The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1895-10-26

over the stones, so as to help ana 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 IL there is not
some living animal that can be caught
and butchered for the Offering, Abra-
ham tries to choke down mis- fatherly
der that he may break to his son the
terrific news that he is to be the vic
tim.
Ahl 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: "How shall give him up? What
will his mother say when come back
without my boy? thought he would
have been the comfort of my declining
years. ! 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
world" But this was an inward strug-
gle. The father controls his feelings
and looks into his sons face and says:
Isaac, must tell you alf?' His son
said. Eyes, 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, il he was twenty or
thirty years of age, smite into the dust
his infrm father? He could have done
it." All! Isaac knew by this time that
the scene was typical of n 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
sonw The answer. my fatherl my
father!"
Do not compare this. as some people
have, to Agamemnon, willing to offer
up his daughter lphigenia, to please
the gods. There is nothing compara-
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 lsaac's
arms are fastened, his feet are tied.
I'm al al lt-in .,ll Ia 10 Ctr nrtl
lifts him on to pile of wood.
Fastening 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 ficllering in the
wind, ready to be put under the brush
wood of the altar. There is the knife,
sharp and keen. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
with his mortal feelings on the one
side, and the commands of God on the
other-talies that knife. rubs the
fat of il 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
strolie-his muscles knitting for the
work-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 cracking as of tree
branches, a bleating and 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
brushwood of the altar, and as the
dense smoke of the sacrifice begins to
rise, the blood rolls down the sides of
the altar, the drops kissing into the
fire. and hear the words: behold
the lamb OF God, who takes away the
sins of the world" ~
Well, what are you going to get out
of this? There is an aged minister of
the Gospel. He says: II should get
out of it that when God tells you
to do thing, whether it seems reason
able to you are not, go ahead
and do it." Here Abraham couldn't
have been mistaken. God didn't
speak so indistinctly that it was not
certain whether lie called Sarah, or
Abimelech, or somebody else; but with
divine articulation, divine intonation,
divine emphasis, lie said: Abraham
Abraham rushed blindly ahead to do
his duty, knowing that things would
come out right Likewise do SO your
selves. There is mystery of your
life There is some burden you have
to carry. You don't know why God
has put it on you. There is some per-
secution, some trial, and you don't
know why God allows it. There is a
work for you to do, and you have not
enough grace, you think, to do it. Do
as Abraham did. Advance, and do
your whole duty. he willing to give
up Isaac, and perhaps you will not
have to give up anything. Jehovah