on ftill toward the South, Gen. xii. 9. 'till a Famine happening in that Country, 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 barach himfelf. For Pharaoh admiring the Beauty of Sarah, Abraham's Wife, takes her into his Houfe: for which great Plagnes were inflicted on him and his Houfhold: And Pharaoh perceiving the reafon 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 Worfhip of God, Abimelech likewife, King of Gerah, 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 fhould pray for him; and this Abimelech told to all his fervants, Gen. xx. 7,8. and he calls upon God, by his Name Jehovah, ver. 4. which fhews that he had knowledge of the True God.

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 pafs, that there was War between nine Kings of that Country, four being Confederate on the one fide, and five on the other. But the King of Sodom and his Confederates being defeated in Battel, 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 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

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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 Country. So much Mercy did God extend to the Canaanites, who, after they had filled up the meafure 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 Righteoufness and Piety: And when all this was ineffe&tual to their Amendment, Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by a moft miraculous and visible Judgment, with Fire from Heaven, after God had declared, at Abraham's Interceffion, 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 fo 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 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 deftroyed before them, as the Canaanites afterwards were before the Children of Ifrael, Deut. ii. 9, 19. Our Saviour was defcended from Ruth the Moabites. And the Ammonites are distinguifhed from the Heathen, Ezek. xxv. 7.

But as Abraham has the peculiar Character given him of, the Friend of God, and the Father of the Faith

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ful; fo his Power and Influence was very great. He is faid, both by Juftin, and Nicolaus Damafcenus, to have been King of Damafcus; and the latter farther adds, that in his own time the Name of Abra-. ham was famous in that City, and that a Village was nominated from him, being call'd 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 Oak of Mamre was had in great devotion by the Heathens. The Religion of the ancient Perfians, is ftiled in the Eaft, the Religion of Abrabam; and the Book which contains it, the Book of Abraham; and the Indian Brahman, or Brahaman, are fuppofed to derive their Name from him. m Areus

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King of the Lacedemonians, in his Letter to Onias the High-Prieft, fays, that it was found in Writing, that the Lacedemonians and the Jews were Brethren, and that they were of the Stock of Abraham. The Saracens, and other Arabians, were descended from Abraham; and Circumcifion, which was practis'd by fo many Nations, being a Seal of the Covenant, and a Rite of Initiation, must be fuppos'd to have fome Notion of the Covenant it felf communicated together with it. For there is no probability that Circumcifion, ufed as a Religious and Myfterous Rite, could have any other Original among Heathen Nations, than from Abrabam; and the only Reafon brought to prove that it had another beginning amongst them, is, because it was used upon a Natural Cause, and vary'd in the Time of Administration: but the Time might happen to be changed by fome unknown Accident; and it was always, I think, used upon a Religious account at firft, whatever Natural or Moral Caufes might be likewife affign'd: and fuch the Jews themfelves were

i Juftin. 1. 36. c. 2. Nic. Damaf. apud Jofeph. Antiq. 1. 1. c. 8. * Hieron. de Loc. Hebr. Hyde Hift. Relig. vet. Perf. c. 2. Mac, xii. 20, 21. Jofeph. Antiq. b 12.5..

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wont to affign, as well as that of their Religion; and it is poffible, that in fome Places, the Religious. Caufe of its Obfervation might be forgot, and the Natural or Moral only retain'd. She is all

Befides the other Sons of Abraham, which were. many, Ifaac and meet muft have been very inftrumental in propagating the true Religion; and we can fuppofe none educated under Abraham, or belonging to him, but they muft have been well qualified for that. Purpofe, and muft more or lefs, retain the Im¬ preffions they had receiv'd from him; this being the Character which God himself gives of Abraham, I know him, that he will command his Children and his Houfhold aften bim, and they fhall keep the way of the Lord, Gen. xviii. 19. The Jews make particular mention of the Care which both Abraham and Sarah took in inftructing Profelytes; and Maimonides writes, that Abraham left a Book behind him upon that Subject. Ifhmael was the Son of an Egyptian Mother, Gen. xvi. 1. and his Wife was an Egyptian: his Sons were Twelve in number, and of great Power, being ftiled Princes, and their Dominions were of a large extent, Gen. xxv. 165.18 Ifaac was to marry none of the Daughters of Canaan, but one of his own Kindred; band a Meffenger is fent into Mefopor tamia, to bring Rebekah from thence, God directing and profpering him in his Journey Which Alliance and Affinity renew'd with the Chaldeans, could not fail of a good effect, for the prefervation and advancement of Religion in thofe Countries. But a Famine being again in the Land, Ifaac removes to Abimelech King of the bittines, unto Gerar, and by him the Beauty of Rebekah was admired, as Sarah's had been by Pha raob in Egypt, and here by Ahimelech but tho.he

n Philo de Circumcif. Maimon. More Nevoch. Par. 3. c. 49° Ludolf. Hift. Æthiop. lib. 3. cap. 1. n. 3.

• De Idolatr. c. I. $9.

had faid fhe was his Sifter, (as Abraham faid likewife of Sarah) meaning in that latitude of the word ufual in thofe Countries, whereby Women were call'd the Sifters of all to whom they were nearly related; yet the Providence of God fo order'd it, that no Attempts fhould be made to her Difhonour, but the King of the Philiftines had a great Regard and Reverence for Ifaac and his Wife: the Bleffing of God was vifible in all his Undertakings; he became much mightier than the Philistines, and therefore they envy'd him; which occafion'd his Remove to Beersheba, whither Abimelech, with his Friends and Attendants, came to enter into a ftrict League and Covenant with him, profeffing that they faw certainly that the Lord (that is, Jehovah the True God) was with him, and declaring him to be the bleffed of the Lord, Gen. xxvi. II, 14, 16, 26. And for the fame reason, the Philiftines had formerly defired to make a Covenant with Abraham, faying, God is with thee in all that thou doft, &c. Gen. xxi. 22.

Efau, at the Age of Forty Years, marry'd two Wives of the Daughters of the Hittites, Gen. xxvi. 34. which, tho' it griev'd Ifaac and Rebekah, who would have had him marry with their own Kindred, yet muft give the Hittites farther Opportunites of acquainting themfelves with the Religion and Worship of the Hebrews; but he marries befides a Daughter of Ifhmael, Abraham's Son, Gen. xxviii. 9.. which confirm'd and ftrengthen'd the Alliance between the true Believers. Efau was the Father of the Edomites, and of a numerous Off-fpring of Dukes and Kings, Gèṛ. xxxvi. 2, 31. And according to the Cuftom and Defign of the Book of Genefis, the Generations defcended from Efau had not been fo particularly fet down, unless they had retain'd the Knowledge and Worfhip of the True God. This was Mofes's Meffage to the King of Edom: Thus faith thy Brother Ifrael, Thou knoweft all the Travel that hath befallen us, how

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