The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-03-28
NE Mills MEETINGS.
Rev. B. Fay Mills Sermon Of
Thursday Afternoon Last
ON CENTRE CONSIDERATION"
The Noble Example Furnished by
Abraham In His Willingness to Give
Up Isaac, His Only Child, as Sac
rilice In Obedience TO God.

|civing up, or the giving OF the last lDihS
10 God. ard the results OF such entire
consecfation. Anc / am sure that NlIh
that passage that was read IN the Ind chap,
ter OF Genesis today, the suggestion would
naturally have come to Us that We coulo
not have q more appropriate ILLUSTRATION
|of this than has been given ~ the sacfihceo OF
Abraham and the results OF III, Tor TINS was
tho sacrifice OF Abraham. 10 was not Isaac
that God called but Abraham; and Just
as soon as God found that Abraham meant
to give him everything, even TO the oiier-
ing OF his only bcEOttcn son, he called
10 the Father 10 stay his hand. 6od
eometimes takes the Wlil Tor the deco, put
He never takes the deed for the VIII. !
have seen good many people do a good
many religious duties and yet not receive
the peace ~ God. They have seemed 70
make great sacrifice, but have never had
any results by which they were brought
into the fellowship with God.
In the case OF Abraham, rs soon as
God saw that He had all that there was OF
Abraham, he said, : You may stay your
hand. Now 1 know that thou iearest Me,
because thou hast not Withheld thy son,
thine only begotten SON"
/ have chosen as my text some words
that you will find in this 22d chapter OF
Genesis, in the 10th, 18th and 18th verses:
"Bccause thou hast done this thing, nave
sworn that in blessing ! Will bless thee"
Abraham had done g. er things before
this at the voic Of Gsk> but think that
we may detect ar I'm tSS ection IN all the
acts of obedience ana ~acriiices that had
beer performed by him until this time. lie
had not beenlperfcctly and wiliingly-com-
pleteiy obedient. We read that Cod called
him 10 come out from his native land and
from his fathers house. lie obeyed part
|of that call, but only a portion OF It, lie
left his native land. but did not leave his
fathers house. He tried TO take his
fathers house along with him, and, If you
notice, he did not make any real progress
toward the land OF promise until ne was
|separutcd from his father and his relatives.
So long as he stayed in Haran with his
father, Terah, and until Terah was buried
there was no new revelation given him.
And this very revelation was the cause OF
great trouble and finally discontinue and
shame to himself. We find that just nc
the time of famine Abraham goes down
into Egypt for help and he gets into
Trouble. We find that this man, who or
|dinnrily seems TO be so pure, lies about
his wife In order that he may protect her
and himself. We find him also repeating
that same lie before another king in an
|other place. We find, too, that when the
messenger OF God comes TO him and says,
|e Abraham, you are going TO have son."
his first thought was one of incredulity
|and he laughed, and he said, "Shall /,
who am 100 years old, have sonY And
shall Sarah, who IL 80 years old, bearg''
And then suddenly the thought occurred
TO him that he might relieve God from
fulfilling His promise and help Him out
OF the emergency that was caused by it;
and so he said, "You may fulfil your
promise through Ishmael You need not
|tr0ubleto to work miracle in order TO full
I'll your word 10 me-"
Aud so Think all the way up to this
time there had been half heartedness IN
4. 4
And now he came to the final testing, TO
the place where God did tempt him.
Blessed be God, He does tempt US. That
remember, means "tryn or "test.o
He does not tempt us as
|ns the Devil tempts us. God tests us in
order that by the trying OF our faith we
may gain the greatest victory. Faith in
Itself Is not the victory that oyercomes the
world. When patience has her perfect
work, the mission of God shall be COM
plete and entire, wanting nothing. No
man has any more faith than He mas in
She time of severest testing.
So God in His great love thought He
would find out what Abraham had, and
He did Tempt him. He tested him as the
gold and silver are tested, that the trying
of his faith, being much more precious
thar silver and gold, might abide unto
eternal life. DO not know how this mes
sage came to him that told him TO take his
aon and kill him. We read that ID was the
voice OF God. can well understand that
Il was a holy voice that called him TO this
|seemingiy unnatural sacrifice. Abraham
knew that he alone out OF all the people
In that land had the knowledge of the
true God, and yet think he must have
been tantalized by the thought "would l
be willing TO offer my son 30 GodY If my
God should ask me TO make the sacrifices
fInt These rnpftle make IN their (tpda
would be willing TO do it?'' And so
think 1t was with sort OF sad relief that
the message came TO hiln. lie thought,
"NoW / can show God that L viii
not hesitate at anything" 1t was
the only way in which he could
have been tested and come to the place
where God could say, "Now / know hat
thou fearest me- am very thankful that
God does not snow us at the Begin
ming OF a consecrated life all that
lie may ask OF as before we get through
When The Israelitea went out OF Egypt
they were led the byway OF the Red
Sea, lest they should see war and
draw back. Bat after they had had some
wars with inferior foes, then lie brought
them 90 the great foe with whom they
needed TO battle. You viii romen Der
how Pharaoh tried 10 keep the Children
OF Israel back, not only by force, but by
snbtiety. When at last his heart was
|
said, '.Moses will give up.
will let you sncriiiceto your God. STAY in
Egypt and offer sacrifices TO your God.
and will have no objection And Moses
said "We cannot sacrifice TO our God in
this land.n And Pharaoh was softcned
by another plague, and he said; "Woll,
Moses, 1 Will give up this time.
~ viii let You 90 out of
tho land and sacrifice To your God,
only you shall not 20 very fer away"
And Moses said, ''Ne do not know where
We shall go.n And thon Pharaoh tried
smother compromise. Iie said. "Moscs
you may go anywhere your God leads YOU,
only leave your women aud children be-
hind" And Moses said that he
would not 20 unless cvery wife
and child could 60 with them. And
then Pharaoh tried his last proposition
looking toward a compromise. He said,
Moses, 1 Will Surrender entirely now.
You may 60 where your God leads You.
you may take your wives and children,
only Let your Aocks and herds be stayed
q what q noble answer rang out in
Ieeponse 90 those subtle WOrdsl
/" "Pharaoh," ho said. "thcre shall
not nn hoof be left behind. for We know
not with what we shall sacrifice unto the
Lord our God untilNo come thifhcrr q