went. By faith he abode in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tents, with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he looked for a city that hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Heb. xi. 8-10.

From Psalm cv.*

GIVE glory to the Lord, and call upon his name, declare his deeds among the Gentiles. Sing unto him, yea, sing psalms unto him, relate all his works, glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. Seek ye the Lord, and be strengthened, seek his face evermore. Remember his marvellous works which he hath done, his wonders and the judgments of his mouth, O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye sons of Jacob his chosen. He is the Lord our God: his judgments are in all the earth. He hath remembered his covenant for ever-the word which he commanded to a thousand generations ;-saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance. When they were but a small number; yea, very few, and sojourners therein; when they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people, he suffered no man to do them wrong; yea, he reproved kings for their sakes, saying, Touch ye not mine anointed, and do no evil to my prophets.

QUESTIONS ON LESSON X.

FROM whom was Abram descended?
What did the Lord tell Abram to do?
What did God promise to him?
Did Abram obey God?

Who went with him?

How old was Abram at this time?

What was the name of Abram's wife?

What country did they first go to?

What plain did he go to?

When the Lord appeared unto Abram, what did he say

to him?

What did Abram do there?

Where did Abram pitch his tent?

Why did Abram go to Egypt?

What did Abram say to his wife when he was about to

enter Egypt?

To whom did the Egyptians take Sarai?

What did the Lord to Pharaoh and his house?

Why did he do so?

How did Pharaoh act in these circumstances?

LESSON XI.

Continuation of the History of Abram.

From B. C. 1918, to B. C. 1913.

FROM GENESIS XIII. AND XIV.

AND Abram went up out of Egypt, he and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, unto the south.* And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver and in gold. And Lot also who was with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together; for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.

*South, i. e. the southern part of the land of Canaan, not the south of Egypt.

Whereupon there arose a strife between the herdsmen of Abram and of Lot. And Abram said to Lot, Let there be no quarrel, I beseech thee, between me and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen: for we are brethren. Behold, the whole land is before thee; depart from me, I pray thee if thou wilt go to the left hand, I will take the right: if thou choose the right hand, then I will go to the left. And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the country about Jordan, that it was well watered throughout, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the paradise of the Lord, and like the land of Egypt, as thou comest to Zoar. And Lot chose to himself the country about Jordan, and dwelt in Sodom. And the men of Sodom were very wicked, and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.

[And at that time, Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, and three other kings with him, made war upon the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, and three other kings with them. All these came together in the vale of Siddim,* which is now the Salt Sea. For they had served Chedorlaomer twelve years, and in the thirteenth year, they revolted from him. And in the fourteenth year, came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims, and three other tribes, and all the country of the Amalekites and the Amorites. And the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, with the three other kings confederate with them, went out and joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim.] And the vale of Siddim was full of slime-pits, and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and were overthrown there, and they that remained fled to the mountain. And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way. they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. And

And

* Vale of Siddim.-Woodland Vale.--Douay Version.

there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre. And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them to Dan. And dividing his company against them, he and his servants, by night, he smote them, and pursued them to Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. And he brought back all the goods, and Lot his brother, and his goods, the women also, and the people.

And the king of Sodom went out to meet him, after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlacmer, and of the kings that were with him, in the valley of Shaveh, which is the King's Dale. And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine being a priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram by the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth. And blessed be the most high God, who hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave them tithes of all things.

And the king of Sodom said, Give me the persons, and the goods take to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I lift up my hand unto the Lord the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, that from a thread to a shoelatchet, I will not take of any things that are thine, lest thou say, I have made Abram rich. Except such things as the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me, Aner, Eschol, and Mamre, let them take their portion. [The Apostle Paul thus comments on this narrative, in Heb. v. and vii :—]

No man taketh this honour [of the priesthood] to himself, but he that is called of God, as Aaron So Christ also did not glorify himself that he might be a High Priest: but he that said unto him, Thou art my son, this day have I begotten

was.

thee.

As he saith also in another place,* Thou art a priest for ever, according to the order of Melchizedek.

For this Melchizedek was king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abram returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him. To whom also Abram divided the tenth part of all things; first, being by interpretation King of Justice, and after that also King of Salem, which is King of Peace; without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life, being circumstanced like unto the Son of God, continueth a priest for ever. Now consider how great this man was, to whom also the patriarch Abram gave tithes of the principal spoils. And indeed they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is to say, of their brethren, though they themselves also were descended from Abram. But he whose descent is not counted from them, received tithes of Abram, and blessed him that had the promises. And without all contradiction, that which is less is blessed of the better.

And, in as much as it is not without an oath that he [Jesus] is made a priest (for the others indeed were made priests without an oath, but this, with an oath, by him that said unto him, The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek,) by so much is Jesus made a surety of a better testament. And the others indeed were many priests, because by reason of death, they were not suffered to continue; but this man, because he continueth ever, hath an everlasting priesthood, whereby he is able to save to the uttermost all that come to God by him, seeing he ever liveth

Psalm cx. in the Authorised Version, or cix. Douay.