vants, as they were brethren. He then wisely proposed that they should separate, as it was now evident that they could not any longer live together with the same convenience as they had done hitherto, now that their flocks had so much increased.

He then gave Lot the choice of living in any part he thought he should like best, saying, that he would take what Lot refused; though he might well have claimed the choice himself, as he was in every respect a greater and a better man than Lot, and also his uncle. Lot readily agreed to this proposal, and seeing that all the plain of Jordan was well watered every where, even as the garden of the Lord, he chose it as his portion. So they parted, and Lot settled in the plain of Jordan, pitching his tent towards Sodom, the inhabitants of which exceeded in wickedness the worst of sinners.

13. When Lot was gone, Abram stayed in the land of Canaan still, and God renewed to him and to his seed for ever, the gift of that land, saying to him, "Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art, northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the

earth so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee." Then Abram, removed his tent, and went and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron; and there he built an altar unto the Lord.

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14. In a short time after, a memorable battle was fought by four kings against five; which is the first pitched battle we have any account of in sacred history. The occasion of it was this: Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, had held five petty kings in subjection to him for some years; one of them being the king of Sodom. length they rebelled against him; on which he determined, with the assistance of three other kings who joined him, to bring them to their former subjection. But the five kings, rather than submit, resolved to try their fate by fighting a battle, in which they were defeated. The vale of Siddim, where the battle was fought, was full of slime pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, in their flight, fell there, while others fled to the mountains. After the rout, the conquerors plundered the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, carried away all the goods and provisions, and made the

inhabitants prisoners, amongst whom was Abram's nephew, Lot, who had some time before gone to dwell in Sodom. A few made their escape, one of whom came and brought the news of this defeat and of the capture

of Lot to Abram, who remained still near the oak that belonged to Mamre, who, with his two brothers, Eshcol and Aner, were friends of Abram.

15. When Abram heard that his nephew was taken captive, he armed three hundred and eighteen servants who had been trained to bear arms, and accompanied by his three friends went in pursuit of the enemy as far as Dan. The night being favourable to his design, he divided his servants into small parties, attacking them on all sides at once. This sudden and unexpected attack in the dead of the night, upon a victorious army, laden with spoil, struck them with such terror and consternation, that Abram gained an easy victory; Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him were slain; their whole army routed and pursued as far as Hobah, which was on the left of Damascus. Thus Abram rescued Lot and all the other captives, and recovered the whole of the goods which had been taken.

16. The first that congratulated Abram upon his victory was the king of Sodom who went out to meet him

on his return, and in thankful acknowledgment of the benefit he had received from Abram's assistance and courage, offered to make him a present of the goods he had retaken, desiring him only to restore the prisoners. This, Abram refused, saying to the king, "I have lifted up mine hand unto the Lord, the Most High God, the possessor of heaven and earth; that I will not take any thing that is thine, from a thread even to a shoelatchet, lest thou shouldst say, I have made Abram rich: save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion."

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The next that congratulated Abram on his success was Melchizedek, king of Salem, and the priest of the Most High God, who, meeting him on his return from the battle, brought forth bread and wine, to refresh him and his men on their march home. then gave him a blessing in these words: Blessed be Abram by the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth and blessed be the Most High God, who hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand." Abram then, in acknowledgment of God, gave him a tithe or tenth of all the spoil he had taken.

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LTHOUGH Abram had made his name famous by the prominent part he had taken in the victory over the kings of Assyria, he was only a stranger in the land in which he dwelt. For though God had promised to give it to him and to his seed after him, he did not then possess one foot of it. He might therefore be apprehensive that the Assyrians, whom he had defeated, would endeavour to repair the loss they had sustained, by making war

against him. But any fears he might have entertained on that account were soon allayed; for God came to him in a vision and said, "Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward."

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2. Abram, then, in the language of complaint, said, that God had not yet given him a child, and that the only heir he had was one of his own servants. But God graciously assured him that this servant should not be his heir, but his own child who should yet be born. He then brought Abram forth and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: so shall thy seed be. I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.” But Abram desired some assurance of these things; so God renewed His covenant with him and accompanied it with a solemn ceremony after the following manner: "Take,” said He,