April 28

Genesis xix. — 15. And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife and thy two daughters which are here, lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.

16. And, while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful unto him; and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.

17. And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life: look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.

18. And Lot said unto them, Oh! not so, my Lord.

19. Behold, now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast showed unto me in saving my life: and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die.

20. Behold, now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: oh! let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.

21. And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city for the which thou hast spoken.

22. Haste thee; escape thither: for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.

The night before had been one of horrible wickedness. Lot had taken home the strangers to his house, where they should have been safe under the sacred rights of hospitality. But a vile mob followed them, and strove in every way to insult, abuse, and injure them. The angels warned Lot to make ready his family for an early flight from the doomed city. Peter tells us that Lot had maintained his piety, and that his righteous soul was "vexed from day to day with the unlawful deeds" of his townsmen. Yet at the last moment he "lingered," in hope of rescuing some of the goods that he had accumulated at so great risk to the morals of his family. The angels almost forced him away: the one paramount concern

23. The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.

24. Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven;

25. And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.

26. But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

Jude. — 6. And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

7. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

17. But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;

18. How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.

19. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.

20. But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

21. Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

was to escape for his life from the city of destruction. When God bids us forsake the world, we may not stop to parley, nor hope to carry something of the world with us. The lightnings from heaven, combining with the volcanic elements of the district, consumed Sodom and Gomorrah as speedily as Herculaneum and Pompeii were overwhelmed by the lava and cinders of Vesuvius. Lot's wife — regretting her home, or questioning the catastrophe, or curious to observe it — disobeyed the express injunction of the angel, was overtaken by the tempest of destruction, and perished. Our Saviour has warned us never to trifle with divine judgments: "Remember Lot's wife."

APPROPRIATE HYMNS.]

Prayer.

[Nos. 9, 82, 200.

Thou holy and blessed Son of God, who for our sakes didst endure such contradiction of sinners against thyself, grant us, we pray thee, the spirit of meekness and patience under injury, and of forgiveness toward all who do us wrong. How often have we grieved and offended thee! Have mercy upon us, we beseech thee, and teach us to be merciful unto all men. May we be followers of thee, doing good as we find opportunity! Heavenly Father, we bless thee for thy loving-kindness toward us, so free, so constant, so abounding. We would show forth thy loving-kindness in the morn-

ing, and thy faithfulness every night. Oh! grant, that, walking in love, we may be the children of our Father in heaven.

O God, whose blessed Son was manifested that he might destroy the works of the Devil! grant us, we beseech thee, that, having this hope, we may purify ourselves even as he is pure; that, when he shall appear again with power and great glory, we may be made like unto him in his eternal and glorious kingdom, where, with thee, O Father! and thee, O Holy Ghost! he liveth and reigneth, ever one God, world without end. Amen.