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of the inhabitants of our land. Disciples of Jesus! will you not endeavour to rescue them from his iron grasp? Wealthy members of our Churches! are you aware of your solemn responsibility? It will soon be said to you, "give an account of your stewardship."

On the whole, our prospect is cheering. Does it not demand our unfeigned gratitude, that during the last twenty years our body has more than doubled. The largest Baptist Churches in the Midland Counties, belong to our section of the denomination, and the largest Baptist Church in the kingdom is united with us. * We merely

* Stoney Street, Nottingham, which contains 955 members.

mention this as matter of thankfulness
that the blessing of heaven has so
largely attended the labors of our bre-
thren. We would not boast, for we
know full well, that it is not by might,
nor by power, but by the spirit of the
living God. Though we may have
our denominational preferences, we
most heartily wish success to all who
love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.
Let the blessings which the Father of
Mercies, has showered upon us, stimu-
late us to greater exertions.
Let our
motto be ONWARD! The wails of a
world in the pangs of death, call for
our aid. All creation sighs to be de-
livered from the burden of sin.
Castle Donington.

J. J. OWEN.

HEBREW HISTORY.

FROM THE CALL, TO THE DEATH OF ABRAHAM, B. C., 1996 TO 1821.† THE history of the Israelites, as recorded in the Holy Scriptures, is the most ancient, the most authentic, and important, with which we are acquainted. It begins, properly, with the foundation of the world; it was written by the pen of inspiration, for the instruction and admonition of mankind; it records the dispensations, purposes, laws, and promises, of God; and the conduct and chastisements of his people; and it especially sets before us the early and continued intimations of "the one that should come". It marks, with divine accuracy, the line through which, according to the flesh, "Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever."

The chief purpose of the historical parts of the Holy Scriptures, is to give a true and instructive record of the chosen race, through whom the Messiah should come; hence, we have not a complete account of the inhabitants of the world, either before or after the flood, but only a glance, as it were, at the various and multitudinous tribes of men

The Chronology adopted in these papers is Ushers, or that which is generally followed. It is admitted to be subject to many difficulties, especially in regard to the earlier ages of the world, but these in no way affect the

that possessed the land; while the genealogy of this family, and especially of that branch of it which led to Christ, is marked with careful exactness. Thus, before the flood, though the earth was peopled, and its inhabitants became so corrupt that God destroyed it for their sakes, we have only the generations of Noah; and also, after that great calamity, the descent of the Abrahamic family, only, is properly set forth; though the posterity of Japhet and Ham, as well as that of Shem, are alluded to, and an intimation is given of the parts of the earth to which they wandered at the dispersion from Babel. Of the posterity of Japhet it is said, "By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands, every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations." (Gen. x. 5.) This is universally and properly understood to refer to Europe and the lesser Asia. The children of Ham are represented as peopling Arabia, Egypt, Africa, and Canaan; and the descendants of Shem, as filling Syria, Persia, and Asia

great facts of the historical narrative. A perfect system of Chronology, or one free from great difficulties, is not likely ever to be obtained.

HEBREW HISTORY.

generally. As it was God who confounded the languages of men at the building of Babel, so it was his providence, doubtless, that led their families and tribes to their destination. In contemplating their dispersion over the earth, therefore, we are led to recognize the sentiment of the apostle, in his address to the Athenians: God “hath made of one blood all nations of men, for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation." (Acts xvii. 26.)

Abram, whose descent from Shem is given in Gen. xi., was born, according to the common chronology, in the year of the world 2008, 1996 years before Christ. The world by this time had again become corrupted. With a few splendid exceptions, almost the whole family of man was so sunk into idolatry, that true religion, and the knowledge of God, was in danger of being banished from the earth. Even Terah, the father of Abram, and Abram himself, it should seem, sunk into the same all-prevailing sin and snare. (Josh. xxiv. 2.) In order, therefore, to preserve a knowledge of himself, and to transmit it to posterity, God called Abram, then about seventy years of age, and directed him to separate himself from his family and people, and go to a land that should be shown to him. Abram, understanding this call as coming from the living and true God, and being taught to worship him alone, immediately obeyed the divine command, and went with his father and Lot from Ur, in Chaldea, to Haran, in Mesopotamia, a distance of at least 300 miles. There Terah died, and afterwards Abram, with Lot, and their substance, removed into Canaan, to Sichem, as much farther; and there the Lord appeared unto him, and renewed his promise. Abram journeyed thence to a mountain, twenty-five miles north of Jerusalem, near to Bethel, and there he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called on the name of the Lord.

Before we proceed further with the narrative, we may pause to notice the promise made to Abram in connection with his call, and the spirit and character of his obedience to the divine command. As to the promise, it is full and comprehensive, that he should be a great nation. "And I will bless thee, and make thy name great, and thou

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shalt be a blessing,-And in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed." And when God appeared to him in Canaan, he said, "Unto thy seed will I give this land." In this promise there was a reference, not only to the natural posterity of Abram, but to his spiritualto the Messiah, whose coming Abram anticipated with delight; and, while he he was taught that the land of Canaan was to be the lot of his posterity, he also regarded it as a type of heaven itself; "for he looked for a city that hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God;" (Gen. xii. 1, iii. 7.) "He sought a better country, that is a heavenly." (Heb. xi.)

In his obedience to the command of God, we discover the confidence which he reposed in the Divine veracity. "He knew not whither he went," but trusted to the guidance of Jehovah. He obeyed the command, though, from the time he did so, he became in a sense a wanderer and pilgrim, dwelling in tents, and doubtless had to make great sacrifices for this purpose. (See Heb. xi. 8.)

We

Abram's future course was one of frequent change, and, though it contains evidence of his being the subject of human frailties, yet it tends to present him to our view as the father of the faithful and the friend of God. shall content ourselves with a rapid glance at the leading incidents of his life. A famine in the land of Canaan led him to go down into Egypt, a land at that time in the advance of others as to civilization, and ever remarkable for its fertility, where his substance was greatly increased; but he was betrayed into the snare of equivocation, calling his wife his sister, being afraid lest her beauty should expose him to danger from the king of Egypt. He returned thence to Canaan, where, for their mutual convenience, he and his nephew Lot, separated, their possessions and flocks having become exceedingly multiplied. Lot went to the plains of Jordan, and dwelt near Sodom, then an important and wealthy place, and Abram went to the place where he had previously sojourned. There again God appeared to him, and renewed his promise. (Gen. xiii. 14) Abram soon removed again, and came to the plains of Mamre, which is Hebron, thirty miles south of Jerusalem, and there builded an altar to the Lord. Thus taking his piety with him wherever he went.

The kindness of Abram to Lot appeared in the manner in which they separated; but shortly afterwards he displayed his regard in a different manner. Lot was carried captive by some warlike chiefs who had been fighting the inhabitants of the plain, and as soon as Abram heard of it, he armed his own servants, 318, which indicates that his whole establishment must have been large, and, with one or two bands of confederate neighbours, pursued the victorious party to a great distance, and, smiting and routing them, delivered Lot, and all those who had been carried away, with their goods, and restored them to their own land. In his return he was met by Melchizedec, king of Salem, (afterwards Jerusalem) and a priest of the most high God, in both respects a type of Christ, from whom he received a blessing, and to whom, as an offering to God, he gave a tenth of the spoils. (Gen. xiv.)

Again, God appeared to Abram, and comforted him; and, while he assured him, of a lineal descendant, in whom his seed should be multiplied, he taught him in a vision what would befal his posterity, "that his seed should be a stranger in a land not theirs, and be afflicted 400 years." (Gen. xv.) But after this, when Sarah, Abram's wife, considered herself as not likely to have any issue, probably with a view to fulfil the promise of God, she caused Abram to take a second wife, or concubine, from which union, Ishmael, the father of the present Arabians, sprung. But men always err when they put their own plans in place of the appointments of God. Thirteen years after this, when both Abram and Sarah looked upon the literal accomplishment of God's promise in themselves as impossible, the Lord appeared again, the promise was renewed, Abram's name was changed into Abraham, that is, "the father of a great multitude," alluding to his spiritual as well as his natural descendants; Sarah's name was also changed, and the rite of circumcision was instituted, to be the means of making a distinction between the posterity of Abraham and the other nations of the earth; and also as a seal of the covenant God had made with him. (Gen. xvi. and xvii.) Abraham heard the promise, wondered and believed; but when it was afterwards made to Sarah, she was for a time incredulous. How ever, God, who rebuked her, and said,

"Is anything too hard for the Lord?" visited her, and in her old age she bore the child of promise. His name was called Isaac, according to the command of God. Thus, when Abraham was 100 years old, Isaac was born to him.

But while the good man was rejoicing
in the prospect of the literal accom-
plishment of the divine promise, a
strange and awful visitation was deter-
mined of God, as to Sodom and Gomor-
rah, and the cities of the plain of Jor-
dan, because of their awful abomina-
tions. And never does Abraham ap-
pear to more advantage, than in con-
nection with this event.
Three persons

in the garb of strangers came to his tent,
and Abraham not knowing their high
character, invited them to partake of his
hospitality; these were soon discovered
to be more than men, one was
"the
Angel of the covenant," and after renew-
ing the promise to Sarah, as to Isaac,
when two of them were turned towards
Sodom, the third it should seem in a
more particular manner, revealed his
glory to Abraham, and was acknow-
ledged by him as the Lord himself.
Then was recognised the excellence of
Abraham's character, and then he dis-
played the tenderness of his spirit. The
Lord said, "Shall I hide from Abraham
that thing I do: seeing that Abraham
shall surely become a great and mighty
nation, and all the nations of the earth
shall be blessed in him! For I know
him that he will command his children
and his household after him, and they
shall keep the way of the Lord, to do
justice and judgment." Such is the tes-
timony of God, such is the honor at-
tached to real domestic practical religion.
But how excellent his spirit appears!
When he was given to understand that
the destruction of Sodom was determined
on, with what humility, with what ear-
nestness, with what tenderness and in-
genuity did he intercede for the devoted
city! Read, and admire the account;
(Gen. xviii.) and learn from Abraham,
what compassion you should feel for sin-
ners, and with what importunity you
should plead for them. Though ten
righteous persons were not found in the
city, the angels of the Lord delivered Lot,
so that he was not consumed with the
ungodly. Abraham arose "early in the
morning, and went to the place where he
stood before the Lord, and looked towards
Sodom and Gomorrah, and towards

HEBREW HISTORY.

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Immediately after the destruction of Sodom, and before the birth of Isaac, Abraham removed towards the South, and dwelt in Gerar, now called Gerara, about 60 miles south west of Hebron, and at the extremity of the Holy land. There, the same year, Isaac was born and circumcised, and at his weaning, we are told, Abraham made a great feast. (Genesis, xxi, 8.) In process of time, he found it necessary to dismiss Hagar and Ishmael, in order to preserve the peace of Sarah, and the security of Isaac. Abimelech, the King of the Philistines, discovering the power of Abraham, who was thus sojourning in his vicinity, entered into a covenant with him; and the place where the covenant was ratified, was called "Beersheba, or the well of the oath." By the manner in which this covenant was ratified, it should seem that Abimelech was not without some knowledge of the true God, and that he regarded Abraham as a person favoured and distinguished of heaven. There, after the ratification of this covenant, Abraham resided for several years. (Gen. xxi, 34.) He attended openly to the duties of Religion, "for he planted a grove and called on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God," thus bearing his testimony to idolaters all around, that the Lord Jehovah is God alone.

New trials, however, awaited this devoted patriarch. When his son Isaac was about twenty-five years of age, God purposely put the faith of the patriarch to the test. He directed him to go to Mount Moriah, the hill on which Solomon's temple was afterwards built, (a place seventy miles at least from Gerar,) and there to offer up Isaac his son for a burnt offering unto God. This command seemed harder than all that had gone before. Isaac was his only son -his beloved son--the child of promise. In him, too, the promises of a future posterity, and of the great deliverer, were centred and shall he be offered up? VOL. 6.-N.S.

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What a shock was this likely to be to Abraham's faith, how blighting to his hopes! But God had promised that "in Isaac his seed should be called," and therefore, Abraham relied on the promise and yet determined to obey the command, assuring himself that he who gave life had a right to take it away, and that he could if he chose also restore life again. He went therefore with Isaac and two young men, and having prepared the wood for a burnt offering, set out on his journey On the third day of their travel, Abra ham saw in the distance, the mountain to which he was directed. He then left the young men with the ass, and laid the wood on the shoulder of Isaac, and they two ascended up the hill, for the purpose of sacrifice-Abraham carrying the fire and the knife, and Isaac the wood. How strong his faith! How devoted his obedience! How great the agony of his spirit, in thus being called to offer up his only and well-beloved son! But Isaac was ignorant of the fate which awaited him! "He was led as a lamb to the slaughter," innocent and unconscious of his lot. As they were travelling onward, (Gen. xxii., 15,) Isaac said, "My Father," and Abraham said, "Here am I my son;" and he said, "behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" How would this inquiry cut him to the heart! It was more than nature could bear. But Abraham's faith conquered his feelings, and he said "God will provide a lamb for a burnt offering."

When they arrived at the top of the hill, Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and then an nounced to Isaac, that he was to be the victim. Isaac being about twenty-five years of age, must be consulted in this matter; but he, understanding it was the Lord's appointment, and knowing the faith and affection of his father, submitted himself to be bound, was laid on the wood, and the fatal knife was already outstretched by the obedient patriarch, to be sheathed in Isaac's heart, when the Angel of the Lord stayed him ; and God by him renewed his promise, in the most full and solemn manner. (Gen. xxii., 15-18.) A ram caught in the thicket by the horns, was now seen by Abraham, and he took the ram and offered him up for a burnt-offering instead of his son. (Gen. xxii. 15.) C

While we admire the conduct of Abraham, do we not also see in Isaac that which leads us to recognise an equal submission to the divine will! And does he not appear to us, a remarkable type of Christ himself, the glorious promised seed? Was not Christ the child of promise? Was not he, as Isaac, meek and lowly in heart? Did not he bear his cross up to Calvary, a hill near to Moriah itself? And did not he yield himself up patiently and submissively to death for us? One might think that the prayer in Gethsemane, expressed also the desire of Isaac-"O my father if it be possible let this cup pass from me, yet not as I will, but as thou wilt." And while Christ rose from the deadso "in a figure" Abraham received his son Isaac from death. With what joy would Abraham return! How would the mind of Isaac, given to meditation, ponder over the meaning and purpose of these strange trials!

About twelve years after this triumph and display of faith and obedience, Abraham was called to mourn over the death of Sarah his beloved wife, and the mother of Isaac. She had been his companion for nearly ninety years. Death at length dissolves the strongest and tenderest ties. She died at Kirjatharba, which is Heborn, whither it is probable Abraham had removed again. There he mourned over her, and there acknowledging himself a "stranger and sojourner" in the land, he purchased of the sons of Heth, the inhabitants of the place, a field for a burying place for himself and family. He did so that he might endear the land of Canaan to his posterity, and that they might have an acknowledged right to a burial place there, until the time when God should accomplish what he had promised.

Deeply solicitous for the welfare of his son Isaac, and for his prudent marriage, Abraham, who had heard of the prosperity and increase of that part of his father's family who had since settled in Haran, where Terah died, directed his servant or steward, and in the most solemn manner enjoined him, to take a wife for Isaac from his family, that he might not form alliances with the corrupt inhabitants of Canaan. The interesting account of the journey and success of the steward is recorded in the 24th Chapter of Genesis, and suggests to parents the importance of encouraging

those connections in their families, which are adapted to promote their spiritual welfare.

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After the marriage of Isaac, Abraham lived thirty-five years; and, though he again married, and had a numerous issue, yet he gave portions to the children of Keturah, and sent them away, eastward to the east country," while Isaac was the heir both of his riches and of the promise. He died when he had attained to his 175th year, and his sons, Isaac and Ishmael, (who do not seem to have met since the latter, with his mother, were sent away from Abraham's house,) united in paying due respect to the funeral of their common parent, a man whose name, whose faith, and virtues, will be celebrated as long as the world shall continue. His body was deposited by the side of Sarah, his beloved wife, and his spirit entered the realms of unclouded light and glory above.

Let us conclude this exercise by indulging in a few reflections arising out of the events to which our attention has been briefly directed.

1. How strong is the evidence which it presents to us of the deep depravity of the human heart. Though Adam lived, according to the common chronology, until Lamech, the father of Noah, was fifty-six years of age, and was able to give his descendants the best admonition and instruction; and though there were before them the examples of good men, yet how corrupt did the world become. Not the warnings of Enoch, nor the preaching of Noah, served to reclaim them; but the judgments of God came upon them, and swept them away: and even after the flood, not the recollection of its terror, which Noah, who lived until near the birth of Abraham, and Shem, and Ham, and Japhet, could tell their descendants, could avail to keep them in the knowledge of God, or restrain them from sin. The traces of true religion gradually disappeared, and sensual indulgence, a religion which sanctioned crime, and a pursuit of worldly greatness and distinction, seem to have been the prevailing characteristics of mankind. Truly is it said, "The imagination of the heart of man is evil from his youth." Some, as Sodom and Gomorrah, were viler than others, but all, by their forsaking God, and sinking into idolatry, convince us that no mere terror, or admonition, or human power, or ex

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