How fruitful are the seeming barren places of Scripture. Wheresoever the surface of God's Word doth not laugh and sing with corn, there the heart thereof within is merry with mines, affording, where not plain matter, hidden mysteries. Lord, I find the genealogy of my Saviour strangely chequered with four remarkable changes (Matt. 1:7,8) in four immediate generations. 1. Roboam begat Abia; that is, a bad father begat a bad son. 2. Abia begat Asa; that is, a bad father, a good son. 3. Asa begat Josophat; that is, a good father, a good son. 4. Josaphat begat Joram; that is, a good father, a bad son. I see, Lord, from hence, that my father's piety cannot be entailed; that is bad news for me. But I see also that actual impiety is not always hereditary; that is good news for my son.