should be his and his seed's; and he lived and acted upon that promise all his life long. Against present appearances, and all things that are called human probabilities, he maintained an unshaken confidence in the fulfilment of the promise, and took all his measures accordingly. As he had buried Sarah in it under this assured expectation, so he would not allow Isaac on any account to remove out of it; he would not seem to frustrate the promise made to him, but would take every means to secure its accomplishment.

We also have a promise, a promise of another country, a better land, even a heavenly inheritance. Let us live in faith of this. Let us learn to make all our earthly arrangements with a view to it, and bring up our families, and order all things concerning them in such a way as may best secure it for them, as well as for ourselves.

As I endeavoured to shew you from the call of Abraham that we must come out from the world, and seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, so now we learn

from his example that we must never be forgetful of this our high and holy calling, but through our whole lives remain steadfastly intent upon the final enjoyment of it. We may learn from him to subordinate all the circumstances of the present life to this one great concern. Every purpose and plan should be laid with a view to promote it; every means should be adopted, and faithfully persevered in, which may help to further it; and in short every thing that we undertake or do should express our firm and unvarying conviction of the reality, the importance, the glory, and happiness, of heaven. We should

choose our places of residence, we should follow our appointed occupations, we should order and conduct all the affairs of our private, social, and public lives, as those who are fully persuaded of these things, and intensely desirous to obtain them. It is the want of that influential faith, which the Apostle, on account of its influence, describes as being the "substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen," that makes us so negligent of divine things. A

practical unbelief rules in the hearts of most men, even though there may be an acknowledged admission of the great truths which have respect to the eternal world and this unbelief will exclude us from an entrance into the kingdom of heaven, even as it excluded the Israelites, who came out of Egypt, from an entrance into Canaan. For "to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not."

I cannot now enter into the narration, which is given with most beautiful simplicity in the remaining part of the chapter, of the manner in which Abraham's servant executed his commission. We see from it how well he knew, and how entirely he depended upon, the God of his master. We see his piety in the prayer which he offered for guidance and success, and in the praise which he presented when his journey was made prosperous. You will read it at your homes, and there you will see how Abraham's desire on account of his son was fulfilled, and how Rebekah became the wife of Isaac.

I will however observe to you that, when

you have read the whole, you may see a not unapt representation of the commission given by our Lord and master Jesus Christ to his servants in reference to yourselves. The spiritual marriage and union that is between Christ and his church is often spoken of in the holy scriptures. By one of his prophets God declares, "I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving-kindness, and in mercies." In a parable of the Gospel he represents himself as "a certain king which made a marriage for his son:" and the Apostle Paul says to his Corinthian converts, "I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." We come on the same errand to you, even that we may induce you to unite yourselves unto Christ in the bonds of a holy and spiritual contract. We would engage your first and best affections to him. We would tell you of his greatness and his glory, and his goodness; we would you of the unsearchable riches of Christ, as Abraham's servant told of the greatness

tell

and riches of his master; and we would gain you over, if it were possible, and win your whole souls for our adorable Lord.

Believers, you may consider yourselves as already standing in such a relation unto Christ as the wife does unto the husband, yea, and you may also look upon him as being unto you what the husband is unto the wife. He "nourisheth and cherisheth" his church; and having loved his own that are in the world, he will love you unto the end. The marriages which we form upon earth are dissolved by death, but this is perfected by that solemn event. But oh! remember, that as the husband is the head of the wife, so is Christ the head of the church. Be therefore subject unto him in all things. Let reverence, love, and obedience be ever manifested by you. In every thing regard his honour as dearer to you than life. Forget not at any time the duty which you owe him, and let your whole lives be truly and affectionately devoted to the fulfilment of all his will and pleasure.