sin has no community of people, laws, customs, king, privilege, or religion, with the city of salvation in Jesus Christ. Our original home is under the god of this world, the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience, and the irreconcileable enemy of the God of heaven. Adoption into the inheritance of the saints in light, is utterly inconsistent with conformity to a world that lieth in wickedness. Abram, beyond Euphrates, was beyond the limits of the spiritual territory of God; for he was in the land of idolatry: and therefore, he must hear and obey the command, Get thee out of thy country, into another, and a very different country-the type of Immanuel's land, in grace and glory.

Many commentators have contended for a double call of Abram: one in Ur of the Chaldees, before the death of Terah; and another after that event took place; and apparently with good reason. Two several calls of God are made to Abram, one in Chaldea, the other in Haran. His first summons was a general command to leave the place of his birth, "Ur of the Chaldees." "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred;" but it makes no mention of his father's house; for that he took along with

him. The Holy Ghost, indeed, has ascribed the conduct of this journey to Terah, (Gen. xi. 31.) as if he had received the call, and had been the chief mover in this sacred migration. But that the call was made to Abram is clear and decisive. He dwelt, therefore, in Haran, until the death of Terah, a period of fourteen years. But when afterwards God calls him from Haran, He bids him depart from his father's house, as well as he had done from his country and kindred before. He therefore now leaves his brother Nahor, and all his kindred, Lot excepted, behind him. ?

Mesopotamia is often put for that part of Asia which is separated from Syria, by the river Euphrates; and, sometimes more strictly for the country between the rivers Euphrates and Tigris, whence indeed it has its name. When

St. Stephen therefore affirms, that God appeared unto Abram in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, he takes it in its largest sense, as comprehending Shinar or Chaldea. Abram's subsequent migration was into Syria, where Canaan was situated.

(II.) The manner wherein this divine commu

1 Joshua xxiv. 2. Acts vii. 2.

2 Leighton VIII. 110.

nication was made to Abram, is hidden in much obscurity. The Holy Ghost has not seen good to tell us whether it was given in a dream to the sleeper; in a waking vision of the night; by some secret impulses conveyed to his mind; or in a still higher and more mysterious manner. St. Stephen has described the transaction in terms which seem to point out the second Person in the Godhead, as the Messenger of his own will to the patriarch. The God of glory appeared unto, or was seen by, our father Abram. The WORD was often thus described to the early saints, with reference to His Incarnation. 1

That such manifestations were afterwards made to this favoured servant of Jehovah, we cannot doubt. 2 And the consideration is most cheering; the gracious position in which it places lost and ruined man, most encouraging; the aspect of God's love, in thus going into the wilderness of an idolatrous land, to seek and to save one sheep that was lost, before He came in very deed to make his appointed sojourn upon earth, most endearing; and at the same time, entirely in character with all the stupend

1 Psalm xxiv. 7, 8. Isa. xl. 5. lx. 2. 1 Cor. ii. 8.

2 Gen. xviii. 1, &c.

ous acts of Incarnate Love. It would therefore, have been unjust to the divine record, were I to have omitted the holy martyr's testimony, and with it my belief, that the words may be literally understood, for the comfort of those who feel in their spiritual unworthiness and destitution, a necessity of knowing that the Lord their Redeemer, hath no limits in the condescension of his saving tenderness.

(III.) Is it asked, Whence originated this command of God to Abram? We are at no loss for the answer. It was the spontaneous and unsought interference of divine goodness. It was neither of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God who sheweth mercy; and well did the heart of Abram understand it thus to be. As one, whose knowledge and worship of Jehovah were awfully debased by idolatry, he could have no possible claim to the favour of that jealous God, whom his superstition so greatly dishonoured, and surely none to a distinction in the household of salvation, so amazing, as to be called the father of the faithful, and the friend of God. He possessed not even the claim of birthright over his brethrenthe usual ground of all outward religious distinctions. For although he is named first among

1

the sons of Terah, yet is it rather with reference to his illustrious station and prerogative in the Redeemer's church, than according to his family standing and privilege. He was seventyfive years old, at the time of going forth from Haran. At this period Terah was dead, aged two hundred and five years; so that at Abram's birth, he must have already lived one hundred and thirty years; whereas he is said to have been seventy years old, when he begat, or began to beget his children, Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Abram, then, was in all probability the youngest of his father's sons. At all events he could not possibly have been the eldest. purposes of God were never intended to be exhibited and meted out, according to the order and measure of human expectances and calculations. Jesse offered his eldest son to Samuel, to be anointed king over Israel; and then all the rest of his children, according to priority of age, before he thought of presenting David, the youngest born. But when the stripling came from the field, the word of the Lord said to

1 Gen. xi. 27.

The

2 In the same manner it is stated, (Gen. v. 32.) that Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth; where Shem for dignity is named first, as Abraham here, and Japheth the eldest is named last, as Haran in this place.