and his household after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgment” (Gen. 18: 19).――――The case of Melchizedek, “a priest of the Most High God” and also “king of Salem”――a man so venerable in piety, in personal presence apparently, in power and in years, that even Abraham received his blessing and “gave him tithes of all”――this is the one sole bright spot on the otherwise dark religious life of the world as known through the history of Abraham. We marvel that Abraham, so far as appears, never met Melchizedek before and never saw him again. It seems strange that two such men, so kindred in character and spirit, each almost alone breasting the strong currents of prevailing wickedness, should not have formed at least an infant Christian Association to stand by each other and bring their joint light to a common focus in the midst of the world’s deep and far spreading moral darkness. But God had a certain great plan to bring out with Abraham and his own way of doing it. It is plain there was need of this new plan. The cause of piety and truth was in peril and called for some “new departure”――some yet untried method and power. The world was waiting for some Abraham――_i. e._ for just the system of which the great and godly Abraham was the prominent figure and the historic representative. * * * * * The patent points in this new system, put in briefest words, were――_Abraham the head_ of a great family; the _founder_ of a great nation; the _representative_ of the family covenant and its first and illustrious exemplar; the _progenitor_ of the Great, long-promised Messiah; and coupled with his lineal posterity, the _repositories_ of God’s truth and promises――_his offspring_, the people with whom God dwelt and was publicly worshiped for ages in the presence of the idolatrous nations of the earth; over whom God became their visible earthly Sovereign, their recognized King and God.――――Thus the Lord laid the foundation for progressive manifestations of himself and for a growing development of religious truth and of its legitimate forces from age to age till the Messiah should appear. * * * * * Plainly we may recognize among the divine purposes in this new system, 1. In general――to conserve, concentrate, augment and perpetuate the religious and moral forces of revealed truth. 2. In particular: