_Abraham_’s offering up his Son _Isaac_.
GENESIS xxii. 12.
_And he said, Lay not thine Hand upon the Lad, neither do thou
any thing unto him; for now I know that thou fearest God,
seeing thou hast not withheld thy Son, thine only Son from me._
THE great Apostle _Paul_, in one of his epistles, informs us, that
“whatsoever was written aforetime was written for our learning, that
we through patience and comfort of the holy scripture might have hope.”
And as without faith it is impossible to please GOD, or be accepted in
JESUS, the Son of his love; we may be assured, that whatever instances
of a more than common faith are recorded in the book of GOD, they
were more immediately designed by the holy Spirit for our learning
and imitation, upon whom the ends of the world are come. For this
reason, the author of the epistle to the _Hebrews_, in the xith
chapter, mentions such a noble catalogue of Old Testament saints and
martyrs, “who subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, stopped the
mouths of lions, &c. and are gone before us to inherit the promises.” A
sufficient confutation, I think, of their error, who lightly esteem the
Old Testament saints, and would not have them mentioned to christians,
as persons whose faith and patience we are called upon more immediately
to follow. If this was true, the apostle would never have produced such
a cloud of witnesses out of the Old Testament, to excite the christians
of the first, and consequently purest age of the church, to continue
stedfast and unmoveable in the profession of their faith. Amidst this
catalogue of saints, methinks the patriarch _Abraham_ shines the
brightest, and differs from the others, as one star differeth from
another star in glory; for he shone with such distinguished lustre,
that he was called the “friend of GOD,” the “father of the faithful;”
and those who believe on CHRIST, are said to be “sons and daughters of,
and to be blessed with, faithful _Abraham_.” Many trials of his faith
did GOD send this great and good man, after he had commanded him to get
out from his country, and from his kindred, unto a land which he should
shew him; but the last was the most severe of all, I mean, that of
offering up his only son. This, by the divine assistance, I propose to
make the subject of your present meditation, and, by way of conclusion,
to draw some practical inferences, as GOD shall enable me, from this
instructive story.
The sacred penman begins the narrative thus; verse 1. “And it came to
pass, after these things, GOD did tempt _Abraham_.” After these things,
that is, after he had underwent many severe trials before, after he was
old, full of days, and might flatter himself perhaps that the troubles
and toils of life were now finished; “after these things, GOD did tempt
_Abraham_.” Christians, you know not what trials you may meet with
before you die: notwithstanding you may have suffered, and been tried
much already, yet, it may be, a greater measure is still behind, which
you are to fill up. “Be not high-minded, but fear.” Our last trials, in
all probability, will be the greatest: and we can never say our warfare
is accomplished, or our trials finished, till we bow down our heads,
and give up the ghost. “And it came to pass, after these things, that
GOD did tempt _Abraham_.”
“GOD did tempt _Abraham_.” But can the scripture contradict itself?
Does not the apostle _James_ tell us, “that GOD tempts no man;” and
GOD does tempt no man to evil, or on purpose to draw him into sin; for,
when a man is thus tempted, he is drawn away of his own heart’s lust,
and enticed. But in another sense, GOD may be said to tempt, I mean, to
try his servants; and in this sense we are to understand that passage
of _Matthew_, where we are told, that, “JESUS was led up by the Spirit
(the good Spirit) into the wilderness, to be tempted of the devil.” And
our LORD, in that excellent form of prayer which he has been pleased
to give us, does not require us to pray that we may not absolutely
be led into temptation, but delivered from the evil of it; whence
we may plainly infer, that GOD sees it fit sometimes to lead us into
temptation, that is, to bring us into such circumstances as will
try our faith and other christian graces. In this sense we are to
understand the expression before us; “GOD did tempt or try _Abraham_.”
How GOD was pleased to reveal his will at this time to his faithful
servant, whether by the _Shechinah_, or divine appearance, or by a
small still voice, as he spoke to _Elijah_, or by a whisper, like that
of the Spirit to _Philip_, when he commanded him to go join himself to
the eunuch’s chariot, we are not told, nor is it material to enquire.
It is enough that we are informed, GOD said unto him, _Abraham_; and
that _Abraham_ knew it was the voice of GOD: for he said, “Behold, here
I am.” O what a holy familiarity (if I may so speak) is there between
GOD and those holy souls that are united to him by faith in CHRIST
JESUS! GOD says, _Abraham_; and _Abraham_ said (it should seem without
the least surprize) Behold, here I am. Being reconciled to GOD by the
death and obedience of CHRIST, which he rejoiced in, and saw by faith
afar off; he did not, like guilty _Adam_, seek the trees of the garden
to hide himself from, but takes pleasure in conversing with GOD, and
talketh with him, as a man talketh with his friend. O that CHRIST-less
sinners knew what it is to have fellowship with the Father and the Son!
They would envy the happiness of saints, and count it all joy to be
termed enthusiasts and fools for CHRIST’s sake.
But what does GOD say to _Abraham_? Verse 2. “Take now thy son, thine
only son _Isaac_, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of
_Moriah_, and offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the
mountains which I shall tell thee of.”
Every word deserves our particular observation. Whatever he was to
do, he must do it now, immediately, without conferring with flesh and
blood. But what must he do? “Take now thy son.” Had GOD said, take now
a firstling, or choicest lamb or beast of thy flock, and offer it up
for a burnt-offering, it would not have appeared so ghastly; but for
GOD to say, “take now thy son, and offer him up for a burnt-offering,”
one would have imagined, was enough to stagger the strongest faith. But
this is not all: it must not only be a son, but “thine only son _Isaac_,
whom thou lovest.” If it must be a son, and not a beast, that must be
offered, why will not _Ishmael_ do, the son of the bond-woman? No, it
must be his only son, the heir of all, his _Isaac_, by interpretation
_laughter_, the son of his old age, in whom his soul delighted, “whom
thou lovest,” says GOD, in whose life his own was wrapped up: and this
son, this only son, this _Isaac_, the son of his love, must be taken
now, even now, without delay, and be offered up by his own father, for
a burnt offering, upon one of the mountains of the which GOD would tell
him.
Well might the apostle, speaking of this man of GOD, say, that “against
hope he believed in hope, and, being strong in faith, gave glory to
GOD:” For, had he not been blessed with faith which man never before
had, he must have refused to comply with this severe command. For
how many arguments might nature suggest, to prove that such a command
could never come from GOD, or to excuse himself from obeying it? “What!
(might the good man have said) butcher my own child! it is contrary
to the very law of nature: much more to butcher my dear son _Isaac_,
in whose seed GOD himself has assured me of a numerous posterity. But
supposing I could give up my own affections, and be willing to part
with him, though I love him so dearly, yet, if I murder him, what will
become of GOD’s promise? Besides, I am now like a city built upon a
hill; I shine as a light in the world, in the midst of a crooked and
perverse generation: How then shall I cause GOD’s name to be blasphemed,
how shall I become a by-word among the heathen, if they hear that I
have committed a crime which they abhor! But, above all, what will
_Sarah_ my wife say? How can I ever return to her again, after I have
imbrued my hands in my dear child’s blood? O that GOD would pardon me
in this thing, or take my life in the place of my son’s!” Thus, I say,
_Abraham_ might have argued, and that too seemingly with great reason,
against complying with the divine command. But as before by faith he
considered not the deadness of _Sarah_’s womb, when she was past age,
but believed on him, who said, “_Sarah_ thy wife shall bear thee a
son indeed;” so now, being convinced that the same GOD spoke to and
commanded him to offer up that son, and knowing that GOD was able to
raise him from the dead, without delay he obeys the heavenly call.
O that unbelievers would learn of faithful _Abraham_, and believe
whatever is revealed from GOD, though they cannot fully comprehend it!
_Abraham_ knew GOD commanded him to offer up his son, and therefore
believed, notwithstanding carnal reasoning might suggest many
objections. We have sufficient testimony, that GOD has spoken to us by
his son; why should we not also believe, though many things in the New
Testament are above our reason? For, where reason ends, faith begins.
And, however infidels may stile themselves reasoners, of all men they
are the most unreasonable: For, is it not contrary to all reason, to
measure an infinite by a finite understanding, or think to find out the
mysteries of godliness to perfection?
But to return to the patriarch _Abraham_: We observed before what
plausible objections he might have made; but he answered not a single
word: no, without replying against his Maker, we are told, verse 3.
that “_Abraham_ rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and
took two of his young men with him, and _Isaac_ his son, and clave the
wood for the burnt-offering, and rose up and went unto the place of
which GOD had told him.”
From this verse we may gather, that GOD spoke to _Abraham_ in a dream,
or vision of the night: For it is said, he rose up early. Perhaps it
was near the fourth watch of the night, just before break of day, when
GOD said, Take now thy son; and _Abraham_ rises up early to do so; as
I doubt not but he used to rise early to offer up his morning-sacrifice
of praise and thanksgiving. It is often remarked of people in the Old
Testament, that they rose early in the morning; and particularly of
our LORD in the New, that he rose a great while before day to pray.
The morning befriends devotion; and, if people cannot use so much
self-denial as to rise early to pray, I know not how they will be able
to die at a stake (if called to it) for JESUS CHRIST.
The humility as well as the piety of the patriarch is observable:
he saddled his own ass (great men should be humble;) and to shew his
sincerity, though he took two of his young men with him, and _Isaac_
his son, yet he keeps his design as a secret from them all: nay, he
does not so much as tell _Sarah_ his wife: for he knew not but she
might be a snare unto him in this affair; and, as _Rebekah_ afterwards,
on another occasion, advised _Jacob_ to flee, so _Sarah_ also might
persuade _Isaac_ to hide himself; or the young men, had they known of
it, might have forced him away, as in after-ages the soldiers rescued
_Jonathan_ out of the hands of _Saul_. But _Abraham_ sought no such
evasion, and therefore, like an _Israelite_ indeed, in whom there was
no guile, he himself resolutely “clave the wood for the burnt-offering,
rose up and went unto the place of which GOD had told him.” In the
second verse GOD commanded him to offer up his son upon one of the
mountains which he would tell him of. He commanded him to offer his son
up, but would not then directly tell him the place where: this was to
keep him dependent and watching unto prayer: for there is nothing like
being kept waiting upon GOD; and, if we do, assuredly GOD will reveal
himself unto us yet further in his own time. Let us practise what we
know, follow providence so far as we can see already; and what we know
not, what we see not as yet, let us only be found in the way of duty,
and the LORD will reveal even that unto us. _Abraham_ knew not directly
where he was to offer up his son; but he rises up and sets forward, and
behold now GOD shews him: “And he went to the place of which GOD had
told him.” Let us go and do likewise.
Verse 4. “Then on the third day _Abraham_ lifted up his eyes, and saw
the place afar off.”
So that the place, of which GOD had told him, was no less than three
days journey distant from the place where GOD first appeared to him,
and commanded him to take his son. Was not this to try his faith, and
to let him see that what he did, was not meerly from a sudden pang of
devotion, but a matter of choice and deliberation? But who can tell
what the aged patriarch felt during these three days? Strong as he was
in faith, I am persuaded his bowels often yearned over his dear son
_Isaac_. Methinks I see the good old man walking with his dear child
in his hand, and now and then looking upon him, loving him, and then
turning aside to weep. And perhaps, sometimes he stays a little behind
to pour out his heart before GOD, for he had no mortal to tell his
case to. Then, methinks, I see him join his son and servants again, and
talking to them of the things pertaining to the kingdom of GOD, as they
walked by the way. At length, “on the third day, he lifts up his eyes,
and saw the place afar off.” And, to shew that he was yet sincerely
resolved to do whatsoever the LORD required of him, he even now will
not discover his design to his servants, but “said, verse 5. to his
young men,” (as we should say to our worldly thoughts, when about to
tread the courts of the LORD’s house) “Abide you here with the ass; and
I and the lad will go up yonder and worship, and come again to you.”
This was a sufficient reason for their staying behind; and, it being
their master’s custom to go frequently to worship, they could have no
suspicion of what he was going about. And by _Abraham_’s saying, that
he and the lad would come again, I am apt to think he believed GOD
would raise him from the dead, if so be he permitted him to offer his
child up for a burnt-offering. However that be, he is yet resolved to
obey GOD to the uttermost; and therefore,
Verse 6. “_Abraham_ took the wood of the burnt-offering, and laid it
upon _Isaac_ his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife,
and they went both of them together.” Little did _Isaac_ think that
he was to be offered on that very wood which he was carrying upon his
shoulders; and therefore _Isaac_ innocently, and with a holy freedom
(for good men should not keep their children at too great a distance)
“spake unto _Abraham_ his father, and said, My father; and he (with
equal affection and holy condescension) said, Here am I, my son.” And
to shew how careful _Abraham_ had been (as all christian parents ought
to be) to instruct his _Isaac_ how to sacrifice to GOD, like a youth
trained up in the way wherein he should go; _Isaac_ said, “Behold
the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for a burnt-offering?”
How beautiful is early piety! how amiable, to hear young people ask
questions about sacrificing to GOD in an acceptable way! _Isaac_ knew
very well that a lamb was wanting, and that a lamb was necessary for a
proper sacrifice: “Behold the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb
for a burnt-offering?” Young men and maidens, learn of him.
Hitherto, it is plain, _Isaac_ knew nothing of his father’s design: but
I believe, by what his father said in answer to his question, that now
was the time _Abraham_ revealed it unto him.
Verse 8. “And _Abraham_ said, My son, GOD will provide himself a Lamb
for a burnt-offering.” Some think, that _Abraham_ by faith saw the
LORD JESUS afar off, and here spake prophetically of that Lamb of
GOD already slain in decree, and hereafter to be actually offered up
for sinners. This was a lamb of GOD’s providing indeed (we dared not
have thought of it) to satisfy his own justice, and to render him just
in justifying the ungodly. What is all our fire and wood, the best
preparation and performances we can make or present, unless GOD had
provided himself this Lamb for a burnt-offering? He could not away
with them. The words will well bear this interpretation. But, whatever
_Abraham_ might intend, I cannot but think he here made an application,
and acquainted his son, of GOD’s dealing with his soul; and at length,
with tears in his eyes, and the utmost affection in his heart, cried
out, “Thou art to be the lamb, my Son;” GOD has commanded me to provide
thee for a burnt-offering, and to offer thee upon the mountain which we
are now ascending. And, as it appears from a subsequent verse, _Isaac_,
convinced that it was the divine will, made no resistance at all: For
it is said, “They went both of them together;” and again, when we are
told, that _Abraham_ bound _Isaac_, we do not hear of his complaining,
or endeavouring to escape, which he might have done, being (as some
think) near thirty years of age, and, it is plain, capable of carrying
wood enough for a burnt-offering. But he was partaker of the like
precious faith with his aged father, and therefore is as willing to be
offered, as _Abraham_ is to offer him: And “so they went both of them
together.”
Verse 9. At length “they came to the place of which GOD had told
_Abraham_. He built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and
bound _Isaac_ his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.”
And here let us pause a while, and by faith take a view of the place
where the father has laid him. I doubt not but the blessed angels
hovered round the altar, and sang, “Glory be to GOD in the highest,”
for giving such faith to man. Come, all ye tender-hearted parents,
who know what it is to look over a dying child: fancy that you saw the
altar erected before you, and the wood laid in order, and the ♦beloved
_Isaac_ bound upon it: fancy that you saw the aged parent standing
by weeping. (For, why may we not suppose that _Abraham_ wept, since
JESUS himself wept at the grave of _Lazarus_?) O what pious, endearing
expressions passed now alternately between the father and the son!
_Josephus_ records a pathetic speech made by each, whether genuine
I know not: but methinks I see the tears trickle down the Patriarch
_Abraham_’s cheeks; and out of the abundance of the heart, he cries,
Adieu, adieu, my son; the LORD gave thee to me, and the LORD calls thee
away; blessed be the name of the LORD: adieu, my _Isaac_, my only son,
whom I love as my own soul; adieu, adieu. I see _Isaac_ at the same
time meekly resigning himself into his heavenly Father’s hands, and
praying to the most High to strengthen his earthly parent to strike
the stroke. But why do I attempt to describe what either son or father
felt? It is impossible: we may indeed form some faint idea of, but
shall never fully comprehend it, till we come and sit down with them in
the kingdom of heaven, and hear them tell the pleasing story over again.
Hasten, O LORD, that blessed time! O let thy kingdom come!
♦ “belove” replaced with “beloved”
And now, the fatal blow is going to be given. “And _Abraham_ stretched
forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.” But do you not
think he intended to turn away his head, when he gave the blow? Nay,
why may we not suppose he sometimes drew his hand in, after it was
stretched out, willing to take another last farewell of his beloved
_Isaac_, and desirous to defer it a little, though resolved at last
to strike home? Be that as it will, his arm is now stretched out,
the knife is in his hand, and he is about to put it to his dear son’s
throat.
But sing, O heavens! and rejoice, O earth! Man’s extremity is GOD’s
opportunity: for behold, just as the knife, in all probability, was
near his throat, verse 11. “the angel of the LORD, (or rather the LORD
of angels, JESUS CHRIST, the angel of the everlasting covenant) called
unto him, (probably in a very audible manner) from heaven, and said,
_Abraham_, _Abraham_. (The word is doubled, to engage his attention;
and perhaps the suddenness of the call made him draw back his hand,
just as he was going to strike his son.) And _Abraham_ said, Here am I.”
“And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any
thing unto him: for now know I that thou fearest GOD, seeing thou hast
not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.”
Here then it was that _Abraham_ received his son _Isaac_ from the dead
in a figure. He was in effect offered upon the altar, and GOD looked
upon him as offered and given unto him. Now it was that _Abraham_’s
faith, being tried, was found more precious than gold purified seven
times in the fire. Now as a reward of grace, though not of debt, for
this signal act of obedience, by an oath, GOD gives and confirms the
promise, “that in his seed all the nations of the earth should be
blessed,” verse 17, 18. With what comfort may we suppose the good old
man and his son went down from the mount, and returned unto the young
men! With what joy may we imagine he went home, and related all that
had passed to _Sarah_! And above all, with what triumph is he now
exulting in the paradise of GOD, and adoring rich, free, distinguishing,
electing, everlasting love, which alone made him to differ from
the rest of mankind, and rendered him worthy of that title which he
will have so long as the sun and the moon endure, “The Father of the
faithful!”
But let us now draw our eyes from the creature, and do what _Abraham_,
if he was present, would direct to; I mean, fix them on the Creator,
GOD blessed for evermore.
I see your hearts affected, I see your eyes weep. (And indeed, who can
refrain weeping at the relation of such a story?) But, behold, I shew
you a mystery, hid under the sacrifice of _Abraham_’s only son, which,
unless your hearts are hardned, must cause you to weep tears of love,
and that plentifully too. I would willingly hope you even prevent me
here, and are ready to say, “It is the love of GOD, in giving JESUS
CHRIST to die for our sins.” Yes; that is it. And yet perhaps you find
your hearts, at the mentioning of this, not so much affected. Let this
convince you, that we are all fallen creatures, and that we do not love
GOD or CHRIST as we ought to do: for, if you admire _Abraham_ offering
up his _Isaac_, how much more ought you to extol, magnify and adore
the love of GOD, who so loved the world, as to give his only begotten
Son CHRIST JESUS our LORD, “that whosoever believeth on Him should not
perish, but have everlasting life?” May we not well cry out, Now know
we, O LORD, that thou hast loved us, since thou hast not withheld thy
Son, thine only Son from us? _Abraham_ was GOD’s creature (and GOD
was _Abraham_’s friend) and therefore under the highest obligation to
surrender up his _Isaac_. But O stupendious love! whilst we were his
enemies, GOD sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
that he might become a curse for us. O the freeness, as well as the
infinity, of the love of GOD our Father! It is unsearchable: I am lost
in contemplating it; it is past finding out. Think, O believers, think
of the love of GOD, in giving JESUS CHRIST to be a propitiation for our
sins. And when you hear how _Abraham_ built an altar, and laid the wood
in order, and bound _Isaac_ his son, and laid him on the altar upon the
wood; think how your heavenly Father bound JESUS CHRIST his only Son,
and offered him upon the altar of his justice, and laid upon him the
iniquities of us all. When you read of _Abraham_’s stretching forth his
hand to slay his Son, Think, O think, how GOD actually suffered his Son
to be slain, that we might live for evermore. Do you read of _Isaac_
carrying the wood upon his shoulders, upon which he was to be offered?
Let this lead you to mount _Calvary_ (this very mount of _Moriah_ where
_Isaac_ was offered, as some think) and take a view of the antitype
JESUS CHRIST, the Son of GOD, bearing and ready to sink under the
weight of that cross, on which he was to hang for us. Do you admire
_Isaac_ so freely consenting to die, though a creature, and therefore
obliged to go when GOD called? O do not forget to admire infinitely
more the dear LORD JESUS, that promised seed, who willingly said, “Lo,
I come,” though under no obligation so to do, “to do thy will,” to obey
and die for men, “O GOD!” Did you weep just now, when I bid you fancy
you saw the altar, and the wood laid in order, and _Isaac_ laid bound
on the altar? Look by faith, behold the blessed JESUS, our all-glorious
_Emmanuel_, not bound, but nailed on an accursed tree: see how he hangs
crowned with thorns, and had in derision of all that are round about
him: see how the thorns pierce him, and how the blood in purple streams
trickle down his sacred temples! Hark how the GOD of nature groans!
See how he bows his head, and at length humanity gives up the ghost!
_Isaac_ is saved, but JESUS, the GOD of _Isaac_, dies: A ram is offered
up in _Isaac_’s room, but JESUS has no substitute; JESUS must bleed,
JESUS must die; GOD the Father provided this Lamb for himself from
all eternity. He must be offered in time, or man must be damned for
evermore. And now, where are your tears? Shall I say, refrain your
voice from weeping? No; rather let me exhort you to look to him whom
you have pierced, and mourn, as a woman mourneth for her first-born:
for we have been the betrayers, we have been the murderers of this LORD
of glory; and shall we not bewail those sins, which brought the blessed
JESUS to the accursed tree? Having so much done, so much suffered for
us, so much forgiven, shall we not love much? O! let us love Him with
all our hearts, and minds, and strength, and glorify him in our souls
and bodies, for they are his. Which leads me to a second inference I
shall draw from the foregoing discourse.
From hence we may learn the nature of true, justifying faith. Whoever
understands and preaches the truth, as it is in JESUS, must acknowledge,
that salvation is GOD’s free gift, and that we are saved, not by any
or all the works of righteousness which we have done or can do: no; we
can neither wholly nor in part justify ourselves in the sight of GOD.
The LORD JESUS CHRIST is our righteousness; and if we are accepted with
GOD, it must be only in and through the personal righteousness, the
active and passive obedience, of JESUS CHRIST his beloved Son. This
righteousness must be imputed, or counted over to us, and applied by
faith to our hearts, or else we can in no wise be justified in GOD’s
sight: and that very moment a sinner is enabled to lay hold on CHRIST’s
righteousness by faith, he is freely justified from all his sins,
and shall never enter into condemnation, notwithstanding he was a
fire-brand of hell before. Thus it was that _Abraham_ was justified
before he did any good work: he was enabled to believe on the LORD
CHRIST; it was accounted to him for righteousness; that is, CHRIST’s
righteousness was made over to him, and so accounted his. This, this
is gospel; this is the only way of finding acceptance with GOD: good
works have nothing to do with our justification in his sight. We are
justified by faith alone, as saith the article of our church; agreeable
to which the apostle _Paul_ says, “By grace ye are saved, through faith;
and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of GOD.” Notwithstanding,
good works have their proper place: they justify our faith, though
not our persons; they follow it, and evidence our justification in
the sight of men. Hence it is that the apostle _James_ asks, was
not _Abraham_ justified by works? (alluding no doubt to the story on
which we have been discoursing) that is, did he not prove he was in a
justified state, because his faith was productive of good works? This
declarative justification in the sight of men, is what is directly to
be understood in the words of the text; “Now know I, says GOD, that
thou fearest me, since thou hast not withheld thy Son, thine only
Son from me.” Not but that GOD knew it before; but this is spoken
in condescension to our weak capacities, and plainly shews, that
his offering up his son was accepted with GOD, as an evidence of the
sincerity of his faith, and for this, was left on record to future ages.
Hence then you may learn, whether you are blessed with, and are sons
and daughters of, faithful _Abraham_. You say you believe; you talk of
free grace and free justification: you do well; the devils also believe
and tremble. But has the faith, which you pretend to, influenced your
hearts, renewed your souls, and, like _Abraham_’s, worked by love? Are
your affections, like his, set on things above? Are you heavenly-minded,
and like him, do you confess yourselves strangers and pilgrims on the
earth? In short, has your faith enabled you to overcome the world, and
strengthened you to give up your _Isaacs_, your laughter, your most
beloved lusts, friends, pleasures, and profits for GOD? If so, take the
comfort of it; for justly may you say, “We know assuredly, that we do
fear and love GOD, or rather are loved of him.” But if you are only
talking believers, have only a faith of the head, and never felt the
power of it in your hearts, however you may bolster yourselves up,
and say, “We have _Abraham_ for our father, or CHRIST is our Saviour;”
unless you get a faith of the heart, a faith working by love, you shall
never sit with _Abraham_, _Isaac_, _Jacob_, or JESUS CHRIST, in the
kingdom of heaven.
But I must draw one more inference, and with that I shall conclude.
Learn, O saints! from what has been said, to sit loose to all your
worldly comforts; and stand ready prepared to part with every thing,
when GOD shall require it at your hand. Some of you perhaps may have
friends, who are to you as your own souls; and others may have children,
in whose lives your own lives are bound up: all I believe have their
_Isaacs_, their particular delights of some kind or other. Labour, for
CHRIST’s sake, labour, ye sons and daughters of _Abraham_, to resign
them daily in affection to GOD, that, when he shall require you really
to sacrifice them, you may not confer with flesh and blood, any more
than the blessed patriarch now before us. And as for you that have
been in any measure tried like unto him, let his example encourage
and comfort you. Remember, _Abraham_ your father was tried so before
you: think, O think of the happiness he now enjoys, and how he is
incessantly thanking GOD for tempting and trying him when here below.
Look up often by the eye of faith, and see him sitting with his dearly
beloved _Isaac_ in the world of spirits. Remember, it will be but a
little while, and you shall sit with them also, and tell one another
what GOD has done for your souls. There I hope to sit with you, and
hear this story of his offering up his Son from his own mouth, and to
praise the Lamb that sitteth upon the throne, for what he hath done for
all our souls, for ever and ever.