The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-10-23

II. All Isaac knew Dy This Time lnaL
the scene was typical of Messiah
who was 10 come, and SO he made no
struggle. They fell on each others
necEs and walled out the parting.
Awful and matchless scene Of the viii
derness. The rocks echo back the
breaking of their hearts. The cry:
My son. My SON." The answer:
MY father, Ny father
Do not compare this, as some people
have, to Agamemnnon. willing to
offer up his daughter, Iphigenia, to
please the gods There is nothing
comparable to this wonderful obedl.
ence to the true God. You know that
victims for sacrifice were always
bound, so that they might not strug-
gle away. Rawlings, the martyr,
when he was dying for Christs sake.
said to the blacksmith who held the
manacles, "Fasten those chains tight
now. for my flesh may struggle Nigh
tily." So Isaacs arms are fastened,
his feet are tied. The old man, rally
ing all his strength, lifts him on to
pile of wood. Fastening 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 fickering in the
wind, ready to be put under the brush
wood of the altar. There is theknlfe,
sharp and keen. Abraham-struggl-
ing with his mortal feelings on the one
side and the commands of God on the
other-takes that knife, rubs the fiat
of it on the palm of his hand, cries to
God for help, comes up to the side of
the altar, puts parting kiss on the
brow ofhis body, takes a message from
him for mother and home, and then,
lifting thesglittering weapon for the
plunge OF the death stroke-his mus
c,es 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 wilderness quake with the cry:
"Abraham Abraham. Lay not thy
hand upon the lad nor do him any
harm ~
What is this sound back in the
woods. 1t is a cracking as of tree
branches, bleating and struggle.
Go, Abraham, and see what it is. Oh,
it was ram that, going through the
woods, has its crooked horns fastened
and entangled in the brushwood and
could not get loose, and Abraham
seizes it gladly and quickly unloosens
Isaac from the altar, puts the ram on
in his place, sets the lamp under the
orushwood Of the altar, and as the
dense smoke OF the sacrifice begins to
rise the blood rolls down the sides of
the altar and drops Kissing into the
fire, aud hear the words, Behold
the Lamb of God who takes away the
sins of the world"
Well, what are you going to get out
Of this: There is an aged minister OF
the gospel. He says: Il should get
out OF It that when God tells you to do
thing, whether it seems reasonable
20 you or not, 60 ahead and do It.
Here Abraham couldn't have been
mistaken. God didn't speak so indis,
tinctly that it was not certain whether
he called Sarah or orAbimelech or some
body else, but with divine articulation.
divine emphasis, he said, Abraham! :
Abraham crushed blindly ahead to do
his duty, knowing that things would
come out right. Likewise do so your
selves. There is a 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 per
secution, some trial, and you don't
know why God allows it. There
is a work for you to do, and you have
not enough grace, you think, 20 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. 'Jeho-
vahiireh'-the Lord will provide. A
capital lesson this old minister gives
| Us.
Out wonder in his house is an aged
woman. The light of heaven in her
face she is half way through the door
yhe aas her hand on the pearl of the
eat9: Mother, what would you get
oIt ek this subject? "Oh," she says, Il
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 moment God
broke in and stopped proceedings. So
it has been in my life of 20 years.
Why, sir, there was time when the
flour was all out of the house. and l
set the table at noon and had nothing
to put on it, but five minutes of l
o'clock loaf of bread came. The
Lord will provide My son was very
sick, and I 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 neigh
bors who have three and four sons.
This is my only son, this is my Isaac.
Lord, YOU won't take him away from
me, will youH But | saw he WAS get
ting 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 done
The doctors gave him up and we all
gave him up. Aud as was the custom
in those times. We had made the grave
clothes, and we were whispering about
the last exercises when l looked, and l
saw some aspiration on his brow:
showing that the fever had broken and
he spoke to us so naturally that | knew
he was going to get well. He did get
well, and my son Isaac, whom |
thought was going to be slain and
consumed of disease, was loosened
from that alta. And, oless your souls,
that's been SO for 70 years, and if my
voice weie not so weak, and if | could
see better, l could preach to you youn-
ger people a sermon, for though /
can't see much lean see this: When
ever you get into tough place, and
your heart is breaking, ifyou will look
little fartheGjnto the woods you will
see, caught in the branches, asubsti.
tute and deliverance. My son, God
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