Each one of our lives is a whole world of revelation when looked at in its relation to God and his special providences. And if each of our lives were written out, as God could do it, it would form a Bible sufficient for the profoundest instruction of the entire race. This is why the lives of the patriarchs have such an exhaustless charm and instruction for us. God overruled everything in the life of Abraham and his family to be a mirror in which should be reflected the things of the kingdom of God.

In so many ways Abraham is a type of God the Father, and Isaac is a type of the Lord Jesus, and Eliezer is a type of the Holy Spirit, and Rebekah, Isaac's wife, is a type of the elect sanctified ones who are to compose the Bride of the Lamb. If we will turn to the twenty-fourth chapter of Genesis, and read it through carefully, with all this typology in our mind, we will find much thrilling instruction.

We have only space here to condense the main features of this typology, which could be elaborated into a whole volume on the ministry of the Spirit.

I. The meaning of the word "Eliezer" is "God's helper" or " God's co-worker." In this lesson we see how Eliezer was a perfect co-worker with Abraham in carrying out the exact plan of Abraham, for the welfare and joy and glory of the true son and heir. "And Abraham said unto his eldest servant, that is Eliezer, that ruled over all that he had: put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh and I will make thee swear that thou shalt go to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac." We are told in another verse that "all the goods of Abraham were in the hands of Eliezer," and in another chapter we are told that "Eliezer was his steward." Hence we see Eliezer was the executive in Abraham's family, and all the goods were in his hands for administration, and he was not to originate any plan of his own, but to administer the entire estate, according to Abraham's thought.

In like manner, the Holy Spirit is the Steward, the Trustee, the Executive of the Godhead, and he is to carry out in minutest detail the exact thought of the eternal Father. The Father has committed all his property, his word, the atoning merit of Jesus, his infinite providence, into the hands of the eternal Spirit, to be administered to the glory of Jesus Christ. Hence Jesus said, the Holy Spirit should not speak of himself, but should take the things of Christ and reveal them to us as the infinite Steward of the Godhead.

II. Eliezer was to go into a distant land for the wife of the only son Isaac. He made oath to Abraham that he would not take for Isaac a wife from the daughters of the Canaanites, but he should go to the land of Syria, and take one from thence, from Abraham's kindred, and that if the woman should not come of her free will, then Eliezer would be freed from all obligation.

In like manner, the Holy Spirit has been sent forth among the nations of the earth to call out an elect people to be the bride for the Eord Jesus. The Holy Spirit has come forth from the Father, in this distant land of our earth, under a divine covenant or oath to search us out and spread before us the proposition of giving up everything in this our native earth, and going out with him as the spouse of the heavenly Bridegroom, but if we will not go willingly then the Holy Ghost has performed his part and is forever exonerated from his oath in the matter.

III. When Eliezer reached the home of Bethuel, and met Rebekah at the well, the circumstances connected with that first meeting most beautifully set forth the items in conversion or the new birth. When he saw her coming he ran to meet her, and said, Let me drink a little water out of thy pitcher, and she said. Drink, my lord; and she said, I will draw water for thy camels, and she hasted and emptied her pitcher."�

In like manner, as we go forth in our natural life the Holy Spirit runs to meet us and asks us that we yield our service up to him, He wants to drink of our love and faith and service. If we promptly empty our hearts out and also yield our service to his will, we thereby gladden his infinite heart and make his journey prosperous. When Rebekah had yielded her service to Eliezer he put on her the approval of Abraham, his master, by "giving her a golden ear-ring, and bracelets for her hands." " This ring and bracelet beautifully sets forth the witness of the Spirit to our adoption when we have emptied out our heart pitchers before the Lord, and yielded him our service. The Holy Spirit thus puts upon us the token and evidences of our Heavenly Father's forgiving and loving grace. The Spirit brings to us the golden graces for our head, and heart, and hand, from the storehouse of our Father's bosom, and astonishes us with the Father's wealth of love, even more than Rebekah was astonished by these gifts from Eliezer.

IV. Then after Eliezer entered the home of Bethuel, and had met all the family, and the camels had been stalled and fed, and the evening meal had been prepared, and he was invited to sit down and eat, he then gave them to understand the supreme importance of his errand. And he said, " I will not eat until I have told mine errand."" He then recited every particular concerning Abraham's will about getting a wife for Isaac, and rehearsed in detail the incidents of the journey, and the meeting of Rebekah, and he could not eat or sleep until the supreme question had been answered: Would Rebekah go with him to the land of Canaan, and be the wife of Isaac? This whole narrative is crowded with items that beautifully illustrate our entire consecration to the will of our Father, after we have been converted. Even though the Holy Spirit has converted us, and sealed our pardon with a golden ring from the Father, yet he can not enter fully into our being, and lodge in us, and banquet with us in our inner nature, until the supreme question has been settled, namely: will we yield ourselves up to be absolutely the property of the Lord Jesus? will we give up all our loved ones, our native land, our old friends, all our affections, and feelings, and sentiments, and go forth into an unknown land of providence, led entirely by the Holy Spirit, to be the Bride of our divine Isaac?

Notice the words, "If now ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me."� How perfectly they set forth that perfect heart vow of consecration. Here was the crisis in the life of Rebekah, which decided her destiny.

In like manner, after we are converted God will in some way bring us to a crisis in our moral history, as to whether we will deal truly with our Master, or drift back and forfeit our place with that elect, sanctified throng, who make up the Bridehood of Jesus. Happy for us if we can say with Rebekah and her family, "the thing proceedeth from the Lord."� They discerned God's definite will in the matter. And unless we discern the perfect will of God in our being personally called to holiness and union with Jesus, we will never be able to give ourselves up to Him with perfect gladness of heart.

V. As soon as Rebekah and all the family passed the crisis of entire yielding to Eliezer's mission, "he then brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah; he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things, and they did eat and drink and tarried all night."" You will notice here was a second bestowment of gifts from Abraham.

In like manner, when a believer yields absolutely to the call of the Holy Spirit, to be the Bride of Jesus, He brings forth from the Father's store-house many jewels which are the gifts that flow out from the sanctifying baptism of the Spirit, and the white raiment, that is, the investiture of the Spirit. Not only is the believer thus sanctified, covered with spiritual jewels, but even the other members of the spiritual family, and who are not fully sanctified, nevertheless they receive from the Holy Spirit many "precious things" "as Laban received gifts from Eliezer at the time his sister was espoused to Isaac. The word elect "� as used in the Bible, invariably signifies those who are sanctified, and espoused pre-eminently to Jesus. The Greek word is eklektos, which signifies a double outness. All the family of Rebekah worshiped the true God, and so were called out from the heathen; but from this religious family Rebekah was called out to be the wife of Isaac, and a grandmother of Jesus in the flesh, and she is a type of those believers who are not only converted, but have responded to a second call of entire devotion to God, and a complete separation from the earthly mind. Hence when she yielded her first service to Eliezer at the well, she received the tokens of Abraham's approval. But when she yielded to leave all and marry Isaac, she received the exuberant second bestowment of gifts and jewels which belong only to the elect spouse.

And these wonderful truths run through the entire Scriptures. There are inexpressible glories of the Holy Ghost Jewelry, which we never receive until we cross the line of absolute yielding to his blessed will.

VI. Rebekah abandoned herself to Eliezer" s care and guidance over the dreary desert to meet her lord. How beautifully this sets forth the Holy Spirit taking possession of us, and weaning us from all our old loves, and sorrows, and surroundings, and guiding us over the desert of this natural life, to meet our adorable Lord and Master. Let us notice that even after Rebekah had consented to marry Isaac, her brother and mother wanted to detain her a few days before letting her go. But Eliezer said, "Hinder me not, seeing the Lord hath prospered me."� And they said. We will call the damsel and let her decide as to whether there should be any delay or not. "And they called Rebekah and said. Wilt thou go with this man? and she said, I will go."�

What a focus of truths are crowded together here! How the unsanctified members of the Church who are not yet called to the Bridehood of Jesus will try along various lines of human sympathy, and natural love, and forms of etiquette, and customary manners, to hinder a soul that is utterly yielded to the Holy Spirit. And then notice what vast orbit of responsibility swings round upon the pivot of the decisive will of the elect soul. Rebekah, the chosen bride, is the one on whose will vast issues are suspended. She said, will go.'" What promptness without delay! What a radical decision!

In like manner, other Christians can not choose for us, and even the blessed Holy Ghost condescends, like Eliezer, to wait on our decision. Having made an irreversible surrender to be the Lord's alone, we are not to allow the teasing of human sentiment, or the ties of natural affection, or the criticism of fashion, or the consulting of personal ease, or anything on earth, to hinder us from promptly going forth with the blessed Holy Spirit, upon our individual journey and service in the will of God. "And the servant took Rebekah and went his way."� Are we willing for the Holy Ghost to take us and "go his way,"� not the way we choose, but emphatically "his way"�? As we follow them across the great Syrian desert to meet Isaac, we can conjecture with much certainty that the great theme of conversation between Eliezer and Rebekah would be about the person, the character, the possessions of Isaac. Eliezer told Rebekah "that Sarah, my master's wife, bare him a son when she was old, and unto him hath my master given all that he hath."�

In like manner, as we journey with the Holy Spirit, how tenderly and beautifully he reveals to us the only begotten Son of the Father, and how the heavenly Father hath given to Jesus all that he hath, and that we, being united to Jesus, are to share with him in the possession of all the estate of the eternal Father. Eliezer rehearsed to Rebekah all the story of Isaac's supernatural birth, and the time he was weaned, and the casting out of Ishmael, and his being offered up on Mt. Moriah, and of his beautifully sweet spirit of perfect obedience in all things to Abraham. And as he went over the beautiful story day by day, as they rode on the swaying backs of the camels, her mind became flooded with the beautiful traits of Isaac, and her heart glowed with increasing love for him, until her soul could almost fly to meet him. How perfectly all this is repeated in the hearts of those who are filled and led by the Holy Spirit over the desert of life. How truly the Holy Spirit tells us, over and over again, in ten thousand varying tones and views, of the life and precious character of our Father's only begotten Son, until our minds are filled with exquisite pictures of him, from his birth to his ascension to the Father, and pictures of his coming reign and glory. It is the office of our divine Eliezer to infatuate us with Jesus, and tell us so much about him that our love for him will glow into a divine passion, and our souls leap forward over the commonplace days of life to the hour when we shall see him.

VII. "And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at eventide, and he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold camels were coming. And Rebekah lifted up her eyes and when she saw Isaac she lighted off the camel, and she took a veil and covered herself, for Eliezer had told her that the man she saw was her husband.

How perfectly these words will be fulfilled ere long. The eventide is almost here, and our divine Isaac will come forth from the right hand of the Father, and the elect Bride will lift up her eyes, for the Holy Ghost will reveal to her who the Son of God is. Then the saints will veil themselves with boundless humility and modest yet bold love to meet the adorable One for whom they have long waited. Then the Holy Spirit will present to the Lamb of God those chosen ones whom he hath called out, and sanctified, and taught, and illuminated, and led through ail the journey. The same Eliezer who hath nursed Isaac from infancy to manhood had now brought to him his help-meet, whom he had led from her far distant home. Truly he was God's co-worker. Thus the same Holy Spirit, who fashioned the body of Jesus, and filled him, and wrought through him and enabled him to suffer on the cross, and then enthroned him with the Father, has come forth again to repeat the same mystical history in our hearts and lives, repeating in us the blessed Christ-life, until He shall bring us from our poor dwelling place in the moral Syria to join in eternal union the blessed Jesus at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.