and said: "Thou shalt be no more called Abram ; but Abraham" (father of nations).

And He made a covenant of circumcision with Abraham, and said, "Every male child among you shall be circumcised eight days from his birth; both he that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money."

Isaac Promised.-And in the hundredth year of Abraham's age, the Lord appeared unto him again in the plain of Mamre.

And Abraham received the visitors hospitably. And the Lord said unto him, "I will certainly return unto thee, and Sarah thy wife shall have a son." And so it came to pass as the Lord had said.

Destruction of Sodom.-Then the angels of God went on their way toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them on the way.

Then the Lord made known to Abraham that he would destroy the cities of the plain. And Abraham entreated the Lord to spare the place; and he said he would, if he found fifty righteous persons therein, then forty-five, then thirty, or even ten.

Then he returned, and the angels went on toward Sodom; they were kindly welcomed by Lot, but the men of the city behaved wickedly toward them, and those who were around the house were smitten with blindness.

The next day very early, the angels led away Lot, his wife, and two daughters out of Sodom, and the Lord rained fire from heaven and destroyed it and the other cities of the plain. Lot's wife looking back, or probably lingering behind, to watch the event, was suffocated with the vapour, and became a pillar of salt.

Gerar. Then Abraham removed southward to Gerar, where Abimelech, the king, took away Sarah,

believing her to be the sister of Abraham. But God appeared to him in a dream, and warned him of his error, and he, in alarm, restored her to her husband, with rich presents.

Isaac Born, B.C. 1896.-In that year Isaac was born, and, soon after, Ishmael, who was fourteen years old, was seen by Sarah mocking, and she urged Åbraham, and he sent away Hagar and her son into the wilderness.

And an angel of God called to her, when she was in deep distress in the desert, saying, "Fear not, God hath heard the voice of the lad." And her eyes were opened to see where was a fountain of water. Ishmael grew up in the wilderness of Paran, married an Egyp tian, and became father of twelve sons, founders o the twelve tribes of Arabs.

Sacrifice of Isaac, B.C. 1871.-After these things, God did try the faith and obedience of Abraham, by commanding him to sacrifice his son Isaac on Mount Moriah. Abraham went to perform the sacrifice, and when Isaac was bound, and the knife ready, the angel of God called to him to spare his son and to offer a ram which God had provided for the purpose.

Two years after, Sarah died at Mamre, near Hebron, being one hundred and twenty-seven years old, and Abraham bought the cave of Machpelah and the field of Ephron, the Hittite, for four hundred shekels of silver about fifty pounds sterling. This is the first time mention is made of coined money.

Marriage of Isaac.-When Abraham had buried Sarah, he was desirous to find a suitable wife for his son Isaac. He sent his steward, Eliezer, to Mesopotamia, to fetch one of his own kindred. The steward wisely seeks guidance and help from God in the outset of his journey. He prays, saying, "O Lord God of my master Abraham, send me good speed this day."

And when he arrives in Mesopotamia, prays to God to point out the maiden who should be appointed. He decides to ask drink of those who come to draw prays that God may direct the maiden in

water, and

her answer.

Rebekah comes forth, the daughter of Bethuel, the Syrian, Abraham's nephew, and uses the precise words which Eliezer had spoken. "She let down the pitcher from her shoulder, and said, drink, my lord, and I will draw water for thy camels also."

The steward is welcomed by the parents, states his errand, gives the presents, and brings Rebekah away the next day to his master. Isaac receives her, and loves her.

After this, Abraham marries Keturah, and has several sons, whom he sends away with portions, so as to leave Isaac the undisputed head of the family.

He dies at the age of one hundred and seventy-five, about the year 1821, B.C., and is buried by Isaac and Ishmael, in the cave of Machpelah, beside Sarah his wife.

EXERCISES ON CHAPTER IV.

How old was Abram when he left his country?

Who accompanied him? Why did he leave his own country? What promise did God make to him?

What was his great virtue?

In what place did Abram build his first altar to Jehovah ?
What sin did he commit while visiting Egypt?

Who was its king? What did Pharoah do to Abram?

Who was with him? What strife occurred on his return to
Canaan? How was it settled?

Give the character of the men of Sodom? In what plain did
Abram dwell? What happened to Lot in Sodom?
By whom was he rescued? How many trained servants had
Abram? Whom did he defeat?

Why did Abram refuse to take the spoil of the king of Sodom?
How old was Abram when Isaac was born? Had he another son ?
By whom was Hagar persecuted? What became of Ishmael?
Who announced to Sarah the birth of a son?

What discoveries have been made at Ur? What fearful purpose did God reveal to Abraham?

What course did the patriarch take on behalf of the doomed city? Who were preserved when Sodom was destroyed? What became of Lot's wife?

Whither did Abraham go after the destruction of Sodom?
Where was Gerar, and who was its king?

What sin did Abraham commit there?

How was Abimelech preserved from sinning against Sarah?
How did God try Abraham? Where was Sarah buried?
To whom was Isaac married? Who fetched Rebekah?
Describe the meeting of Eliezer with Rebekah at the well.
Whom did Abraham afterwards marry?

CHAPTER V.

Isaac at Gerar.-Now Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, and after twenty years they had twin sons, Esau and Jacob.

In the early married life of Isaac and Rebekah, there was a famine in Canaan, which compelled them to go southward to find food for their cattle and themselves. Forbidden to go down to Egypt, they stayed at Gerar, a town and district of Philistia, at the head of a very fertile valley of that name. There Isaac gave way to temptation as Abraham had done, in respect to his wife, saying she was his sister.

In Gerar they prosper greatly, and through envy are driven southward from place to place, digging again the wells of Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped, viz., Esek, strife or contention; Sit-nah, hatred; Rehoboth, rest; and afterwards Beershebah, the well of the oath, on making the treaty with the Philistines. These events occurred about 1800, B.C.

Isaac Deceived.-We have next a sad story of deceit and lying; a mother scheming to deceive her

blind husband to benefit one son-Jacob-at the expense of another-Esau,-to obtain his father's blessing and the birthright for Jacob by fraud and deceit.

Esau Wronged.-When Isaac believes himself about to die, he sends Esau to hunt venison that he may make savoury meat, that he may eat thereof, and give him his blessing before he died. Esau departs to hunt the venison.

Rebekah hears this request, and being impelled by a desire to make her favourite son, Jacob, the head of the family, she tells Jacob to clothe himself with the skins of young goats, and goodly raiment of his brother Esau. Then she provided him with savoury_meat such as his father loved, and he carried it to Isaac, who was old and blind, and was thus deceived into giving the birthright blessing unto the younger son.

Soon after, Esau returned with his venison, and on carrying it to his father, finds out the deceit which had been practised upon them both, but too late to recall the blessing, which was Jacob's.

Then Esau hated Jacob, and said in his heart, "The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob."

Thus sin brings sorrow with it, and Rebekah, who thought to have Jacob head of the tribe, loses him altogether for more than twenty years.

Jacob leaves home.-When Esau found that he had been cheated out of his father's blessing, he vowed to kill Jacob as soon as his father was dead.

At his mother's urgent request, Isaac commands him to go to Padan-Aram to Laban, his mother's brother, to take a wife thence.

On his way thither, he sleeps at night in the open air near Bethel, and has the wondrous vision called Jacob's ladder, when God appears to him, and promises to give him the land on which he was lying.