The Penn's Grove record., 1895-10-18
REV. DE-. TaLuaGE.
The Brooklyn Divine's Sunda!
Sermon.


Subject: "An Angelic Rescue"
TEXT: 'Behold the fire and the wood
but where is the lambf"-Genesis xii, Z.
Here are Abraham and Isaac, the one a
kind, old. gracious, afTectionate father. ths
othera brave, obedtent, religious son. From
his br"nzei 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 wears of aga, neverthe-
less a hoy, considering the length of life to
Which people lived in those times and the
TACT that n son never is anything but a boy
10 a father. / remember that my father
used TO come into the house when the chill
dren We're home on some festal occasion
Had say, where are the boys?" although
THE boys were twenty-five and thirty and
tlirty-dyc years of age. So this Isaac is
only a boy 70 Abraham, and this fathers
heart is in him. 1t is Isaac here and Isaac
Their. If there is any f~estivity around the
iaEhdf5 tent, Isaac must enjoy it. 1t is
Isaac's walk, and Isaac's apparel, and
manners, and 1saac's prospects, and Isaac's
prosperity. The fathers heartstrings are
all wrapped around that boy and wrapped
again, until nine-tenths of the old man
liie is in Isaac. 1 can just imagine how
lovingly and proudly he looked at his only
son.
Well, the dear old man had borne a great
deal Of trouble, and it had left its mark
up0n him. In hIer~oglyphics of wrinkle the
story was written from forehead to chin.
But now his trouble seems all gone, and we
are glad that he is very soon to rest forever.
II the old man shall get dpcrepit, Isaac is
strong enough to wait on him. Ii the father
get dim Of eyesight, Isaac will lead him by
the hand. 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 rcjoiced that glorious old Abra-
ham is through with his troubles? No, no!
A thunderbOlt! From that clear eastern
sky there drops into that fathers tent a
voice with an announcement enough to turn
black hair white and to stun the patriarch into
instant annihiIation. God said, 'Abrahan!"
The old man answered, "Here / an" God
said 10 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, STAY him;
cut his body into fragments; put the frag-
ments on wood; set fire to the wood and let
Isaac's body be consumed to ashes.
"Cannibalism! Murder!" says some one.
'NOt So said Abraham. l hear him solilO-
quize: "Here is the hoy on whom | nave de-
pended! Oh, how l loved himi He was
gwen in answer to prayer, and now must l
surrender him? o IsaIc, my son! Isaac, how
shall ! part with YOU But then it is always
safer to do as God asks me to. l nave been
IN dark places before, and God got me out.
/ will implicitly do as God has told me,
although it is very dark. ! can't see my
way, but l know God makes no mistakes,
and 10 Him l commit myself and my darling
SON"
Early in the morning there is a stir around
Abrahum's tent. A beast of burden is fed
and saidled. Abraham makes no disclosure
of the awful secret. At the break of day he
says: "Come, come, Isaac, get up! We are
going OIL on Il 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 l see
Isaac looking up into his fathers face and
saving: Father, what is the NATTER Are
You not well? Has anything %happenedP 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 hlm!'
The third morning has come, and 1t is the
day ofthe 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 Isaacis
back. Abraham has in one hand a o.
Goals or a lamp and in the other a sharp
keen knife. Here are all the appliances fol
sacrifice, You say. No, there is one thing
wanting. There is no victim-no pigeon OF
heifer or lamb. Isaac, not knowing that he
| is to be the victim, looks up into his fathers
face and asks a question which must have cut
the old man to the bone, 'cMy 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.
cred, and his heart tainted, n his knees
knocked together, and his entire body, mind
and soul SILVER III sickening anguish rs he
struggles to gain equipoise, for he does not
want to break down. And then he looks
into his sons face with a thousand rushing
tendernesses and says, "My son, God viii
provide Himself q lamb"
The twain are now at the foot OF the5hill
the place which is to be famous for q 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 Isaao's back and sprinkle 1t over
| the stones, so as to help and invite the fame.
The altar is done--it is all done, Isaac has
1 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 IL 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 emaeiated fingers through his
sons hairh ne said to himself: "How shall
give him up? What will his mother say
when / come back without my boy2
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 do2 Take my life and
spare hisl Pour out my blood and save
| Isanc for his mother and the wOrldI' But
this was an inward struggle. The father
| controls his feelings and looks into his sons
| face and SAYS, Isaac, must / tell YOU alp
His son said' ayes, father; L thought you
had something on your mind. Tellit." The
| father said, ''My son, Isaac, thou art the
lamb!' "Oh." YOU say, ''Why didn't that
young man, il he was twenty or thirty years
! Of age, Suite into the dust MS iniirm iHtner!
He could have done H." 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 anc
matches scene OF the wilderness TIT
rocks echo back the breaking OF their hearts
The cry, MY son., my son!' The answer
AMY father, my father!'
Do not compare this, as some people have,
10 A~gamemnon willing to OFFER up hi'
daughter, Iphigenia, to please the gods
There is nothing comparable to this wonder
ful obedience to the rue God. You know
that victims for sacrifice were always bound
so that they might not struSgieAway. Raw
Ungs, the martyr, when he was dying 10
Christ's SAKE. said 10 the blacksmith WIZ
held the manacles, "Fasten those chain
fight now, for my flesh may struggle mtghp
nv" SO lsaac's arms were fastened, hi
feet are tied. The old man, rallyiug all hi
strength. lifts him on TO a pile OF wood
Fastening a thong on one side OF the altar
he makesit span the body OF Isaac, and tas
tens the thong at the other side Of the altar
and another thong, and another thong
There is the lamp tiickering n the win
ready 10 be put under the brushwood OF tn
,ltar, There Is the knife, sharp and Keen
Misunderstanding with his mortal feel
- - tha one side and the nj o