ing as suddenly as he came in, he is lost to the sacred writings for a thousand years; and then a few emphatic words for another moment bring him into sight as a type of the coming Lord of David. Once more, after another thousand years, the Hebrew Christians are taught to see in him a proof that it was the consistent purpose of God to abolish the Levitical priesthood. His person, his office, his relation to Christ, and the seat of his sovereignty, have given rise to innumerable discussions, which even now can scarcely be considered as settled. That Melchizedek was both a king and priest, is quite in accordance with the patriarchal state of society; but his priesthood seems to have a dignity above that of the ordinary head of a family. That he was "the priest of the Most High God," implies a relic of the true worship outside of the chosen family, such as we find long after in the story of the prophet Balaam. The extraordinary reverence paid to him by Abram, and apparently by the king of Sodom, completes all our positive knowledge respecting his person and office. Tradition and fancy have found in him Shem or some other patriarch; an angel; and even a personification of the Son of God, a view which is a gross confusion of type and antitype." This event completes the first period of Abraham's life, in which the temporal blessing of his race was clearly revealed. § 8. The second period opens with a fourth visit of Jehovah's word to Abram, to assure him of His blessing and protection. His faith had begun again to waver. With unbounded promises of the number and blessedness of his offspring, he was yet childless; with vast wealth, he had no heir but his steward and slave, Eliezer of Damascus. And now God vouchsafed to him a plainer and more solemn revelation, 31 The "order of Melchizedek," in human ingenuity has added others, Ps. cx. 4, is explained by some to which, however, stand in need of the mean manner "-likeness in official evidence of either an inspired writer dignity-a king and priest. The re- or an eye-witness, before they can be lation between Melchizedek and Christ received as facts and applied to esas type and antitype is made in the tablish any doctrine. Some Jewish Epistle to the Hebrews to consist in writers have held the opinion that the following particulars. Each was Melchizedek was the writer, and a priest (1), not of the Levitical tribe; Abram the subject of Ps. cx. On the (2), superior to Abraham; (3), whose very difficult question of the locality beginning and end are unknown; (4), of Salem, the city of Melchizedek, who is not only a priest, but also a and Shareh, where the king of Sodom, king of righteousness (melchi-zedek) and apparently Melchizedek also, met and peace (salem). To these points Abram, see Notes and Illustrations of agreement, noted by the Apostle, (C). which was made the more emphatic by the threefold form of a promise, a sign, and a covenant. The promise was that his own son should be his heir. The sign was given by a view of the clear sky of an Eastern night, studded with stars, which Jehovah bade Abram to count, if he would tell the number of his posterity. And then ABRAM BELIEVED JehovaH; 66 AND IT WAS COUNTED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS. 33 was the crisis of his religious life, and of that of his spiritua! children. With the moral submission of the will, which is the essence of faith, he trusted God for what was beyond the scope of his reason. The test of his faith was as simple as that of Adam's obedience; the belief of God's word that he would have a son after the natural limit of age; but the principle was the same as in faith's highest flights. "He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully persuaded that what He had promised He was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. 35 9934 This promise was ratified by a new COVENANT, in which Abram stood to God in the relation of the Father of the Faithful, just as Noah, in the covenant made with him, stood for all his race. The forms with which this new covenant was made are minutely related; and they seem to agree with the customs then observed in covenants between man and man. 9936 Those forms are alluded to in the phrase, "Jehovah cut a covenant with Abram." A victim (or more) was slain in sacrifice, and equally divided, and the parts being placed over against each other, the contracting parties passed down between them. The ceremony clearly signified the equality of the contract, its religious character, and the penalty due to its violation. Each part of the ceremony was observed in this case; where God's presence was indicated by the fire that passed between the pieces of the victims sacrificed, and Abram had already passed between them. 37 The promise was as specific as it was solemn. It includedi. The bondage of the Hebrews in a strange land for 400 years. 38 32 Gen. xv. 1-6. 33 These remarks apply both to this promise and its repetition (see § 10). 34 Rom. iv. 20, 21; Heb. xi. 11, 12. 35 It may be observed that in both cases a sign also was given, the rainbow to Noah, the stars to Abram. Gen. xv. 18. 37 Gen. xv. 17; comp. Heb. ix. 16, 17: "Where there is a covenant, the death of the covenant victim must needs be carried out; for a covenant is confirmed over dead [victims "]. 38 Gen. xv. 13. The chronological question here involved is discussed in the History of the Exodus. ch. xi. ii. Their delivery, with great wealth, and amid judgments on their oppressors. 39 iii. Their return to the promised land in the fourth gener ation, when the iniquity of its inhabitants should be full.*° 40 The boundaries of their possessions in that land were strictly defined," from the river of Egypt" unto the great river, the river Euphrates," to which the kingdom of David and Solomon actually reached." The definition is still more clearly made by the enumeration of the Canaanitish tribes that occupied the land.13 At a later period, when the covenant was renewed, the sign of circumcision was added to it.** § 9. To wait patiently for the fulfillment of the promise, in spite of natural obstacles, was too much, if not for the faith of Abram, at least for that of Sarai. Being herself barren, she gave Abram her handmaid Hagar, an Egyptian, for his concubine; and Hagar bore him a son.** But, before the child was born, the insolence of Hagar provoked the jealousy of Sarai, whose ill-treatment of her handmaiden drove her to flee into the wilderness of Kadesh, south-east of Abram's abode." Here the "angel of the Lord" appeared to her, and, while bidding her to return and submit to her mistress, he encouraged her by the promise of a numerous offspring. In memory of God's hearing her cry of distress, He bade her name the coming child ISHMAEL (that is, God shall hear), and he foretold his character and destiny in words which to this day describe the Bedouin Arabs who are descended from him:"He will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him and he shall dwell in the face of all his brethren," that is, to the east of the kindred tribes sprung from Abraham.* On this occasion we have the first of those distinctive names which were given to Jehovah in remembrance of special divine interpositions. Hagar said, "Thou God seest me," 39 Gen. xv. 14. 40 Gen. xv. 17. |derings in the Wilderness. See chap. 41 This is either the brook El-Arish, xiii. which divides Egypt from Palestine, 47 The Hebrews and Arabs named or it may mean the eastern margin the cardinal points from the position of the Nile Valley. The Nile itself of the body when the face was turned can not be a boundary, for its valley to the east; the back, therefore, deforms the unique land of Egypt. noted the west, the right hand the 42 Gen. xv. 18. 43 Gen. xv. 19-21. south, and the left hand the north. 44 Gen. xvii. 1. See § 10. Thus the Mediterranean was called the hinder sea, and to the present day Syria is Esh-sham, the left hand; and the locality of Kadesh will arise North-western Arabia El-Yemen, the again, in connection with the Wan-right hand. 45 Gen. xvi. 1-3. 48 Gen. xvi. 4-6. The question of and she named the well by which she had sat Beer-lahai-roi, that is, The Well of him that liveth and seeth me.48 49 § 10. The birth of Ishmael took place when Abram was eighty-six years old (B.c. 1910); but he had to wait fourteen years still for the true fulfillment of the promise of an heir. The event was preceded by new revelations. In Abram's ninety-ninth year (B.c. 1898), Jehovah, appearing to him by the name of EL-SHADDAI (God Almighty), renewed the cove nant with him in the new character of "Father of many Nations," in sign thereof he changed his name from AB-RAM (exalted father) to AB-RAHAM (father of a multitude).50 The promise was now repeated to Abraham, more clearly than ever, on behalf of his posterity:-"I will be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee."51 As a sign of this inclusion of children in the covenant, God enjoined the rite of circumcision, which became henceforth the condition of the covenant on the part of those with whom God made it. 52 The uncircum 53 cised was cut off from all its benefits, "he hath broken my covenant," while the stranger who received circumcision was admitted to them; and the head of the family was commanded to extend the rite to every male in his household, servants as well as children.54 It was to be performed on children the eighth day after birth, and on slaves when they were purchased; and all the family of Abraham were at once thus brought within the covenant. 65 The dignity of Sarai, as the mother of the promised seed, was marked by the change of her name to SARAH (princess), and it was declared that she should "become nations; and kings of the people should be of her." Her son was to be named ISAAC (laughter), from the utterance of his father's feelings on the announcement. With him and his seed the covenant was to be continued in the new character of an everlasting covenant," thus marking the distinction between its eternal and temporal blessings. The latter blessings were assured to Ishmael, in answer to Abraham's earnest prayer; 51 Gen. xvii. 7, 8. 48 Gen. xvi. 7-14. 49 Gen. xvi. 15, 16. 50 Gen. xvii. 1–5. 52 Gen. xvii. 9-14. 53 The precise position of circumcised proselytes will be explained afterward. 57 Sara-i, my princess, as a phrase of courtesy, to Sarah, princess, absolutely. 56 Gen. xvii. 16. 57 Gen. xvii. 17. Rosenmüller has observed from the meaning of the root, that this was not merely the laugh of joy, but of hysterical emotion. It is not to be confounded 55 The meaning of the name Sarai with Sarah's laugh of incredulity is uncertain. St. Jerome's explana- (xviii. 12), to which, however, the tion is, that the change was from naine may also allude; for the mean 54 Gen. xvii. 12, 13. but the covenant was "established with Isaac." He is emphatically called the child of the promise and Ishmael the child of the flesh by the Apostle Paul, who carries out the contrast in a very remarkable passage.' 59 58 Ishmael's share in the temproal promise was confirmed by his circumcision; and the rite is still observed by the Arabs and other Semitic races. It was also practiced by the ancient Egyptians, who affirmed that "the Syrians in Palestine" had learned it from them. They used it for physical reasons only, and it is consistent with God's manner of symbolic teaching that a rite already existing should have been adopted in a new religious sense; but we must not hastily accept the statement that it was thus borrowed.60 59 Gen. xix. 25. 60 Herod. ii. 104. See the Diction ing of divinely chosen words is very NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. (A.) HARAN. native of that place (Gen. xv. 2). It has been adduced as an argument for THE ingenious theory, maintained Dr. Beke's view that Josephus does not by Dr. Beke in various communica- mention Haran, though he says much tions to the Athenæun,* that Haran is of the residence of Abraham at Dato be identified with a small village, mascus. The strongest point, howwhich still bears the name, about four ever, is the seven days' journey of hours' journey E. of Damascus, seems Laban from Haran to Gilead, a time irreconcilable with its position in suitable to Damascus, but too short Mesopotamia; for the attempt to for the 350 miles from the Euphrates. make the Abana and Pharpar the This would naturally seem decisive to "two rivers" of Aram. Naharaim, and a traveller, going over the ground himso to explain that country, for the oc- self; but biblical critics have learned casion, as the territory of Damascus, by this time with what caution argucan hardly be considered successful. ments from numbers should be reIt is, however, a very interesting fact, ceived, especially against a preponderthat Damascus was already a city in ance of other evidence. The identity the time of Abraham, who probably of the name, and the features of the visited it in his journey, as Eliezer, localities, tell equally in favor of both the "steward of his house," was a sites. *Nov. 23, 1861; Feb. 1, 15, March 1, 29, May 24, 1862. For the letters of Sir H. Rawlinson and others, in favor of the Mesopotamian Haran, see the Athenæum," Nov. 0, (B.) THE CANAANITES. The Canaanites, who inhabited the Dec. 7, 1861; March 22, April 6, 19, May 24, Holy Land when Abraham entered 1862. it, were the descendants of Canaan, |