'Abraham, Abraham!' And he answered: 'Here I am.' And he said to him: Lay not thy hand upon the boy, neither do thou any thing to him; now I know that thou fearest God, and hast not spared thy onlybegotten son for My sake.' Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw behind his back a ram among the briers, sticking fast by the horns, which he took and offered for a holocaust instead of his son. And he called the name of that place The Lord seeth.'

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And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, saying: 'By Mine own self have I sworn, saith the Lord, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not spared thine only-begotten son for My sake, I will bless thee, and I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand that is by the seashore; thy seed shall possess the gates of their enemies; and in THY SEED shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed My voice.'

Isaac willingly carrying the wood of the sacrifice up Mount Moria, is a figure of Jesus Christ carrying His cross, as the willing Divine Victim about to be offered in sacrifice upon it. He was offered, as the Prophet Isaias says, because He willed it.

§ 14. The Marriage of Isaac and Rebecca.

Now Abraham was old and advanced in age, and the Lord had blessed him in all things. And he said to the elder servant of his house, who was ruler over all that he had: 'Swear to me, by the God of heaven and earth, that thou take not a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I dwell; but that thou go to my own country and kindred, and take a wife from thence for my son Isaac.'

The servant set out on his journey, and went to the abode of Bathuel the son of Nachor, Abraham's brother, where he was received into the house, and delivered the message of his master. It was agreed that Rebecca, Bathuel's daughter, should go to be Isaac's wife. And a banquet was made, and they ate and drank together, and he lodged there for the night. And in the morning the servant arose and said: 'Let me depart, that I may go to my master.' And Rebecca's brother and mother answered: 'Let the maid stay at least ten days with us, and afterwards she shall depart.' 'Stay me not,' said he, 'for the Lord hath prospered my way: send me away, that I may go to my master.' And they said: 'Let us call the maid, and ask her will.' And they called her; and when she was come, they asked: Wilt thou go with this man? She said: 'I will go.' So they sent her away, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant and his company, wishing prosperity to their sister, and saying: "Thou art our sister; mayest thou increase to thousands and thousands, and may thy seed possess the gates of their enemies.'

So Rebecca and her maids set out upon the camels, and followed Abraham's servant, who with all speed returned to his master. At the same time, Isaac was walking along the way of the well called of the 'Living and Seeing,' for he dwelt in the south country; and he was

gone forth to meditate in the fields, the day being far spent; and when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw the camels coming afar off. Rebecca, also, when she saw Isaac, lighted off the camel, and said to the servant : 'Who is that man who cometh towards us along the field?' And he

said to her: 'That man is my master.' She quickly took her veil and covered herself. The servant told Isaac all that he had done; and Isaac brought her into the tent of Sara his mother, and she became his wife; and he loved her so much that he was comforted for the grief of his mother's death (B.c. 2052). And the days of Abraham's life were a hundred and seventy-five years. And, decaying, he died in a good old age; and having lived a long time, and Isaac and Ismael,

being full of days, he was gathered to his people. his sons, buried him with Sara his wife in the double cave which is over against Mambre, and which he bought of the children of Heth. And after his death, God blessed Isaac his son, who dwelt by the well of the 'Living and the Seeing.'

The marriage of Isaac with Rebecca is a figure of the espousals of Christ with the Church. St. Paul says, 'Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church, and gave Himself for her.' (Eph. v. 25.)

§ 15. The birth of Esau and Jacob. Esau profanely sells his first birthright, and loses his blessing, which is given to Jacob.

Isaac was threescore years old when his twin sons, Esau and Jacob, were born. Esau grew up, and became a skilful hunter; but Jacob was a plain man, and dwelt in tents. Isaac also loved Esau, because he ate of his venison; but Rebecca loved Jacob.

Jacob one day was boiling pottage, when Esau came in out of the field fainting from his hunting, and said to his brother, 'Give me of this red pottage, for I am exceeding faint;' for which reason he was afterwards called Edom (red). And Jacob said to him, 'Sell me thy birthright.' And he said, 'Lo, I die; what will the birthright avail me? Jacob said, 'Swear, therefore, to me.' Esau swore to him, and sold his first birthright. And taking the bread and the pottage of lentils, he ate and drank, and went his way, making little account of having sold his birthright. St. Paul calls particular attention to the example of Esau, as above related Lest there be any profane person, as Esau, who for one mess sold his first birthright; for know ye that afterwards, when he desired to inherit the benediction, he was rejected, and found no place of repentance, though he sought it with tears.' (Heb. xii. 16.) Esau was now to lose for ever the blessing of which he had made so little account.

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Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim that he could not see; and he called Esau his elder son, and said to him, 'My son.' And he answered, 'Here I am.' And his father said to him, 'Thou seest that I am old, and know not the day of my death; take thy arms, thy quiver and bow, and go abroad; and when thou hast taken something by hunting, make me savoury meat thereof, as thou knowest I like, and bring it to me, that I may eat, and that my soul may bless thee before I die.' When Rebecca had heard this, and Esau was now gone into the field to fulfil his father's commandments, she said to her son Jacob, 'I heard thy father talking with Esau thy brother, and saying to him, Bring me of thy hunting, and make me savoury meats, that I may eat, and bless thee in the sight of the Lord before I die. Now, therefore, my son, follow my counsel, and go thy way to the flock, bring me two kids of the best, that I may make of them meat for thy father such as he gladly eateth, that when thou hast brought them in to him, and he hath eaten, he may bless thee before he die.' And Jacob answered her, 'Thou knowest that Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am smooth; if my father shall feel me and perceive, I fear lest he will think I would have mocked him, and I shall bring upon me a curse instead of a blessing.' His mother said to him, 'Upon me be this curse, my son; only hear thou my voice, and go fetch me the things which I have said.' He went, and brought them, and gave them to his mother; and she dressed the meats, such as she knew his father liked. And she put on him the best garments of Esau which she had at home with her, the little skins of the kids she put about his hands, and covered the bare of his neck; and she gave him the savoury meat and the bread which she had baked. Jacob went in with it, and said, 'My father.' And he answered, 'I hear; who art thou, my son? Jacob said, 'I am Esau thy firstborn. I have done as thou didst command me; arise, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.' And Isaac said to his son, 'How couldst thou find it so quickly, my son?' He answered, 'It was the will of God that what I sought came quickly in my way.' And Isaac said, 'Come hither, that

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I may feel thee, my son, and prove whether thou be my son Esau or not.' He came near to his father; and when he had felt him, Isaac said, 'The voice indeed is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau;' and he knew him not, because his hairy hands made

ISAAC BLESSES JACOB.

him like to the elder. Then, blessing him, he said, 'Art thou my son Esau?' He answered, ‘I Then he

am.'

said, 'Bring me the meats of thy hunting, my son, that my soul may bless thee.' And when they were brought and he had eaten, he offered him wine also, which when he had drunk, he said, 'Come near me, and give me a kiss, my son.' He came near and kissed him; and immediately as he smelled the fragrant smell of

his garments, blessing him, he said, 'Behold, the smell of my son is as the smell of a plentiful field which the Lord hath blessed. God give thee of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth, abundance of corn and wine; and let people serve thee, and tribes worship thee; be thou lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's children bow down before thee; cursed be he that curseth thee, and let him that blesseth thee be filled with blessings.'

Isaac had scarce ended these words, when, Jacob being now gone out, Esau came and brought in to his father the meats which he had taken in hunting, saying, 'Arise, my father, and eat of thy son's venison, that thy soul may bless me.' And Isaac said to him, 'Why, who art thou? He answered, 'I am thy firstborn son Esau.' Isaac was struck with fear, and astonished exceedingly; and wondering beyond what can be believed, said, 'Who is he, then, that even now brought me venison that he had taken, and I ate of all before thou camest? and I have

blessed him, and he shall be blessed.' Esau, having heard his father's words, uttered an exceeding piercing cry, and trembling, said, 'Bless me also, my father.' And he said, 'Thy brother came deceitfully, and hath obtained thy blessing.' Esau said, 'Rightly his name is called Jacob' (i. e. supplanter); for he hath supplanted me this second time: my first birthright he took away before, and now the second time he hath stolen away my blessing.' And again he said to his father, 'Hast thou not reserved to me also a blessing? Isaac answered, 'I have appointed him thy lord, and have made all his brethren his servants. I have established him with corn and wine; what shall I do more for thee, my son?' And Esau said to him, 'Hast thou only one blessing, father? I beseech thee, bless me also.' And when he wept with a loud voice, Isaac, being moved, said to him, 'In the fat of the earth and in the dew of heaven from above shall thy blessing be. Thou shalt live by the sword, and shalt serve thy brother, and the time shall come when thou shalt shake off his yoke from thy neck.' Esau, therefore, always hated Jacob for the blessing wherewith his father had blessed him; and he said in his heart, 'The days will come for the mourning for my father, then I will kill my brother Jacob.'

The Hebrew people, by their profane contempt of their first birthright in Jesus Christ, have, like Esau, lost their blessing; and they have since been full of hatred against the Gentile Christian people, to whom their birthright and blessing in Jesus Christ have passed over.

§ 16. Jacob is sent away from his brother Esau to Mesopotamia. His vision of angels, and marriage with Rachel.

Rebecca, perceiving the hatred which Esau now bore to Jacob, spoke to Isaac to send Jacob away for a time to Laban his uncle, that he might take a wife of his own kindred. Isaac therefore called Jacob and told him to take a journey to Mesopotamia, and to choose a wife of the daughters of Laban his uncle, saying to him, 'God Almighty give thee the blessings of Abraham, and to thy seed after thee, that thou mayest possess the land of thy sojourning which He promised to thy grandfather.'

Jacob now departed from Bersabee, and went on his way to Haran; and when he was come to a certain place, and would rest in it after sunset, he took of the stones that lay there, and putting them under his head, slept in the same place. And he saw in his sleep a ladder standing upon the earth, and the top thereof touching heaven; the angels also of God ascending and descending by it; and the Lord, leaning upon the ladder, saying to him, 'I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac. The land wherein thou sleepest I will give to thy seed; and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth. Thou shalt spread abroad to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south; and in THEE and THY SEED shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. And I will be thy keeper whithersoever thou goest, and will bring thee back into this land; neither will I leave thee till I shall have accomplished all that I have said.'