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After this, the Lord appeared to
Abram, and again promised to bless and multiply him, and give him the land
of Canaan, for a possession. And God changed his name, and called
him Abraham, which means the father of a multitude, because many people
should descend from him. And Sarai's name also was changed to Sarah, which
means a princess. Then the Lord appointed a sign in Abraham's
family, to mark them as a distinct people; this sign was the circumcision
of every son who should be born in the family of Abraham. Were
the children of Ishmael to possess the land of Canaan? No; Ishmael
was not the promised seed who should inherit Canaan; but God told Abraham,
that Sarah should have a son who should be called Isaac, and that He would
make with him, and with his children, an everlasting covenant? What
is a covenant? An agreement and promise between two parties.
The promise which God made to Noah, never to drown the world again, was a
covenant; and the sign of it was the rainbow. And now, the promise
God made to Abraham, to bless his seed, and to give them the land of
Canaan, was a covenant; and the sign of it was circumcision. And God
had made another covenant with Adam in the garden of Eden, when He
promised that Jesus Christ should come into the world, and die to save
sinners. This was the greatest covenant of all. And we know
that every one of God's covenants is true, because made by Him who cannot
lie, and who will never deceive His people.
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