Imagini ale paginilor
PDF
ePub

he had erected an altar on which to offer sacrifices to God.

up

The families of Abram and of Lot had by this time greatly increased. They lived in tents which were now numerous, and their flocks of sheep and goats, and herds of cattle overspread many wide and extensive fields. They found it difficult to get pasture ground and provisions enough. This was occasioned, probably, in part by the late famine, and partly by the great number of Canaanities who possessed the most fertile portions of the land.

This want of pasture-ground led to fre quent disputes between the herdsmen of Abram and those of Lot, and might have ended in a violent quarrel, if Abram had not very generously proposed to Lot to separate, and to let Lot take his choice of the extensive country before them. "If thou wilt take the left hand," said he, "then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.”

As Abram was the uncle of Lot, and the older of the two, I think Lot should have declined the offer, and have told Abram that he ought to take the first choice. This

would have been respectful and proper. But no; Lot took him at his word, and chose the plain of Jordan, which being well watered, was exceedingly pleasant and fertile. Abram still continued at Bethel.

Some time after Lot's departure, the Lord again appeared to Abram, and said, "all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it and to thy seed, (or descendants,) for ever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land, in the length of it, and in the breadth of it, for I will give it unto thee. Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord."

Two things about Abraham I wish you to remember and to imitate; his strong faith in God, and his peaceable and benevolent disposition.

If in the providence of God, it should ever appear to be your duty to leave your beloved home and friends, and to go to some distant part of the world, there to be

Re

engaged in doing good to your fellow-men, do not hesitate and be afraid to go. member how ready Abraham was to obey the call of God, and to go he knew not whither. Go as he did. God will take care of you as he did of Abraham. If you obey him and put your trust in him, he will certainly be with you and bless you.

Be peaceable and benevolent, as Abraham was. Remember how he acted towards Lot. Give up to others rather than have any dispute or contention with them. Let them see that you do it because you love peace, and would avoid strife, and wish to do them good. Christ has taught us, that we should delight in doing good even to the evil and unthankful. This is true benevolence.

Pray that you may have it more and more. Live to do good to those around you, and to all your fellow men. You ought to do this, when you consider how much God has done for you, even while you were disobedient and ungrateful to him. All that you can do, will be a very small and poor return for his kindness towards you.

You must live to do good, if you would be truly happy. Abraham, I have no doubt

was happier in being benevolent towards Lot, and in giving up to him, than Lot was in choosing what he considered the fairest and best portion of the land around them. Pray that you may overcome all that is selfish within you, and have more and more of the spirit of doing good.

STORY XII.

THE COVENANT OF GOD WITH ABRAHAM.

WHILE Abram was living in the plains of Mamre, and had attained the great age, as we should consider it, of ninety-nine years, the Lord appeared unto him.-In what way he appeared, or showed himself, the Bible does not tell us.

When a blind person is in a room alone, and an acquaintance comes in and speaks to him, he knows, by the voice, who is with him. He knows it just as well as you

would, by seeing the person. If he should tell any one of it afterwards, he might say, "such a person, calling him by name, appeared to me;" and it would be perfectly understood what he meant, though he did not see the person. His hearing satisfied him as fully of the presence of the person, as seeing in similar cases does us.

So if your father, or a friend, should dress himself quite differently from what he had ever done before; and put a handkerchief, or veil over his face; and come where you were sitting; and by speaking, or by his peculiar size and shape, or by his motions, or in any other way, should make himself known to you ;-you would say that he appeared to you.

We may say, that God appears to us, or shows himself to us.

It is his power that makes the wind blow. It moves on us, and we feel the touch of his hand. He is with us in the wind.

He makes the flowers send forth their fragrance. We inhale it, and perceive the presence of God. He is with us in the flowers.

He leads the stream to the edge of the

« ÎnapoiContinuă »