12 And God said unto Abra- | that Sarah hath said unto thee, ham, Let it not be grievous in thy hearken unto her voice: for rin sight, because of the lad, and be- Isaac shall thy seed be called. cause of thy hond-woman; in all

r Rom. 9. 7, 8. Heb. 11. 18.

above. The result is stated in the en-gorized;' implying, not that the events
suing verse.
reco ded were originally designed to

12. For in Isaac shall thy seed be shadow out certain other facts or truths,

-but merely that they are capable of be | כי ביצחק יקרא לך זרע .called. Heb

in Isaac shall seed be called to thee.ing so viewed, and really are so viewed,

by the sacred writer. (See Pierce's
Dissert. on Gal. 4th. in his work on the
Epistles). But however this may be,
we are clearly taught by the construc-
tion which the Apostle puts upon it
that the bond-woman represents the
Mosaic covenant entered into at Mount
Sinai, which brought forth children in
a state of bondage; but Sarah, the free
woman, shadowed out the Christian
covenant, which brings forth children
in a state of liberty. The natural seed
of the former represents all who are
born after the flesh; the spiritual seed
of the latter, that is, the child of prom-
ise, represents those who are born af
ter the Spirit.

On this ground we

This is explained by the Apostle, Rom.
9. 7, 8, 'Neither because they are the
seed of Abraham are they all children,
but in Isaac shall thy seed be called;
that is, they which are the children of
the flesh, these are not the children of
God but the children of the promise,
these are counted for the seed.' It is,
therefore, a limitation of Abraham's
seed, emphatically so called, to the line
of Isaac and his descendants, to the
exclusion of Ishmael. God does not
require Abraham to acquiesce in Sa-
rah's proposal because he approved the
spirit which prompted it, but because it
accorded with his counsel and his re-
peated declarations that all the bles-
sings of the covenant were to belong
pre-eminently to Isaac. 'We must not
refuse to join in doing what God com-
mands, however, contrary it may be
to our natural feelings, nor on account
of the suspicious motives of some with
whom we are called to act.' Fuller.
But it is not sufficient to see in the inci-
dent here related merely a domestic oc-
currence. There is a gospel mystery
contained in it, and here as. in multi-
tudes of other passages we are indebt-
ed to the New Testament for the in-
sight which we possess into the meaning
of the Old Testament. The inspired
Apostle, Gal. 4 22-30, teaches us to
consider this whole history as an alle-
gory; although it is contended by some
able critics that the words of Paul
(áriva εotiv adλnyoɛva) ought rather
to be rendered which things are alle-
›gorized,' or, 'which things may be alle-The mere circumstance of having de-

might have formed a reasonable con-
jecture, that every one who resembled
Ishmael would be hostile to those who
resembled Isaac. But the Scriptures
supersede all conjecture on this point;
for they affirm, in reference to this very
history, that as then he that was born
after the flesh persecuted him that was
born after the Spirit, even so it is now.'
There is an innate contrariety between
the two classes; the same things are
grounds of offence to the carnal man in
this day, as were in the days of Ish-
mael; and this our Lord has expressly
confirmed by saying, 'because ye are
not of the world, but I have chosen
you out of the world, therefore the
world, hateth you.' It appears, more-
over, from the Apostle's interpretation
that we must be children of promise in
order to belong to the church of Christ.

31 And also of the son of the bond-won.an will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.

14 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave

s ver. 18. ch. 16. 10. & 17. 20.

it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and 'sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.

t John 8. 35.

scended from Christian parents, or hav-rection recited above was given in the ing received the seal of the Christian covenant, or making a profession of the Christian faith, will not constitute us Christians, nor give us a title to share in the heavenly inheritance. The son of the bond-woman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman;' which is in effect a sentence of expulsion passed not only on the unbelieving Jewish church, but on the whole collective body of natural and unconverted men, while it is an exclusive grant of heaven and happiness to the children of promise. Others may enjoy church privileges and make religious professions, but they only who in this world rested on the promises as their one ground of hope and joy, shall experience their accomplishment in the world to come. Doubtless it will be grievous, so to speak, to our heavenly Father to disinherit so many of his professed children, for 'he hateth putting away,' and he swears that he has no pleasure in the death of the sinner, but would rather that he would turn from his wickedness and live,' still the decree is gone forth and cannot be reversed; we must be living members of Christ's church below, before we can inherit his kingdom above.

13. Will I make a nation. Heb. 3 will I set or put him to a nation; i. e. a great nation, as the Gr. renders it, 'I will make him for a great nation.' This is but a renewal of the promise made ch. 16. 10, and 17. 20, on which see Notes.

14. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took, &c. From which it is probable that the divine di

night in a vision or dream. His 'rising early in the morning' in this and similar instances is a striking proof of the readiness and alacrity with which he made haste to obey the heavenly mandate. To part with his son was no doubt like rending away his own bowels, but being accustomed to obedience, he controls the paternal affection which he could not extinguish. And here is unquestionably one of the severest trials of faith and piety, when we are called to subject to the will of God those primary instincts of our nature which are in themselves neither sinful nor harmful. But the children of Abraham are to prepare themselves for such ordeals. -'Bread' is probably here to be understood, as elsewhere, as a general term for all kinds of eatables, of which we may suppose as large a quantity was provided as they could conveniently carry; and so also of the water; so that we know of no sufficient foundation for the remark of Hunter, that 'we are more surprised at the slender provision with which Hagar and Ishmael are dismissed, than at the dismission itself.' It would indeed be surprising if the patriarch had loaded them with more provisions than they could carry, and the text affords no evidence that he furnished them with any less.¶ Bottle; i. e. sack. Heb. hemall. See Note on Josh. 9. 4. 'There are several Hebrew words which our transla ion equally renders 'bottle,' but which are not only different from each other but all different from the idea which the word 'bottle' conveys to our minds. We shall endeavour to dis

criminate the different sorts as we pro- | in large or small parties, mounted or on

in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. Beer- | Dictionary, art. 'Desert;' also Gesensheba signifies the 'well of an oath,' | ius on 27. On the proper deserts

or 'the well of seven,' so called after- see Note on v. 21. Whether this wilwards on account of the covenant be- derness of Beer-sheba' was directly in tween Abraham and Abimelech (see the way to the place of her destination, v. 31). It was at the extremity, to- or whether she went thither in consewards the desert, of the subsequent quence of having' wandered' or lost her kingdom of Abraham's descendants, way, it is not possible to determine. and the extent of which was prover-Nor is it certain that 'wandered' here bially described by naming the two ex-is to be understood in any other sense treme towns, Dan and Beer-sheba (see than that of journeyed. It would seem, Note on ch. 14. 14.) It was twenty however, most probable that she demiles south of Hebron. The town af- parted with some definite place in view, terwards built there was given to the perhaps Egypt her native country. It tribe of Judah by Joshua (Josh. 15. 28); may absolve Abraham from the charge but the allotment of that tribe being of cruelty on this occasion, if we bear found disproportionately large, it was in mind not only that the transaction with other portions of Judah's inherit- was altogether in accordance with the ance, transferred to Simeon (Josh. 19. manners of those times, but also that it 2, 9). We know nothing about the was no difficult thing for any person to town; but it was occupied by a Roman find a livelihood in this early age of the garrison in the time of Eusebius and world. Those who had flocks found Jerome. 'The wilderness of Beer- ground enough to spare in every counsheba,' probably denotes the desert try to maintain them; and creatures country beyond Beer-sheba, towards were so numerous, that a person who the Desert of Paran, to which Hagar had no flocks, might, in the wilderness and Ishmael proceeded after they had and in uncultivated places, kill enough recovered from the effects of thirst and of all sorts for his maintenance, withexhaustion. As, however, much per- out injuring any body: and accordingly plexity arises to the reader from the we find, that Ishmael chose to reside mention of an immense number of wil- in the wilderness, where he became an dernesses and deserts, we may observe archer. From the sequel it appears, that the word 277 midbar, rendered that Hagar met with no great difficulty sometimes wilderness,' and some- in providing for herself and son; nor times 'desert,' is of extensive applica- did Ishmael fare any worse than was tion in Hebrew. It denotes not only common for the younger sons to do in the dry, barren, or sandy tracts to those days, when they were dismissed, which we should restrict the term in order to settle in different parts of 'desert,' but generally all uncultivated the world. Jacob was dismissed in lands, mountainous tracts, pasture- the same manner by Isaac, without grounds, and the common lands for servants, or attendants. wood and pasturage near towns. Thus there was scarcely a town without a 'desert' belonging to it, whence arises the frequent mention of deserts in the very heart of that fertile country. This explains the allusions to the rich pastures, and even the beauty of the wildernesses or deserts. See Ps. 64 13. Jer. 9. 10. Joel 1. 20; and Calmet's

15. And the water was spent, &c. Whatever were her original intentions, she was soon reduced to great distress. The bread might not be exhausted, but the water was; and no spring being to be found in this inhospitable place, she and Ishmael appear to have walked about, till he, overcome of thirst, could walk no longer. She supported

15 And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.

16 And she went, and sat her down over against him, a good

way off, as it were a bow-shot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lifted up her voice, and wept.

come old and lose their vegetation, the sun, which constantly beams upon them, burns and reduces them to ashes. I have seen many of them entirely

The

him, it seems, as long as she could, but fearing he would die in her arms, she cast him under a shrub, just to screen him from the scorching sun, and went to a distance to spare her eyes the ag-burnt. The other smaller plants have onizing sight of his dissolution. The no sooner risen out of the earth than anguish of such a situation can be bet- they are dried up, and all take the colter imagined than described. In this our of straw, with the exception of the our temperate climate, surrounded as plant harrack; this falls off before it is we are with perpetual verdure and with dry. Generally speaking, in a desert, every object that can delight the eye, there are few springs of water, some of we can scarcely conceive the horrors them at the distance of four, six, and encountered by the hapless traveller eight days' journey from one another: when crossing the trackless sands, and and not all of sweet water: on the exposed to all the ardours of a vertical contrary, it is generally salt or bitter; sun. The most recent as well as the so that if the thirsty traveller drinks of most graphic description of a desert, it, it increases his thirst, and he suffers which admirably illustrates the present more than before. But, when the capassage, is that given by the enterpri- lamity happens, that the next well, sing traveller, M. Belzoni, whose re- which is so anxiously sought for, is searches have contributed so much to found dry, the misery of such a situathe elucidation of the Sacred Writings. tion cannot be well described. Speaking of a desert crossed by him in camels, which afford the only means Upper Egypt, on the western side of of escape, are so thirsty that they canthe Red Sea, and which is parallel with not proceed to another well: and, if the great desert traversed by the Is- the travellers kill them, to extract the raelites on the eastern side of that sea, little liquid which remains in their stomhe says, 'It is difficult to form a cor- achs, they themselves cannot advance rect idea of a desert, without having any farther. The situation must be been in one it is an endless plain of dreadful, and admits of no resource. sand and stones, sometimes intermixed Many perish victims of the most horriwith mountains of all sizes and heights, ble thirst. It is then that the value of without roads or shelter, without any a cup of water is really felt. He that sort of produce for food. The few has a zenzabia of it is the richest of all. scattered trees and shrubs of thorns, In such a case there is no distinction. that only appear when the rainy sea- If the master has none, the servant son leaves some moisture, barely serve will not give it to him; for very few to feed wild animals, and a few birds. are the instances where a man will volEvery thing is left to nature; the wander-untarily lose his life to save that of ing inhabitants do not care to cultivate another, particularly in a caravan in even these few plants, and when there the desert, where people are strangers is no more of them in one place they to each other. What a situation for a go to another. When these trees be- man, though a rich one, perhaps the