Connecticut western news., 1895-10-17

es, lutHeIs l tnOugnl you nau some thing on your mind Tell it." The father said, My son, Isaac, thou art the lamb" "Oh," you say, "why didn't that young man, if he was 20 or 90 years of age, smite into the dust his infirm father? He could have done it. An, Isaac knew by this time that the scene was typical of Messiah who was to come. and so he made no struggle. They fell on each others necks and walled out the parting. Awful and matchless scene of the wildernessl The rocks echo back the breaking of their hearts. The cry, My son, my sonr' The answer, My father. my fatherl'
 The Lamb Found.
 Do not compare this, as some people have, to Agamemnon willing to offer mp his daughter, Iphigenia, to please the gods. There is nothing comparable to this wonderful obedience to the true God. You know that victims for sacri- fee were always bound, so that they might not struggle away. Rawlings, the martyr, when he was dying for Christ's sake, said to the blacksmith who held the manacles, "Fasten those chains tight now, for my flesh may struggle mightily." So Isaac's arms are fastened, his feet are tied. The old man, rallying all his strength, lifts him on to a pile of wood. Fastening a thong on one side of the altar, he makes 1t span the body of Isaac, and fastens the thong at the other side the altar, and another thong, and another thong. There is the lamp fiickering in the wind ready to be put under the brushwood of the altar. There is the knife, sharp and keen. Abraham-struggling with his mortal feelings on the one side and the con- mands of God on the otber-takes that knife, rubs the flat of it on the palm of his hand, cries to God for help, comes up to the side of the altar, puts part ing kiss on the brow of his boy, takes a message from him for mother and home, and then lifting the glittering weapon for the plunge of the death stroke-his muscles knitting for the work--the hand begins to descend. It falls! Not on the heart of Isaac, but on the arm of God, who arrests the stroke, making the will derness quake with the cry, Abraham, Abraham, lay not thy hand upon the lad. nor do him any harm p
 What is this sound back in the woods? It is cracking as of tree branches, a bleating and struggle. Go, Abraham, and see what it is.. Oh, it was ram that, going through the woods, has it's crooked horns fastened and entangled in the brushwood and could not get loose, and Abraham seizes it gladly and quick ly unlooseEs Isaac from the altar, puts the ram on i'll his place, sets the lamp under the brushwood of the altar, and as the dense smoke ot the sacrifice be- gins to rise the blood rolls down the sides of the altar and drops hissing into the fire, and I hear the words, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the worldp'
 We'll, what are you going to get out of this? There is an aged minister of the gospel. He says: ''I should get out of it that when God tells you to do a thing, whether it seems reasonable to you or not, go ahead and do it. Here Abraham couldn't have been mistaken. God didn't speak so indistinctl lytthat it was not certain whether he called Sarah or Abinelech or somebody else, but with divine articulation, divine intona- tion, divine emphasis, he said, 'Abra- ham!' Abraham rushed blindly ahead to do his duty, knowing that things would come out right. Likewise do so your selves. There is mystery of your life. There is some burden you have to carry. You don't know why God has put it on you.. There is some persecution, some trial, and you don't know why God all lows it. There is work for you to do, and you have not enough grace, you think, to do it. Do as Abraham did. Advance and do your whole duty. Be willing to give up Isaac, and perhaps you will not have to give up anything. Jehovah jireh' - tho Lord will pro- vide" :" A capital lesson this old minis ter gives us.
 Out wonder in this house issan aged woman, the light of heaven in her face. She is half way through the door. She has her hand on the pearl of the gate. Mother, what would you get out of this subject? "Oh," she says, "I would learn that it is in the last pinch that God comes to the relief. You see, the altar was ready, and Isaac was fastened on it. and the knife was lifted, and just at the last momente God broke in and stopped proceedings. So it has been in my life of 70 years. Why, sir, there was time when the flour was all out of the house, and set the table at noon and had nothing to put on it, but five <.f i oto l0.E nf hrn l came. The Lord will provide My son was very sick, and said: Dear Lord, you don't mean to take him away from me, do you? Please, Lord, don't take him away. Why, there are neighbors who have three and four sons. This it my only son.. This is my Isaac. Lord, 1 you won't take him away from me
 will you?' But saw he was getting | worse and worse all the time, and | turned round and prayed, until after | awhile felt submissive, and I could say, Thy will, o Lord, be donep Int
 doctors gave him up, and we all gave
 him up And, as was the custom, il
 those times, we had made the grave
 clothes, and we were whispering about
 the last exercises, when looked and
 saw some precipitation on his brow
 showing that the fever had broken, ana
 he spoke to us-so naturally that knew
 he was going to get well. He did ge
 well, and my son Isaac, whomI though ] was going to be slain and consumed ot
 disease, was loosened from that altar
 And, bless your souls, that s been so fol
 70 years, and if my voice wSre not st
 weak, and if could see better, could
 preach to you younger people sermon
 for though can't see much I can SCI
 this-whenever you get into a touql
 place and your heart is breaking, Ii
 you will look little farther into the
 woods, you will see, caught in thu
 branches, substitute and a deliver : ance. My son, God will provide him