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THE 198 YEAR-OLD MAN
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Abraham, sitting at his tent door, welcomes a traveler bowed with age.
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After feeding the man, Abraham asks him to bless the âMost High Godâ.
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The man refuses, revealing that he worships a different god.
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Enraged, Abraham casts the man out into the wilderness.
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At midnight, God asks Abraham where the stranger is.Â
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After hearing what happened, God rebukes Abraham, asking,
âHave I borne with him these
hundred ninety and eight years, and nourished him, and cloathed him, notwithstanding his rebellion against me, and couldst not thou, that art thyself a sinner, bear with him one night?â.
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Filled with remorse, Abraham searches for the man, finds him, and brings him back to his tent. The next day, he sends the
man away with gifts.
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~Benjamin Franklin