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And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.

And Abram went up out of Egypt. — There must be likewise daily ascensions in our hearts, out of the Egypt of this world, to the heavenly Canaan, where Christ our altar is. The Church is compared to "pillars of smoke" ascending. Song of Solomon 3:6 Black she is as smoke in regard of infirmities, yet hath a principle to carry her upwards. Who is this that ascends out of this Egypt below with pillars of smoke, elationibus fumi , that is, with her affections, thoughts, desires, upward, heavenward? Our Edward I had a mighty desire to go to the Holy Land; and because he was hindered, he gave his son a charge upon his deathbed, to carry his heart thither, and prepared 32,000 English pounds to that purpose. Act. and Mon. The children of faithful Abram, though their bodies be on earth, yet they take much pains, and are at great charge, to get up their hearts to heaven. Hence they are called "eagles," Matthew 24:28 for their high soaring, and are said to have "noses like the tower of Lebanon," Song of Solomon 7:4 for their singular sagacity in resenting and smelling after Christ, the true all quickening body.

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And Abram [was] very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.

And Abram was very rich. — All rich men therefore are not rejected of God, though it be hard for such to hit on heaven. Poor Lazarus lies in the bosom of rich Abraham there. Riches neither further nor hinder in themselves, but as they are used: as a cipher by itself is nothing, but a figure being set before it, it increaseth the sum. Wealth, if well used, is an ornament, an encouragement to duty, and an instrument of much good. All the danger lies in loving these things. Have them we may, and use them too, as a traveller doth his staff, to help him the sooner to his journey’s end; but when we pass away our hearts to them, they become a mischief, and as the word here rendered rich, signifies in the original a burden. Let not therefore the bramble be king: let not earthly things bear rule over thy affections; "fire will rise out of them that will consume thy cedars," Judges 9:15 emasculate all the powers of thy soul, as they did Solomon’s, whose wealth did him more hurt than his wisdom good. How many have we now-a-days, that when poor, could pray, read, …, who, grown rich, resemble the moon, which, grown full, gets farthest off from the sun, never suffers eclipse but then, and that by earth’s interposition! Let rich men therefore take heed how they handle their thorns; let them gird up the loins of their minds, lest their long garments Socrates divitias comparabat tunicis talaribus . hinder them in the way to heaven; let them see to it, that they be not tied to their abundance, as little Lentulus was said to have been to his long sword; Quis generum meum ad gladium alligavit ? - Cic. that they be not held prisoners in those golden fetters, as the king of Armenia was by Anthony, and so sent by him for a present to Cleopatra, Dio in Augusto. lest at length they send their mammon of unrighteousness, as Croesus did his fetters, for a present to the devil, who had deluded him with false hopes of victory. Herodot.

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And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai;

And he went on his journeys. — Many a weary step, and rested not till he came to his old altar at Bethel. Lo here a pattern of great piety and singular zeal, in father Abram. Egypt, with all her plenty and pleasure, had not stolen away his heart, so as not to hold his own in the promised land. Neither had he so laden himself with thick clay, but that he went "from strength to strength" (as those good souls did, Psalms 84:7 ); he took long strides; perexit per profectiones suas , as it is here. He went journey after journey, till he appeared before God at his altar, there to sanctify that good he bad got in Egypt, and to give God thanks for it; yea, to consecrate all to him the bestower of it. Oh, let us show ourselves children of Abram indeed, by "walking in these steps of our father Abram" Romans 4:12 Otherwise our outward profession and privileges will profit us no more than it did Dives in hell, that be could call Abraham, father. Luke 16:30

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Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.

Unto the place of the altar, … — There he had found God to his comfort, and there he looks now to find him so again. It will be some help to us, for the strengthening of our faith in prayer, to hold ourselves to the same place, to have a set oratory.

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And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.

And Lot also, which went with Abram. — So he lost not all, by leaving friends and means, to go with Abram. They that side with the saints, shall thrive with the saints. God had promised to bless Abram, and he did it; for it is the blessing of God that maketh rich. God had promised again to bless them that blessed Abram, or wished well to him, and did him any favour or furtherance. Let Lot speak now whether this were not made good to him in those flocks and herds of his (that is, in all kind of riches), Mηλα pecudes, et postea, synecdochicos, opes significant . and tents, that is, servants dwelling in tents. Jeremiah 49:29 1 Chronicles 4:41

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And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.

And the land was not able to bear them. — This was sour sauce to their sweet meat, lest they should surfeit of their abundance. All earthly comforts are dissweetened with crosses, and there are thorns in all the world’s roses. It is seldom seen that God allows any, though never so dear to himself, a perfect contentment. Something they must have to complain of, that shall give an unsavoury verdure to their sweetest morsels, that they may long after heaven. It could not but be a great cut to this good couple, to be now at length sundered, and deprived of mutual society.

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And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot’s cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.

And there was a strife between. — How oft do servants set masters at variance! But the devil is in it, when good folk fall out especially. He is restless himself, and doth what he can to disquiet others. He loves to fish in troubled waters; and well knows out of his "devilish wisdom," saith St James, that "where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work". James 3:15-16 But what was it that made the herdsmen fall out, but penury of pasture? and what bred penury of pasture, but plenty of cattle? Great riches many times breed great brabbles. This the heathen found, and therefore feigned that Mars was the son of Juno, Natalis Comes. because Juno is the goddess of riches, which prove the cause of strife and stirs among many.

And the Canaanite and Perizzite dwelled then in the land. — This is added, either as a cause of their being straitened of fit pasture, because the Canaanites possessed the better grounds; or else to set forth how unseasonable and unsavoury it was, for such men to jar, and so to expose themselves to the scandal and scorn of such wicked neighbours as desired no better sport than to see them falling out. This latter is Lyra’s Nisi Lyra lyrasset … gloss, and I like it well. One of the main scandals the Jews take at this day from Protestants, is their dissensions. Error condonari potest, modo fides adsit in Christum: discordiam, neque si sanguinem fundamus, expiabimus , said reverend Oecolampadius in a letter to the litigious Lutherans of Sueveland. Scultet. Annal. Cyprianus inexpiabilem discordiae maculam martyrii sanguine ablui, et passione purgari negat.

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And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we [be] brethren.

And Abram said to Lot. — Speech endeth anger, silence nourisheth it. Much malice and grudge would be avoided, and the very poison of it drawn out, did we but give it a vent at first, by reasoning with the party that wronged us, and expostulating the injury, which most times is but a mere mistake. Now many, on the contrary, harbour this viper in their bosoms, till it hath eaten to their hearts; they not only let "the sun go down," but go its whole round "upon their wrath," Ephesians 4:26 and cannot find time from one end of the year to the other, to utter their minds, and compound their discords. Not only Abram, but Aristippus shall rise up in judgment against such pseudo-Christians, and condemn them. For when Aeschines and he had been at long debate, Plutarch De Cohib. Ira, Laer., lib. ii. and there was, I stout, and thou stout, and neither could find in their hearts to go to the other; Aristippus went at length to Aeschines, and said unto him, "Shall we not agree to be friends, before we make ourselves a common scorn to the whole country?" Whereunto when Aeschines answered, that he was content to be friends with all his heart; Aristippus replied, "Remember then, that although I were the elder and the better man, yet I first sought unto thee." "In very deed," said Aeschines, "thou art a far better man than I; for I began the quarrel, and thou hast been first in making up the breach." And thus these two became fast friends for ever.

For we are brethren. — This is a cooler; and should be like the angel that stayed Abram’s hand when the blow was coming.

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