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Abraham. camels, followed the man: who with speed returned vnto his Lord; and the same time Isaac walked along the way, that leadeth to the wel of the Liuing and the seeing, so called; for he dwelt in the south countrie; and he was gone forth to meditate in the field, the day now being wel spent: and when he had cast vp his eyes, he saw camels coming a farre off. Rebecca also, when she saw Isaac, lighted off the camel, and said to the seruant: Who is that man which commeth towards vs along the field? And he said to her: The same is my Lord. But she quickly taking her cloake, couered her selfe. And the seruant told Isaac al things that he had done. Who brought her into the tent of Sara his mother, & tooke her to wife: and he loued her so much, that it did moderate the sorrow which was chanced of his mothers death.

ANNOTATIONS. CHAP. XXIIIV.

14. The maid to whom I shal say.) Obseruation of speaches called ominous, which are interpreted to signifie good or euil luck, are sometimes superstitious & suggested by euil spirits, who now & then telling or insinuating some truth, get credit, & so allure men to attend to such vaine, vncertaine, and vnlawful signes, as S. Augustin testifieth (li. 2. de Gen. ad lit. c. 17. & li. 12. c. 22.) Neuertheles such signes are sometimes lawfully obserued, & desired from God, as the same Doctour disputeth (li. quest. super Gen. q. 53) & S. Chrisostome teacheth more cleerly (ho. 45. in Gen) likewise S. Theodoret (q. 73. in Gen) But whosoeuer wil not erre in particular cases, must follow either expresse Scripture, or the iudgement of the Church, which is alwayes directed by the spirit of truth. And touching this prayer of Abrahams seruant, & his desire of this determinate signe to know the maid, whom God had prouided to be Isaacs wife, the fathers generally hold that it was religious, deuout, and discrete. For he being careful of his Masters busines, and not trusting his owne iudgement, but relying vpon that Abraham had said, Our Lord shal send his Angel before thee, commended so weightie a cause to God by prayer, the Angel suggesting both to him to desire, & to the maid to performe (as the euent sheweth) such qualities and vertues in her, as were most agreable to the great charitie and hospitalitie dayly practized in Abrahams house, most conuenient and necessarie (as he discretely considered) for that familie, and good of manie. The like obseruations were approued in Gedeon, and Ionathas. And to pray for such signes in some case, or for manifest miracles is also approued by the Apostles example praying God To shew by lot which of the two he had chosen to the Apostleship, in place of Iudas. And that he would extend his hand to cures, and signes, and wonders, to be done by the name of his holie sonne. Rh