9 And they said, Stand back. And they again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, he will needs be a judge: now will we worse with thee than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and near to break the door.

with blindness. And blindness according to the word of Elisha. 2 Kings, 6, 18,

k Go into the harlot's house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto her. Josh. 6, 22.

10 But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the And the LORD said door.

11 And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great; so that they wearied themselves find the door.

12 ¶ And the men said unto Lot, Hast here any besides? son-in-law, and thy sons, thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in city, bring them out of this place:

to

thou

and the

13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.

his

unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. knoweth how to deliver

Genesis, 7, 1. The Lord the godly out of temp

tations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be pun

ished. 2 Peter, 2, 9. angel unto Jerusalem was destroying.

m And God sent an

to destroy it: and as he

the

LORD beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the

angel that destroyed,

It is enough, stay now thine hand. 1 Chron.

to

Joseph, before they

Mary was espoused Matt. came together. 1, 18.

o Come out of her, my people, that ye be not of her

and that ye receive not 1,4 of her plagues. Rev.

How shall we escape, salvation. Hebrews, 2,

s See verse 26.

t Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy,

17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, "Escape forthy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.

18 And Lot said unto them, Oh! not so, my that in me first Jesus lord:

Christ might show forth all long-suffering, for a

pattern to them which 19 Behold now, thy servant hath found grace

should hereafter be

lieve on him to life in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast showed unto me in sav

everlasting. 1 Tim. 1,

14, 46.

fulfil the desire of them

3 thy face-He willing my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, that fear him: he also lest some evil take me, and I die:

will hear their cry, and will save them. Psalm 145, 19.

u Bela, which is Zoar.

Genesis, 14, 2

4 That is, little.

5 gone forth.

The whole land thereof is brimstone,and salt,

and burning, that it

is

not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the over

throw of Sodom, and

Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim,which the LORD overthrew in his anger and in his wrath. Deut.

29, 23. Upon the wicked

and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. Psalm 11, 6. And turning the cities

of

Sodom and Gomorrah

into ashes condemned them with an

over

ensample unto those

14 And Lot went out, and spake unto sons-in-law, which married "his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one ot the word of the that mocked unto his sons-in-law. 15 And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in 2the iniquity of the city.

field.

they

drank, they bought,

Genesis, 14.3. He turn; wickedness of them that

dwell therein. 107, 34.

friends and relations, that they, if they would, might be saved with him, ver. 12. "Hast thou here any besides, that thou art concerned for? If thou hast, go tell them what is coming." Now this implies, 1. The command of a great duty, which was, to do all he could for the salvation of those about him, to snatch them as brands out of the fire. Note, Those who through grace are themselves delivered out of a sinful state, should do what they can for the deliverance of others, especially their relations. 2. The offer of great favour. They do not ask whether he knew any righteous ones in the city fit to be spared; no, they knew there were none; but they ask what relations he had there; that, whether righteous or unrighteous, they might be saved with him. Note, Bad people often fare the better in this world for the sake of their good relations. It is good being akin to a godly man.-H. LINGERING.-Observe, 1. With what a gracious violence Lot was brought out of Sodom, ver. 16. It seems, though he did not make a jest of the warning given, as his sons-in-law did, yet he lingered, he trifled, he did not make so much haste as the case required. Thus many that are under some convictions about the misery of their spiritual state, and the necessity of a change, yet defer that needful work, and foolishly linger. Lot did so, and it might have been fatal to him, if the angels had not laid hold on his hand, and brought him forth, and saved him with fear, Jude 23. Herein it is said, The Lord was merciful to him; otherwise, he might justly have left him to perish, since he was so loath to depart. Note, (1.) The salvation of the most righteous men must be attributed to God's mercy, not to their own merit. We are saved by grace, (2.) God's power also must be acknowledged in the bringing of souls out of a sinful state. If God had not brought us forth, we had never come forth. (3.) If God had not been merciful to us, our lingering had been our ruin.

2. With what a gracious vehemence he was urged to make the best of his way, when he was brought forth, ver. 17. (1.) He must still apprehend himself in danger of being consumed, and be quickened, by the law of self-preservation, to flee for his life. Note, A holy fear and trembling are found necessary to the working out of our salvation. (2.) He must therefore mind his business with the utmost care and diligence. He must not hanker after Sodom, Look not behind thee; he must not loiter by the way, Stay not in all the plain, for it would all be made one dead sea; he must not take up short of the place of refuge appointed him, Escape to the mountain. Such as these are the commands given to those who, through grace, are delivered out of a sinful state and condition. [1.] Return not to sin and Satan, for that is looking back to Sodom. [2] Rest not in self and the world, for that is staying in the plain. And, [3.] Reach toward Christ and heaven, for that is escaping to the mountain, short of which we must not take up.-H. DESTRUCTION OF SODOM AND GOMORRAH.-This was designed for a standing revelation of the wrath of God against sin and sinners, in all ages: it is, accordingly, often referred to in the Scripture, and made a pattern of the ruin of Israel, Deut. 29, 23; of Babylon, Isa. 13, 19; of Edom, Jer. 49, 18; of Moab and Ammon, Zeph. 2, 9. Nay, it was typical of the vengeance of eternal fire, Jude 7, and the ruin of all that live ungodly, 2 Pet. 2, 6, especially that despise the gospel, Matt. 10, 15. It is in allusion to this destruction that the place of the damned is often represented by a lake that burns, as Sodom did, with fire and brimstone. Let us learn from it, (1.) The evil of sin, and the hurtful nature of it. Iniquity tends to ruin.

Psalm

Remember Lot's wife.

20 Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh! let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.

21 And he said unto him, See, I have accepted 3 thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken.

22 Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was " called 4 Zoar.

23 The sun was 5risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.

24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;

25 And he overthrew those cities, and "all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.

(2.) The terrors of the Lord. See what a fearful thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God!-H.

LOT'S WIFE.-We have here the sin of Lot's wife: she looked back from behind him. This seemed a small thing, but we are sure, by the punishment of it, that it was a great sin, and exceeding sinful. 1. She disobeyed an express command, and so sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, which ruined us all. 2. Unbelief was at the bottom of it; she questioned whether Sodom would be destroyed, and thought she still might have been safe in it. 3. She looked back upon her neighbours, whom she had left behind, with more concern than was fit, now that their day of grace was over, and Divine Justice was glorifying itself in their ruin. See Isa. 66, 24. 4. Probably she hankered after her house and goods in Sodom, and was loath to leave them. Christ intimates this to be her sin, Luke 17, 31, 32, she too much regarded her stuff. 5. Her looking back bespoke an inclination to go back; and therefore our Saviour uses it as a warning against apostacy from our Christian profession. We have all renounced the world and the flesh, and have set our faces heaven-ward; we are in the plain, upon our probation, and it is at our peril if we return into the interests we profess to have abandoned. Drawing back is to perdition, and looking back is towards it. Let us therefore fear, Heb. 4, 1.

2. The punishment of Lot's wife, for this sin. She was struck dead in the place; yet her body did not fall down, but stood fixed and erect, like a pillar or monument, not liable to waste or decay, as human bodies exposed to the air are, but metamorphosed into a metallic substance, which would last perpetually. Come, behold the goodness and severity of God, Rom. 11, 22, toward Lot, that went forward, goodness; toward his wife, that looked back, severity. Though she was nearly related to a righteous man, though better than her neighbours, and though a monument of distinguishing mercy, in her deliverance out of Sodom, yet God did not connive at her disobedience; for great privileges will not secure us from the wrath of God, if we do not carefully and faithfully improve them. This pillar of salt should season us. Since it is such a dangerous thing to look back, let us always press forward, Phil. 3, 13, 14.-H.

PRAYER ANSWERED.-Here is Abraham's pious regard to God in this event, in two things; 1. A careful expectation of the event, ver. 27, He gat up early, to look toward Sodom; and, to intimate that his design herein was to see what became of his prayers, he went to the very place where he had stood before the Lord, and set himself there, as upon his watch-tower, Hab. 2, 1. Note, When we have prayed, we must look after our prayers, and observe the success of them; we must direct our prayer as a letter, and then look up for an answer; direct our prayer as an arrow, and then look up to see whether it reach the mark, Ps. 5, 3. Our inquiries after news must be in expectation of an answer to our prayers. 2. An awful observation of it; he looked toward Sodom, (ver. 28,) not as Lot's wife did, tacitly reflecting upon the divine severity, but humbly adoring it, and acquiescing in it. Thus the saints, when they see the smoke of Babylon's torment rising up for ever, (like Sodom's here,) will say again and again, Alleluia, Rev. 19, 3. Those that have, in the day of grace, most earnestly interceded for sinners, will, in the day of judgment, be content to see them perish, and will glorify God in it.

2. Here is God's favourable regard to Abraham, ver. 29. As, before, when

Origin of Moab and Ammon.

27 And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD: 28 And he looked toward Sodom and Gomor-mitted rah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.

29 T And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God "remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.

30 ¶ And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters. 31 And the first-born said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth:

e

32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.

33 And they made their father drink wine that night: and the first-born went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.

I

34 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the first-born said unto the younger, Behold, lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.

35 And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.

36 Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.

37 And the first-born bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same f is the father of the Moabites unto this day.

38 And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Ben-ammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day. CHAPTER XX.

1 Abraham denieth his wife, and Abimelech taketh her: 14 he restoreth her with presents.

fornication and

lived deliciously with

her, shall bewail her, when they shall see the

and lament for her.

smoke of her burning. Revelation, 18, 9.

a And God remembered Noah. Genesis, 8, 1. Not for thy righteousness of thine heart, dost

ness, or for the uprightthou go to possess their edness of these nations

land; but for the wick

the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he

perform the word

which the LORD sware ham, Isaac, and Jacob. See verses 17, 19.

unto thy fathers, Abra

Deuteronomy, 9, 5.

c See Genesis, 16, 2, 4. d And take heed to

time your hearts be

CHAP. 20.-B. C. 1898.

Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. Gen. 12, 15.

e He suffered no man to do them wrong; yea, he reproved kings for their sakes. Ps. 105, 14.

In a dream, in a vi

sion of the night, when

deep sleep falleth upon

men, in slumberings

upon the bed. Job, 33,

15.

g See verse 7.

1 married to an hus

band.

feiting, and drunkenlife, and so that day come upon you unawares. Luke, 21, 34. e Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man's bro

wife behind him, and ther die, and leave his

leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up

seed unto his brother. And the LORD said

Mark, 12, 19.

unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle; for I will not give thee of their land I have given Ar unto a possession. Deut. 2, 9.

for a possession; because the children of Lot for And when thou comchildren of Ammon, dis

est nigh over against the tress them not, nor

to

j And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the LORD. 1 Samuel, 7, 5. My ser

vant Job shall pray for

you: for him will I ac

Abraham denieth his wife.

ND Abraham journeyed from thence "toAND Abraham south country, and dwelt be

tween Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar.

2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took dSarah.

3 But God came to Abimelech in fa dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is 1 a man's wife.

4 But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?

5 Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the 2 integrity of my heart, and innocency of my hands, have I done this.

6 And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy you after your folly, in cept: lest I deal with heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.

I

will show thee. And

Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south. And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt,

that he said unto Sarai

k

brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.

10 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing? 11 And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake.

12 And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of fair woman to look my mother; and she became my wife. 13 And it came to pass, when God " caused me

his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a

upon, etc. Genesis, 12, 1, 9, 11, etc.

minds, checking their inclination to sin, or, by his providence, taking away the opportunity to sin. 3. It is a great mercy to be hindered from committing sin; of this God must have the glory, whoever is the instrument, 1 Sam. 25, 32, 33.-H. CHARITABLENESS.-Little good is to be expected where no fear of God is: see Ps. 36, 1. There are many places and persons that have more of the fear of God in them than we think they have: perhaps they are not called by our dividing name, they do not wear our badges, they do not tie themselves to that which we have an opinion of; and therefore we conclude they have not the fear of God in their hearts, which is very injurious both to Christ and Christians, and makes us obnoxious to God's judgment, Matth. 7, 1. Uncharitableness and censoriousness themselves concerning such and such, that they have not the fear of God, they think that will justify them in the most unjust and unchristian practices toward them. Men would not do ill, if they did not first think ill. God is to be acknow ledged in all our wanderings. Those that travel abroad, and converse much with strangers, as they have need of the wisdom of the serpent, so it is requisite that that wisdom be ever tempered with the innocence of the dove.-H.

WHAT IS MAN?-Lord, what is man! What are the best of men, when God leaves them to themselves! See here, 1. The peril of security; Lot, who not only kept himself sober and chaste in Sodom, but was a constant mourner for the wickedness of the place, and a witness against it, is yet, in the mountain, where he was alone, and, as he thought, quite out of the way of temptation, thus shamefully overtaken; let him, therefore, that thinks he stands, stands high, and stands firm, take heed, lest he fall. No mountain, on this side the holy hill above, can set us out of the reach of Satan's fiery darts. 2. The peril of drunkenness; it is not only a great sin itself, but it is the inlet of many sins; it may prove the inlet of the worst and most unnatural sins, which may be a perpetual wound and dishonour. A man may do that without reluctance, when he is drunken, which, when he is sober, he could not think of without horror. 3. The peril of temptation from our dearest relations and friends, whom we love and esteem, and expect kindness from. Lot, whose temperance and chastity were impregnable against the batteries of foreign force, was surprised into sin and shame by the base treachery of his own daughters; we must dread a snare wherever we are, and be always upon our guard.-H. CHAP. XX. SIN RESTRAINED.-1. There is a great deal of sin devised and designed that is never executed. As bad as things are in the world, they are not so bad as the devil and wicked men would have them. 2. It is God that restrains men from doing the ill they would do; it is not from him that there is sin, but it is from him that there is not more sin, either by his influence upon men's

||

PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS.-It is very affecting here again to notice, even 'the father of the faithful' manifesting distrust of God, and undue solicitude about life; equivocating with intent to deceive; relapsing into his former sin; drawing in Sarah to share his guilt, exposing her honour and chastity, and even endangering a question about the legitimacy of his promised Isaac; throwing temptation into Abimelech's way; occasioning affliction to him and his family; exposing himself and Sarah to just rebukes, and yet vainly attempting an excuse. Shall we commend or imitate Abraham in these things? by no means. They are written for our warning, that, "while we think we stand, we may take heed lest we fall." Even "Abraham hath not whereof to glory," but must be justified in "that righteousness of God, which is upon all, and unto all them that believe." We must not condemn all as hypocrites, who relapse in sin, even with aggravation, if they do not continue in it; nor need we ourselves despair, if humbly conscious of having done so. But let the unhumbled and impenitent take heed to themselves; for their case is unspeakably perilous: and let all men dread the thoughts of "sinning on that grace may abound."-It should also be noted, that artifice, of whatever kind, is more certainly unsuccessful, and, more speedily detected, when used by religious characters, than in the case of others. The irreligious may for a season practice it and prosper; but the servants of God must for their good be soon put to shame.-On the other hand, though some things in Abimelech must be blamed; and it should be observed, that indulgence gives force to all our passions; yet we must commend, and should imitate him in, the calmness and mildness of his re

2

thou

by

23 Now therefore swear unto me here God, 1that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son: but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned.

24 And Abraham said, I will swear.

25 And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently a taken away.

26 And Abimelech said, I wot not who hath done this thing; neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to-day.

27 And Abraham took sheep and oxen, gave them unto Abimelech; and both of made a covenant.

and them

2.

And they said. We

saw certainly that the LORD was with thee: and we said, Let there

be now an oath betwixt

us. Genesis, 26, 28.

z Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by showed you kindness, kindness unto my fa

the LORD since I have that ye will also show ther's house. Joshua,

2, 12.

1 if thou shalt lie unto me.

a For all the wells which his father's ser

vants had digged in the father, the Philistines

28.

CHAP. 22.-B. C. 1872. a Blessed is the man

a

1

ND it came to pass after these things that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, 1 Behold, here I am. 2 And he said, "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a Lord hath promis burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

that endureth tempta tried, he shall receive

tion: for when he is

the crown of life, which

the

ed to them that love him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted

with evil,neither tempteth he any man. James,

1, 12, 13.

1 Behold me.

b For God so loved the

world, that he gave his

only

begotten Son, that

had stopped them, and filled them with earth. Genesis, 26, 15,

And they rose up be and sware one to an

times in the morning.

other: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in

peace, Genesis, 26, 31. meanest thon by all this

e And he said. What

drove which I met? And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord. Genesis,

28 And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the 3,5 flock by themselves.

C

29 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves?

30 And he said, For these seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well.

d And Laban said, This heap is a witness between me and thee this

day. Therefore was the Genesis, 31, 48.

name of it called Galeed.

e And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city is called BeerGenesis, 26, 33.

3 And Abraham drose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told

him should not perish, him. but have everlasting life. John, 3, 16.

4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.

5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to

you.

6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and only begotten son, of he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.

whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from

the dead: from whence

also he received him in a figure. Hebrews, 11,

the

onth

f This is the land that yet remaineth: all the borders of the PhiliJoshua, 13, 2.

31 Wherefore he called that place 2Beer-tines, and all Geshuri. sheba; because there they sware both of 3 Or, tree. them.

32 Thus they made a covenant at Beer-sheba: then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they returned into land of the Philistines.

the

33¶ And Abraham planted a 3grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God.

34 And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines' land many days.

And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD. Gen. 4, 26.

The eternal God is

thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy shall say, Destroy them. the mountains were

from before thee, and Deut. 33, 27. Before brought forth, or ever earth and the world, to everlasting, thou art

thou hadst formed the

And he bearing his

cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull. John, 19, 17.

2 Behold me. 3 Or, kid.

f With the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. Peter, 1, 19.

9 See Hebrews, 11, 17. lamb to the slaughter,

h He is brought as a

and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his

mouth. Isaiah, 53, 6,

7.

presence with them. (2.) It is good being in favour with those that are in favour with God, and having an interest in them that have an interest in heaven, Zech. 8, 23. We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you. We do well for ourselves, if we have fellowship with those that have fellowship with God, 1 John, 1, 3. 2. The tenor of it was, in general, that there should be a firm and constant friendship between the two families, which should not upon any account be violated. This bond of friendship must be strengthened by the bond of an oath, in which the true God was appealed to, both as a Witness of their sincerity, and an Avenger, in case either side were treacherous, v. 23. Good men should secure an alliance and communion with the favourites of heaven, not for themselves only, but for their's also.-H.

PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS.-Ver. 1-21. Blessed are they whose hope is in the Lord, and who patiently wait for him: for their expectations shall certainly be answered, and even exceeded. The delay may seem tedious, and the exercise of faith and patience sharp; but they shall at length acknowledge, that their blessings were only deferred, that they might have them with additional comfort, by perceiving more plainly the power, love, and faithfulness of God in them; and that his name might be the more glorified. He does not indeed relieve and comfort, when we should choose it; but he always observes his own set time, which is the best that infinite wisdom can select: and they, who uprightly serve him, will never be ashamed of any thing, except their unbelief: and this shame will be swallowed up in their thankful joy for the largeness of his performances.-As he keeps his time in giving blessings, so we must observe the appointed season for performing his commandments, and not be induced, by any consideration, to omit or defer our obedience.-Grievous things speedily follow joyous events in this world, and the effect of former miscarriages often interrupts the satisfaction of present advantages. Even children are more certain cares than comforts: and their ill behaviour and contentions, with the fear or pain of parting with them, greatly alloy the pleasure which we might otherwise derive from them.-In all our anxieties, we should observe the directions, obey the commandments, and depend on the promises and providence of God: and thus, "casting our care on him," our minds will be kept in peace; and he will take care of those whom we love, when we are no longer able to do it.-S. CHAP. XXII. ABRAHAM TRIED.-Ver. 2. Every word in this surprising command is marked with emphasis of terror, when we consider it as directed to a tender parent: "Thy son"-"thine only son"-by Sarah thy wife-"whom thou lovest-even Isaac."-Go into the land of Moriah (all the mountain of Jerusalem): then, after that long journey, offer him there for a burnt-offering, shed his blood, and burn his body to ashes!-How many objections might Abraham have started to this command! He might have urged the Divine prohibition of

7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, 2 Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the Wood; but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself ƒ a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.

12 And he said, 'Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for

murder; the evil report which such an action would bring on his character, on the religion which he professed, and the God whom he worshipped. He might have pleaded the fatal consequences of such an example; and even the very promises and covenant of God, ratified again and again with him.-The temple was built on mount Moriah, which was doubtless in the land of Moriah. (2 Chron. 3, 1.) This therefore must have been some adjacent mountain, of which there were many in that neighbourhood: and there is no improbability in the general opinion, that it was mount Calvary, where Christ, the great anti-type, was afterwards crucified, and that it was selected with reference to that event.-MoriYAH—JAH is seen-nearly the same as JEHOVAH-jireh. (Note, 14.)—S.

THE VICTORY OF FAITH.-Abraham goes on with a holy wilfulness, after many a weary step, and with a heavy heart he arrives, at length, at the fatal place, builds the altar, an altar of earth, we may suppose, the saddest that ever he built, (and he had built many an one,) lays the wood in order for Isaac's funeral pile, and now tells him the amazing news; "Isaac, thou art the lamb which God has provided." Isaac, for aught that appears, is as willing as Abraham; we do not find that he made any objection against it, any petition for his life, that he attempted to make his escape, much less that he struggled with his aged father, or made any resistance: Abraham does it, God will have it done, and Isaac has learned to submit to both: Abraham, no doubt, comforted him with the same hopes with which he himself by faith was comforted. Yet it is necessary that a sacrifice be bound. The great Sacrifice, which, in the fulness of time, was to be offered up, must be bound, and therefore so must Isaac. But with what heart could tender Abraham tie those guiltless hands, that perhaps had often been lifted up to ask his blessing, and stretched out to embrace him, and were now the more straitly bound with the cords of love and duty! However, it must be done. Having bound him, he lays him upon the altar, and his hand upon the head of his sacrifice; and now, we may suppose, with floods of tears, he gives and takes the final farewell of a parting kiss, perhaps he takes another for Sarah, from her dying son. This being done, he resolutely forgets the bowels of a father, and puts on the awful gravity of a sacrificer; with a fixed heart, and an eye lifted up to heaven, he takes the knife, and stretches out his hand to give the fatal cut to Isaac's throat. Be astonished, O heavens, at this; and wonder, O earth! Here is an act of faith and obedience, which deserves to be a spectacle to God, angels, and men. Abraham's darling, Sarah's laughter, the church's hope, the heir of promise, lies ready to bleed and die, by his own father's hand, who never shrinks at the doing of it. Now this obedience of Abraham, in offering up Isaac, is a lively representation, of the love of God to us, in delivering up his only begotten Son to suffer and die for us, as a sacrifice; it pleased the Lord himself to bruise him. See Isa. 53, 10; Zech. 13, 7.-H.

Abraham is blessed.

CHAP. 23.-B. C. 1860.

and by works was faith

now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me. 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and look-made perfect? James, ed, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a offering in the stead of his son.

burnt

day,

unto

14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this 4 In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. 15 And the angel of the LORD called Abraham out of heaven the second time, 16 And said, 'By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD; for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son; 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as "the stars of the heaven, and as the "sand which is upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

18 And Pin thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

2,

I have sworn by myout of my mouth in not return, That unto

She goeth unto the Jesus wept. John, 11,

grave to weep there... 31, 35.

as

all my fathers were they were but a few

revels sacrificed for That is, The Lord

not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and

were persuaded of them,

him forth abroad, and stars, it thou be able to said unto him, So shall number them; and he And I will make thy seed as the dust of the the earth, then shall thy can number the dust of Genesis, 13, 16, seed also be numbered.

AND

Death of Sarah.

AND Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old; these were the years of the life of Sarah.

2 And Sarah died in Kirjath-arba; the same 28 Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came "to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her. 3 T And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying, 4 I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a burying-place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight. 5 And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him,

were strangers and pil6 Hear us, my lord: Thou art 1 ad mighty Heb. 11, 9, 13. grims on the earth. prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres [Bury me in the cave bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from Machpelah, which is thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury Abraham bought with land of Canaan, which thy dead. the field of Ephron

5 lip.

the Hittite for a possession of a burying

place. Genesis, 49, 30.

1 a prince of God.

d And Abram was very rich

19 So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba. 20 T And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, "Mil-many; but as of one, cah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor;

21 Huz his first-born, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram,

22 And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel.

mises made. He saith

not, And to seeds, as of

And to thy seed, which

is

Christ. Galatians, 3,

8, 9, 16.

ISAAC A TYPE OF CHRIST.-Reference must be had to the promised Messiah, the blessed Seed. 1. Christ was sacrificed in our stead, as this ram instead of Isaac, and his death was our discharge; "Here am I, (said he) let these go their way. 2. Though that blessed seed was lately promised, and now typified by Isaac, yet the offering of him up should be suspended till the latter end of the world: and, in the mean time, the sacrifice of beasts should be accepted, as this ram was, as a pledge of that expiation which should one day be made by that great Sacrifice. And it is observable, that the temple, the place of sacrifice, was afterward built upon this mount Moriah, (2 Chron. 3, 1,) and mount Calvary, where Christ was crucified, was not far off.-H.

JEHOVAH-JIREH.-A new name was given to that place, to the honour of God, and for the encouragement of all believers, to the end of the world, cheerfully to trust in God in the way of obedience; Jehovah-jireh, The Lord will provide, v. 14, probably, alluding to what he had said, v. 8, God will provide himself a lamb. It was not owing to any contrivance of Abraham, nor was it in answer to his prayer, though he was a distinguished intercessor; but it was purely the Lord's doing. Let it be recorded for generations to come, 1. That the Lord will see; he will always have his eye upon his people, in their straits and distresses, that he may come in with seasonable succour in the critical juncture. 2. That he will be seen, be seen in the mount, in the greatest perplexities of his people; he will not only manifest, but magnify, his wisdom, power, and goodness, in their deliverance; where God sees and provides, he should be seen and praised: and, perhaps, it may refer to God manifest in the flesh.-H. PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS.-In the wonderful transaction recorded in this chapter, faith discerns one infinitely more stupendous. What was the love of Abraham, or of Isaac, to the Lord, compared with the love of God the Father in giving his only begotten Son? and to that of the only begotten Son in giving himself a sacrifice upon the cross, for the sins of men? God commanded Abraham previously to his yielding up his son; but the sacrifice of Christ prevented even solicitation! The Lord had an undoubted right to demand that life which he had given; but where shall we sinners, deserving of eternal misery, ground our claim to such a gift, as that of Christ to be "the propitiation for our sins?" The Lord had been a most liberal Friend to Abraham, before he was required to offer Isaac as a burnt-offering; but "God commended his love to us, in that when we were yet sinners, Christ died for us:" and in that, "when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son." Isaac was a sinner born to die: but the Son of God assumed human nature for the very purpose of dying for us; and in human nature being free from sin, he was under no obligation to suffer death, except the bond of his love to us. If Isaac was justly beloved by Abraham; Jesus was the "beloved Son of the Father, in whom he was well pleased." Had Isaac died, it had been with inward peace, without extraordinary pain, and with singular reputation: but Christ tasted death in all its bitterness, died by violence, surrounded with conterapt and insult, treated with indignity and cruelty, and loaded with the weight of our iniquities; while "it pleased the LORD to bruise him, and to put him to grief, and make his very soul a sacrifice for sin." By this

9 That he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field; for 2 as much money as it is worth he shall whom tribute is due: give it me for a possession of a burying-place tom; fear to whom fear; amongst you.

all their dues: tribute custom to whom cus

to

to whom

our. Romans, 13, 7. 2 full money.

3 ears.

Shechem his son came f And

10 And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth. And Ephron the Hittite answered Hamor and Abraham in the 3 audience of the children of unto the gate of their city, and communed Heth, even of all that went in at the f gate of city. Genesis, 34, 20, his city, saying,

with the men of their

24.

g See 2 Samuel, 24, 21- 11 Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I Finally, brethren, thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it true, whatsoever things thee; in the presence of the sons of my people things are just, whatso-give I it thee: bury thy dead.

whatsoever are

are honest, whatsoever

ever things are pure,

whatsoever things are 12 And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land.

lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be

any praise, think on virtue, and if there be these things. Phil 4,

13 And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, " But if thou

we know the loving-kindness of God our Saviour towards sinful man, in that, "he hath not withheld his Son, his only Son, from us:" by this we perceive the love of Christ, in that he gave himself a sacrifice for our sins.-Behold, he dies; yet rises! lives, ascends, and intercedes for us! and calls on sinners to come to him, and partake of his blood-bought salvation. Let them then be warned to hear his voice, and encouraged to trust in him. He calls to his redeemed people to rejoice in him, and glorify him: "what then shall we render for all his benefits?" May this "love constrain us to live no longer to ourselves," "but to him who died for us and rose again;" and, admiring and adorning his grace, let us devote our all to his service, who laid down his life for our salvation. Thus every Christian may be sure, that in all emergencies, the Lord will appear for his relief, be his shield in all dangers, provide effectually for all his wants, order all events for his good, and make him conqueror over all his enemies, till he shall sit down with him upon his throne of glory.-S.

CHAP. XXIII. SORROW FOR THE DEAD.-Those that find themselves in danger of over-grieving for their dead relations, and are entering into that temptation, must take heed of poring upon their loss, and of sitting alone and melancholy. There must be a time of standing up from before their dead, and ceasing to mourn. For, thanks be to God, our happiness is not bound up in the life of any creature. Care of the funeral may be improved to divert grief for the death, as here, at first, when it is most in danger of tyrannising. Weeping must not hinder sowing. The death of our relations should effectually remind us that we are not at home in this world. When they are gone, say, "We are going." Death will make those unpleasant to our sight, who, while they lived, were the desire of our eyes. The countenance that was fresh and lively becomes pale and ghastly, and fit to be removed into the land of darkness. While she was in his sight, it renewed his grief, which he would prevent.-H.

CIVILITY.-Even the light of nature teaches us to be civil and respectful towards all, though they be strangers and sojourners. The noble generosity of these Canaanites shames and condemns the closeness, and selfishness, and ill-humour, of many that call themselves Israelites. Observe, These Canaanites would be glad to mingle their dust with Abraham's, and to have their last end like his. Religion teaches good manners; and those abuse it, that place it in rudeness and clownishness. If those that profess religion, adorn their profession by eminent civility and serviceableness to all, they shall find it will redound to their own comfort and advantage, as well as to the glory of God.-H.

THE GRAVE.-It is worth noting, 1. That a burying-place was the first spot of ground Abraham was possessed of in Canaan. Note, When we are entering into the world, it is good to think of our going out of it; for as soon as we are born we begin to die. 2. That it was the only piece of land he was ever possessed of, though it was all his own in reversion. Those that have least of this earth find a grave in it. Abraham provided, not cities, as Cain and Nimrod, but a sepulchre, (1.) To be a constant memorandum of death to himself and his posterity, that he and they might learn to die daily. This sepulchre is said to be at the end of the field, v. 9, for, whatever our possessions are, there is a sepulchre at the end of