April 2

Genesis xii. — 1. Now, the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee:

2. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

3. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

4. So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken unto him, and Lot went with him; and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

5. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran: and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.

6. And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichern, unto the plain of Morch. And the Canaanite was then in the land.

7. And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land; and

The early home of Abram was U, a city of Chaldea, on the right bank of the Euphrates, near the an east head of the Persian Gulf. From this point he removed first to Haran, a pleasant and fertile region in the north-western part of Mesopotamia, watered by tributaries of the Euphrates, and skirted on the north by the mountains of Armenia. Here he seems to have been prospered in the accumulation of property. But the Lord commanded him to leave this second home, as he had already left the first, and to go to a strange land, then occupied by an unfriendly people; and this with no title or prospect but the promise of God, "I will make of thee a great nation." Yet, upon that single warrant, Abram left country, kindred, home, every thing that attaches one to the place of his nativity, and "went out, not knowing whither he went;" and this at a time of life when men commonly think of providing for their comfort and repose.

APPROPRIATE ITEMS.]

O Lord God! our fathers trusted in thee, and were not ashamed; and in thy love we would confide for ever and ever. While we are weak, and unable to help ourselves or to aid one another, we would look up to thyself, in whom is everlasting strength, and in thee would we trust. In health and in sickness, in hope and in sorrow, in enjoyment and in suffering, we would look up to the hills, whence cometh our help; and we pray, that, trusting in thee, we may have that perfect peace which is given to those only whose minds are stayed upon the Lord.

We come to thee this morning to thank thee for the mercies which have attended us during another night, and for the goodness and mercy thou hast provided with the opening day. The sun has

there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.

8. And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Beth-el, and pitched his tent, having Beth-el on the west, and Hai on the east; and there he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord.

Psalm cv. — 1. Oh! give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the people.

2. Sing unto him; sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.

3. Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.

4. Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his face evermore.

5. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth,

6. O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen!

7. He is the Lord our God: his judgments are in all the earth.

8. He hath remembered his covenant forever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.

Upon entering Canaan, he first halted at Sichern, the beautiful valley lying between Mounts Ebal and Gerizim in Middle Palestine, afterwards so celebrated as the site of Jacob's well, the place of Joseph's burial, the scene of the blessing and cursing of Israel, and, above all, the place where Jesus conversed with the woman of Samaria. There Abram built an altar; and on removing farther south, to Beth-el, he built there also an altar to the Lord. Faith in God directed Abram in the whole course of his life. He planned nothing of himself, nothing for himself. Following the leadings of Divine Providence, with the one desire to honor and obey God, he carried with him the presence of the Lord; and, wherever he fixed his abode, he consecrated it with an altar. We must walk in the steps of Abram's faith and devotion if we would be blessed of God in our lives and our homes.

Prayer.

[Nos. 47, 84, 142.

spread its light over the world; the earth is bringing forth renewed supplies of good. Thou providest for the wants of man and beast. We bless thee, O Lord! for thy gifts, and pray that thou wilt receive our humble tribute of thanksgiving and praise. And still, merciful Father, be merciful to us in our renewed wants, and visit us with thy salvation. Continue to us, we entreat thee, the gifts of thy providence; and pour upon us, at the same time, the blessings of thy grace.

Go forth with us, O Lord! to the engagements, the difficulties, the duties, and the pleasures which await us to-day. Oh! keep us from evil and sin. Bless all who are dear to us by any tie; all who are in any want, trouble, or sorrow; and hasten the coming of thy kingdom, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.