In Genesis xiii God says to Abraham, “Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward. For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. Arise, walk through the land, in the length of it, and in the breadth of it, for I will give it unto thee.” Yet, as is admitted by the Rev. Charles Boutell, in his “Bible Dictionary,” “The only portion of territory in that land of promise, of which Abraham became possessed,” was a graveyard, which he had bought and paid for. Although Abraham was too old to have children before the birth of Isaac, he had many children after Isaac [was] born. He lived to “a good old age” and died “full of years,” but was yet younger than any of those who preceded him, and whose ages are given in the Bible history, except Nahor. According to the Talmud, as Abraham was very pious so were his very camels, for they would not enter into a place where there were idols (Avoth d’ Rabbi Nathan, chap. 8). Abraham gave “all that he had to Isaac,” but appears to have distributed the rest of the property amongst his other children, who were sent to enjoy it somewhere down East. According to the New Testament, Abraham is now in Paradise, but Abraham in heaven is scarcely an improvement upon Abraham on earth. When he was entreated by an unfortunate in hell for a drop of water to cool his tongue, father Abraham replied: “Son, remember that in thy lifetime thou receivedst thy good things, and now thou art tormented,” as if the reminiscence of past good would alleviate present and future continuity of evil. Rabbi Levi says that Abraham sits at the gate of hell and does not permit any circumcised Israelite to enter (Yalkut Shimoni, fol. 33, col. 2, sec. 18). The Talmud declares that “Abraham was a giant of giants; his height was as that of _seventy-four_ men put together. His food, his drink, and his strength were in the proportion of seventy-four men’s to one man’s. He built an iron city for the abode of his seventeen children by Keturah, the walls of which were so lofty that the sun never penetrated them; he gave them a bowl full of precious stones, the brilliancy of which supplied them with light in the absence of the sun.” (Sophrim, chap. 21). NEW LIFE OF JACOB