The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1895-10-16
August
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the woods, has its crooked horns fast
ened and entangled in the brushwood,
and could not get loose; and Abraham
seizes 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, and 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 on t
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 reasonable to
you or 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 he called
Sarah, or Abimelech, or somebody else;
but with divine articulation, divine in
tonation, divine emphasis, he said:
~ ~
ahead to do his duty, knowing that
things would come out right. Likewise
do so yourselves. There is u 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 persecution, some trial, and you
don't know why God allows it. There
is work for you to do, aud you have
not enough grace, you think. to 90 it.
Do as Abraham did. Advance, and do
your whole duty. BE willing to give
up Isaac. and perhaps you will not
have to give up anything. "'Jehovah-
jirch'-the Lord will provide" A capi-
tai lesson this old minister gives u.s..
Out yonder, in this house, is an aged
woman; the light of Heaven in her
face; she is halfway through the door;
she has her hand on the pearl of the
gate. Mother, what would you get
out of this subject? "O," she says,
81 would learn that it is in the last
pinch that God comes to the relief.
You see the altar was ready, and Isaac
was fastened on it, and the knife was
lifted, and just at the last moment
God broke in and stopped proceedings.
So it has been in my life for seventy
years. Why, sir, there was time when
the flour was all out of the house, and
l set the table at noon and had nothing
to put on it; but five minutes of
o'clock loaf of bread came. The Lord
will provide. My son was very sick,
and L said: Dear Lord, you don't
mean to take him away from me, do
you? Please, Lord, don't take him
away. Why, there are neighbors who
have three and four sons; this is my
only son; this is my Isaac. Lord, you
won't take him away from me, will
you9 But saw he was getting worse
and worse all the time; and | turned
round and prayed, until after awhile
felt,submissive, and could say; Thy
will, 0 Lord be donep The doctors
gave him up, and we all gave him
up. And, as was the custom in those
times, we had made the grave-clothes,
and we were whispering about the last
exercises, when l looked, and I saw
some perspiration on his brow, showing
that the fever had broken, and he spoke
to us so naturally, that / knew he
was going to get we'll He did get we'll,
and my son, Isaac, whom thought was
going to be slain and consumed of dis
ease, was looscned from that altar.
And bless your souls, that's been so for
seventy years; and If my voice were not
so weak, and if | could see better,
could preach to YOU younger people a
sermon; for though can't see much, l