ticular place for their services. Some have thought that this was at the east gate of Eden, where "Cherubim and a flaming sword were placed;" but this was a vengeful manifestation, and could only have inspired a dread of God inconsistent with the confidence and hope with which men through the promise of redemption were now encouraged to draw nigh to him. The respect which God was pleased to show to Abel's offering, appears from the account to have been sensibly declared; for Cain must have known by some token that the sacrifice of Abel was accepted, the absence of which rejected. Whether this was by fire going forth from "the presence of the Lord," to consume the sacrifice, as in later instances recorded in the Old Testament, or in some other way, it is in vain to inquire;-that the token of acceptance was a sensible one is however an almost certain inference. The effect of this upon Cain was not to humble him before God, but to excite anger against his brother; and, being in the field with him, or, as the old versions have it, having said to him, "Let us go out into the field," he rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him;" and for that crime, by which the first blood of man was shed by man upon the earth, a murder aggravated by the relationship and the "righteous" character of the sufferer, and having in it also the nature of re ligious persecution, he was pronounced by the Lord "cursed from the earth."

the king of Babylon's officer to Azariah, one of Daniel's companions, Dan. i, 7. This name imports the servant of Nago, or Nego, which is supposed to signify the sun, or morning star, so called from its brightness. Abednego was thrown into a fiery furnace, at Babylon, with his two companions Shadrach and Meshach, for refusing to adore the statue erected by the command of Nebuchadnezzar. God suffered them not to be injured by the flames; but made the whole to redound to his own glory, and the shame of the idols of Babylon. One like unto the Son of God, or a Divine person, probably the Angel of the Divine presence himself, ap-sign, as to his own offering, showed that it was peared in the midst of them; and they came out of the furnace, which had been heated seven times hotter than usual, so completely preserved from the power of the flames, that not even "the smell of fire had passed upon them." This was an illustrious instance of the courageous and hallowed spirit of martyrdom; and the interposition was no doubt designed to encourage the Jews while in captivity, living among idolaters, to hold fast their religion. It is an instance also of those gracious visitations to the old Heathen world, by which it was loudly called from its idolatries, and aroused to the acknowledgment of the true and only Jehovah, who, in various ways, "left not himself without witness" among them. A great temporary effect was produced by this and other miracles related in the book of Daniel; but the people relapsed again into idolatry, and justly brought upon themselves all those wasting judgments which in succession swept over the mightiest and most ancient states.

2. As the sacrifice of Abel is the first on record, and has given rise to some controversy, it demands particular attention. It was offered, says St. Paul, "in faith," and it was "a more excellent sacrifice" than that of Cain. Both these expressions intimate that it was EXPIATORY and PREFIGURative.

ABEL. He was the second son of Adam and Eve, and born probably in the second or third year of the world; though some will have it that he and Cain were twins. His name signifies vapour, vanity, and might be given As to the matter of the sacrifice, it was an anieither because our first parents now began so mal offering. "Cain brought of the fruit of the to feel the emptiness and vanity of all earthly ground; and Abel also brought of the firstlings things, that the birth of another son reminded of his flock, and of the fat thereof;" or, more them painfully of it, although in itself a matter literally, "the fat of them," that is, according of joy; or it was imposed under prophetic im. to the Hebrew idiom, the fattest or best of his pulse, and obscurely referred to his premature flock; and in this circumstance consisted its death. His employment was that of a shepherd; specific character as an act of faith. This is supCain followed the occupation of his father, and ported by the import of the phrase, delova Ivolav, was a tiller of the ground. Whether they re-used by the Apostle in the Epistle to the Hemained in their father's family at the time when they brought their offerings to the Lord, or had establishments separate from that of Adam, does not clearly appear. Abel was probably unmarried, or had no children; but Cain's wife is mentioned. "At the end of the days," which is a more literal rendering than "in process of time," as in our translation, that is, on the Sabbath,-both brothers brought an offer. ing to the Lord. Cain "brought of the fruit of the ground;" Abel "the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof." "And the Lord had respect to Abel and to his offering; but unto Cain and his offering he had not respect." As Cain afterward complains that "he should be hid from the face or presence of the Lord," it is probable that the worship of the first family was performed before some visible manifestation of the glory of God, which thus consecrated a par

brews, when speaking of the sacrifice of Abel. Our translators have rendered it, "a more excellent sacrifice." Wickliffe translates it, as Archbishop Magee observes, uncouthly, but in the full sense of the original, "a much more sacrifice;" and the controversy which has arisen on this point is, whether this epithet of “much more," or "fuller," refers to quantity or quality; whether it is to be understood in the sense of a more abundant, or of a better, a more excellent sacrifice. Dr. Kennicott takes it in the sense of measure and quantity, as well as quality; and supposes that Abel brought a double offering of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fruit of the ground also. His criticism has been very satis. factorily refuted by Archbishop Magee. The sacrifice of Abel was that of animal victims, and it was indicative not of gratitude but of "faith" a quality not to be made manifest by the quan

to the other.

tity of an offering, for the one has no relation | ed by St. Paul as illustrative of the existence and operation of this great principle, and by which it manifested itself in them. Let us explain this, and then ascertain the object of Abel's faith also from the manner of its manifestation,-from the acts in which it embodied and rendered itself conspicuous.

3. This will more fully appear if we consider the import of the words of the Apostle,-" 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." Now what is the meaning of the Apostle, when he says that it was witnessed or testified to Abel that he was righteous? His doctrine is, that men are sinners; that all, consequently, need pardon; and to be declared, witnessed, and accounted righteous, are, according to his style of writing, the same as "to be justified, pardoned, and dealt with as righteous." Thus he argues that Abraham believed God, "and it was accounted to him for righteousness,"-"that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness," "that he received the sign of circumcision, a seal," a visible confirmatory, declaratory, and witnessing mark "of the righteousness which he had by faith." In these cases we have a similarity so striking, that they can scarcely fail to explain each other. In both, sinful men are placed in the condition of righteous men; the instrument, in both cases, is faith; and the transaction is, in both cases also, publicly and sensibly witnessed,-a -as to Abraham, by the sign of circumcision; as to Abel, by a visible accept. ance of his sacrifice, and the rejection of that of Cain.

Faith, in this chapter, is taken in the sense of affiance in God, and, as such, it can only be exercised toward God, as to all its particular acts, in those respects in which we have some warrant to confide in him. This supposes revela. tion, and, in particular, promises or declarations on his part, as the ground of every act of affiance. When, therefore, it is said that "by faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death," it must be supposed that he had some promise or intimation to this effect, on which, improbable as the event was, he nobly relied; and in the result God honoured his faith in the sight of all men. The faith of Noah had immediate respect to the threatened flood, and to the promise of God to preserve him in the ark which he was commanded to prepare. The chapter is filled with other instances, expressed or implied; and from the whole, as well as from the nature of things, it will appear, that, when the Apostle speaks of the faith of the elders in its particular acts, he represents it as having respect to some promise, declaration, or revelation of God.

This revelation was necessarily antecedent to the faith; but it is also to be observed, that Abel had faith, and he expressed that faith by the acts by which the faith was represented, the kind of sacrifice he offered. It was in this whenever it was represented by particular acts, way that his faith "pleased God;" it pleased and when the case admitted it, had a natural him as a principle, and by the act to which it led, and striking conformity and correspondence to which act was the offering of a sacrifice to God the previous revelation. So Noah built the ark, different from that of Cain. Cain had not this which indicated that he had heard the threat faith, whatever might be its object; and Cain, of the world's destruction by water, and had reaccordingly, did not bring an offering to which ceived the promise of his own preservation, and God had respect." That which vitiated the that of his family, as well as that of a part of the offering of Cain was the want of this faith; for beasts of the earth. When Abraham went into his offering was not significant of faith: that [Canaan at the command of God, and upon the which "pleased God," in the case of Abel, was promise that that country should become the inhis faith; and he had "respect" to his offering, heritance of his decendants, he showed his faith because it was the expression of that faith; and by taking possession of it for them in anticipaupon his faith so expressing itself, God wit- tion, and his residence there indicated the kind nessed to him "that he was righteous." So of promise which he had received. Thus these forcibly do the words of St. Paul, when com- instances show, that when the faith which the menting upon this transaction, show, that Abel's Apostle commends exhibited itself in some parsacrifice was accepted, because of its immediate ticular act, that act had a correspondency to the connection with his faith, for by faith he is said previous promise or revelation which was the to have offered it; and whatever it might be, ground of faith. We must therefore interpret which made Abel's offering differ from that of the acts of Abel's faith so as to make them also Cain, whether abundance, or kind, or both, this correspond with an antecedent revelation. His was the result of his faith. So evident also is faith had respect to some previous revelation, it from the Apostle, that Abel was witnessed to and the nature of the revelation is to be collectbe "righteous," not with reference to any pre-ed from the significant manner in which he devious "habit of a religious life," as some say, clared his faith in it. but with reference to his faith; and to this faith Now that which Abel did "by faith," was, as expressing itself by his offering "a more ex-generally, to perform an act of solemn worship, in the confidence that it would be acceptable to 4. If, then, the faith of Abel had an immedi- God. This supposes a revelation, immediate ate connection with his sacrifice, and both with or by tradition, that such acts of worship were his being accepted as "righteous,"—that is, jus- acceptable to God, or his faith could have had tified, in St. Paul's use of the term,-to what had no warrant, and would not have been faith, but his faith respect? The particular object of the fancy. But the case must be considered more faith of the elders, celebrated in Hebrews xi, is particularly. His faith led him to offer "a more to be deduced from the circumstances mention-excellent sacrifice" than that of Cain; but this

cellent sacrifice."

if

as necessarily implies, that there was some an. | animal sacrifice offered vicariously, but in itself tecedent revelation to which his faith, as thus a mere type of a better sacrifice, the Seed of expressed, had respect, and on which that pecu- the woman," appointed to be offered at some liarity of his offering, which distinguished it future period,-and the efficacy of this appointfrom the offering of Cain, was founded; a re-ed method of expiation to obtain forgiveness, velation which indicated that the way in which and to admit the guilty into the Divine favour. God would be approached acceptably, in solemn "Abel," Dr. Magee justly says, "in firm reliworship, was by animal sacrifices. Without ance on the promise of God, and in obedience this, the faith to which his offering, which was to his command, offered that sacrifice which an offering of the firstlings of his flock, had a had been enjoined as the religious expression special fitness and adaptation, could have had of his faith; whilst Cain, disregarding the grano warrant in Divine authority. But this reve. cious assurances that had been vouchsafed, or lation must have included, in order to its being at least disdaining to adopt the prescribed mode the ground of faith, as "the substance of things of manifesting his belief, possibly as not aphoped for," a promise of a benefit to be confer- pearing to his reason to possess any efficacy or red, in which promise Abel might confide. But natural fitness, thought he had sufficiently ac So, then this promise must have been connect- quitted himself of his duty in acknowledging ed, not with the worship of God in general, or the general superintendence of God, and experformed in any way whatever indifferently, pressing his gratitude to the Supreme Benefac. but with his worship by animal oblations; for it tor, by presenting some of those good things was in this way that the faith of Abel specially which he thereby confessed to have been deand distinctively indicated itself. The antece-rived from his bounty. In short, Cain, the first. dent revelation was, therefore, a promise of a benefit to be conferred, by means of animal sacrifice; and we are taught what this benefit was, by that which was actually received by the offerer,-"He obtained witness that he was righteous;" which must be interpreted in the sense of a declaration of his personal justification, and acceptance as righteous, by the for. giveness of his sins. The reason of Abel's acceptance and of Cain's rejection is hereby made manifest; the one, in seeking the Divine favour, conformed to his established and ap. pointed method of being approached by guilty and the other not only neglected this, but profanely and presumptuously substituted his own inventions.

men,

born of the fall, exhibits the first fruits of his parents' disobedience, in the arrogance and self-sufficiency of reason rejecting the aids of revelation, because they fell not within its apprehension of right. He takes the first place in the annals of Deism, and displays, in his proud rejection of the ordinance of sacritice, the same spirit which, in later days, has actu ated his enlightened followers, in rejecting the sacrifice of Christ."

Abel was killed about the year of the world, 130.

ABEL-MISRAIM, the floor of Atad, beyond the river Jordan, where Joseph, his brethren, and the Egyptians mourned for the death of Jacob, Gen. 1, 11. On this occasion the funeral procession was, at the command of Joseph, at tended by "all the elders of Egypt, and all the servants of Pharaoh, and all his house, and the house of his brethren, chariots and horsemen, a very great company;" an affecting proof, as it has been remarked, of Joseph's simplicity and singleness of heart, which allowed him to give to the great men of Egypt, over whom he bore absolute rule, an opportunity of observing his own comparatively humble origin, by leading them in attendance upon his father's corpse to the valleys of Canaan, the modest cradle of his race, and to their simple burial places.

5. It is impossible, then, to allow the sacrifice of Abel, in this instance, to have been an act of FAITH, without supposing that it had respect to a previous revelation, which agreed with all. the parts of that sacrificial action by which he expressed his faith in it. Had Abel's sacrifice been eucharistic merely, it would have express. ed gratitude, but not faith; or if faith in the general sense of confidence in God that he would receive an act of grateful worship, and reward the worshippers, it did not more express faith than the offering of Cain, who surely believed these two points, or he would not have brought an offering of any kind. The offering of Abel expressed a faith which Cain had not; and the doctrinal principles which Abel's faith respect. ed were such as his sacrifice visibly embodied. If it was not an eucharistic sacrifice, it was an expiatory one; and, in fact, it is only in a sacrifice of this kind, that it is possible to see that faith exhibited which Abel had, and Cain had not. If then we refer to the subsequent sacrifices of expiation appointed by Divine authority, and their explanation in the New Testament, it ABIAH, the second son of the prophet Sa. will be obvious to what doctrines and principles muel, and brother of Joel. Samuel having enof an antecedent revelation the faith of Abel trusted to his sons the administration of public had respect, and which his crifice, the exhi-justice, and admitted them to a share in the go. bition of his faith, proclaimed: confession of vernment, they behaved so ill, that the people the fact of being a sinner,--acknowledgment demanded a king, 1 Sam. viii, 2. A. M. 2909. that the demerit and penalty of sin is death,submission to an appointed mode of expiation,

ABEL-SHITTIM, a city situate in the plains of Moab, beyond Jordan, opposite to Jericho, Num. xxv, 1, &c; xxiii, 49; Joshua xi, 1. Eusebius says it stood in the neighbourhood of mount Peor. Moses encamped at Abel-Shittim some time before the Hebrew army passed the Jordan. Here the Israelites fell into idolatry, and worshipped Baal-peor, for which God punished them by the destruction of twenty-four thousand persons in one day.

ABIATHAR, the son of Ahimelech, and the tenth high priest among the Jews, and fourth

in descent from Eli, 2 Sam. viii, 17; 1 Chron. Iture is founded on the command of God deliver. xviii, 16. When Saul sent to Nob to murder ed immediately afterward to the priests, forall the priests, Abiathar escaped the massacre, bidding them the use of wine during the time and fled to David in the wilderness. There he they should be employed in the service of the continued in the quality of high priest; but temple. Another class allege; that there was Saul, out of aversion to Ahimelech, whom he nothing so heinous in their transgression, but imagined to have betrayed his interests, trans- it was awfully punished, to teach ministers ferred the dignity of the high priesthood from fidelity and exactness in discharging their of. Ithamar's family into that of Eleazar, by con- fice. It had a vastly more important meanferring this office upon Zadok. Thus there ing,-this instance of vengeance is a standing were, at the same time, two high priests in Is- example of that divine wrath which shall conrael, Abiathar with David, and Zadok with sume all who pretend to serve God, except with Saul. In this state things continued, until the incense kindled from the one altar and offer. reign of Solomon, when Abiathar, being at- ing by which he for ever perfects them that tached to the party of Adonijah, was, by Solo- are sanctified. mon, divested of his priesthood, A. M. 2989; and the race of Zadok alone performed the functions of that office during the reign of Solomon, to the exclusion of the family of Ithamar, according to the word of the Lord to Eli, 1 Sam. ii, 30, &c.