The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1915-12-31

! l. $E%s&sS&$&S&& S6A celVe tne crown ol
] life" Abraham
had been tried by the Lord many
times. but this last supreme trial has
. some characteristics which are com.
. mon TO many Christians experience,
Unexpected.
II is said that after these things
God did try Abraham" After a life
/ journey of nearly one hundred and
twenty-five years. After AL the sxperi>
ences which were packed into his life.
After the birth and coming TO age of
the promised son. At time when Il
would perhaps-seem as though the life
was completed and only needing The
final touch of being taken away from
| the scene around him. He may have
felt that now he could rest n little In
his old age and, like job, "die ins his
nest" But there never is perfestien
in this life and therefore ,the training'
is never done.@ Today's goal is but tiAt,
starting point for TOMORROW MapySVe
the Lords people come to o time tnen'
they feel as though their life were corif-
plete. They have come over rpueh.
L
paths and hard ways, Trying experis
ences have been met. but IL seems. .Utt
these are all in the past and no@. hsv~'
ing passed them. they settle down H.
though there were an end of the test-
ings and they, had come to rest. Hpt
suddenly. I'm sweepssa harder test than
any before. II comes all unexpected
Or they think they have conquered
some part OF the old nature and -nee1.
not watch II longer. Then one day
! there comes the fierce attack, unlocked
for and unexpected. But blessed is the
man that endureth the unexpected
temptation. 80 80 70.
Unexplained. 30. 70.
! As far as the record goes, the Lord.
| gave Abraham no word OF explanation.
| concerning the Offering up OF Isaac.
| God simply told him 20 take his son
whom he loved and offer him a burnt
Offering Abraham was human, like
ourselves. so we can readily believe
| that into his mind, as so often into our
own, there sprang the question. Whyl
We desire TO know so much OF the
! Lords doings before we are ready to
obey him What a mark OF unconscious
unbelief IL is when we try TO inquire az
TO why God does this or that In his
| dealings with us lie applies the test
and then. before we meet II. we want
TO know the "vhy" for IL We show 80
much OF distrust when hanging back
from doing as no says because we do
not understand But Gods trials are
net all explained He seldom lets us
know why. for II we knew there would
be little opportunity for faith to ope'
rate.
Unreasonable. "
God had promised Abraham that I'm
Isaac should his seed be called. Isaac
was the heir OF the promises. Through
the years OF Tsaac's youth Abraham
knew that nothing could possibly take
away Isaac's life. In Isaac was cen
tered the promise OF great multitude.
If anything happened TO him, there.
fore, the promise OF God would be OF
none effect We can imagine Abraham
saying. when sickness or accidep'
lIfdAtutu lDt lllf VI ivy Ahh' ~
was impossible for him 10 die or be
killed, for how then could the promise
be fulfilled? How unreasonable then
IL seemed for God TO tell him TO take
this boy and slay him. Would he not
be tempted to ask. How then will the
promise be kept?" Would not the
tempter suggest that either God bad
forgotten his word or he was making
a mistake. or that Abraham had mis-
understood the message2 How often
we are tempted TO question the reason.
ableness OF Gods actions. But here
again. IL we understood all that God
was doing. the walk by faith would be
changed TO sight. God wants not rea-
soners but believers. And blessed is
the man who endureth temptation
even when IL seems unreasonable.
And Abraham met this test with gu
preme faith The book OF Hebrews dc
clares II was by faith he obeyed His
obedience was prompt unquestioning.
uncomplaiDing. deliberate. He did not
hesitate to obey. there was no inquir-
ing into the reason for Offering Isaac.
strange az such a thing would seem.
He did not wait 10 see how God would
fulhIl his promise. but by faith he Of
fered up Isaac. Of whom II was said.
that I'm Isaac shall thy seed be called
The secret OF such faith leading To
such obedience In found when the test
has been met and the victory won.
God said 70 Abraham, Lay not thine
hand upon the lad; for now ! know
that thou fearest God. seeing thou hast
not withheld thy son from me-" The
fear OF the Lord is the secret Of obedi-