admonishing her thereby no more to call him by that deceitful name.
On restoring Sarah to her husband, he endeavoured to make all possible reparation for the evil which he had unwittingly committed. He loaded Abraham with presents, and permitted him to dwell in any part of his dominions ; and gave him a thousand pieces of silver to purchase veils for Sarah and her attendants, that they might no longer tempt his subjects by their beauty c.
Finally, we cannot but admire the utter abhorrence which tins heathen prince expressed of a sin, which is too lightly regarded by the generality of those who call themselves Chris- tians. It is observable that he never once complained of the punishment which he and his family had suffered, nor of the danger to which they had been exposed, but only of their seduction into sin. He considered this as the greatest injury that could have been done to him : and inquired what he had done to provoke Abraham to the commission of it : " What have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and my kingdom a great sin ?" Surely a more striking refutation of Abraham's sentiments concerning him it was not in the power of language to express.]
On this subject we would found " a word of exhor- tation"—
1. Shun every species of equivocation and decep- tion—
[They are rarely to be found who will under all circum- stances rigidly adhere to truth. Many who would not choose to utter a direct and palpable falsehood, will yet put such a colour upon things as to convey an idea quite contrary to truth. To magnify another's faults or to extenuate their own, to raise or depreciate the value of some commodity, to avoid persecution or obtain applause, are temptations which forcibly operate to produce either exaggeration or concealment. In disagreements especially, no person can be fully credited in his own statement. But this is dishonourable to religion. There is scarcely any thing that affords a greater triumph to the enemies of religion, than to find instances of disingenuous- ness in those who profess it. And it requires constant watch- fulness and self-command to speak the truth at all times. O let us beg of God to "put truth in our inward parts:" and let none of us think it beneath him to use that humiliating prayer of David, " Remove from me the way of lying d."]
c This seems to be the sense of ver. 10. " It (the silver) is to thee, &c." d Ps. cxix. 29.