A bride for the heir.-3. Eliezer and Laban, or proposals for the bride.
I. THE HOSPITABLE BROTHER.
1. The eager invitation. "Come in, thou blessed of the Lord!"
2. The kindly reception.
II. THE AGED WOOER.
1. Impatient. The nature of his mission urged him to dispatch, as knowing well that his master was old, that Isaac was needful of a bride, that coy maidens are soonest caught by fervent suitors, and that successful wooing brooks no delay.
2. Skillful. The first recorded speech in the Bible, Eliezer's bride-wooing cannot fail to be admired for its wisdom.
3. Pious. The religious character of this wooing is apparent from the reverent use of the Divine name throughout the old man's speech, the importance assigned to piety as one of the bride's qualifications, the devout recognition of God's hand in prospering his journey, and the impression he conveys that Jehovah has himself selected Rebekah.
III. THE CONSENTING RELATIVES. The acquiescence of Laban, Bethuel, and the mother of Rebekah was—
1. Unhesitatingly given. "Behold, Rebekah is before take her, and go, and let her be thy master's son's wife." A little reluctance on their part would not have been surprising.
2. Piously dictated. "The thing proceedeth from the Lord!" Not the eligibility of the match, but the approbation Of Heaven, secured their consent.
3. Thankfully acknowledged. "Abraham's servant worshipped the Lord, bowing himself to the earth." How eminent the piety which traces every blessing to its primal source; how beautiful the religion which, the more' it gets, the more it stoops!
4. Richly rewarded. "The servant brought forth jewels of silver," &c. (Genesis 24:53). While adoring the original Giver, he did not neglect the second cause. Young men who receive fair Rebekahs in marriage should not forget to recompense with love and gifts the fathers and mothers who have given them up.
IV. THE WILLING MAIDEN.
1. The proposed delay. "Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at least ten." This was natural, and would be convenient both for the preparation of the bride's trousseau and for the gratification of friends who might wish to bid her farewell.
2. The urgent request. "Hinder me not; send me away." The old man accepted his prosperity in wooing as an indication that God intended his immediate return.
3. The important question. "Wilt thou go with this man?" No maiden, however urged by relatives and friends, should contract a forced and unwilling marriage.
4. The decisive answer. "I will go." After this there could be no mistaking how Rebekah's heart inclined. It augured well for the coming marriage that it would prove, a union of love, and not simply of convenience.'
5. The fraternal benediction. Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions."
HOMILIES BY F. HASTINGS