SERMON I.

ABRAHAM AND LOT.

GEN. xiii. 10, 11.

Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan.

THE lesson to be gained from the history of Abraham and Lot is obviously this, that nothing but a clear apprehension of things unseen, a simple trust in God's promises, and the greatness of mind thence arising, can make us act above the world, indifferent, or almost so, to its comforts, enjoyments, and friendships; or in other words, that its goods corrupt the common run even of religious men who possess them. Lot, as well as Abraham, may be considered as leaving his own country "by faith," in obedience to God's command; yet on a further trial, in which

the will of God was not so clearly signified, the one came short, the other remained upright. Abraham became the "father of all them that believe;" Lot lost the especial hope of his calling,-lost the privileges of his election: whatever righteousness or religious principle he might retain, yet certainly he fell back into the number of common men, who are religious to a certain point, and inconsistent in their lives, not aiming at perfection.

His history may be divided into three parts :first, from the time of his setting out with Abraham from Haran, to their separation; then from his settlement in the cities of the plain (as they are called), of which Sodom was one, till his captivity and rescue; and lastly, from his return to Sodom, to his escape thence to the mountain, under the Angel's guidance, when the Scripture history loses sight of him. Let us review these in order.

1. When Abraham and Lot first came into the land of Canaan they had received, as it seems, no divine direction where they were to settle. They first came to Sichem; thence they went on to the neighbourhood of Bethel; at length a famine drove them down to Egypt; and after this the history of their temptation (for so it must be called) begins.

Abraham and Lot had given up this world at the word of God; but a more difficult trial remained. Though never easy, yet it is easier to set our hearts on religion, when we have nothing else to engage them or to take some one decided step, which

throws us out of our line of life, and in a manner forces upon us what we should naturally shrink from; than to possess in good measure the goods of this world, and yet love God supremely. Many a man might make a sacrifice of his worldly interests from impulse; and then having little to unsettle him, he is enabled to hold fast his religion, and serve God consistently and acceptably. Of course men who make such sacrifices, often evidence much strength of character in making them, which might be Lot's case when he left his country. But it is even a greater thing, it requires a clearer, steadier, nobler faith, to be surrounded with worldly goods, yet to be self-denying ; to consider ourselves but stewards of God's bounty, and to be "faithful in all things" committed to us. In this then lay the next temptation which befel the two patriarchs. God gave them riches and importance. When they went down to Egypt, Abraham was honourably received by the king of the country. Soon after, it is said that Abraham had "sheep, and oxen, and he-asses, and men-servants, and maidservants, and she-asses, and camels:" again, that "Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold;" and presently, that "Lot also... had flocks, and herds, and tents." The consequence was, that, on their return to Canaan, their households and cattle had become too numerous for one place: "The land was not able to bear them, that they

1 Gen. xi. 16. xiii. 2. 5.

might dwell together; for their substance was great so that they could not dwell together1." Their servants quarrelled in consequence; each party, for instance, endeavouring to secure the richest pastures, and the best supplied wells. This discordance in the chosen family was, of course, very unseemly, as witnessed by idolaters, the Canaanities, and Perizzites, who lived in the neighbourhood. Abraham accordingly proposed a friendly separation, and left it to Lot to choose what part of the country he would settle in. Here was the trial of Lot's faith, which gave way. It so happened its most fruitful region (the plain of Jordan) was in the hands of an abandoned people, the inhabitants of Sodom, Gomorrah, and the neighbouring cities. Now the wealth which Lot had hitherto enjoyed had been given him as a pledge of God's favour, and had its chief value as coming from Him. But surely he forgot this, and esteemed it for its own sake, when he allowed himself to be attracted by the richness and beauty of a guilty and devoted country. The prosperity of a wicked people could not be accounted a mark of God's love,-as he should have considered; but he went the way of the world, in making wealth the measure of all things, and the end of life. In the words of the text, "Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where

even as

the garden of Eden... And Lot chose him all the

plain of Jordan . . . and

pitched his tent toward

1 Gen. xiii. 6.