man whom you hated, and haue thrust out from you? 28Who answered: We saw that the Lord is with thee, and therfore we said: Let there be an oath between vs, and [1] let vs make a league, 29that thou doe vs no harme, as we also haue touched nothing of thine, neither haue we done that which might hurt thee: but with peace haue we dismist thee encreased with the blessing of the Lord. 30Therfore he made them a feast, and after they had eaten and drunken 31arising in the morning, they sware one to an other: and Isaac dismissed them peaceably into their place. 32And behold the same day came the seruants of Isaac telling him of a wel, which they had digged, and saying: We haue found water. 33Wherupon he called it Abundance: and the name of the citie was giuen Bersabee, euen vnto this present day. 34But Esau being fourtie yeares old maried wiues, Iudith the daughter of Beeri the Hethite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon of the same place: 35both which had [2] offended the mind of Isaac and Rebecca.
ANNOTATIONS.
CHAP. XXVI.
External ceremonies in the law of nature.5. My ceremonies.) These were not the same ceremonies and lawes which were afterwards prescribed by God, and deliuered by Moyses, but other obseruances by which Abraham and other holie Patriarchs before him, serued God with certaine external worship, differing from the rites of the Gentiles, especially from Enos time (Gen. 4.) and so forward.
Christian fortitude preuaileth more by suffering, then by forcible resisting.12. An hundred fold.) For this increase of wealth the King and people at first enuied Isaac, but afterwards perceiuing that God Almightie, whom he serued, so blessed him, the rest of the land remaining barren, they sought to make league with him (v. 28) Euen so the Kings and nations of the world, first enuying and persecuting Christs Church, at length seeing it stil prosperous, became with al humilitie children of the same Church, and seruants of Christ, being ouercome not by force of armes but by patience, & peaceable endeauours of those whom they most hated. Wherof excellently saith S. Leo (Ser. 1. in Natali. Apost) Although Rome renowned by manie victories, dilated her Empyre by land and by sea, yet was it lesse that martial trauel subdued, then that which Christian peace hath obtained. The Bishops of Rome hauing larger Iurisdiction spiritual, then euer the Roman Cæsars had temporal Dominion.
