How Abraham was called.

[B.C. 1996.

To separate him from all idolatrous connexions, God told him to leave his country and kindred; and to dwell in a strange land, which He would point out to him and give him. Abraham's age This command was given when Abraham was 75 years old, and is generally termed the call of Abraham.

at the time.

Whither Ab

raham went.

He immediately obeyed, and

went from Ur to dwell in Canaan the land of promise.*

CANAAN was so called from Canaan, son of Ham. It was called PALESTINA by the Romans, being a corruption of the word Philistina, or land of the Philistines. It was called the LAND OF ISRAEL, because the Israelites under Joshua took possession of it. It was called the LAND OF PROMISE, because God promised Abrafiam to give it to his seed. It was called the HOLY LAND, because it was set apart by God for his own people, and was his kingdom on earth. It was called after the captivity JUDEA, because the tribe of Judah was the principal tribe which returned from Babylon. It contained 11,000 square miles; was 200 miles long, and 90 broad.

Why Canaan was so called.

Canaan was so called because God promised Abraham to give it to his seed for an everlasting possession.

This promise,

when fulfilled.

This promise was fulfilled

A.M. 2092.]

about 400 years afterwards, when Joshua conquered Canaan and divided it amongst the Israelites.

of Abraham.

Companions Abraham was accompanied to Canaan with his nephew, Lot. And both of them took their wives, their servants, their herds, and all their substance with them.

they separated.

Why and where They separated at Canaan, because their flocks and herds were too large to pasture together.

Where they each Lot selected the fertile plains

dwelt afterwards.

of Sodom to live in, and Abraham went to dwell in the vale of Mamré, near Hebron.

What evil befel

Lot at Sodom.

After eight years a misfortune befel Lot. Four petty kings, who came to pillage Sodom, seized him and made him prisoner, together with several of his neighbours.

How rescued. When Abraham heard thereof, he armed his servants, pursued the marauders, rescued the captives, and

[B.C. 1893.

having recovered the spoil, took it back to Sodom.

Who met him

on his return.

On his return, Melchizedek met him, and pronounced a blessing on him.

How Abraham

honoured him.

Abraham, in return, honour

ed Melchizedek by giving him tithes of all. (Gen. xiv. 20.)

Melchizedek,

who he was.

This MELCHIZEDEK was king of Salem (afterwards called Jerusalem), and priest of the most high God.

He was a Canaanite, and descendant of Ham.

The offer made

to Abraham.

The king of Sodom was very grateful to Abraham for his seasonable aid, and promised to give him the spoil he had recovered; but Abraham. modestly declined the offer.

after this.

Where Lot dwelt After this, Lot continued to dwell in Sodom for five more years, when the wickedness of the people drew down a terrible judgment from

the Lord.

What that judg- This judgment was no less

ment was.

A.M. 2107.]

than the entire destruction of Sodom and its three neighbouring cities by fire and brimstone. (Gen. xix. 24.)

Together with Sodom were destroyed Gomorrah, Admah, and Zebóim. After this fearful judgment, the site of these four cities became the bed of the Lake Asphaltités or Dead Sea.

Who perished in the fire.

All the people of the four cities perished in the fire except Lot, his wife, and his two daughters, who were warned by angels to make their escape, without stopping to look behind them.

Who disobeyed this injunction.

Lot's wife obeyed not this injunction but stopped on the road to look at the burning cities, and was instantly converted into a pillar of salt.

Probably the volcanic matter of the burning cities overwhelmed her, and formed over her person a saline incrustation similar to that which covers the "remains" found at Pompeii.

forewarned.

Abraham was God had forewarned Abraham of this judgment, and Abraham had pleaded earnestly with Him to spare the guilty cities.

made to Abraham.

[B.C. 1906.

What reply God God promised He would do so, provided He could find ten righteous men therein; there was, however, only one righteous man, and that was Lot. Whither Lot went After the destruction of Sodom, Lot retired to a cave near Zoar, where he lived with his two daughters, and had two sons.

afterwards.

Lot's two sons.

The names of Their names were Moab and Ammon; and they were the fathers of the Moabites and Ammonites.

Section II.

ABRAHAM AND ISHMAEL.

B.C. 1906-1885.

GENESIS XVI.-XXI.

God's promise

to Abraham.

GOD's first promise to Abra

HAM was that his posterity should be as numerous as the stars," although at the time he was 84 years old, and had no child.

When his first son was born.

His first son, Ishmael, was