SEPTEMBER 14,

1879.

1. Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that ĺ will show thee:

2. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

3. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

4. So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

5. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into

the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.

6. And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.

7. And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land; and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.

8. And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Beth-el, and pitched his tent, having Beth-el on the west, and Hai on the east and there he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord.

9. And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.

What effect had the Dispersion on the religion of the race? It declined. Of what did God take care? That a line of faith should be preserved until the birth of Christ. In whose posterity did this line run? In Shem's. What family was now especially chosen? Abraham's. Who was Abraham? Chap. xi. 26-27, and 31-32. How was he chosen? By a call of God. How long after the Dispersion? About 325 years. How old was he then? verse 4. Was he called but once, or twice? Probably twice. Compare Chap. xi. vs. 31-32, with Acts vii. 2-4. Why was this repetition made? The first was a general, the latter a specific call.

VERSE 1. What does the name Abram mean? A great father. Was his name changed afterwards? Chap. xvii. 5. What does Abraham mean? A father of a multitude. Which was his country Mesopotamia, in Chaldea. Where did he leave his kindred? At Haran. Who were his kindred? Chap. xi. 26-27. Whither was he to go? Canaan. Had this land been plainly told him now? No. See Is. xl. 2, and Heb. xi. 8-10.

2. How was Abram to become a great nation? He became the founder of the Hebrews, or Jews. How was his name made great? Chap. xvii. 5.

3. How were all the families of the earth made blessed in his seed? By the Messiah and His Gospel. What makes His coming remarkable? This, the second great promise of a Saviour.

4. On what did Abraham now rely? On God's promise. Did this show a great faith in Abraham? Who accompanied him? Who was Lot? His deceased brother's son.

5. Who are meant by the souls that they had gotten? Families and servants. What country was Canaan? Palestine. What does Canaan mean? A Lowland. Between what waters did

it lay? Beyond Jordan, between the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean. Who dwelt there? A bad people. What was done with this peo. ple? Lev. xviii. 25. Of what is Canaan a type? Of the Kingdom of God. Of what is Abraham a type? Matt. x. 36; Luke xiv. 33.

6. To what place did he come now? What is Sichem, or Sechem now called? Neapolis. What does Sechem mean? It signifies drunkenness. Where does this place lie? Beyond Jordan, near Hebron. Where may we read more of it? Chaps. xxxiii. 19; 1. 25-26; Ex. xiii. 19; John iv. 12; Acts vii. 16. What does Moreh mean? A Teacher. How may we read the plain of Moreh? The teaching Oak. Is this a famous Oak? See chaps. xviii. 2-9, and xxiii. 3; xix. 27-28. It still stands a majestic tree, 32 feet thick, and surrounded by a wall. 7. What did he build here? Why an altar? Because of God's manifestation to him. How did God appear to him? Perhaps in Jesus Christ. See John viii. 56.

8. Whither did Abraham now go? What does Beth-el mean? The house of God. How do we understand this, called upon the name of the Lord? He worshipped God through the Mediator, who had appeared unto him. Did he build another altar here? What had the place been called before? Chap. xxviii. 19.

9. Whither did he then move? What does the balance of the chapter teach? That he went to Egypt, and returned again to Bethel.

What do we learn from this part of the history of Abraham? 1. That God began a new spiritual race in Abraham. 2. That He called him for this purpose. 3. That Abraham's faith and obedience entitle him to the honorable position of the "Father of the Faithful," (Rom. iv. 11). .4. That to be worthy children of such a Father, we must believe and live in God.

NOTES. -After the confusion of tongues and the dispersion of the people, the true religion of that day was in danger of being lost entirely. God took › care, however, to preserve it by means of one family, in one direct line down to Jesus Christ. The father of this pious branch of the human race was Abram, the founder of the Hebrew nation, or Jews, from whom our Lord came. He was of Shem's posteritythe ninth descendant, and the son of Terah, of the city of Ur, in Chaldæa, (chap. xi. 26-27). God marked him out as the champion of the faith in the true religion, about 325 years after the destruction of the tower of Babel. He was in his 76th year when he was called to this great mission. On two occasions his work was assigned him. His first call is preserved for us in the New Testament, (Acts vii. 2-4). This was a general information given him whilst he yet lived in his native town in Mesopotamia, or Chaldæa. His second and special call he received, when already on his journey, and resting at Haran, (chap. xi. 31-32). Here his father died. Thence he continued his course, under a divine impulse, though not knowing whither he went, (Heb. xi. 8) towards the land of Canaan. He came to Sechem and pitched his tent beneath the terebinth-tree of Moreh. Here he received a further revelation from Jehovah, in a vision, where he built an altar in memory of the divine appearance. The next halting-place was Bethel, where he built another altar. Finding a famine in the land he turned towards the rich corn-fields of Egypt. But we must not run ahead of the Lesson too far.

VERSE 1. Abram. This name means a high or exalted father, whilst Abraham, as he was later called, (chap. xvii. 5) signifies, the father of a great multitude. Get thee out of thy country. From Ur, in Mesopotamia, in the country of Chaldæa. And from thy kindred. His brothers were Nahor and Haran. The whole family of Terah seems to have gone as far as to the place called Haran, where Terah died and the brother Haran. Here Nahor stayed, and Abram with Sarai his wife, and Lot his nephew, moved on. His leaving all back is expressed by thy father's house.

Unto a land that I will show thee. This was Canaan; but it had not been told him plainly yet. (See Is. xli. 2, and Heb. xi. 8-10).

VERSE 2. I will make thee a great Nation. The founder of the Hebrews or Jewish people. And make thy name great. This alludes to the change of name, from Abram to Abraham—a great father and a father of many, as well as its meaning.

VERSE 3. And in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. This is the second great and direct promise of the Messiah. In Abram's seed, that is in Christ, the Gospel was to be preached throughout the world, and innumerable blessings be conferred upon mankind.

It

VERSE 4. So Abram departed. was a great trial of faith for a man, who had lived with his own kindred for seventy-five years, to bid adieu-and not know, either, whither he was going. He simply knew that the Lord had spoken. Only Lot, his deceased brother's son, went with him.

VERSE 5. And all their substance

and the souls that they had gotten in Haran. This means their families and servants. And they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. But not as easy done, as said. This was a country, called Canaan or "Low-land,” because it lay between the Jordan and the Dead Sea, on the one side, and the Mediterranean on the other. A bad people dwelt in it, who had to be driven out, for their iniquities, (Lev. xviii. 25). This country was made a type of the kingdom of God. As Abram left his own country, his kindred and his father's house, at God's command, nor ceased his journey until he entered it; so must all men leave the world, its people, and its vanity, in setting out for God's kingdom, nor cease to follow His command before the race is finished, (Matthew x. 36-38; Luke xiv. 33).

VERSE 6. Sichem, or Sechem. Here the town of Neapolis now stands, in Samaria. Here he first halted and pitched his tent, beyond Jordan, before he came to Bethel and Hebron. For more of it, see chap. xxxiii. 19; 1. 25-26; Ex. xiii. 19; John iv. 12; Acts vii. 16. Moreh. This means-A Teacher. The word plain here is oak tree. The famous

OAK (or Terebinth) OF ABRAHAM has been photographed. It is a majestic, venerable tree, two miles from Hebron. It measures thirty-two feet in circumference. A stone wall surrounds it. See also chaps. xviii. (1-8 and xxiii. 33). It is old, at least 3800 years.

VERSE 8. Bethel. This means the house of God. It was called Luz before, (chap. xxviii. 19). Where he pitched his tent he also built an altar, it seems. And called upon the name of the Lord. This reads properly-he invoked in the name of Jehovah. No doubt Abram received special revelations here again. Perhaps he was taught the great lesson of approaching God through a Mediator. It may be that our Lord refers to this fact, when he said, "Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it and was glad," (John viii. 56).

VERSE 9. And now the faithful pilgrim moves onward again towards Canaan. An interesting episode occurs now in the history of the man, in consequence of the famine raging in the land, (ver. 10). This is the first record of a famine. He turns into Egypt, even as his great-grandson was subsequently sold into Egypt, as his posterity was delivered from Egypt, and as our Lord Himself was carried into and called out of Egypt. It is not likely, however, that his stay in this country was a long one. He left Egypt with great possessions, and accompanied by his nephew Lot, he returned to his former encampment, Bethel, (chap. xiii. 3).

PRACTICAL REMARKS.-1. God may be said to have begun the new spiritual race in Abraham. 2. God's call to Abraham was a direct act of heaven to maintain an unbroken line from which our Lord was to be born. 3. Abraham's faith and obedience entitle him to the honorable position of "Father of the Faithful," (Rom. iv. 11). 4. If we would be worthy children of Abraham, we must implicitly believe God, and obey His commands.

Teach your Boys.

Teach them that a true lady may be found in calico quite as frequently as in velvet.

Teach them that a common school education, with common sense, is far

better than a college education, without it.

Teach them that one good, honest trade well mastered, is worth a dozen beggarly "professions."

Teach them that honesty is the best policy; that it is better to be poor than to be rich on the profits of" crooked whiskey," etc., and point your precept by the examples of those who are now suffering the torments of the doomed.

Teach them to respect their elders and themselves.

Teach them that, as they expect to be men some day, they cannot too soon learn to protect the weak and helpless.

Teach them that smoking in moderation, though the least of vices to which men are heirs, is disgusting to others and hurtful to themselves.

Teach them that to wear patched clothes is no disgrace, but to wear a black eye is.

Teach them that God is no respecter of sex, and when He gave the seventh commandment, He meant it for them as well as for their sisters.

Teach them that by indulging their depraved appetites in the worst forms of dissipation, they are not fitting themselves to become the husbands of pure girls.

Let Little Ones Laugh.

A child's mirth is easily aroused. How still is the house when the little ones are fast asleep and their pattering feet are silent. How easily the fun of a child bubbles forth. Take even those poor, prematurely-aged little ones, bred in the gutter, cramped in unhealthy homes, and ill-used, it may be, by drunken parents, and you find the child nature is not all crushed out of them. They are children still, albeit they look so haggard and wan. Try to excite their mirthfulness, and ere long a laugh rings out as wild and free as if there was no such thing as sorrow in the world. Let the little ones laugh, then-too soon, alas! they will find cause to weep. Do not try to silence them, but let their gleefulness ring out a gladsome peal, reminding us of the days when we, too, could laugh without a sigh.

1. And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.

2. And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.

3. And he went on his journeys from the south even to Beth-el, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Beth-el and Hai;

4. Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the Lord.

5. And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and ten's.

6. And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.

7. And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelt then in the land.

8. And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no

strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.

9. Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go the left.

10. And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.

11. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.

12. Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.

13. But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.

Of what two men does this Lesson treat? How are they related to each other? Where do we find them now? Had they been here before? Chap. xii. 8. Whither had they gone? Chap. xii. 10.

VERSE 1. Whence had Abram and Lot now come? How do you understand the phrase into the south? South of Canaan. Had all who went down, come up out of Egypt? Yes.

2. How was Abram circumstanced? In what did his riches consist? How did he obtain them in Egypt? Chap. xii. 16. Was gold and silver abundant in Egypt? The Pharaohs were immensely rich. Was this coined money? Rings and ornaments.

3-4. Was it accidental that the Patriarch returned to this place again? It was doubtless ordered of God. Why? To renew his revelations and fervor of his call. How may we say this? From the act of worship named.

5. Had Lot been prospered, too? Is good company a source of blessing to us? Verily.

6 7. What is said about the increase of their flocks? Why could they no longer dwell together? 1. The pasture-land was too small. 2. The neighboring tribes encroached on them. 3. The herdsmen quarrelled.

8-9. What noble speech did Abram now

make? Why was strife a reproach to both? What choice did he give his nephew? Was this generous on Abram's part? How so? As the elder, uncle and favorite of God, he might have chosen first. Why was he so disinterested? He was more spiritually-minded, and mindful of his call, (Heb. xi. 10).

10. How did Lot lift up his eyes? Ascended a mountain. In the direction of what cities did he look? In what plain were these? Of what did the valley remind him? Like what former land did it seem?

11. What choice did he make then? Did you ever think of the similarity between Lot and our terms, lot and lottery?

12-13. Where did Abram remove? What was the character of Lot's neighbors? Had he considered that? Of what did he only think? Is that the case frequently to-day?

What may we learn, concerning wealth, from this Lesson? That it is no evil in itself; that it is oftentimes a source of discord and misery ; that it steels men's hearts against better feel ings: that it is a strong temptation even to good men, (2 Pet. ii. 7-8); that our possessions should always be baptized of God's benediction and that we should have a loud sermon preached on our Lord's text, (Matt. vi. 24).

103. What doth God require in the Fourth command?

First, that the ministry of the gospel and the schools be maintained; and that I, especially on the Sabbath, that is, on the day of rest, diligently frequent the Church of God, to hear His word, to use the sacraments, publicly to call

upon the Lord, and contribute to the relief of the poor, as becomes a Christian. Secondly, that all the days of my life I cease from my evil works, and yield myself to the Lord, to work by His Holy Spirit in me, and thus begin in this life the eternal sabbath.

NOTES. We find Abram and Lot back again, between Bethel and Ai. But the place is now too small for their households. The hills no longer afford pasture enough for their sheep, goats and cattle. Between their servants who tended their herds, quarrels arose. The uncle, feeling still the stern inner call of God and duty, and looking rather for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God, (Heb. xi. 10) he proposes a separation, leaving the choice of locality to his nephew. Lot, who was not so spiritually-minded, was tempted to select the well-watered and green garden-valley of the Jordan. A great calamity befel him, however. He was taken captive, with other dwellers in Sodom. Abraham, with three hundred men pursued, conquered and routed his captors, and brought back Lot, with a large booty. Still, Sodom and Gomorrah, with other cities, were destroyed because of their abominable wickedness; Lot and his two daughters only escaping by God's intervention. Though he was a religious man, (2 Pet. ii. 7-8), he sinned greatly in the end. He became the progenitor of the Moabites and Ammonites, who proved sore enemies to God's people. Thus, after twenty-three years of prosperity and adversity we lose sight of him, whilst Abram's character shines more and more unto the perfect day.

VERSE 1. And Abram went up out of Egypt. God moved him to both go and return, we may well believe. The parties stood well together, thus far. Into the South. This means to the south of Canaan.

VERSE 2. And Abram was very rich. The Pharaohs of Egypt were immensely wealthy. In verse 16, (chap. xii.), we learn one source of Abram's increase. Josephus says, he acquired a part of his property by teaching the Egyptians. Here we first read of silver and gold. Stores of it were treasured up in Egypt. But it was not coined so early. It was in the form of rings and ornaments. Wealth hurts no man, if he has grace to use it aright.

VERSES 3-4. His return to his former habitation was not accidental. We may suppose, from the saying, "and there Abram called on the name of the Lord," that it was in order to inquire

further, and obtain light concerning his divine call.

VERSE 5. And Lot also, &c. As long as he was with his uncle, prosperity attended him. Good company is a source of blessing, for this world and the next.

VERSES 6-7. And the land was not able to bear them. Though their flocks were slaughtered for sacrifice, for food and clothing, yet there was a great increase. They could not dwell together. 1. Because their quarters were too narrow for their herds. 2. The Canaanites and Perizzites had taken up the adjacent plains. 3. Their herdsmen quarreled.

VERSE 8. Let there be no strife, I pray thee. This is a beautiful speech of the old Patriarch. For we be brethren. We are of one blood, of one faith, having like surroundings and like promises. Let us have peace, even at the price of separation.

VERSE 9. Is not the whole land before thee? Abram might well have exercised the first choice. He was the uncle, and the favorite of God. But he was less worldly-minded, and paternally inclined towards his nephew; hence he gives him the right of choice.

VERSE 10. And Lot lifted up his eyes. From a hill of Bethel, he looked in the direction of Sodom, Gomorrah and Zoar, and it reminded him of the green and fertile land of Egypt, which they left behind them. It seemed to him like the garden of the Lord.

VERSE 11. Lot chose the plain of Jordan. His choice was soon made, and he left his uncle the barren hills of Bethel. This we cannot regard as a generous, or filial act. Is it not strange that the terms lot and lottery bear such a sameness with the name of him who first exercised it?

VERSES 12-13. Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan. No doubt this was after God's mind; yet it does not excuse Lot. He never considered the character of the people, in choosing a home. Like him, many never weigh advantages with disadvantages in locating, and ruin body, soul and family. Of the wickedness of the Sodomites, we learn in chap xix.

PRACTICAL REMARKS.-1. Wealth, in itself, is not an evil. The patriarch Abram had a good share of it, under God's ordering. 2. Wealth is often