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A53304
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The father of the faithfull tempted as was more concisely shewed August 31, 1674, at a solemne funeral in the church at Wotton under Edge in the countie of Gloucester / by Giles Oldisworth ...
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Oldisworth, Giles, 1619-1678.
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1676
(1676)
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Wing O251; ESTC R15932
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41,531
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84
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not manifesting but concealing this future evill 2. If contrary unto the accustomed mercies of the wise God toward the inquisitive sons of un-advised man Gods predestination concerning Isaac be revealed Tell it not in Beersheba for should the Patriarch know it would bring down his gray haires with sorrow to the grave 3. If to the unhappy ears of the surprised old Father it must come Prepare him a little Give him his full sleep a full meal and due store of wine Place in a readiness about him Lovers and Friends if not to share and divide yet to bewail and bemoan his Woe Then but not untill then give unto him some easy hint some warie fore notice of what will seem sad news at the best 4. If this be not to tempt but to indulge if no company nor Comforters may be admitted Solitary and forlorn as he is let him by himselfe alone recieve the intelligence but let him receive it with a still voice let him not receive it over hastily To bolt upon one over sodainly startleth even then when one bringeth a blessing how much more when one cometh not to befriend but to afflict 5. If sodainly and unexspectedly the newes must affright if in an hour that he is not aware of the aged and trembling parent must hear the tidings of his dear-sons fate Mention it unto him in the day time there is in Day light some light of comfort Mention it not in the night season in all Darkness there is Dread If heretofore there fell upon this faithful Patriarch such a horrour at the going down of the Sun a greater horrour will seise him now in the night in the dark night in the dead time of the dark night 6. If to add to the discomfort there must be a dreadfull horrour upon his mind then when he heareth his Isaac's doom send I pray thee by the man whom thou wilt send by some Cushi or by some Amalekite for How dismall are the Feete of him that bringeth bad errands If Ahimaaz be a good man King David will from Ahimaaz exspect good tidings Such is their Clemency It is by their inferiour Judges that Princes condemn their own lips speake not except pardons If therefore any Enemies Abraham hath let one of them be unto him the black messenger of his Isaac's death but let not the Lord speake unto his servant lest he dye In the last place As the Destinie of Isaac was brought unto Abraham in the horrour of Darknesse and that too not by some Enemie or stranger neither by some neighbour or friend no not by some Man of God no nor yet by some Angel of the Lord but by the dreadfull JEHOVAH himselfe So 1. God who at Sundrie times spake in diverse manners spake in this third age of the World neither by Vrim nor by Thummim but either in Dreames or in Visions Oh not in a Dreame lest that feare not in a Vision lest that terrifie the Patriarch such a Dreame such a Vision as this will make his whole head sick and his whole heart faint 2. Let not the good old man espie an estranged looke from his hitherto benigne Lord rather let him not see the face of God at all for Who can see the face of God and live 3. Suppose that the Lord do indeede un-cloth himselfe of his majestie and terrour Suppose he speak face to face with Abraham as a man speaketh with his friend Neverthelesse as the case now standeth he in so doing Will not as his manner was confirm and comfort this Holy Father but he will as his manner is not deterre and dismay Him For 4. Call thy Daughter Jo-ruhamah and thy Son Lo-ammi Call Na-ommi not Naomi but Marah If a signet on the Lords right hand Jeconiah may not be deal squarely with him name him not Jeconiah but Coniah And if a God come not to blesse but to tempt if he come to un-Abraham the Patriarch say a not Abraham but Abram 5. I have called thee by thy name thou art mine The favouritie as ever awaketh starteth up and with joy answereth unto his name but b Hope disappointed maketh his heart sick For. In v. 2. of Gen. 22. Abraham was tempted 1. IN the b Surprize of which he a never dreamed He a thought to heare not the dire will but the good pleasure of his bountifull Lord He a expecteth not a burden but a blessing not a strict charge but enlarged promises not a billing command but loving kindnesses better then life Me thinks I see me thinketh I hear the overjoyed heart of this surprised Favourite b interrupting his God Take now O blessed possessour of heaven and of earth Thou art alwaies like thy self Thou art alwaies giving Take now thy son Which of the two sons whom the Lord hath graciously given unto mee Him by the Bond-woman or Him by the Free-woman Thine only Isaac The apple of mine eye and of thine eye also O my God Whom thou lovest And O most high God whom Thou lovest And get thee unto the land of Moriah For there the Lord will command his blessings And there for a burnt offering offer Most probably hitherto this Favourite fed his hopes But when it b added for a burnt offering offer Him then was Abraham tempted 1 What had He sinned that among all the inhabitants of Gods earth He alone should be singled out for such a prodigie as this Had he trespassed against a Neighbours Wife reason good then that he should give his first born for his transgression the fruit of his body for the sin of his soul But blessed be his God He had wrought no such follie hee Admit he had Here after the son of Davids adulterie shall dye a natural death and shall the Son of Abrahams integritie be haled like a beast unto the slaughter 2. Offer him up there To whom Satan He was a murderer from the beginning As for the God of all flesh His Delight is not to destroy but to preserve the work of his own hands 3. Of man shall mans blood be required Doth God trapan Abraham If when He shew his brother a mark was set upon Cain should Abraham slay his son would his God hold him guiltless 4. Take now thy Son For what for a burnt offering 1. Behold for a burnt offering some Lamb or Kid is proper such a firstling the righteous Abel offered up and with that sacrifice the Lord was then well pleased Doth he now forget to be gracious And hath he shut up the bowels of his compassions The tender mercies of the wicked are cruell Are the tender mercies of JEHOVAH so too Loe the blood of bullocks or of he goates of Lambs or of Kids he doth not now require the blood of which the preserver of men is now pleased to drink is mans blood 2. As mans blood so not the blood of some murderer rebel or oppressor not the blood of some Cain Lamech or Nimrod but of one harmless and blameless of one
Servants interpose Sarah contradict and Isaac slipp aside but to prevaricate he abhorreth as he abhorreth hypocrisie Such is the sinceritie of his Obedience that until the hour of Sacrifice none are of his counsel Such his prudence that at the hour of Sacrifice if we may believe Josephus he perswadeth even Isaac himself to be of his confederacie He was armed against every temptation with self denial against every exigencie with wisdom and against every natural inclination with grace Without any reluctancie repineing or remisness he c ariseth and ariseth early Hundred of Servants he hath yet c waiteth not for the attendance of any but doth probably with his own hands get the fire and the Knife in a readiness neither disdaineth he c to Saddle the asse yea or to be c his own wood cleaver Had this Knife this fire this Wood bin provided for some solemn Festival Were his Heir now newly anointed with oyl and anon like †Judg. 5.10 Zech. 9.9 John 12.15 after-Princes to ride that Sadled asse in State Were he him-self now to sett a crown of pure gold upon his Isaac's head and that done to espouse unto this Son some Atossa some Quen of Shebah yea or Rebekah her self what could he have done more nay * Gen. 26.67 he had not done so much This pattern may every one of us take out this example may we imitate With humilitie self denial and submission with patience preudnce and stedfastness with a preparedness readiness and chearfulness of mind may we offer up our Isaacs if with Abraham we Sacrifice them unto the Lord and Sacrifice them unto the Lord both in Faith and by Faith 3 Take heed therefore brethren lest there be in any of you †Hebr. 3.12 an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God For 1. although when we should offer up our Isaacs by Faith we have a God to draw neer unto although this God be a living God yet mans heart naturally revolteth from this living God and is therefore a heart a Pro 10.20 little worth an b Gen. 6.5 evil heart a heart c Jerem. 17.9 desperately wicked 2. Vnbelief is an idleness of mind as neglected as hereditarie a lethargie contracted d Psal 51.5 from our mothers womb a e Deut 32.20 Esa 48.8 Pro 22.15 frowardness which our Nurses cherish in our childhood a Defect which in our minoritie few tutors eye an evil which in our full age no magistrates punish a guilt an oversight a f Ephes 5.8 1 John 5.6 John 12.35 darkness which man g 1.5.3.19 20. Gen. 3.8 loveth Of wordly wants we are all of us very sensible but of a want of Faith few very few complain and yet mercy mercy O our God! 1. Except ye believe h Esa 7.9 Col. 2.7 Hebr. 13.9 James 1.8 surely ye shall not be established For 2. although the wages of every sin is death whatsoever is not of Faith is Sin 3. If God be against us who can be for us but so long as unbelief hardneth our heart against God God is against us 4. Upon him that believeth not the wrath of God abideth should he cast upon us the fiercenesse of his wrath who can stand before everlasting burnings 5. For that wretch who forgetteth so blessed a Creatour for that servant who controlleth so wise a Lord for that Subject who provoketh so gracious a Soveraign for that person who believeth not a God so infinitely true c. No Tophet is hell enough no Hell hath torments enough no torments are too durable too everlasting too eternal Wherefore 6. We must even with fear and trembling workout our Salvation but without Faith no Salvation is hoped for by Faith ye are saved 7. Whereas to glorifie Him of whom by whom and for whom are all things is the whole Duty of man without Faith there is no right understanding of this Duty So that 8. Whereas †Luk. 21.34 36. Matt 24.42 44 25.13 2 Tim. 4.5 1 Pet. 4.7 Revel 3.3 peculiar unto every hour of our lives is the Duty of that hour without Faith we order not our Conversation aright no not for the space of one moment At this instant the truth now uttered profiteth not if it be not mixed and received with Faith Add 9. Whereas it is the whole happiness of man to find favour in the sight of the Lord alwaies to find favour in the sight of the Lord without Faith it is impossible to please God Lastly Let the dead bury their dead No marveil if without Faith no favour is obtained from the Lord since without Faith we seek not nay we desire not to please Him if a Psal 10.4.14.2 Rom. 3 11. please him we could Alas there is in us I tremble to speak it there is in us an b 8.7.5.10 Coloss 1.21 enmitie against the great and terrible God! The mind and Conscience of every unbeliever is c Tit. 1.15 Psalm 51.1 2 3 4. defiled his heart is like himself corrupt and abominable How can it be otherwise seeing he is d Jude 11. twice dead dead in sin dead in guilt Alive unto sin he is but dead unto righteousness All his works are e Hebr. 6.1.9 14. dead works therefore dead works because he himself continueth f Tit. 1.16 unto every good work reprobate For as in Heaven unbelief did put Lucifer quite out of the right use of his knowledge love joy c. then when unto himself and his combining angels he g Esa 14.14 said I will be like unto the most High and as in Paradise unbelief did put Adam quite beside the right use of his h Hebr 5.14 Eccles 9.3 Deut 28.28 senses c. Then when he also i Gen 3.5 said unto himself I will be as God So unto the Worlds end the folly and madness of unbelief doth and will k 1 Cor. 2.14 John 3 6. Gal 5.17 distract every unbeliever so long and so farr as he abideth in unbelief from the right and Spiritual use both of his Soul and of his body Without Faith man is unto things heavenly just as a mad man is unto things earthly and sensual rash fearless fool hardie He saith as well in his actions as in his heart l Psal 14 1. There is no God for he doth not m Phil. 2.21 what God pleaseth but what he n 1 Pet. 4 1. lusteth He saith of God o Psal 50.21 that he is such a one as himself one that regardeth p 73.11.94.7 8. not iniquitie one that doth q Esa 41.23 neither good to reward nor evil to avenge He will be r Psal 10.3 his own chuser and consequently ſ Rom. 14.7.8 9. his own God Saith he t Pro 30.9 Exod. 5.2 who is the Lord that I should obey him and deliver up mine Isaac If I cannot draw neer unto God unless I offer up my son that I may not