Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1895-10-23
Rev. DR. TgLHgGE.
The Brooklyn Divine's Sunday
Sermon.
Subject: "An Angelic Rescue"

Subject: "An Angelic Rescue.
TEXT: "Behold the fire and the wood
but where is the lamb?"-Genesis XIII.
Here are Abraham and Isaac, the one a
kind, old. gracious, affectionate father. the
other brave, obedent. 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 mount-
ain air has painted his cheek rubicund. He
Is twenty or twenty-five or, as some sup
pose, thirty-three years OF age, neverthe-
less boy, considering the length of life to
which people lived in those times and the
fact that n son never is anything but a boy
to father. 1 remember that my father
used to come into the house when the chill
dren were home on some festal occasion
and say. ..where are the boys?" although
'the boys" were twenty-five and thirty and
thirty-fve years of age. So this Isaac is
only boy to Abraham, and this fathers
heart is in him. 1t is Isaac here and Isaac
there. If there is any festivity around the
fathers tent, Isaac must enjoy it. 1t is
1saac's walk, and Isaac's apparel. and
manners. and 1saacs prospects, and Isaac's
prosperity. The fathers heartstrings are
all wrapped around that boy and wrapped
again, until nine-tenths of the old mans
life is in Isaac. 1 can just imagine how
lovingly and proudly he looked at his only
son.
Well, the dear old man had borne great
deal of trouble, and it had left its mark
upon him. In hleroglyphics of wrinkle the
story was written from forehead to chin.
But now his trouble seems ali gone, and we
are glad tina. he is very soon 10 rest forever.
If the oil man shall get decrepit, Isaac is
strong enough to wait on him. Ii the father
get dim of eyesight. Isaac will lead him by
the band. If the father become destitute
Isaac will earn him bread. How glad we
are that the ship that has been in such a
stormy sea is coming at last into the harbor.
Are you not rejoiced that glorious old Abr,-
| ham is through with his troubles? No, no!
A thunderbolt! From that clear eastern
| sky there drops into that fathers tent
voice with IN announcement enough to turn
black hair white and to stun the patriarch into
instant annihilation. God said, .'Abrahaml"
The Old man answered, Here 1 am" 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, slay him;
| cut his body into fragments; put the frag-
menis on wood; set fire to the wood and let
1saac's body be consumed to ashes.
"Cannibalism. Murderi'' says some one.
| sNot so" said Abraham. hear him solilo-
| quize: "Here is the boy on whom have de-
| pended On, how l loved himi He was
| gwen in answer to prayer. and now must 1
| 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. 1 have been
| in dark places before, and God got me out.
| will implicitly do as God has told me,
| although 1t is very dark. j can't see my
| way, but know God makes no mistakes,
| and to Him l commit myself and my darling
| son."
| Early in the morning there is stir around
| Abraham's tent. A beast of burden is fed
and saddled. Abraham makes no disclosure
| of the awful secret. At the break of day he
| says: Come. come. Isaac, get up. We are
going on on a 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 1 see
Isaac looking up into his fathers face and
| saying: Father. what is the matter? Are
| you not well? Has anything happened? Are
| you tired? Lean on my arm" Then, turn
| ing around to the servants, the son says,
| "Ah father is getting old. and he has had
| trouble enough in other days to kill him.
The third morning has come, and it is the
| day of the tragedy. The two servants are
left with the beast of burden, while Abra.
| ham 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 II
| taken of the beasts back and put on Isaacl
| back. Abraham has in one hand a pan OF
| Goals or a lamp and in the other n sharp,
| keen knife. Here are all the appliances fol
| sacrifice, you say. No, there is one thing
| wanting. There is no vctim-no pigeon OF
| heifer or lamb. Isaac. not knowing that he
| is to be the victim, looks up into his fathers
| face and asks question which must have cut
the old man to the bone, "My father!" The
| father said, my son. Isaac. here L am" The
| son said, "Behold the fire and the wood, but
| where is the lamb?" The fathers lip quiv-
] ered and his heart tainted, and his knees
| knocked together, and his entire body, mind
and soul shiver in sickening anguish as he
| struggles to gain equipoise, for he does not
into his sons face with a thousand rushing
| tendernesses and says, "My son, God viii
provide Himself a lamb"
The twain are now at the foot of the ihill
the place which is to be famous for a most
| transcendent occurrence. They gather some
! stones out of the field and build an altar of
three or four feet high. Then they take thi:
| wood off Isaao's back and sprinkle it over
| the stones, so as to help and invite the flame.
The altar is done-it is all done. Isaac has
| helped to build 1t. With his father he has
discussed whether the top OF the table Is
| even and whether the wood is properly pre-.
pared. Then there is a PAUSE. The son
| looks around to see II there is not some liv-
ing animal that can be caught and butchered
| for the Offering. Abraham tries to choke
down his fatherly feelings and suppress his
| grief In order that he may break to his son
| the terrific news that he is to be the victim.
| All, Isaac never looked more beautiful
than on that day to his father. As the old
man ran his emaciated fingers through his
| sons hair he said to himself "How shall
| give him up? What will his mother say
| when l come back without my boy? !
thought he would have been the comfort OF
my declining days. 1 thought he would
| have been the hope OF ages to come. Beau
tiful and loving, and yet TO die under my
| own hand. o God. is there not some other
sacrifice that will do? Take my life and
spare his! Pour out my blood and save
Isaac for his mother and the worldr" But
| this was an inward struggle. The father
controls his feelings and looks into his sons
| face and says, "Isaac, must 1 tell you all?'
His son said, ayes, father; I thought you
had something 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 twenty or thirty years
| of age, smite into the dust his inflrm father?
He could have done it." All, Isaac knew by
this time that the scene was typical of a
| Messiah who was to come, and so he made
no struggle. They fell on each others necks
| and walled out the parting. Awful and
matchess scene Of the wilderness! Thu
rocks echo back the breaking of their hearts
The cry, My son, my son!'' The answer
| "My father, my father!''
Do not compare this. as some people have,
to Agamemnon willing to offer up his
daughter. Iphigenia, to please the gods
| There is nothing comparable to this wonder.
| full obedience to the true God. You know
| that victims for sacrifice were always bound,
so that they might not struggle away. Raw
lings, 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 might
fly" So Isaac's arms were fastened, his
feet are tied. The old man, rallying all his
strength, lifts him on to pile of wood.
Fastening thong on one side of the altar,
he makesi it span the body OF Isaac, and fas-
tens the thong at the other side of the altar,
and another thong, and another thong,
There is the lamp hickering In the wind
ready to be put under the brushwood Of the
altar. There is the knife, sharp and keen.
Misunderstanding with his mortal feel.
| ms on the one side and the commands OF
Sod on the other-takes that knife, rubs
1 Ia nf I, ,ic