April 6

Genesis xv. — 1. After these things, the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

2. And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?

3. And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed; and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.

5. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them; and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

6. And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

7. And he said unto him, I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.

8. And he said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it.

9. And he said unto him, Take me a heifer of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon.

10. And he took unto him all these, and divided

them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another; but the birds divided he not.

11. And, when the fowls came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

12. And, when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him.

13. And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;

14. And also that nation whom they shall serve will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.

15. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.

16. But, in the fourth generation, they shall come hither again; for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

17. And it came to pass, that when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.

18. In that same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the River Euphrates.

Abram had shown the strength of his faith by his ready and cheerful obedience. But he was growing old; and, as yet, he had no child: how, then, could the promise to his seed be fulfilled? In this questioning frame, the Lord met him first with the broad declaration, "I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward." What guaranty could be compared with this, — God his protection, God his portion? But the Lord added a specific promise touching his seed and their future inheritance; and, to confirm the faith of Abram, he entered into

the sacred solemnity of a covenant, making himself one with his servant in its promises and obligations. Abram accepted as real all that was set forth in the promise and the symbol. He believed God, and God acknowledged him as a friend. The same blessed assurance of God's protecting and rewarding love is sealed to us through the new covenant in the blood of Jesus. By faith in him, we, too, are made righteous, and become "the seed of Abraham, and heirs according to the promise."

APPROPRIATE HYMNS.]

Prayer.

[Nos. 79, 107.

Our heavenly Father, we thank thee for all thy goodness to us, especially for the many and great mercies of the Lord's day. Bless to us the privilege of prayer, the reading and preaching of thy Word, and all the ordinances of thy house. And, we beseech thee, give us that due sense of our mercies, that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful; and that we may show forth thy praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up ourselves to thy service, and by walking before thee in holiness and righteousness all our days. Cause us to feel our sinfulness and our need of a Saviour. Teach us to love Christ with all our hearts; and, as there is none other name under heaven given to men in whom and through whom we may receive health and salvation, give us faith to believe on him to the saving of our souls.

Look, O Lord! in mercy on the world around us. Have compassion upon those who are sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death; cause the light of the gospel to shine throughout the world;

make thy ways known upon earth, thy saving health unto all nations. Bless thy servants who are gone forth into distant lands to proclaim the message of salvation. Endue them with thy Holy Spirit; enrich them with thy heavenly grace; prosper them in all their labors; and give them souls as their reward. And, O thou Lord of the harvest! we pray thee to send forth more laborers into the harvest. Enable them both to sow the seed and to reap the fruit of their labors.

Make sure to this household the mercies of that covenant of faith whereof we are made partakers through Christ, thy well-beloved Son, the seed of Abraham.

And now, O heavenly Father! as thou hast promised to hear the prayers of those who ask in thy Son's name, fulfil the desires and petitions of thy servants as may be most expedient for us: granting us, in this world, knowledge of thy truth; and in the world to come, life everlasting. Amen.