The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1895-11-08

W #hHNN'NHHh VIKING 70 NMNf NN nlH
daughter. iphigenia. 90 please the gods.
There il nothing comparable 60 ihia wonder.
iui obedience t0 Che ifue God. You know
that victims Tor sacrifice were always bound.
ao that they might not struggle away Raw.
Nngs. tlo martyr. when ha was dying i1f
Christie sake. said to tha blacksmith who
hold tho manaoles, "Fasien those chalna
TIGHT now, f1rmY flesh may struggle might.
llY.' So lsaneH arms were fastened biz
foot are tied. The old man. mlIyius n'l be
strength, hhs him on % q pi.o Of wood.
Fastening a thong on ono side og the altar
ho makes it span the body Of Isaac. and ias.
tens the thongn the other side Of the altar
and another thong, aud another thong
ready 90 hoput under tho brentwood OF the
altar There o. the knife sharp aud keen.
Abraham struggling with bis mortal feel.
ingH on the ono side and the commands 81
God on the oih0r-takel that knife, ruha
the nat OF it on the palm Of his hand. cries
Co God Tor help, comes up TO the side OF
tha altar, puts n parting klN on the brow OF
his boy, takes a message from him for
mother and home, aud then lifting tho glit-
tering weapon for the plunge OF the donth
siroke-hls muscles knitting for the work
tho hand begins 10 descend. 10 iallsl Not
on the heart OF Isaac, but on the arm Of
wilderness quake with the cry, Abraham.
Abraham. lay not thy hand upon the lad,
nor do him any harmr
What As this sound back In the wo0ds2 II
"a "a cracking u8 OF tree branches. n bleating
and a struggle. Go. Abraham. and see what
~ is. Oh, Il was u ram that. going through
the woods, has its crooked horns fastened
and eniangled IN the brushwood and could
not get loose, and Abraham Beizes Il gladly
and quickly unloosens Isaac from the altar.
puts the ram on his place. sets the lamp un.
der the brushwood Of the altar, aud as the
dense smoke Of the sacrifice begins % rise
the blood rolls down tho sides OF tho altar
aud drops Kissing into the fire, and I hear
the words, "Behold the Lamb OF God who
takes away the sins OF the worldm
Well, what are you going 10 get out OF
this2 There is an aged minister of the g0s.
pei. Ho says: 81 should get out OF 4 that
when God tells you 10 do thing, whether Il
seems reasonable 20 you or not, 20 ahead
and do Il. Here Abraham couldn't have
been mistaken. God didn't speak so indistinct.
" that II was not certain whether he called
Sarah or Abimelech or somebody else, but
with divine articulation, divine intonation.
divine emphasis, he said, Abraham Abra.
ham rushed blindly ahead 20 DO his duty.
knowing that things would come out right.
Likewise do so yourselves. There Is n mys-
terry Of your life. There Is some burden yOu
have TO carry. You don't know why God
has put Il on you. There is some persecu.
ton. some trial, ard you don't know why
God allows It, There IS work for you tc
do, and you have not enough grace, YOU
think, 20 do it, Do rs Abraham did. Ad.
vance and do your whole duty. Be willing
10 give up Isaac, and perhaps you will not
have TO give up anything. 'Jehovah-iireh
the Lord viii provide" A capital lesson
this old minister gives us.
Out yonder in this house Is an aged
woman, the light Of heaven in her face She
is half way through the door. She has hef
hand on the pearl Of the gate. Mother, what
would you get out of this subject ooh. "
she says 81 would learn that It Is in the last
pinch that God comes 10 the relief. You see.
the altar was ready, and Isaac was fastened
on it. and the knife was lifted, and Just nj
the last moment God broke In and stopped
proceedings. So it has been in my life of
seventy years. Why sir, there was time
when the flour was all out Of tho house, and
l sat the table at noon and had nothing TO
put on 1t, but five minutes Of 1 o'clock Loaf
OF bread came. The Lord will provide Nv
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 neighbor3
who have three and four sons, This is nv
only son. This is my Isaac Lord, You
won't take him away from me, will You?'
But / saw he was getting worse and worse
all the time, and I turned round and prayed.
until after awhile I felt submissive and /
could say, THY WILL o Lord. be donep The
doctors gave him up, and we all gave him
up. And. as was the custom in those times.
we had made the grave clothes, and we were
whispering about the last exercises, when /
looked and | saw some perspiration on his
brow, showing that the fever had broken
and he spoke 10 us so naturally that I knew
he was going to get we'll. He did get we'll
and my son Isaac, whom thought was 60
ing to be slain and consumed OF disease, was
| lOosened from that altar. And, bless youl
souls, that's been so for seventy years, and
if my voice were not so weak, and if could
see better, l could preach to you younger
people o sermon, for though I can'tsee much
/ can see this-whenever you get into a
tough place and your heart is breaking, il
! you will look little farther into the woods
| yod will see, caught in the branches, sub.
stitute and Il deliverance. My son, God will
| provide Himself a'lamb.'"
Thank you. mother, for that short sermon
/ I could preach back to you for a minute o
/ two and say, never do you fearl wish haC
/ half as good hope OF heaven as you have
! Do not fear, mother. Whatever happens, M
harm will ever happen 10 you. I was goinl
up long flight Of stairs and saw an cgel
woman, very decrepit and with a cane
creeping on up. She made but very httl
! progress, and / felt very exuberant, ard
saidto her, ''Why mother, that is no way t
! go upstairs" and | threw my arms arOun
her and carried her up AID put her dow
on the landing at the top OF the stairs. Sh
said; "Thank you, thank you. I am yer
thankful" mother, when you get throug
this lifes work and you want to go upstair
and rest in the good place that God has pre-
vlded for you, you will not have to climb W
you will not have to crawl up painfully. Tn
two arms that were stretched on the eros
will be flung around you, and you win h
hoisted with glorious lift beyond all wear
ness and all struggle. May the God Of Abra
ham and Isaac be with you until you see til
Lamb on the hilltops.
Now, that aged minister has made a sue
geston, and this aged woman has made
/ l1rrynetiOn I will M aha "A ofIpunaff0ns Taau