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things in his spirit that made him the murderer of his brother. Our
author points out very clearly the difference between Cain and Abel.
Both sacrificed, but Abel desired righteousness. He had a conscience of
sin, and sought reconciliation with God through his offering. Indeed,
some of the most ancient authorities, for "God bearing witness in
respect to his gifts," read "he bearing witness to God on the ground of
his gifts;" that is, Abel bore witness by his sacrifice to God's
righteousness and mercy. He was the first martyr, therefore, in two
senses. He was God's witness, and he was slain for his righteousness.
But, whether we accept this reading or the other, the Apostle presents
Abel before us as the man who realised the great moral conception of
righteousness. He sought, not the favours of an arbitrary Sovereign, not
the mere mercy of an omnipotent Ruler, but the peace of the righteous
God. It was through Abel that faith in God thus became the foundation of
true ethics. He acknowledged the immutable difference between right and
wrong, which is the moral theory accepted by the greater saints of the
Old Testament, and in the New Testament forms the groundwork of St.
Paul's forensic doctrine of the Atonement. Moreover, because Abel
witnessed for righteousness by his sacrifice, his blood even cried from
the ground unto God for righteous vengeance. For this is unquestionably
the meaning of the words "and through his faith he being dead yet
speaketh;" and in the next chapter[274] the Apostle speaks of "the
blood of sprinkling, that speaketh a better thing than that of Abel." It
was the blood of one whose faith had grasped firmly the truth of God's
righteousness. His blood, therefore, cried to the righteous God to
avenge his wrong. The Apostle speaks as if he were personifying the
blood and ascribing to the slain man the faith which he had manifested
before. The action of Abel's faith in life and, as we may safely assume,
in the very article of death, retained its power with God. Every
mouthing wound had a tongue. In like manner, says the writer of the
Epistle, the obedience of Jesus up to and in His death made His blood
efficacious for pardon to the end of time.

But Abraham's faith excelled. Abel was prompted to offer sacrifice by
natural religiousness and an awakened conscience; Abraham sternly
resolved to obey a command of God. He prepared to do that against which
nature revolted, yea that which conscience forbade. H