Secondly, The Glory of their posterity shall flee away like a bird▪ that is,1 The Lord will cut off their numerous posterity, their young men, that there shall be few enough left among them. They gloried in their number. The blessing of God upon Abraham's seed came very swiftly after it began to come; and now God threatens it shall go away as swiftly: As you may find it if you observe the story of the increase of the Seed of Abraham, if you reckon it from the time of their going into Egypt: there was (you know) but threescore and ten souls that went into Egypt of Abraham's seed:2 but when they came out of Egypt, which was but two hundred and fifteen years after they went in; for the four hundred and thirty is to be reckoned from the Promise to Abraham until their coming out of Egypt, and it is clear that there were two hundred and fifteen years from the Promise to their going into Egypt, so that there were but two hundred and fifteen years from their going in, to their coming out; and see how swiftly they did increase, from three score and ten souls (for there was no more then, but) there came out from twenty years old and upwards, men of war, six hundred thousand, three thousand, five hundred and fifty; there were increased of Abraham's seed in two hundred and fifteen years, six hundred thousand, and three thousand, and five hundred and fifty, as you may see in the book of Numbers; besides, the Levites, with the number of the males, from a month old and upwards, was twenty and two thousand; besides the women ⟨p. 245⟩and all the other children: and this was in that time when they were in bondage. Thus the Glory of Abraham's seed came very swiftly. And now it shall fly away like a bird, they shall decrease more than they did increase.
Secondly, The Glory of their posterity shall flee away like a bird▪ that is,1 The Lord will cut off their numerous posteritie, their yong men, that there shall be few enough left among them. They gloried in their number. The blessing of God upon Abrahams seed came very swiftly after it began to come; and now God threatens it shall go away as swiftly: As you may find it if you observe the story of the encrease of the Seed of Abraham, if you reckon it from the time of their going into Egypt: there was (you know) but threescore and ten souls that went into Egypt of Abraham's seed:2 but when they came out of Egypt, which was but two hundred and fifteen years after they went in; for the four hundred and thirty is to be reckoned from the Promise to Abraham until their coming out of Egypt, and it is cleer that there were two hundred and fifteen years from the Promise to their going into Egypt, so that there were but two hundred and fifteen years from their going in, to their coming out; and see how swiftly they did encrease, from three score and ten souls (for there was no more then, but) there came out from twenty years old and upwards, men of war, six hundred thousand, three thousand, five hundred and fiftie; there were encreased of Abrahams seed in two hundred and fifteen years, six hundred thousand, and three thousand, and five hundred and fifty, as you may see in the book of Numbers; besides, the Levites, with the number of the males, from a month old and upwards, was twenty and two thousand; besides the women ⟨p. 245⟩and al the other children: and this was in that time when they were in bondage. Thus the Glory of Abrahams seed came very swiftly. And now it shall fly away like a bird, they shall decrease more than they did encrease.
- 1Expos. 2.
- 2The time the Israelites abode in Egypt.
