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ham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. 16 And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin; neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up. 17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher. 18 And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. 19 And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking. 20 And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels. 21 And the man, wondering at her, held his peace, to wit whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not.

22 And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands, of ten shekels weight of gold, 23 and said, Whose daughter art thou tell me, I pray thee. Is there room in thy father's house for us to lodge in? 24 And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor. 25 She said, moreover, unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in. 26 And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the Lord. 27 And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master's brethren.

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Note. This prayer is remarkable for being very par-
ticular and specific in its petitions. It is well for
us to be particular in our prayers-in everything
by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, to
make our requests unto God. General expressions
seldom embody earnest desires. God's providence
extends to everything about us, and we should ac-
knowledge him in everything.
"In all thy ways
acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."
Like this man we should expect and watch for an
answer, and give thanks when we have a favourable
answer to our prayers.

Isaac for his wife. Answered immediately. Genesis XXV. -21 And Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren: and the Lord was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

Rebeccah regarding her state.

Answered immediately.

Genesis XXV. 22 And the children struggled together within her: and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the Lord. 23 And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels! and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

Note.-Let us carry to God matters that are strange and perplexing to us. He will take charge of them, though he may not give us such a plain answer, as he gave to Rebekah.

Isaac for the blessing on Jacob. Answered in the after history of Jacob and Israel.

Genesis xxvii. 26 And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son. 27 And he came near, and kissed him and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed : 28 therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn, and wine: 29 let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.

Note. This is a very remarkable prayer-in the intention of Isaac, the blessing asked for Esau, yet coming on Jacob, and that in answer to Isaac's prayer. But the blessing came from God, not from Isaac; and it had mingled up with it correction for Jacob's sin in using cruel fraud and falsehood in procuring the blessing from his father.

Isaac for Jacob when sending him to Padan-aram.
Answered.

Genesis xxviii. 2 Arise, go to Padan-aram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father, and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother. 3 And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people: 4 and give thee

the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.

Note. What better can God-fearing parents do for their children when sending them out into the world, than to commit them to the care and guidance of an everywhere present God?

Jacob at Bethel. Answered.

Genesis xxviii.-20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, 21 so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then shall the Lord be my God: 22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me, I will surely give the tenth unto thee.

Note.-Young persons, in beginning life, should humbly resolve to serve the Lord with what he may give them, and not fail to give to the Lord's cause of the first fruits of their earnings.

Leah for children. Answered immediately. Genesis XXX. -17 And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son. 18 And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband and she called his name Issachar. 19 And Leah conceived again, and

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bare Jacob the sixth son. 20 And Leah said, God hath endued me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have born him six sons, and she called his name Zebulon. 21 And afterward she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah.

Rachel for children. Answered.

Genesis xxx.-22 And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb. 23 And she conceived, and bare a son: and said, God hath t.ken away my reproach: 24 And she called his name Joseph; and said, The Lord shall add to me another

son.

Note.-It sometimes pleases God at length to grant prayers long denied. True earnest desire may find vent in persevering prayer: only let it be in submission to the will of God.

Jacob for protection from Esau. Answered forthwith. Genesis xxxii.-9 And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord which saidst unto me, return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee: 19 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for, with my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I am become two bands. 11 Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau :

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