who shall stand, when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap." (Mal. iii. 1, 2.)

This was the Being who came to Hagar, by the fountain in the way to Shur. When He appears, it is always for our salvation, or condemnation. He came to her for her salvation, —to avenge her of the cold-hearted, gross wrong done to her by Abram. In him was invested the condition, life of the covenant. "What wilt thou give me, sceing I go childless?"

"He that shall come forth out of thy bowels shall be thine heir." This should have been enough, stable in his mind, without tempting God. "Whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder."

"That men may know that thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, art the Most High over all the earth." (Ps. lxxxiii. 18.)

"And the Angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael: because the Lord hath heard thy affliction."

Reader,—if you have never seen Jehovah in His righteous attribute, stand still, and behold Him here. See Him descend from heaven, to commiserate the helpless condition of a lone, lorn servant-maid, in the wilderness of Shur. Not one word of reproach, but to avenge her of the injustice done. "Call his name Ishmael," which means, God who hears; "because the Lord hath heard thy affliction." The crime of abandoning

a woman, under such circumstances, does not come within civil law; it is one too enormous to be thus met. Divine retribution only can meet the case; and hence this revelation of God's just vengeance. Neither an Abram, nor a Sarai, could escape God's all-seeing eye. Covenant grace could not cloak cruelty and sin. "Thy maid is in thy hand: do to her as it pleaseth thee." And the man of God who had the covenants, and the promises, thought all was right. "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God." But the very Being in that Covenant descended, in His attribute of inflexible justice, to pronounce upon the seed of the offender, the very vagabond, fugitive curse that had before been pronounced upon Cain. "Call his name Ishmael "-God who hears," because the Lord hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand against every man, and every man's hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren." And, to this day, the vagabond, fugitive curse has never been removed. The Arab tribes do dwell, in the presence of us all, a witness of Abram's and Sarai's unbelief, sin, and cold-hearted cruelty; and of God's abhorrence and severe justice, in rebuking it. I have often said, If grace be in proportion to responsibility, responsibility is in proportion to grace. It is one of the most damnable sins to trifle with free, sovereign grace; to abuse and to pervert spiritual authority to lordly domination, arrogant tyranny: but God had not only called Abram to be the faithful steward of His grace, and spiritual mysteries; but

He had also raised him to the position of an Emir-a chief, or a prince; and Sarai, to the dignity of a princess. In the expulsion of the Jewish Church, for abuse of power, the world had an awful and everlasting example of God's righteous judgments. They too do now dwell, before all their brethren, a witness of this.

me?

Now, mark Hagar's remarkable reflection. It lays open to us the very religion of the soul that had obtained for her the commiseration of her Redeemer God. "And she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth Wherefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi"- the well of Him that liveth, and seeth me," behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered." Hagar, in her affliction, had lifted up her soul to God. He heard, saw, and descended to succour and avenge. As I have said before, it is a most striking circumstance, that the first Advent of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, in this world, should have been to this oppressed, afflicted woman. As I look onward, and see "the false prophet"-who was really the development of this germ-cast into the lake that burneth with brimstone and fire, I do indeed see the opposite points in the nature of God, His inflexible, unchanging attributes of mercy and justice.

The best of us do indeed here learn to look beyond "the bosom of Abraham," to the bosom of our JehovahGod.

D D

"And Hagar bare Abram a son and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael." It is quite clear Abram understood the spiritual separation of Ishmael from his God, by the exclamation, "O that Ishmael might live before thee." God pronounced upon him all temporal benediction, but He was inexorable in withholding all participation in the covenant of grace.

"And Abram was fourscore and six Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram."

years old when

Abram was a type of the Church, and these unholy alliances were types of her spiritual fornications; there have been so many, I cannot classify them here; but I believe his years multiplied by fifty, mark particular periods in her history. (xvi. 16; xxv. 1—7.)

I cannot forbear closing this chapter, so grand upon the subject of "the Angel of the Everlasting Covenant," with the standards of His army.

Jehovah-Jirch, the Lord will be manifested.

Jehovah-Nissi, the Lord my banner.

Jehovah-Shalom, the Lord send peace.

Jehovah-Shammah, the Lord is there.

Jehovah-Tsidkenn, the Lord our righteousness.

CHAPTER XVI.

ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS.

How did God proceed in the case of Abram, who had been called of Him to a great, and high, and holy calling? Did He annul His covenant with him? Did He interrupt the direct descent of the Messiah? Did He take away from Abram his stewardship? No; thirteen years passed on (xvi. 16, xvii. 25), during which time God was silent; there is not a word recorded of reproach, or approval-silent ! It is quite evident from Abram's anxiety concerning Ishmael, that he had already discovered in him dispositions, and an unhappy development of character, that had called forth that uneasiness; his sin had brought its own punishment: and his Covenant-God, instead of entering upon bitter crimination with His servant, stood upon the arch of heaven, and proclaimed again the fiat of His sovereign grace; leaving the sin of the subject of that grace to proclaim itself to a lost and ruined world; and as we see it in the descendants of Ishmael, and still onward to the end of time, does it not tell us that the sin of the Church is a grievous evil in the world's