[45r] and probably of Abraham also. Sarai is taken to be the same with Iscah, the Daughter of Haran; else we cannot easily conceive, how she should be styled, The Sister of Abraham, the Daughter [or, Grand-daughter] of his Father. And yett Sarai was but Ten Years younger than her Husband. Besides, we find, that Lot, the Son of Haran, was very near as old as Abraham. About the Time that Abraham begat Isaac, at the Age of 100, (which was then but the Beginning of old Age,) the Daughters of Lot could say, Our Father is old. The Reason why Abraham is first mentioned, is not only, The Dignity of his Person, The Friend of God; but also the Continuation of the Chronology by him. There seems to be an Objection against this; That it is improbable Terah should have a Son so late as at 130 Years of Age; especially since in so small a Time afterwards as at the Promise of Isaac, it seems a mighty Surprize unto Abraham, to have Thoughts of Issue at 100 Years of Age. But since Terah lived 205 Years, it cannot be more unsuitable, to suppose that he begetts a Son, at 130; than that now, Men who may reach 80, begett at 50. Besides, Abraham himself had Children by Keturah, long after Isaac. And the Lives of Men for many Generations after Abraham, were long enough, to admitt of their having Issue at 100 Years old. Jacob was 104 Years old, at the Birth of Benjamin. Several of the Progenitors of David appear to have had Children, some a little before, some a little after this Age; and at a much longer Distance from the Dayes of Abraham. But the Surprize of Abraham and Sarah, seems to have been This. Abraham had now been married unto Sarah a great while, without any Appearance of Issue. And since it ceased to be with Sarah after the Manner of Women, there was not left now the least Hope of Children by her.³³ Nay, it was Fourteen Years also, since the more Fruitful Hagar conceived by him. It is also probable, that his Change of his Countrey, and wandring & weary Way of Living in a strange Land, brought early Infirmities on his Constitution, which he observed; he found himself Decaying sooner than else he would have done; & his Body Dead as to Generation, especially with regard unto Sarah. And yett his Contemporaries might have Children at a greater Age; yea, he himself had so, upon the Restoration of his Health, and this no less than 40 Years afterward.³⁴

		Years	Months	Dayes
III. From the Departure of Abraham out of       Haran to the Exodus out of Egypt.		430.	00.	00.35

       Indeed we read, Exod. 12.40. The Sojourning of the Children of Israel, who sojourned in the Land of Egypt, was 430 Years. But these 430 Years include all the Sojourning of the Israelites, and their Ancestors, in a Strange Land. The Translations of the Samaritan and of the Septuagint, are therefore so paraphrastical, as to read it thus. The Sojourning of the Children of Israel, which they sojourned in the Land of Egypt, and in the Land of Canaan, they and their Fathers, was 430 Years.³⁶ And the small Number of Generations, between the Entrance into Egypt, and the Going out of it, are a Demonstration of this Matter. Jochebed was the immediate Daughter of Levi, (who was 50 Years old at the Descent into Egypt,) and the immediate Mother of Moses (who was 80 Years old, at the Ascent out of Egypt.) Hezron, one of those who went down with Jacob into Egypt, had a Grandson Jair, an Active Man, about Forty Years after the Coming up out of Egypt, for he siezed on the Villages and Countrey of Basan at that time. Sheerah the Daughter, or perhaps the Grand daughter of Ephraim, was alive at the Division of the Land of Canaan by Joshua. Corah, Dathan, and Abiram, the Ringleaders of the Sedition against Moses in the Wilderness, were Grandsons to some of these Persons, who were among the Descendents into Egypt. And yett the general Period of Humane Life, was now no more than 140 Years of Age. Moreover, the Ancestors of Moses, whose particular Ages are mentioned, will further demonstrate it. Levi, his great Grandfather, was 50 Years old, at the Descent into Egypt, & lived but 137 Years in all. Kohath, his Gand his Father Amram but 137 Years, and Moses himself was no more than 80 Years old at the Exodus. If we allow every succeeding Person to be born as late in the Fathers Life as the Time for Generation would permitt, yett there will want many Years of the 430 which belong to this Period. Finally; The Apostle Paul clears it up, when he reckons these 430 Years, from a solemn Promise of the Messiah, the Seed of Abraham, in whom all the Families of the Earth should be Blessed. [Gal. 3.17.] But we Read not of any such Promise, to Jacob, at his going into Egypt.