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old man is fetting out on his journey, and travelling towards Egypt. It was indeed late in life for fo great an undertaking. The length of the way, the infirmities of age, the difficulty of removing from home with fo large a family to a diftant country, might fuf ficienty have juftified his continuance in Canaan; but these are no obstacles to the affectionate parentIt is enough; Fofeph my fon, is yet alive, I will go and fee him before I die.

In his way he came to Beer-fheba. This was a place peculiarly dear to him: It was the refidence of his illuf trious ancestors. Here Abraham had dwelt, and worfhipped: Here Ifaac had lived, and offered facrifice : At an altar which himself had built, did the father of the venerable Patriarch before us, here call upon the name of

the Lord. The name of the place, Beer-fheba, fignifies, "an oath," with reference to the oath which God fware unto Abraham, whereby he made a covenant with him, and his feed for éver. Here it was, at the very altar where his father had facrificed before him, that Jacob came, and offered facrifices to the God of his father Ifaac. How expreffive is the appellation, the God of his father Ifaac! It was a title which the Deity himself was pleased to accept. The author of the epiftle to the Hebrews, fpeaking of the Patriarchs, tells us, that God is not afhamed to be called their God And how often God. do we find him ftyling himself the God of Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob-The God whom Abraham and Ifaac worfhipped, is Jacob's God alfo. Inftructed from his early youth in the knowledge of the God of his fathers, we see

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Jacob, now that he is old and greyheaded, obferving the pious cuftom of his ancestors, kneeling at the fame confecrated fpot, where his fathers had often knelt, and addreffing his prayers to the fame all-gracious Being whofe mercies they had often there acknowledged. This was the covenant God of his family, who had fworn by himfelf to blefs them the God who had called Abraham from his country, his kindred, and his father's houfe,to make of him a great nation_who had given him a fon in his old age, the heir of the promises made to him and his feed who had delivered that fon, when his father was tempted to flay him for a burnt offering on the mount of the Lord who had directed the fervant of Abraham to meet with Rebecca, when fent by his mafter to take a wife for his fon Ifaac__who had

transferred the bleffing of primogeniture from a profane Efau to the head of him who now ftands worshipping

the God who protected him when he fled from the violence of his brother Efau who enabled him to fupport the hard fervitude of his kinfman Laban_who had made him father of a numerous fainily and was now about to bless the eyes of their aged parent with the fight of them all, and his long loft Jofeph among the rest, affembled once more around him.

SUCH was He whom Jacob worfhipped at Beer-fheba.

He offered facrifices unto the God of his father Ifaac; for religious worship in those days appears to have principally confifted in facrifices. By offering unto God the fruit of the in

creafe of their cattle, and of their ground,they intended,to acknowledge his univerfal dominion over them, to implore the pardon of their fins, and to entreat the continuance of the divine mercy and favour for themselves and their families. This was the practice of the earlieft times; Cain who was an hufbandman, brought of the fruit of the ground; and Abel who was a keeper of fheep, brought of the firftlings of his flock, an offering unto the Lord; each brought the produce of his fubftance; the fhepherd of his flock, and the hufbandman of his field. The reason why the offering of Abel was accepted, and not that of Cain,does not appear to have been on account of any preference fhewn to the quality of his facrifice, but rather to the purer character of the worshipper. God faid to Cain, If thou doeft well fhalt

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