SECTION II.
From the Flood to Terahs death, and the Promise then given to Abram, were 427 years, as appeareth Gen. 11. by these particulars.
- SEM at 2 years after the Flood begat Arphaxad, ver. 10.
- Arphaxad at 35 years old begat Salah, ver. 12.
- Salah at 30 years old begat Eber, ver. 14.
- Eber at 34 years old begat Peleg, ver. 16.
- Peleg at 30 years old begat Reu, ver. 18.
- Reu at 32 years old begat Serug, ver. 20.
- Serug at 30 years old begat Nachor, ver. 22.
- Nachor at 29 years old begat Terah, ver. 24.
- Terah at 130 years old begat Abram.
- Abram at 75 years old hath the Promise, Gen. 12. 4.
Total 427. Which sum being added to 1656, which was the age of the World at* 1.1 the Flood, amounteth to 2083. and it resulteth, that the Promise was given to Abram in the year of the World 2083.
But here is the great question moved, Whether Abram were the eldest son of Terah, yea or no? If he were, then was he born when Terah was 70 years of age, Gen. 11. 26. and not as this Table layeth it, at his 130. And if he were not his eldest son, why hath Moses named him first of all his sons?
Answer, First, He was not his eldest son: for, 1. He marryed his brother Harans daugh∣ter [for so all men hold Sarah to have been] and she was but ten years younger then himself, Gen. 17. 17. which was impossible, if her Father were younger then he. 2. He is said to be but 75 years old, when he departed out of Haran, Gen. 12. 4. And this was after his Fathers death, Act. 7. 4. Now had he been born at Terahs 70, he had been 135 years old when his Father died: We must therefore compute and reckon backward thus, that since he was but 75 years old when his Father died, it must needs be concluded that he was born when Terah was 130 as is laid down in the Table.
Answer, Secondly, He is reckoned first of Terahs sons, as Sem is of Noahs, not because he was the first in time, but the first in dignity. For that Sem was not the eldest son of Noah, is clear by comparing these places, Gen. 5. 32. Noah was 500 years old when he be∣gat his first son, and Gen. 7. 11. when Noah was six hundred years old, was the Flood of waters upon the Earth, and then was one of his sons an hundred years old: But Sem was not so till two years after, Gen. 11. 10. And yet is he ever named the first of his sons, Gen. 5. 32. & 6. 10. & 7. 13. & 9. 18. & 10.
There are some, that not content with this plain, necessary, and undeniable explicati∣on of the difficulty, do hold that Abram took two journies into Canaan, one before his Fathers death, and another after: whereas Moses and Steven well compared together, do plainly shew the contrary, and fully, and sufficiently clear the matter under scruple: That which hath made men to fall into the mistake of his two journies into Canaan hath been this, that they have taken the words of God in Act. 7. 3. Get thee out of thy Country, &c. and his words in Gen. 12. 1. Get thee out of thy Country, &c, to be of the same time and spoken in the same place, whereas there is a vast difference in the words themselves, and so was there of the time and place where they were spoken. Steven telleth, that while Abra∣ham was in Mesapotamia or Chaldea, as ver. 4. before he dwelt in Horam, God appeared to him, and said unto him, Get thee out of thy Country, and from thy kindred, but not a word of departing from his Fathers house, for he took his Father and his whole houshold along with him, and dwelt with them a good while in Haran, Gen. 11. 31. And Terah died in Haran, ver. 32. Then the Lord said unto Abram, for so should Gen. 12. 1. be translated, and not, Now the Lord had said: And his saying was this, Get thee out of thy Country, and from thy kindred, and from thy Fathers house too, for that also he now left behind him, namely Nahor and all his Fathers Family, but only Lot and Sarah that were fatherless children: And this difference considered, as necessarily it must, it doth make this difficulty which hath cost so much canvasing so easie, as a thing needeth not to be more.