HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vere. 22-34.-A covenant between the patriarch and the Philistine king. .Abra- ham a sojourner in that land, afterwards the troubler of Israel ; for his sake ns disci- pline, for their sakes as opportunity. 1. God's care for those beyond the covenant. A Beersheba in a heathen land. 2. The things of this world made a channel of higher blessings. The covenant arising out of bodily wants a civil agreement. The oath a testimony to God where reverently made. 3. He is not far from every one of us. The neighbourhood of Beersheba, the revelation of Jehovah, the little company of believers. 4. The blessing made manifest. The days spent in Philistia left behind them some enlightenment. 5 . .Adaptation of Divine truth to those to whom it is sent. .Abraham's name of God, Jehovah El Olam; the two revelations, the God of nature and the God of grace. The name of the Lord itself an invitation to believe 11.nd live. Paul at .Athens adapted himself in preaching to the people's knowledge while leading them to faith.-R. '
EXPOSITION. by the historian not because vors. 1-13 CH.APTER XXII. nre Elohistic (Tuch, Bleck, Do,•iuson,)-11 Yer. 1.-And it came to pass-the allci:(ed hypothesis inconsistent with the intcmnl mythical character of the present narrative unity of the chapter, "which is joined together (De Wette, Bohlen) is discredited not more like cast-iron" (Oenler), and in pnrticulnr by express Scripture statement (Heh. xi. 17 with the uso of Moriah in vcr. 2 (Hengsten- -19) than by its own inherent difficulties- berg),-bnt to indicnte the h·ue origin of c.fter-how long after may be conjectured the after-mcntioneJ trial, which proceeded from the circumstance that Isaac was now neither from Satanic instigation nor from a grown Jn.d, capable of undertaking a three subjective impulse, but from God (Keil)- <ln.vs' journey of upwards of sixty ID:ile_s-these did tempt-not solicit to sin (James i. 13), things (liternlly, words, of benediction, pro- but test or prove (Exod. xvi. 4 ; Deut. ,iii. mise, trial that had gone before-that God- 2; xiii. 3 ; 2 Chron. xxxii. 31 ; Ps. xxvi. 2) Jiterall y, the Elohim, i e. neithe; Satan, as -Abraham, and said unto him,-in a dream- in 1 Citron. xxi 1, ,1ompared with 2 Sam. vision of the night (Eich-horn, Lange), but xxiv. 1 (Schelling, btanley), no~ A~rah_am certainly in an audible voice which previous himself in the sense that a subJcctJ ve 1m- experience enabled him to recognise-Abra- JJU lse o~ the part of the patriarch supplied ham : and he said, Jlehold, here I am. the formal basis of the subsequent transac- "Theso brief introductions of the convers- tion (Kurtz, Oehler); but the El-Olom of eh. ation express the grent tension and nppli• ui 32, the term Elohin. l:>eing employed cation of the hnmnn mind in those momenta C:U. X~tt. 1-10.) THE BOOK OF GENESlS.