Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1895-10-18

woods, you will see, caught in The
branches, substitute and deliver
ance. MY son, God will provide him
self lamb.
A Greater Sacrifice.
Thank you, mother, for that short SER
mon. l could preach back to you for
minute or two and say, never do you
fear I wish had half as good hope
Of heaven as you have. Do not fear,
mother. Whatever happens, no harm
will ever happen to you. Twas going up
a long flight Of stairs and l saw an aged
woman, very decrepit and with a cane,
creeping on up. She made but very lit
tie progress, and l felt very exuberant.
and l said to her, "Why, mother, that,
no way to 90 up stairs" and threw
my arms around her, and l carried her
up and put her down on the landing at
tue III str'rs. she sald: IhanK
you, thank you. am ,os. ",lIans'' 81 "
o mother, when you get through this
life work and you want to 90 up stairs
and rest in the good place that God has
provided for you, you will not have to
climb up, you will not have to crawl up
painfully. The two arms that were
stretched on the cross will be flung
around you, and you will be hoisted
with glorious lift beyond all WEAKNESS
and all struggle. May the God Of Abra-
ham and Isaac be with you until you SEQ
the Lamb on the hilltops.
Now, that aged minister has made a
suggestion, and this aged woman has
made suggestion. | will make a sug-
gestion: Isaac going up the hill makes
me think Of the great sacrifice. Isaac,
the only son Of Abraham. Jesus, the
only son OF God On those two "onlys"
l build a fearful emphasis o Isaac! o
Jesus But this last sacrifice was more
tremendous one. When the knife was
lifted over Calvary there was no voice
that cried Stop and no hand arrested
it. Sharp, keen and tremendous it cut
down through nerve and artery until the
blood sprayed the faces Of the execution
ers, and the midday sun dropped a veil
Of cloud over its face because it could
not endure the spectacle. o Isaac Of
Mount Moriahl O Jesus Of Mount Cal
vary Better could God have thrown
away into annihilation a thousand
worlds than to have sacrificed his only
Son. 1t was not one Of the ten sons; it
was his only Son. If be had not given
up him, You and would have perished.
God so loved the world that be gave
his only | stop there, not because
have forgotten the quotation, but be-
cause want to think. God so loved
the world that he gave his only begotten
Son that whosoeyer believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting
life" Great God, break my heart at
the thought Of that sacrifice. Isaac the
only, typical Of Jesus the only.
You see Isaac going up the hill and
carving the wood o Abraham, why
not take the load off the boy? If he is
going to die so soon, why not make his
last hours easy? Abraham knew that in
carrying that wood up Mount Morfah
Isaac was to be a symbol Of Christ car
rying his own cross up Calvary. l do
not know how heavy that cross was
whether it was made Of oak or acacia or
Lebanon cedar. l suppose 1t may have
weighed 100 or 200 or 300 pounds.
That was the lightest part Of the bur-
den. All the sins and sorrows Of the
world were wound around that cross.
The heft Of one, the heft Of two worlds
earth and hell were on his shoulders
O Isaac, carrying the wood Of sacrifice
up Mount Moriah! o Jesus, carrying
the wood Of sacrifice up Mount Calvary,
the agonies Of earth and hell wrapped
around that cross shall never see the
heavy load on Isaac's back that | shall
not think Of the crushing load on
Christ's back. For whom that load! For
you. For you. For me- For me. Would
that all the tears that we have ever
wept over our sorrows had been saved
until this morning, and that we might
now pour them out on the lacerated
back and feet and heart Of the Son OF
God.
Food For the Soul.
You say: If this young man was
20 or 30 years Of age, why did not he
resist? Why was it not Isaac binding
Abraham, instead Of Abraham binding
Isaac? The muscle in Isaac's arm was
stronger than the muscle in Abraham g
withered arm. No young man 20 years
Of age would submit to have his father
fasten him to pile Of wood with inten-
ton Of burning" Isaac was willing
sacrifice, and so a type Of Christ who
willingly came to save the world. If all
the armies Of heaven had resolved to
force Christ out from the gate, they
could not have done it. Christ was
equal with God. If all the battalions OF
glory had armed themselves and resolved
to put Christ forth and make him come
out and save this world, they could not
nave succeeded in it. With one stroke
he would have toppled over angelic and
,rchangelic dominion.
But there was one thing that the ON
nipotent Christ could not stand. Our
sorrows mastered him. He could not
bear to see the world die without an Of
fer Of pardon and help, and if all heav-
en- had armed itself to keep him back,
if the gates Of life had been bolted and
double barred, Christ would have flung
the everlasting doors from their hinges,
and would have sprung forth, scattering
the hinderirg hosts Of heaven like chat
before the whirlwind, as he cried: "Lol
come TO suffer. Lol come to die.
Christ-a willing sacrifice. Willing to
take Bethlehem humiliation, and San
hedrin outrage, and whipping post
maltreatment, and Golgotha butchery.
Willing to be bound. Willing to suffel.
Willing to die. Willing to save.
How does this affect your Do not
your very best impulses bound out TO-
ward this pain struck Christi Get down
at his feet, o ye people. Put your lips
against the wound on his right foot and
help kiss away the pang. Wipe the foam
from his dying lip. Get under the cross
until you feel the baptism Of his rushing
tears. Take him into your heart with
warmest love and undying enthusiasm.
By your resistances you have abused him