![]() “We are told, indeed, that when God declared that Sarah was to be the mother of nations, Genesis 17:17, Abraham fell upon his face and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born to him that is a hundred years old? &c. He staggered not - Greek, εις την επαγγελιαν του θεου ου διεκριθη τη απιστια, against the promise of God he did not reason through unbelief - Did not call in question the truth of God’s promise, or the certainty of its fulfilment but was strong in faith, giving glory to God - Entertaining high and honourable thoughts of God’s power and faithfulness, and manifesting the same by his actions. Nor did he consider or regard the old age of Sarah. The children which Abraham had by Keturah, after Sarah’s death, do not invalidate the apostle’s assertion here for Abraham’s body, having been renewed by a miracle in order to the begetting of Isaac, might preserve its vigour for a considerable time afterward. He did not regard it so as to be discouraged thereby, or induced to disbelieve the promise. He considered not his own body now dead - With regard to the probability of begetting children. And being not weak in faith - That is, being strong in faith for the Hebrews, when they meant to assert a thing strongly, did it by the denial of its contrary. So shall thy seed be - So numerous and glorious. Against hope - Against all probability believed in hope - With an assured confidence, grounded on the divine promise according to all that which was spoken - When God called him forth abroad to view the stars of heaven. In this paragraph the apostle first takes notice of the difficulties which stood in the way of Abraham’s faith, and then of the power and excellence of it, manifested in its triumphing over them.
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