An exposition with practical observations continued upon the eleventh, twelfth, & thirteenth chapters of…

Now this story refers to Gen. 32. you shall find if you ¹cast your eyes upon the Chapter before the 31. that God having bid Jacob return into the Land of his Fathers, and to his kindred, he promised him that he would be with him in his journey; yet mark, though God had made him go this journey, and had promised that he would be with him in the journey, yet Jacob for all that doth meet with as hard things in the journey as almost a man can ⟨p. 227⟩read, or hear of, that ever man did hear of, or meet with ²in a journey or business that God set him about; he had an express command of God to go, and a promise of God that he would be with him in the journey; it would ask some time to show the many hard things that Jacob met withal in the journey, but among other of the hard things that he met with, this was a very sad one, that being to go by the Land of Seer, the Country of Edom where his brother Esau lived, he sent messengers before him, not being altogether without some fear, that the old grudge that was in the heart of his brother still remained, and that his brother might now have an opportunity for to satisfy his desire upon him, and according as he feared he found it, for having sent messengers to his brother, they reurn again to him, and bring him word that his brother was coming against him with four hundred men in a hostile way, so manifesting by the manner of his coming that he did intend mischief against Jacob, in Gen. 32. 6. and now upon this the heart of Jacob was ³much distressed, so the text saith, That Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed, vehemently afraid, and great straits was upon his spirit; now being in so great straights, Jacob seeks to provide for himself, he did not presently conclude and say, we are utterly undone, but he would see what could be done, so though he knew the fury of his brother, yet if it were possible but to save some part of his company he would do it, and so he divides them in the way of prudence as might be the best way that he conceived for the safety of any of them, but though he dealt in a way of prudence for safety, yet, That he trusted not to, but seeks unto the Lord, he would go to prayer in so great a straight and extremity that he was in, for so in verse 24 he had been at prayer, and there he was found alone, which cannot be interpreted to no purpose