The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1895-10-25
TEST OF FAITH.
Rev. DR.. TalmaRe Points Out Some
Valuable Lessons
To be Learned From the story of Abfa-
ham and Isaac on Mount Moriah-
A Prototype of Christa sufA
feTlnGs sud Death.

1Or publication THIS week. II Is pdSeQ
on the tex;
Behold the FIRE and the wood; but where is
the lamb.-Genesis xii, 2.
Here are Abraham and Isarcl the
one kind, old, gracious, affectionate
fatherl the other brave, obedienti re-
liEi0us son. From his brohzed appeal
ance you can tell that this son has
bech much in the fields, and from his
shaggy dress you know that he has
been watching the herds. The noun
tain ale has painted his cheek rubi-
cund. lie is twenty, or twenty-five,
or. as some suppose, thirty-three years
of age; nevertheless a boy, consider
ing the length Of life 10 which people
lived In those times, and the fact that
son never is anything bpt a boy TO d
father. remember that hat f44ther
used 20 eotns .hs0 the house when
lhy children were home on some
festal occasion. and say: Where
are the boys?" although ''the
boys" were twenty five and
thirty, and thirty-hve years Of
age. So this Isaac is only n boy to
abraham, and his fathers heart IS in
him. IL lis Isaac here and Isaac there.
II there Is any festivity around the
fathers tent, Isaac must enjoy II. u "a
Isaac's walk, and Isseee apparel, and
isaaes MATTERS. and Isaac's 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 oAik
sou,
Well, the dear old man had borne a
great deal of trouble, and it had left
It's mark upon him. In hieroglypics of
wrinkle the story was written froih
forehead TO chin. Rtt row 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. II the father
become destitute, Isaac will earn him
bread. How glad we are that thu
ship that has been In such a
stormy sea, Is coming at last in
to the harbor. Are you not re5oicsi
that glorious old Abraham is through
with his troubles? Mol mol A thun-
derbolt! From that clear eastern sky
there drops into that fathers tent :
voice with an announcersht enough
to turn black heir white, and to stun
the patriarch into instant annihila-
tion. God said: ''Abrahamw The old
man answered: Here / am" God
said to him: Take thy son, thy only
son, Isaac, whom thou lowest, and get
thee into the land of Moriah, aud offer
him there as burnt Offering" In
other words, Stay him; cut his body
into Fragments put the fragments on
the wood, set Ere to the wood and let
Isaac's body be consumed to ashes.
''Cannibalism! Murder" says some
one. Not so" said Abraham. hear
him soliloquize: Here is the boy on
whom I have depended Oh, how
loved himl lie was given in answer 20
prayer, and now mHat / Surrender him?
o Isaac, my sonl Isaac, how shall l
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. 1 will implicitly do as
God has told me, although it is very
dark. can't see my way, but | know
God makes no mistakes, ard to Him
commit myself and my darling SON."
Early lii the morning there is a 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 upl We are
going off on two or three days jour
I Rwnu h0 "A "A
ting 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, see Isaac looking up into his
fathers face, and saying; Father,
what is the matter2 Are you not we'll!
Has anything happeneds Are You
tired2 Lean on my arra,h Then, turn
ing around to the servants, the son
says: "Ah! father is getting old, and
he has had trouble enough in ether
DAYS to kill him."
The third moEaihg has come. and 1t
Is the day OF the tragedy. The two
servants arc left with the beast of
burden. while Abraham and his sob
Isaac, as was the custom Of good peo-
pie in those times, went up on the hill
60 sacrifice to the Lord. The wood Is
taken of the beasts lel1, and put on
1saac's back. Abraham has In one
hand a pan of Goals or a lamp. and in
the other a sharp, keen knife. Here
are all the appliances Tor sacrifice, you
say. Go, there II one thing wantinRi
there Is no victlm-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 uues-
tion which must have cut the old man
TO the bone, my fatherl" The father
said, my son, Isaac, here l am" The
son said, Behold the fire and the
wood, but where is the lamb9" The
fathers lip quivered and his heart
tainted, and his knees knocked together
and his entire body, mind and soul
shivered in sickening anguish as he
struggles to gain equipoise; for he
does not want to break down. And
then he looks into his sons face, with
thousand rushing tendernesses, and
says. my son, God will provide him
self lamb"
The twain are now at the foot of the
hill. the place which is TO be famous
for most transcendent occurrence.
They gather some stones out of the
field, and build an altar of three OF
four feet high. Then they take this
wood of Isaac's back and sprinkle il
over the stones, SO as to help and in
vite the flames. The altar is done-it
Is all done. Isaac has helned to hniId