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But I was going to say how ashamed Abram was. Yes; when the long train of people and animals moved on and passed through the streets of Egypt, with their faces northward, the people from the houses would look at him, and talk of him again. Nobody called him a great man-no matter how much he had taught them before, they did not consider him a wise man. They would say to one another, "What is the use of all his learning if he has not learned to speak the truth? He has made his God angry! That is not wise." And, all the while, Abram would hold down his head.

W. I feel very sorry for Abram, papa. I'm sure I should not have liked to see him hold down his head. I had been thinking that he was so good a man, and I was beginning to look up to him.

P. Well, Willie, it is a good thing to look up to those who are older and better than yourself. I like you to feel a reverence for all that is good. But, remember this, that any man in this world whom you may reverence, will certainly go in the wrong way sometimes-even should he be the best man in the world. Only the great God, whom we are told to serve with reverence and holy fear, is perfectly good.

Ion. Yes; I have often heard that no one can always do right.

P. So Abram could not. But as he had learned to love God, and had received His Spirit, he had the root of all good within him. You shall now see how it sprang up, and brought forth good fruit again.

Abram and Lot continued their journey from Egypt until they once more reached Bethel. But here they found a difficulty which they had not met with before. We read that "Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold." The flocks and herds of both Abram and Lot had increased very much; and, when their servants drove them into the pastures, they found that there was not sufficient room for them. The famine, no doubt, had been removed by this time, so that the grass grew up fresh and green; but the cattle grew also, and multiplied. We find, therefore, that the servants who tended the cattle could not agree. The servants of Lot would drive their sheep into a field; and, when the servants of Abram came with their cattle, they would be told to go somewhere else. Then, perhaps, when they found that there was no-where else, they would return to the same place and drive their cattle amongst the sheep of Lot without asking permission. The servants of Lot would perhaps try to drive them back, using rude words to Abram's servants.

W. And perhaps they would strike them with the sticks they used for driving the cattle-that would be rather rude!

P. I cannot say that they would do that, but it appears that angry feelings were rising amongst them very fast. So, when it reached the ears of Abram that Lot's servants had been driving his cattle away— Ion. Then he would be angry too.

P. The Spirit of God would not let him be angry. We read of God that He is "slow to anger," and he who has God's Spirit will be slow to anger likewise. Abram, therefore, would think first. He would perhaps say to himself, "The men are only trying to serve their master, Lot; it is not my fault, or their fault, that the land is not larger. They are very foolish to quarrel, but I will not be angry with them."

L. No; he would only be sorry for them.

P. And, of course, he would not be angry with Lot; he would say, "I will see Lot, and will talk to him about it." I dare say that, while one of the men ran to fetch Lot, Abram would pray to God, and would ask Him for His Spirit to guide him in doing what was right. Then Abram would sit and ask what would be the most reasonable thing to do. His reason, which would be guided by God's Spirit, would say to him, "If there is not room for both of you, you must either have less cattle or more land." Then he would think, "It would not be right to kill the cattle without a cause; and yet the land is not large enough." So at last he would see that God did not mean them to live together, and that one of them must go to another place, farther off. Perhaps God gave them such large flocks and herds that they might be obliged to separate.

So, when Lot came to meet his old uncle Abram, I dare say that they talked together in a friendly way; and that after a little while you might have seen them ascending a rather high place, still talking together until they had nearly reached the top. Here they would stop, and from the heights on which they stood, they would look around on the prospect beneath them.

L. What did they do that for?

P. That one of them might choose another place to dwell in.

As they looked around them, they could see many broad lands, and a beautiful fertile vale, with the river Jordan flowing through it; in the distance, perhaps, there were blue mountains, and many strange places which they had not seen. After they had stood, silently gazing on the scene for some time, Abram spoke. You would, perhaps, expect him to say, "As I am older than you are, Lot, I have the right to choose first so, as I have the right to choose, you shall hear what I am going to do."

Ion. Yes; and that would be quite right and proper.

P. But, Ion, it is often a wise thing not to do only what is right and proper, but even to do more. This is the wisdom which God's Spirit taught to Abram when he asked for it; and now listen to the kind words which it brought forth.

"And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left."

''Tis religion that can give

Sweetest pleasures while we live;

'Tis religion must supply
Solid comfort when we die.

After death, its joys will be
Lasting as eternity.

Be the living God my friend,
Then my bliss shall never end.

A MISSIONARY HYMN.

"Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature."-MARK xv. 1.

SPREAD the tidings of salvation,

Spread them far from shore to shore;

Unto every heathen nation

Tell of Him the cross who bore;

Spread the Gospel

Until darkness be no more.

Long, too long, this nation's glory
Hath on violence been built;
Sung in song, and told in story,
Are her many deeds of guilt;
Now the Gospel

Bids that blood no more be spilt.

Mighty empires we have founded,
Millions own our Sovereign's sway;
Loud let Zion's trump be sounded,
So that all may bless the day
When the Gospel

Bade the spoiler's hand to stay.
Send the pastor, and the teacher,
Build the church, the school erect;

And let every zealous preacher
All the glorious light reflect
Of the Gospel;

So we hope and so expect!
Scoffers by the great St. Lawrence,
Pagans by the Ganges' tide,-
Look not on them with abhorrence,
'Twas for such the Saviour died;
Spread the Gospel

Through Australia's regions wide.
All the Christian church may render
Aid in this great work of good;
Not alone by those who wander
Forth, by wilderness and flood,
Are the Gospel

Workers to be understood.

Each within his sphere, according

To his means, may smooth the way;

He shall meet a high rewarding

At the final reckoning day,
Who the Gospel

Precepts seeketh to obey.

What are these? Love one another;

Give, as ye would have it given;

Strive to save a fallen brother;

Sinners teach the way to heaven!

As the Gospel

Teachers, have we wrought and striven?

H. G. ADAMS.

LOT IN SODOM.

"And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east; and they separated themselves the one from the other. Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.

"And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations; that these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela which is Zoar. And the vale of Siddin was full of slimepits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain. And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way. And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew.

"And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people. And the king of Sodon went out to meet him. And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine; and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: and blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all."— GEN. xiii. 10-13; xiv. 1, 2, 10-20.

Lor was well pleased with his uncle's proposal, and did not hesitate to accept of it. He therefore looked around him from the height on which he stood, and his eye rested on a most inviting prospect. There lay beneath him the beautiful vale of Siddim, in which was the plain of Jordan. This plain was well watered everywhere, for through it flowed the fine river Jordan. Perhaps it reminded Lot of the rich valley of the Nile, from which they had lately come; and when he saw the luxuriant trees, and vegetation, and the fair cities scattered here and there in the distance; when he saw that the valley was long, broad, and warm, not only suited for pasture land, but appearing like a paradise, he determined to remove there with all his riches. He would, however, have been a wiser man if he had stopped a minute to think. He knew very well, no doubt, that the men of Sodom who lived in that vale were "wicked, and sinners before the Lord exceedingly." So, if he had been as wise a man as Abram, he would have said to himself, "I will wait two or three days and inquire; and I will ask God to guide me that I may choose properly."

W. Ah, he wanted the "cautious principle."

P. Yes; and he wanted the principle of faith. He ought to have known more about the Providence of God that ruleth over all things. He parted with Abram, and "journeyed east" until he had nearly reached Sodom, where he pitched his tent.

It appears that after a time Lot changed his mode of life, and instead of wandering about as a shepherd, he took a house in the town; and sent forth his shepherds to take care of the flocks and herds, in the pasture land.

Lot had not dwelt long in Sodom before he found suddenly that the people were all very busy-the young men especially-in preparing for battle. At this period a large portion of the world was governed by a nation called the Assyrians. The Assyrians had, some time ago, conquered the people dwelling in Sodom and the neighbourhood, and to keep them in subjection, they had appointed a man called Chedorlaomer to be governor, or viceroy, over all their conquests west of the Euphrates. Part of Chedorlaomer's business was to see that the kings of the cities paid their tributes regularly every year, which tribute was perhaps a large sum of money. This payment the king of Sodom and his neighbours had not failed to make for the last twelve years; but now, in the thirteenth year, five of the kings agreed together that they would not pay tribute any longer; and when Chedorlaomer asked them for the money, they refused to give it. Chedorlaomer therefore crossed the river Euphrates with an army of men led by three other kings whom he had commanded to help him; and as soon as he had reached Sodom, the King of Sodom and four other kings went forth to give him battle.

W. What a number of kings, papa! There were four kings fighting against five-there were nine kings altogether.

P. True; but you must not suppose that they were such kings as the King of England or of France. They were "shepherd kings" ruling over small states, with not much more power than some of the chiefs of Africa now have. Lot saw them going forth to battle, but he did not join them. Perhaps he was anxious about his cattle and other riches on the plain. He soon had still more reason to be anxious, for he could see far off in the plain a cloud of dust, and men running in great haste towards Sodom, with bad news; they told how, after they had fought for some time, Chedorlaomer had defeated them-how he had driven them before him to the vale of Siddin, where the slimepits were; and had even driven some of the kings and their people into the pits. More men soon followed these, and rushing breathlessly into the city they quickly gathered together their wives and little ones, and their goods, and fled to the surrounding mountains. They knew that there was no safety in the city, for that the enemy would soon be there to plunder. Lot, however, did not escape. Before he had time to flee other men followed fast-not Sodomites, but enemies who had come for the purpose of plunder. They not only ransacked every house, but they made captives all the women, children, and other people they found. Lot himself was amongst the prisoners, with his wife, his family, his servants, and all his goods; and soon after you might from

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