as well in Deede as in Thought He was afflicted if it were possible more in the evils which ominously attended these Occurrences then in these Occurrences which confusedly perplexed his Obedience 1. Abraham was comparatively a feeble person a person aged an hundred twenty five yeeres Isaac was a sturdie lad a lad aged about twenty five yeeres Isaac was f better able to carrie all the Wood requisite for a burnt offering then his Father was to bring with him the Fire and the Knife How therefore could the Patriarch singly by himselfe alone over power bind and slay the robustious youth Isaac Should the boy find his own strength should he deeme his case desperate turn again snatch the Knife out of his Parents hand and of the two evils chuse rather to Kill then to be Killed Which way could the heartlesse wearish old man be enabled to help himselfe Alas alas for his young and strong Son Isaac Abraham the aged is no match no match at all 2. On the other side Grant that Isaac will not resist unto blood Let him beyond all expectation most humbly suffer both his hands and his feete to be tied and bound Imagine him so made up of selfe-denials that he becometh obedient even unto the death If what life the Father the weake Father can not take from the Son that life the son the obedient son most chearfully layeth down Surely Sirs the Scene is now changed the unexspected submissiveness of the child charmeth and tieth up the hands and intention of the Father Had the boy bin stout hearted he might by resisting and strugling have warmed a constancy in the resolution of the parent but seeing the meek child doth more quietly then any Lamb give up his throat unto his Fathers Knife Slay him that can for Abraham If cause so requireth Abraham can die in the stead of his child but slay him he cannot How shall I give thee up Isaac How shall I offer thee up my Son My bowels are turned within me and my repentings are Kindled together O that I might dye for thee my son my son 3. Let Father and Son too religiously determine that Jehovah shall fullfill his whole pleasure upon them both Let the burnt offering by God required be both by the sacrificer and by the sacrificed a free-will offering Let Isaac be slain and being slain let him be burnt to ashes An Hour hence when the beat of zeal is insensibly cooled and when Fatherly affections do as insensibly Kindle View then the Patriarch weeping for his only Isaac because he is not 4. Let him wipe all teares from his eyes and let him wipe them all away by Faith the blood upon his hands he cannot so soon wash off Loe a little distance hence two young men e wait as wel the Sons as the Fathers return Let Abraham see to it Should their blood arise at blood-guiltiness Should they in a furie avenge upon their old Master the death of their young Master the aged father I wisse is but one against two Escape for his life he cannot 5. Suppose that these two young men will keep counsel if they can yet will not Sarah be so said As for Ishmael he will suspect His turn to be the next Hardly will any Subject deem himself safe within the jurisdiction of such a Prince as hath by vertue of his arbitrarie power in a mercilesse frenzie sacrificed even his own child 6. Give Abraham his life for a prey yet if the foundations be cast down what can the righteous do In Abraham his seed which seed is Christ shall all the world be blessed Although Isaac remaineth childless in Isaac shall Abraham his seed be called Sacrifice Him and out of whose loins shall come the appointed Saviour of all mankind Verily the Faith of Abraham the hope of Gods elect the Expectation of the Gentiles are all three of them in vain if for a burnt offering Isaac be offered up childless 7. Accompt that God is able to raise him from the dead Let this Father of the Faithful believe hope and rest assured that out of the dead ashes of his Son not another but the self same Isaac whom he offered up shall be raised unto life upon earth Grant all this and more Nevertheless except his own family and with them his other relations believe the certainty of this as truly as He himself believeth it Into what a strait is Abraham now brought yea 8. Let sound believers and with them all other well-wishers make the best interpretation which they rationally can make of this Patriarch his Obedience yet for an un-provoked Father under a pretence of Religion to embrue his own hands in the blood of his own child is a Fact so inhumane so barbarous and in this age of the world so unheard of that the bruit of it will spread farr and near It will unavoidably open the mouths of evil surmisers to speak all manner of Falshoods against Him both at home and abroad 1. It will hence forward be charged against Him how 1. It was for no goodness that of old he fled his Country and hath ever since bin shifting places from one people to another Kingdom like a meer fugitive and vagabond Neither 2. had he as fifty years since he did so carelesly forsaken his own kindred and his Fathers house if he had not then bin as he now is devoid even of natural affections 3. Hagar had a taste of his kindness when he turned her packing out of doors 4 It did not over much consist with a conjugal love while his wife Sarah continued alive to take Hagar into his bed and 5. there was in him as little honesty as good nature when to humour his morose wife He contrary to the law of nations disinherited his first born son Ishmael In brief the Wisdom the sobriety the gravity the integrity c. of Abraham his whole life past will by this one dead flie in his Ointment be for ever hereafter utterly discredited to say no Worse He who most justly valued his good name above spoiles by him taken in warr must now live to be a scorn and a derision and a monster amonst Men. Wherefore if Jonah will rather flie from the presence of the Lord then adventure to be reputed a false Prophet Consider I pray you how un-supportable a temptation will then crush this reverend and venerable Patriarch when He hitherto a mighty Prince shall be had in no reputation rather when he shall be an abject and offscouring among men even the gazing stock and Spectacle of the World Might Abraham be suffered to cutt as well his own throat as the throat of Isaac might he give his body to be burnt upon his sons and with his sons ashes intermix his own this would not be unto him so great a death as that Contempt will be which the death of his Isaac will every where bring upon Him That mark which was set upon Cain will not equal the brand which
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 onely Son from me n 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 o 14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireth as it is said to this day In the Mount of the Lord it shall be seen THE FATHER OF THE FAITHFULL TEMPTED Hebr. XI XVII By faith Abraham when he was tempted offered up Isaac AT what time this Epistle was written unto these Hebrew Converts these Hebrew Converts did as at this instant many of us do endure (p) Hebr 10.32 a great fight of afflictions So great a Fight of afflictions they now endured that as all of us so most of them had confessedly (q) 36 need of patience Such need of patience they now had that the Author of this Epistle whosoever he was opportunely (r) 35. presseth them in the same words where with I beseech you Cast not away your Confidence And that cast away their confidence they might not with the cords of a man even with a three-fold cord he endeavoureth to wind up their hearts unto a stedfastnesse of Faith For. First from Habak 2.4 he bringeth to their remembrance how they were not now to learn that (s) 38. the just should live by faith Next he defineth what faith is saith he (t) 17.1 Faith is the substance the confident expectation of things hoped For The things which are not seen are eternall and Faith is the evidence the conviction of things not seen Thirdly to declare what faith can do he in this XI CAP. repeateth what faith hath done Saith he V. 4. By faith Abel offered a more costly Sacrifice then Cains was V. 5. By faith Enoch so pleased God that God took him from Earth to Heaven V. 7. Then when the whole world despised the fore-warnings of God By faith Noah was so moved with fear of the Flood to come that for himselfe and for his familie he prepared an Ark of refuge It was through a Faith in the truth of Gods promises that Abraham when he was thereunto called v. 8. forsook his own Countrie v. 9. sojourned in a strange Land and here v. 17. offered up Isaac Hebr. 11.17 By faith Abraham when he was tempted offered up Isaac THis useful Observation immediately releiveth us with three seasonable comforts The one Abraham was tempted The other When Abraham was tempted he offered up Isaac A third When Abraham offered up Isaac he offered up Isaac by Faith Of the last of these first BY faith By the use and benefit which he made of his faith By the good fight of faith which He fought Abraham fighting every affliction which did assault him and overcoming every affliction which he fought Offered up Isaac had although with much conflict the patience and the power to offer up Isaac 1 upon the Altar Dub Since it is said m Now Know I that thou feared God It should seeme Abraham did offer up Isaac not by faith but through feare Solut You find no repugnance between the feare there applauded and the faith here extolled For example (u) Heb. 11.7 By faith Noah moved with feare As a prudent fear was the effect of that so a filial feare was the fruit of this Patriarks faith (x) 17. By a faith moving him to feare Abraham offered up Isaac Abraham offered up Isaac DUB Since n the life of a Ram was Sacrificed and m the life of Isaac was preserved Can it hold true that Abraham offered up Isaac Answ It holdeth true in every respect 1 Solut Beyond the scope of this Text Abraham offered up Isaac representatively ye Know as in Sacraments so in Sacrifices the sign signifying betokeneth the matter signified When in the stead of his Son Isaac he slew that Ram Abraham did representatively offer up the life of Isaac in the life of that Ram. 2 Sâ—lut Within this Text. 1. These words he offered up Isaac are not so much an expresse affirmation as a Select expression To shew how uncouth a Duty this Patriarch now underwent it is here specified that what Duty he now underwent was to offer up Isaac 2. In our Authors his large acceptation Abraham did offer him up Our Author here prosecuteth not the Death of Isaac but the life of Faith Now as in round numbers so in running styles it abundantly sufficeth if what is cursorily affirmed be true in the main 3. Our ready writer forgetteth not unto whom he Dedicateth this Epistle Unto these Hebrews Moses was read every Sabbath-day Tell these Hebrews out of the Book of Moses that Isaac was offered up and out of the Book of Moses these Hebrews will tell you your own limited sense and meaning With 2 Sam. 21.19 compare 1 Chron. 20.5 3. Solut Moses shews how Abraham offered up Isaac 1. Inceptively For instance Gen 22. He v. 3. arose and went unto the place of which God had told him And yet v. 4. two daies after he saw that place afarr off How this Answ He was v 3. beginning to go to that place Gen. 37. Reuben v. 21. delivered Joseph out of his brethrens hands neverthelesse v. 24. his brethren did cast him into a pitt and did v. 28. sell him into Aegypt Quest How then was Joseph delivered Answ Reuben v. 21. began to deliver and although the person of Joseph was not the life of Joseph was through Reubens care delivered Thus Abraham he arose to offer up Isaac Whereupon although the life of Isaac was not the person of Isaac was offered up upon the altar And that too 2. Actually The offering up of Isaac was not a three houres but a three daies businesse in all which space the Obedience of this Patriarch ceased not untill his Duty first ceased For he slew his Son 3. Intentionally As when this Son was first promised Abraham had a purpose a full purpose of heart to give this his Son his Name at his birth and to circumcise him at eight daies old so now that the same Son is demanded his true intention is to sacrifice him d at the third day And he did so 4. Interpretatively When Jephthah caused his deare child Judg. 11. to v. 39. vow the vow of a Nazarite he did v. 31. compared with v. 36 37. he did interpretatively offer up that daughter of his for a burnt-offering unto the Lord So here Abraham his oblation receiveth a value not from the execution of his hands for m his hands were tied up but from the resolution of his mind for k his mind was sincere even so much that the searcher of hearts made this construction of his sincerity m Thou hast not with-held thy Son from me It followeth If with-hold him the Patriarch did not some
The Knowledge of the Lord covereth our Island as the waters cover the Sea He was ye were not the unclean Children of unbeleeving Parents He could not say Thou hast loosed my bands for I am the Son of thy hand-maid but Ye were by praier and by baptisme consecrated to your God in your infancie and were from your infancie nurtured up in good knowledge 2. He was like S. Paul in journeyings often Abiding citie he had none but was ever unsetled As for you ye in sure dwellings and in quiet resting places have retirednesse and leisure to devote your selves to praier meditation c. 3. Eight or nine times did Jehovah converse with Him with you he converseth eightie times nine times Twice or thrice was the Gospel preached unto Him and that too very darkly To you it shineth as clearely and in a sort as frequently as day-light What a small pittance of saving knowledge could he glean from the traditions of his fore-fathers in comparison of what may be learned by you by you who may all know the Lord from the least to the greatest by you who are in Gods Scriptures all taught of God 4. Christ is the vision the visage of the father of mercies the Gospel is the image the face of Christ Of this Gospel of this face of Christ more is manifested unto you then ever was revealed unto Abraham 4. As zeal without knowledge is the mother of persecution idolatrie superstition enthusiasm schism heresie sedition rebellion c. So knowledge without zeal begetteth atheism profaness hypocricie pride c. But that which maketh mans knowledge of God to be mans salvation is the spirit of faith sanctifying unto him what he knoweth For. 1. By faith we understand one office of faith is to enlighten the understanding 2. By faith Moses refused chusing rather viz As faith discerneth what is good so faith embraceth what good it discerneth 3. A third effect of faith is to purifie the heart 4. By faith they subdued and obtained When faith hath so instructed the heart that it no longer beleeveth a lie and hath so corrected the mind that it holdeth not the truth in unrighteousness When a Knowledge of the truth of the whole truth yea and of nothing but the truth freeth the head from errour and when a love of that truth freeth the heart from disobedience when we like to retain God in our Knowledge then do we apprehend that for which also we are apprehended of Christ Jesus When ye seeke not your own wills but your Gods will when ye with meekeness and with earnestness search wait and watch and trie whether by his word of life God will make your heart as Abrahams was faithful then ye sow to the spirit And as what was born of your flesh was flesh so what is born of Gods spirit is spirit For such as wait upon God in His waies them God meeteth and whom God meeteth in them by his spirit of adoption he formeth the quickning spirit of Christ Jesus Brethren Hereby may ye know whether ye have with faithful Abraham believed unto righteousness If unto righteousness ye have beleeved then have ye passed from the death of unbeliefe wherein ye were born to the Life of faith whereunto ye were baptized 5. To whom God giveth a power to them he also vouchsafeth a habit of beleeving Having therefore obtained like precious faith with Him imitate ye the Patriarch in my Text. of this good and perfect gift which cometh down from above May ye ever make ye seasonable and sanctified Uses 1. That in you the righteousness of God may be revealed from faith to faith add to your faith Knowledge For this end let the word of Christ dwell in you richly and in all wisdom There can not in Heaven be a higher object of Knowledge then the God of Heaven neither can there be upon earth any Knowledge of the God of Heaven equal to what we learn in Holy writ No truth is worthy to be compared unto Scripture truths neither is any Scripture-truth comparable to Gospel revelations Gospel revelations are mysteries great misteries Misteries which immediately concern a reconciliation between God provoked and man offending Lay up therefore in your heart as Manna in a golden pott store up in your memorie as Oracles in the Ark of God the Gospel-treasures of spiritual truth and wisdom The best object of mans best understanding is that truth which is in Jesus 2. That that spirit of truth which is the spirit of Christ may free you as well from the errour of your way as from erring thoughts that ye may be renewed as well in practice as in Knowledge that ye may be as wel un-corrupted in your mind as un-deceived in your judgment Receive with every truth a love of that truth that a love of every revealed truth ye may receive purifie ye your heart by faith that by faith ye may purifie your heart seeing there is no example threat promise or rhetorick like unto Scripture examples threats promises and rhetorick Let these let all these have a due force and a full power over your sincerest affections so consult Holy writ as who are therein consulting even God Himself So obey Holy Writ as the Word of a God as the word of a God speaking to you as the voice of the gracious Jehovah so speaking with you as he some times spake with his friend Abraham even face to face Oh Sirs as the best object of your best understanding so the most delightful object of your purest affections is the good nature of Emannuel Jehovah Jesus Therefore 3. Whereas from Abrahams self denials I pressed a self-denial upon all such masters parents concerned officers and Magistrates as may and should befriend Souls under their tuition Old things are passed away I now urge the example not of Abraham representing but of the true father of many nations by Abraham represented The father of all men when there was no Arm to help spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all And shall worldly favour or neighbourly kindness prevent you from imitating the merciful example of a compassionate God If the Love of God if the example of God findeth faith in your hearts O ye Rulers neither let Souls stupidly ignorant escape untaught and unchatechised neither tollerate ye those unlawful meetings which wrest Holy Scriptures to the hazard of themselves and of this Kingdom 1. Witness our late civil Warrs As evil words corrupt good manners so a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump A cancer in the mouth is a pernicious disease even so much that Christ hateth that we should suffer among us the doctrine either of the Pharises or of the Nicolitans 2. When the Son of man took a farr journey he gave authoritie to his Servants If Law-givers Lawes and Judges protect mens cattle lands and limbs from violence much more let them guard mens memories affections understandings and consciences from the subtiltie and power