Hitherto, it is plain, Ifaac knew nothing of his father's defign: but I believe, by what his father faid in answer to his queftion, that now was the time Abraham revealed it unto him.

Ver. 8. " And Abraham said, My fon, God will provide himself a Lamb for a burnt-offering." Some think, that Abraham by faith faw the LORD JESUS afar off, and here fpake prophetically of that Lamb of GOD already flain in decree, and hereafter to be actually offered up for finners. This was a lamb of God's providing indeed (we dared not have thought of it) to fatisfy his own juftice, and to render him juft in justifying the ungodly. What is all our fire and wood, the best preparation and performances we can make or prefent, 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 fon, of God's dealing with his foul; 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 afcending. And, as it appears from a subsequent verse, Ifaac, convinced that it was the divine will, made no refiftance at all: For it is faid, "They went both of them together;" and again, when we are told, that Abraham bound Ifaac, we do not hear of his complaining, or endeavouring to escape, which he might have done, being (as fome 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 "fo they went both of them together."

Ver. 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 fon, and laid him on the altar upon the wood."

And here let us paufe a while, and by faith take a view of the place where the father has laid him. I doubt not but the bleffed angels hovered round the altar, and fang, "Glory be to Gop in the higheft," for giving fuch faith to man.

Come,

Come, all ye tender-hearted parents, who know what it is to look over a dying child: fancy that you faw the altar erected before you, and the wood laid in order, and the belove Ifaac bound upon it: fancy that you faw the aged parent ftanding by weeping, (For, why may we not suppose that Abraham wept, fince JESUS himself wept at the grave of Lazarus ?) O what pious, endearing expreffions paffed now alternately between the father and the fon! Jofephus records a pathetic speech made by each, whether genuine I know not but methinks I fee the tears trickle down the Patriarch Abraham's cheeks; and out of the abundance of the heart, he cries, Adieu, adieu, my fon; the LORD gave thee to me, and the LORD calls thee away; blessed be the name of the LORD: adieu, my Ifaac, my only fon, whom I love as my own foul; adieu, adieu. I fee Ifaac at the fame time meekly refigning himself into his heavenly Father's hands, and praying to the most High to ftrengthen his earthly parent to strike the ftroke. But why do I attempt to describe what either fon or father felt? It is impofiible: we may indeed form fome faint idea of, but fhall never fully comprehend it, till we come and fit down with them in the kingdom of heaven, and hear them tell the pleafing ftory over again. Haften, O LORD, that bleffed time! O let thy kingdom come !

And now, the fatal blow is going to be given. "And Abraham ftretched forth his hand, and took the knife to flay his fon." But do you not think he intended to turn away his head, when he gave the blow? Nay, why may we not fuppofe he fometimes drew his hand in, after it was ftretched out, willing to take another last farewell of his beloved Isaac, and defirous to defer it a little, though refolved at last to ftrike home? Be that as it will, his arm is now ftretched out, the knife is in his hand, and he is about to put it to his dear fon's throat.

But fing, 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, ver. 11. "the angel of the LORD, (or rather the LORD of angels, JESUS CHRIST, the angel of the everlafting covenant) called unto him, (probably in a very audible manner) from heaven, and faid, Abraham, Abraham. (The word is doubled,

to

to engage his attention; and perhaps the fuddennefs of the call made him draw back his hand, juft as he was going to ftrike his fon.) And Abraham faid, 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 haft not withheld thy fon, thine only fon from me."

Here then it was that Abraham received his fon Ifaac from the dead in a figure. He was in effect offered upon the altar, and GOD looked uport him as offered and given unto him. Now it was that Abraham's faith, being tried, was found more precious than gold purified feven times in the fire. Now as a reward of grace, though not of debt, for this fignal act of obedience, by an oath, God gives and confirms the promise, "that in his feed all the nations of the earth fhould be bleffed," ver. 17, 18. With what comfort may we fuppofe the good old man and his fon 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 paffed to Sarah! And above all, with what triumph is he now exulting in the paradife of GOD, and adoring rich, free, diftinguifhing, electing, everlafting love, which alone made him to differ from the reft of mankind, and rendered him worthy of that title which he will have fo long as the fun 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 prefent, would direct to; I mean, 'fix them on the Creator, GoD blessed for evermore.

I fee your hearts affected, I fee your eyes weep. (And in deed, who can refrain weeping at the relation of such a story?)\ But, behold, I fhew you a myftery, hid under the facrifice 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 fay, "It is the love of God, in giving JESUS "CHRIST to die for our fins." Yes; that is it. And yet perhaps you find your hearts, at the mentioning of this, not fo 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

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his Ifaac, how much more ought you to extol, magnify and adore the love of God, who fo loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son CHRIST JESUS Our LORD, that whofo ever believeth on Him fhould not perish, but have everlasting life?" May we not well cry out, Now know we, O. LORD, that thou haft loved us, fince thou haft not withheld, thy Son, thine only Son from us? Abraham was God's creature (and GOD was Abraham's friend) and therefore under the higheft obligation to furrender up his Ifaac. But O ftupendious love whilft we were his enemies, Gop fent werew forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, that he might be become a curfe for O the freeness, as well as the infinity, of the love of GOD our Father! It is unfearchable: I am loft in contemplating it; it is past finding out. Think, O believers, think of the love of Gop, in giving JESUS CHRIST to be a propitiation for our fins. And when you hear how Abraham built an altar, and laid the wood in order, and bound Ifaac his fon, 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 ail, 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 flain, that we might live for evermore. Do you read of Ifaac carrying the wood upon his fhoulders, upon, which he was to be offered? Let this lead you to mount Calvary (this very mount of Mariah where Ifaac was offered, as fome think) and take a view of the antitype JESUS CHRIST, the Son of GOD, bearing and ready to fink 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 feed, who willingly faid, "Lo, I come," though under no obligation fo 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 faw the altar, and the wood laid in order, and Ifaac laid bound on the altar? Look by faith, behold the bleffed JESUS, our all-glorious Emmanuel, not bound, but nailed on an accurfed tree: fee how he hangs crowned with

thorns,

thorns, and had in derifion of all that are round about him: see how the thorns pierce him, and how the blood in purple ftreams trickle down his facred temples! Hark how the GoD of nature groans! See how he bows his head, and at length humanity gives up the ghost! Isaac is faved, but JESUS, the GOD of Ifaac, dies: A ram is offered up in Ifaac's room, but JESUS has no fubftitute; JESUS muft bleed, JESUS muft 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 fay, 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 fins, which brought the blessed JESUS to the accurfed tree? Having fo much done, fo much suffered for us, so much forgiven, fhall we not love much? O! let us love Him with all our hearts, and minds, and ftrength, and glorify him in our fouls and bodies, for they are his. Which leads me to a fecond inference I fhall 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 falvation is GOD's free gift, and that we are faved, not by any or all the works of righteousness which we have done or can do: no; we can neither wholly nor in part juftify ourselves in the fight of GOD. The LORD JESUS CHRIST is our righteousness; and if we are accepted with God, it must be only in and through the perfonal righteousness, the active and paffive 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 elfe we can in no wife be juftified in GoD's fight and that very moment a finner is enabled to lay hold on CHRIST's righteoufness by faith, he is freely juftified from all his fins, 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 righteoufnefs; that is, CHRIST's righte VOL. V.

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