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ABEL.

AND Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and his offering.-Genesis, iv. 4. They were wont to speak in old time, saying, They shall surely ask counsel at Abel.--II Samuel, xx. 18.

By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.-Hebrews, xi. 4.

BLOOD has a voice to pierce the skies;
Revenge! the blood of Abel cries:

But the dear stream when Christ was slain,
Speaks peace aloud from every vein.

Watts.

Adjacent rose a myrtle-planted mound,
Whose spiry top a granite fragment crowned.
Tinctured with many-coloured moss the stone,
Rich as a cloud of summer evening shone,
Amid encircling verdure that arrayed
The beauteous hillock with a cope of shade,
"Javan," said Enoch, "on this spot began
The fatal curse;-man perished here by man.
The earliest death a son of Adam died
Was murder, and that murder fratricide!
Here Abel fell a corse along the shore;
Here Cain's recoiling footsteps reeked with gore.
Horror upraised his locks, unloosed his knees;
He heard a voice, he hid among the trees:
-'Where is thy brother?'-from the whirlwind came
The voice of God amidst enfolding flame:

-'Am I my brother's keeper?'-hoarse and low,
Cain muttered from the copse-'that I should know?'

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That mound of myrtles o'er her favourite child
Eve planted, and the hand of Adam piled
Yon mossy stone, above his ashes raised,
His altar once, with Abel's offering blazed,
When God well pleased beheld the flames arise,
And smiled acceptance on the sacrifice."

J. Montgomery.

ABHORRENCE.

AND now am I their song, yea, I am their by-word. They abhor me, they flee far from me.-Job, xxx. 9, 10.

I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. Job, xlii. 5, 6.

Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.-Romans, xii. 9.

FATHER of lights! from whom proceeds
Whate'er thy every creature needs;
Whose goodness providently nigh,
Feeds the young ravens when they cry;
To thee I look, my heart prepare;
Suggest, and hearken to my prayer.

Fain would I know, as known by thee,
And feel the indigence I see:
Fain would I all my vileness own,
And deep beneath the burden groan;
Abhor the pride that lurks within,
Detest and loathe myself and sin.

'Tis a point I long to know,
Oft it causes anxious thought,
Do I love the Lord, or no?
Am I his, or am I not?
Could I joy his saints to meet,
Choose the ways I once abhorred,
Find at times the promise sweet,

If I did not love the Lord?

Wesley.

Newton.

Were half the power that fills the world with terror, Were half the wealth bestowed on camps and courts,

Given to redeem the human mind from error,

There were no need of arsenals nor forts.
The warrior's name would be a name abhorred;
And every nation that should_lift_again
Its hand against a brother, on its forehead
Would wear for evermore the curse of Cain.

Longfellow.

ABIDE-ABODE.

FOR we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.-I. Chronicles, xxix. 15.

The fear of the Lord tendeth to life, and he that hath it shall abide satisfied.-Proverbs, xix. 23.

They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.-Psalm cxxv. 1.

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.-John, xv. 7.

ETERNAL power! whose high abode
Becomes the grandeur of a God-
Infinite lengths beyond the bounds,
Where stars revolve their little rounds.
The lowest step beneath thy seat
Rises too high for Gabriel's feet:
In vain the tall archangel tries

To reach thine height with wondering eyes.

"We've no abiding city here:"

--

Watts.

This may distress the wordly mind;
But should not cost the saint a tear,
Who hopes a better rest to find.
"We've no abiding city here;”
We seek a city out of sight;
Zion its name, the Lord is there,
It shines with everlasting light.
O! sweet abode of peace and love,
Where pilgrims freed from toil are blest;
Had I the pinions of a dove,

I'd fly to thee and be at rest.

Sun of my soul! Thou Saviour dear,
It is not night if Thou be near:
Oh, may no earth-born cloud arise
To hide Thee from Thy servant's eyes.
Abide with me from morn till eve,
For without Thee I cannot live.
Abide with me when night is nigh,
For without Thee I dare not die.

Kelly.

Keble.

ABOUND-ABUNDANCE.

THE Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.-Exodus, xxxiv. 6.

A faithful man shall abound with blessings; but he that maketh haste to be rich, shall not be innocent.-Proverbs, xxviii. 20.

Therefore as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.-II. Corinthians, viii. 7.

We beseech you brethren and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ve have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.-I. Thessalonians, iv. 1.

Unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.--Ephesians, iii. 20.

Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.--Matthew, xii. 34.

GOD on thee

Abundantly his gifts hath also poured,

Inward and outward both.

Good the more

Milton.

Communicated, more abundant grows;

The author not impaired but honoured more.

The God of Nature and of Grace

In all his works appears;

His goodness through the earth we trace,
His grandeur in the spheres.

Behold this fair and fertile globe,
By Him in wisdom planned;
'Twas He who girded, like a robe,
The ocean round the land.

His blessings fall in plenteous showers

Upon the lap of earth,

Milton.

That teems with foliage, fruit, and flowers,
And rings with infant mirth.

If God hath made this world so fair,

Where sin and death abound;

How beautiful beyond compare
Will Paradise be found!

J. Montgomery.

ABOVE.

THE Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them.-Deuteronomy, xxviii. 13.

The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. -Psalm cxiii. 4.

He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is aboce all.-John, iii. 31.

BE this my one great business here,
With serious industry and fear,

Eternal bliss to ensure:
Thine utmost counsel to fulfil,
And suffer all thy righteous will,
And to the end endure.

Then Saviour, then, my soul receive,
Transported from this vale to live
And reign with thee above;
Where faith is sweetly lost in sight,
And hope in full supreme delight,
And everlasting love.

Descend from heaven immortal Dove,
Stoop down and take us on thy wings,
And mount and bear us far above

The reach of these inferior things.

Beyond, beyond this lower sky,
Up where eternal ages roll;
Where solid pleasures never die,

And fruits immortal feast the soul.

Rise my soul and stretch thy wings,
Thy better portion trace;

Rise from transitory things,

Towards heaven, thy native place.

Sun, and moon, and stars decay;
Time shall soon this earth remove;

Rise, my soul, and haste away

To seats prepared above.

Wesley.

Watts.

Cennick.

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