June 9

Genesis xxii.—1. And it came to pass after these things that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham; and he said, Behold, here I am.

2. And he said, 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 will tell thee of.

3. And 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.

4. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.

5. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.

6. And 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.

7. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father; and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for a burnt-offering?

There is but one comment upon this scene which can interpret its thrilling, agonizing pathos in harmony with the sentiments of justice and of a true piety: it is that God "spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all." This unexampled test of faith was the type of an unexampled love: the sacrifice which the Lord would not suffer an earthly father to offer to himself was the prophetic symbol of the sacrifice which he, the infinite Father, would make for our redemption. The custom of human sacrifice among the people of Canaan showed a deep sense of guilt, but a gross conception of the character of God, and of the means of propitiation.

8. And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt-offering: so they went both of them together.

9. And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.

10. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

11. And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham. And he said, Here am I.

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.

13. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt-offering in the stead of his son.

14. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.

By commanding such a sacrifice, Jehovah proved that Abraham was capable of doing for him, through a loving, childlike faith, what the heathen did for their gods through a slavish terror. By staying the sacrifice, the Lord taught Abraham, and the world through him, that he would be served, not by bloody rites and offerings, but by a self-sacrificing trust and devotion. By providing the lamb as a substitute, he met at once the sense of guilt, the desire of propitiation, and the longing of faith, until the only-begotten and well-beloved Son of God should appear, to redeem the world by his own precious blood, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

APPROPRIATE HYMNS.]

Prayer.

[Nos. 86, 99, 195.

Thou Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world! we beseech thee take away our sin. O God, the Father of all mercies, who didst not spare thine own Son, but didst deliver him up for us all! for his sake give us all things needful for our comfort, our strength, and our salvation. May we be ever submissive and obedient to thy holy will, ready to be offered for thy cause! Set a watch, O Lord! at the door of our lips, that we offend not in word: may we be holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners! and, while bold and firm for thy truth, in all that concerns ourselves may we study the things that make for peace! Help us this day to resist temptation, to walk uprightly, to do good as we have opportunity, to relieve the suffering and the needy, to be kind toward all, and to overcome the world.

Father of all mercies, we commend this household to thy loving care. [Oh! take these children into thine arms; defend them from the power of

evil; draw them to the cross of Christ, that they may there be baptized into the love of Him who died for them.] Grant us, O Lord! such prosperity as shall please thee; yet, in all that we possess and enjoy, help us ever to remember that we are not our own, but are bought with a price,—even the precious blood of Christ. We pray for thy Church which thou hast redeemed. O Lord Jesus! bring forth to the knowledge of all men the true oneness of thy flock in love and obedience to the one Shepherd; and hasten the ingathering of the nations, that thou mayest see of the travail of thy soul, and be satisfied.

Heavenly Father, we bless thee for the mercy that has brought us to the beginning of this day; we supplicate thy favor upon all our friends; we pray thee to forgive our enemies; and, O Lord! prepare us for the great day of thine appearing, and have mercy upon us, and upon all men, for Christ's sake. Amen.