most one hundred years old, and Sarah was almost ninety.

One night God said to Abraham. "Come out of your tent, and look up to the sky. What do you see?"

The sky was full of stars, more than could be counted. And God said, "You shall have a great many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and they shall have more children, and they shall have more children, till there are as many people as there are stars in the sky and they shall live in the land of Canaan, and the wicked people shall be turned out of it."

Now Abraham had not even one little child; yet he believed that God would do as he had promised. It was very right in Abraham to believe all that God said; for God always speaks the truth, and keeps his word.

One day, Abraham was sitting in his tent. It was about twelve o'clock in the day, and it was very hot indeed, but the tent was under a tree. Abraham looked up, and he saw three men a little way off. He ran to meet them, and bowed down, and said to one of the men, (6 My lord, pray come and rest yourself, and let me bring a little water to wash your feet, and a little bread for you to eat, and then you can go on your journey." And the men said that they would rest themselves.

Who do you think these men were? They were angels, though they looked like men. They had come from heaven with a message from God

to Abraham. For you know that God sends his angels on messages to men. Angels are often near us, though we cannot see them.

The angels sat outside the tent under the shade of the tree. Sarah was in the tent. Abraham said to Sarah, "Take some flour, and make some cakes, and bake them very quickly." Then Abraham ran to his cattle, and took a fat calf, and said to one of his servants, "Kill it, and roast it quickly."

When it was ready, Abraham brought some butter, and some milk, and the cakes and the calf, and spread the dinner under the tree. The three men began to eat, and Abraham stood by them.

While they were eating, they said to Abraham, "Where is Sarah your wife?" And Abraham said, 'She is in the tent." Then one of the men said, "Sarah, you shall have a son.”

Sarah heard what the angel said, and she could not believe that she would really have a child now she was very old so she laughed to herself.

The angel said, "Why did Sarah laugh? She shall certainly have a son." Then Sarah said, "I did not laugh;" for she was afraid. But the angel said, "You did laugh."

Then the three men got up, and went on farther. Abraham walked with them a little way, and then came back to his tent.

Do you think that God remembered his promise? The next year Sarah had a son. His name was Isaac. He was a good child, and God loved him.

Abraham and Sarah were much pleased with their little son.

So you see that God kept his promise. He had said that Abraham and Sarah should have a little son, and he gave them a son. It was right in Abraham to believe God's promise, and God too was pleased with Abraham for believing what he said.* Sarah did not believe at first: but she believed afterwards;† and God was pleased with her too.

My little children, you should believe all God's promises. What has God promised? To give you the Holy Spirit if you ask him. Do you believe his promise? Then pray to God to give you the Spirit. He will keep his promise; you may be sure that he will.

CHAPTER VII.

ABRAHAM, OR THE TRIAL OF LOVE.

Gen. xxii.

Ar last, Isaac grew up to be a man. in a tent as Abraham and Sarah did. three loved God, and loved each other It was a happy little family.

(Abraham) 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 to perform and therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.-Rom. iv. 20-22.

† Heb. xi. 11.

What

He lov

Now you know that Abraham had a great many things. He had cows and asses, sheep and goats, tents and servants, silver and gold. But he had one thing that he loved more than these. was that? His son, his dear son Isaac. ed him more than anything else he had. Yet there was one Being whom Abraham loved even better still. Who was that? God. Why ought Abraham to love God better than all? Because God had given him all he had.

At last, God said he would try Abraham, to see whether he loved him more than anything in the world more even than he loved his son Isaac.

:

You have heard how Abraham used to burn

lambs upon altars. Now God said to Abraham, "Take your dear son Isaac, and offer him up on an altar in a place that I will show.

Was not this a very hard thing for Abraham to do? But Abraham wished to do all God told him; because Abraham loved God so much. So Abraham cut down some wood to burn; he put the wood upon an ass, and he told two of his servants and Isaac to come with him. He left Sarah in the tent at home. They all four walked on for three days; at last they saw a high hill a great way off.

Abraham knew that was the place where he was to build the altar; so he said to his servants, "Stay here with the ass, while Isaac and I go worship God on the top of the hill." He took the wood off the ass, and bound it round Isaac

and

with a rope. Then he took some fire in one of his hands, and a knife in the other, and Abraham and Isaac walked up the hill together.

Isaac did not know that his father was going to offer him as a sacrifice; he thought that his father would offer a lamb. So he said, "Father." Abraham answered, “Here am I, my son." And Isaac said, "Here is fire and wood; but where is the lamb ?" 66 My son," said Abraham, "God will find a lamb;" but Abraham did not tell Isaac that he was to be the lamb.

At last they came to the top of the hill. Then Abraham took stones, and built an altar; and he took the wood off Isaac's back, and laid it on the altar. Now the time was come, when Isaac must know who was to be the lamb. The rope that had bound the wood was fastened round the hands and feet of Isaac, and he was laid upon the wood like a lamb.

Then Abraham took the knife, and lifted up his hand to kill Isaac, when he heard a voice calling, "Abraham, Abraham." It was an angel speaking from heaven. The angel said, "Do not kill your son or hurt him at all; for now God knows that you love him, because you have given him your only son.

How glad was Abraham to untie the rope that bound Isaac, and to find that he need not kill him.

Abraham saw a ram caught in the bushes by the horns; and he went and took it, and offered it up as a sacrifice instead of Isaac. Abraham thanked