The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1895-10-25

fathers lip quivered and his heart
tainted and his knees knocked together
and his entire body, mind and soul
shivered in isiclsening anguish as ne
struggles to gain equipoise; for ne
does not want to break down, Ano
| then he looks into his sons face, with
| a 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 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 this
| wood off Isaacs back and sprinkle 1t
over the stones, SO as to help and in
vite the flames. The altar is done-it
is all done. Isaac has helped to build
it. 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 pause The
son looks around to see if there is not
some living animal that can be caught
and butchered for the offering. Abra-
ham tries to choke down his fatherly
feelings and suppress his grief, in or
der that he may break to his son the
terrific news that he is to be the VIC
tim.
All! Isaac never looked more beauti-
full than on that day to his father. AS
the old man ran his emaciated fingers
through his sons hair he said to him
self: GLOW shall l give him up? What
will his mother say when come back
without my boy? 1 thought he would
have been the comfort of my declining
years. I thought he would have been
the hope of ages to come. Beautiful
and loving, and yet to die under my
own hand. Oh, 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 strug-
gle. The father controls his feelings
and looks into his sons face and says:
'Isaac, must tell you alp" His son
said, "Yes, father. 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 infirm 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 strug-
gle. They fell on each others neck
and walled out the parting. Awful
and matchless scene of the wilderness.
The rocks echo back the breaking of
their hearts. The cry, "My sonl my
son!' The answer, my father! my
Do not compare this. as some people
have, to Agamemnon, willing to offer
up his daughter. Iphigenia, to please
the gods. There is nothing compare
BILE to this wonderful 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 black
smith who held the manacles: "Fasten
those chains tight, now, for my flesh
may struggle nightly" So Isaac's
arms are fastened, his feet are tied.
The old man, rallying all his strength,
lifts him on to a pile of wood.
a thong on one side
of the altar. he makes it span the
body of Isaac, and fastens the thong
at the other side the altar, and an
other thong. and another thong.
There is the lamp Pickering in the
wind, ready to be put under the brush
wood of the altar. There is the knife,
sharp and keen. misunderstanding
with his mortal feelings on the one
side, and the commands OF God on the
that knife, rubs the
fat of it on the palm of his
hand. cries to God for help, comes up
to the side of the altar, puts a parting
kiss on the brow of his boy, takes
a message from him for mother and
home, and then, lifting the glittering
weapon for the plunge of the death
stroke-his muscles knitting for the
hand begins to descend. 1t
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, For do
him any harm"
What is this sound back in the
woods! 1t is n cracking as of tree
branches, bleating and a struggle.
Go, Abraham, and see what it is. Oh,
it was a ram. that. going through the
woods, has its crooked horns fastened
and entangled in the brushwood, and
could not get loose; and Abraham
siezes it gladly. and quickly unloosens
Isaac from the altar, puts the ram on
In his place, sets the lamp under the