Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1896-02-27
clininr DAYS. thought he woul,, have

tiful and loving, and yet to die unde
my own hand. Oh, God! is there no
some other sacrifice that will do? TAX
my life, and spare his! Pour out m,
blood, and save Isaac for his mothe
and the world!' But this was an IL
ward struggle. The father controls hi
feelings, and looks into his sons face
and says: Isaac, must tell you all?
His son said: Eyes, father, | though
you had something on your mind; tel
It," The father said: my son, Isaac
thou art the lamb!' "Oh," you say
"why didn't that young man, If he wa
twenty or thirty years Of age, smitc int
the dust his infirm father? He coulc
have done it, All! Isaac knew b.
this time that the scene was typica
OF Messiah who was to come, and St
he made no struggle. They fell on
each others necks, and walled out tht
parting. Awful and matchless scene
of the wilderness. The rocks echo
back the breaking of their hearts. The
cry: my son! my som" The answer:
My father!" my father!"
DO not compare this, as some peopis
have, to Agamemnon, willing to ctlel
up his daughter, Iphigenia, to please
the gods. There is nothing comparable
to this wonderful obedience to the true
God. You know that victims for sacr-
flee were always bound. so that they
might not struggle away. Rawlings,
the martyr, when he was dying foi
Christ's sake, said to the blacksmith
who held the manaclcs: "Fasten those
chains tight now, for my flesh may
struggle nightly" So Isaac's arms
are fastened. his feet are tied. The o.a
man, rallying all his strength, lifts
him onto pile of wood. Fastening q
thong to one side Of the altar, he makes
it span the body of Isaac, and fastens
the thong at the other side of the altar.
and another thong, and another thong.
There is the lamp Pickering in the
wind, ready to put under the brush
wood of the altar. There is the knife.
sharp and keen. Abra ham-struggling
with his mortal feelings on the ont
side and the commands of God ON the
his knife, rubs the fiat
of it on the palm of his hand, cries
to God for help, comes up to the side
of the altar, puts parting kiss on the
brow of his boy, takes message from
him for mother and home, and then.
lifting the glittering weapon for the
plunge of the death-stroke-his mus
cles knitting for the work---the hand
begins to descend. 1t fallsl 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, nor do him any harm.'
What is this sound back in the
woods? 1t is a cracking of tree
branches, a bleating and struggle.
10, Abraham, and see what il Is.
,, it was a ram that, going through
he woods, has its crooked horns fast
,ned and entangled in the brushwood,
Ind could not get loose; and Abraham
'eizes it gladly, and quickly unloosen>
saac from the altar, puts the ram on
n his place. sets the lamp under the
,rushwood of the altar, and as the |
tense smoke of the sacrifice begins tic |
Use the blood rolls down the sides o. |
he altar, and drops Kissing into the |
ire, and hear the words: "BeholG |
be Lamb of God who takes away the |
ms of the world"
Well, what are you going to ret on |
# this? There is an aged minister OF
he gospel. He says: II should get
nut OF it that when God tells you to do
thing, whether it seems reasonable to
on or not, go ahead and do it, Here
Ibraham couldn't have been mistaken
iod didn't speak SO indistinctly that il
1as not certain whether he called
arab, or Abimelech, or somebody else;
ut with divine articulation. divine in
onation, divine emphasis, he said.
Abraham" Abraham rushed blindlv
head to do his duty, knowing that
Kings would come out right Likewise
Q so yourselves. There is a mystery
your life. There is some burden
on have to carry. You don't know
'hy God has put it on you. There is
,me persecution. some trial, and YOU
ont know why God allows it. There
work for you to do, and you have
OF enough grace, you think, to do it.
o as Abraham did. Advance, and do
our whole duty. Be willing to give
p Isaac, and perhaps you win not
ave to give up anything. Jehovah
reh--the Lord viii provide" A CAPT
i lesson this old minister gives us.
Out yonder, in this house, is an aged
oman; the light Of Heaven in her {
ice; she is halfway through the door;
he has her hand on the pearl of the
ate. Mother, what would you get
1T Of this subject? 90" she SAYS.
would learn that it is in the last (
nch that God comes to the relief. ,
on see the altar was ready, and Isaac /
as fastened on it, and the knife was 4.
tied, and just at the last moment
od broke in and stopped proceedings.
} it has been in my life for seventy /,
ears. Why, sir, there was a time when
e flour was all out of the house, and
set the table at noon and had nothing
put on it; but five minutes Of
clock loaf of bread came. The Lord
i'll provide My son was very sick,
id | said. DEAR lord uo,, do,,,t 1