Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-10-26
AN ANGELIC RESCUE.
A GRACIOUS FATHER AND AN ODE
DENT AND RELIGIOUS SON.

A GRACIOUS FATHER AND AN ODE
DENT AND RELIGIOUS SON.
Abrsham's Supreme Trial Of Faith and the
Saving Of Isaac From Being offered a. =
sscriAce-Rev. DR.. Tal,nsscs Mastery
Sermon.
NEW YosK, Oct. 13.--In his sermon
for today Rev. DR.. Talmage chose for
his subject Abraham's supreme trial Of
faith and tho angelic rescue of Isaac
from being offered by his father as
sacrifice. The text was Genesis xxi, Z,
Behold the fire and the wood, but
where is the lainb?''
Hero are Abraham and Isaac, the one
a kind, old, gracious, affectionate father,
the other brave, obedient, religious
son. From his bronzed appearance you
can tell that this son has been much in
the fields, and from his shaggy dress
You know that he has been watching the
herds. The mountain air has painted his
check rubicund. He is 20 or 20 or, as
some suppose, IS years Of age, never
theless Il 10y, considering the length of
life 10 which people lived in those times
and the fact that son never is any
thing but a boy to- father. remember
that my father used to come into the
house when the children were home on
some festal occasion and say, "Where
are the boys:" although ''the boys
were 25 and 80 ard IS years of age. So
this Isaac is only u boy to Abraham, and
this fathers heart is i'll him. 1t is Isaac
here and Isaac there. If there is any
festivity around the fathers tent, Isaac
must enjoy it. 1t is Isaacs walk. and
Isaac's apparel, and Isasc's manners,
and Isaac's prospects, and Isaac's pros
perity. The fathers heartstrings are all
wrapped around that boy and wrapped
again, until nine tenths of the old mans
life is in Isaac. ! can Just imagine how
lovingly and proudly he looked at his
only son.
The Sacrifice.
Well, the dear old man had borne a
great deal Of trouble, and il had left its
mark upon him. In hieroglyphics of
wrinkle the story was written from
forehead to chin. But now his trouble
seems all gone, and we are glad that he
is very soon to rest forever. If the old
man shall get decrepit. Isaac is strong
enough to wait on him. If the father
get dim Of eyesight, Isaac will lead him
by the hand. If the father become des-
titute, Isaac will earn him bread. How
glad we are that the ship that has been
i'll such a stormy sea is coming at last
into the harbor. Are you not rejoiced
that glorious old Abraham is through
with his troubles? No, no! A thunder
bolt From that clear eastern sky there
drops into that fathers tent voice
with an announcement enough to turn
black hair white and to stun the patri-
arch into instant humiliation. God
said, Abraham ~ The old man an
swered, Here ami" God said to him,
Take thy son, thy only son Isaac,
whom thou lowest, and get thee into the
land of Moriah and offer him there as a
burnt Offering" In other words, Stay
him; cut his body into fragments; put
the fragments en- the wood; set fire to
the wood and let Isaac's body be con-
sumed to ashes.
Cannibalisml Murderl' says some
one. '.Not so" said Abraham. / hear
him soliloquize: Here is the boy on
whom / have depended Oh, how l
loved him He was given in answer to
prayer, and now must l surrender him?
o Isaac, my son Isaac, how shall | part
with you? But then it is always safer
to do as God asks me to. l have been
in dark places before. and God got me
out. will implicitly do as God has
told me, although it is very dark. l
can't see my way, hut l know God
makes no mistakes, and to him COM
nit myself and my darling son. :"
Early in the morning there is stir
around Abraham's tent. A beast of bur-
den is fed and saddled. Abraham makes
no disclosure of the awful secret. At
the break of day he says: "Come, come,
Isaac, get upl We are going off on two
or three days. journey" hear the AK
hewing and splitting amid the wood
until the sticks are made the right
length and the right thickness, and then
they are fastened on the beast of burden
They pass on. There are four of them
Abraham, the father; Isaac, the son,
and two servants. Going along the road
l see Isaac looking up into his fathers
face and saying: Father, what is the
matter? Are you not well? Has anything
Are You tired? Lean on my
arm. p" Then, turning around to the
the son says, "Ah, father is
getting old, and he has had trouble
enough in other days to kill him p
Looking For the Lamb.
The third morning has come, and it
is the day of the tragedy. The two serv-
ants are left with the beast of burden,
while Abraham and his son Isaac, as
was the custom of good people in those
times, went up on the hill to sacrifice
to the Lord. The wood is taken off the
beasts back and put on Isaac's back
Abraham has in one hand pan of Goals
or lamp and in the other sharp,
keen knife. Here are all the appliances
for sacrifice, you say. No, there is one
thing wanting There is no victim-no
pigeon or heifer or lamb. Isaac, not
knowing that he is to be the victim,
looks up into his fathers face and asks
a question which must have cut the old
man to the bone, My fatherp' The IA
Their said, my son, Isaac, here l am. "
The son said, Behold the fire and the
wood, but where is the lamb?" The IA
theirs lip ouivered, and his heart faint
ed, and his knees knocked together, and
his entire body, mind and soul shiver
i'll sickening anguish as he struggles to
gain equipoise, for he does not want to
break down. And then he looks into his
son S face with a thousand rushing ten
dernesses and says, my son, God will
provide himself lamb. "
The twain are now at the foot of the
hill, the place which is to be famous for
a most trallscendent occurrence. They
gather some stones out of the field and
build an altar Of three OF four feet high.
Then they take this wood off Isaac's