s a truly blessed thing to be able to
say--that floods and earthquakes, fire and storms, come from the
Lord whose name is Love; the same Lord who walked with Adam in the
garden, who brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, who was
born on earth of the Virgin Mary, who shed his life-blood for sinful
man, who wept over Jerusalem even when he was about to destroy it so
that not one stone was left on another, and who, when he looked on
the poor little children of Judaea, untaught or mistaught, enslaved
by the Romans, and but too likely to perish or be carried away
captive in the fearful war which was coming on their land, said of
them, 'It is not the will of your Father in heaven, that one of
these little ones shall perish.' Him at least we can trust, in the
dark and dreadful things of this world, as well as in the bright and
cheerful ones; and say with Job, 'Though he slay me, yet will I
trust in him. I have received good from the hands of the Lord, and
shall I not receive evil?'

SERMON V. ABRAHAM

(First Sunday in Lent)

GENESIS xvii. 1, 2. And when Abram was ninety years old and nine,
the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty
God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

I have told you that the Bible reveals, that is, unveils the Lord
God, Jesus Christ our Lord, and through him God the Father Almighty.
I have tried to show you how the Bible does so, step by step. I go
on to show you another step which the Bible takes, and which
explains much that has gone before.

From whom did Moses and the holy men of old whom Moses taught get
their knowledge of God, the true God?

The answer seems to be--from Abraham.

God taught Moses more, much more than he taught Abraham. It was
Moses who bade men call God Jehovah, the I AM; but who, hundreds of
years before, taught them to call him the Almighty God?

The answer seems to be, Abraham. God, we read, appeared to Abraham,
and said to him, 'Get thee out of thy country, and from thy father's
house, unto a land that I shall show thee, and I will make of thee a
great nation.' And again the Lord said to him, 'I am the Almighty
God, walk before me and be thou perfect, and thou shalt be a father
of many nations.'

'And Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for
righteousness. And he was called the friend of God.'

But from what did Abraham turn to worship the living God? From
idols? We are not certain. There is little or no