome places, the Religious caufe of its Obfervation might be forgot, and the Natural only retained.

Befides the other Sons of Abraham, which were many, Ifaac and Ifhmael must have been very inftrumental in propagating the true Religion; and we can fuppofe none educated under Abraham, or belonging to him, but they must have been well qualified for that purpose, and muft more or lefs retain the Impreffions they had received from him: this being the Character which God himself gives of Abraham, I know him, that he will command his children and his houfhold after bim, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, Gen. xviii. 19. The Jews make particular mention of the care which both Abraham

and