regard of whom she was called Sarah a Princesse and promised to be the Queenemother of the Princes and people of God and the great grandmother of the Messias whō God had giuen her by miracle especially being committed by Abraham himselfe and without her priuitie and consent I leaue it to your wisedomes to iudge For if Zipporah when she was appointed by Moses onely to circumcise her sonne did cast the foreskinne at his feete and said Thou art indeed a bloodie husband vnto me and thereupon as Tremellius and Iunius note vpon Exod. 4.25 and 18.2 in a rage refused to go any further with him in what a case doe you thinke would Sara haue been when she should haue vnderstood that Abraham with his owne hands had killed her onely sonne and in that manner which before I haue described And shall Abraham now shew his obedience in doing that which in it selfe was vniust vnnaturall dishonourable to God and scandalous to men And as touching his faith if Abraham would approoue himselfe to be faithfull and to beleeue the promises of God then will hee not commit that whereby in all apparance the promises are ouerthrowne The promises were principally two the first concerning the multiplication of the Church in Isaacs posteritie which was to inherit the land of Canaan the second concerning the saluation of the faithfull in all nations by the promised seede which is Christ who according to the promise was to come of Isaac And shall Abraham now approue his faith by killing Isaac and consuming him to ashes Nay rather this might seeme a voluntarie extinguishing of y e Church and a wilfull renouncing of saluation by Christ. Didst thou beleeue Abraham in the promised seede and was this thy faith imputed vnto thee for righteousnes and can it now stand with thy faith to kill Isaac in whom alone thou hast these promises In Isaac shall thy seede be called chap. 21.12 With Isaac and his seed saith the Lord chap. 17. will I establish mine euerlasting couenant c. Doest thou beleeue to bee saued by Christ who was to come of Isaacs seed and wilt thou with thine owne hands kill him of whom he is to come And this was the triall whereby God proued Abrahams faith and obedience Now let vs consider how Abraham approued himselfe in this triall For howsoeuer this triall was exceeding great yet was not he tried aboue the strength which God had giuen him And first consider how he approueth his obedience For Abraham behaueth not himselfe as any one of vs would perhaps haue done in the like case alleaging for himselfe and his sonne Alas he is my sonne mine onely sonne whom I deerely loue euen Isaac the ioy of my heart without whom I can neither looke for the multiplication of a blessed seede nor saluation by the Messias who is to come of him if therefore I should but forgoe him it were death to me if I should consent and be present at his slaughter it were worse than death if I my selfe should shed his innocent blood and bereaue him of his pretious life if I should butcherlike slaughter him and cruelly burne his beloued body to ashes it were a hell vnto me in respect of that affection which I doe and as I am a father ought to beare him Besides this standeth not with mine obedience to God to commit such an act which is so vniust vnnaturall dishonourable to God and scandalous to man nor yet with my faith in his promises to kill him in whom they are made and therefore I will rather die then I will thus depriue my selfe of my sonne the world of the Church which is to be his seede or the faithfull of their Sauiour which is to come of him But Abraham although in his fatherly affection he were as tender hearted as the best of vs and in his wisdome did see and consider all these impediments yet notwithstanding he was content to deny his affection yea and his reason and to performe simple and absolute obedience to God For he might thinke God hath reuealed his will vnto me in this commaundement so as I cannot possibly doubt but that it is the oracle of God to this will of God therefore must I submit my selfe What though Isaac be deere to me yet I must not loue him more then God yea for Gods sake I must be willing to forgoe him God hath promised his sonne to me and shall I denie my sonne to him And what though it shall seeme an vniust thing to kill my guiltlesse sonne yet I am sure it is more vniust not to obey God And although I am to be vnwilling to sacrifice my sonne if it pleased God otherwise yet must I be more vnwilling to disobey God And what though it seeme vnlawfull and contrary to the law of God yet I know it is not Indeede to kill a man vpon a priuate motion without sufficient warrant and authoritie is fearefull murder but I haue sufficient authoritie yea an expresse commaundement from God and therfore so farre shal I be from sinning if I sacrifice Isaac as that I shall fearefully sinne if I doe it not But you will say hath not God forbidden the shedding of innocent blood Yea but the Lord who is the supreme lawgiuer hath this prerogatiue royall to dispense with his own lawes and may if it please him commaund things aboue the common course of iustice his will which is the rule of iustice hauing this priuiledge that whatsoeuer hee willeth is therefore iust it being a meere impossibilitie that hee who is goodnes and iustice it selfe should either will or doe any thing which is not iust and consequently all his commaundements are to be vnderstood with this exception or restraint Nisi Deus aliter voluerit Vnlesse God appoint otherwise As for example the law forbidding manslaughter is thus to be vnderstood vnlesse God appoint or authorize a mā to kill as the lawfull Magistrate and the warriour in lawfull battaile This particular commaundement therefore giuen vnto me of God is my sufficient warrant to sacrifice my sonne the generall commaundement to the contrarie notwithstanding And therefore to conclude Attendis quis feriat quem feriat attende quis iubeat Doe you marke who striketh and whom he striketh marke also who commaundeth and acknowledge with me that the bare shew and apparance of sinne should not driue me into a manifest and apparant sinne Besides God almightie is a soueraigne Lord ouer all his creatures hauing absolute authoritie of life and death who may kill or preserue or any waies dispose of his owne as pleaseth him Matth. 20.15 and therefore if hee will he may iustly take away the life of any man by what meanes he pleaseth although there were no cause of death in him But there is also cause of death in my sonne and in all men since the fall seeme they neuer so innocent For as in Adam all haue sinned and haue made our selues subiect to death so
of griefe if hee were not present and in his sight or more opportunitie to grieue if hee were a little absent and out of his hearing but without shew of passion accompanieth him to the very place where he buildeth an Altar coucheth the wood vseth no doubt some effectuall speech to perswade his sonne when it cannot be sufficiently marueiled how he could perswade himselfe hauing perswaded him he bindeth him after the manner of sacrifices Ne impatientia doloris victima calcitraret Lesse through impatience of griefe his sacrifice should kicke or sting as Augustine saith hauing bound him hand foote hee laieth him on the Altar vpon the wood stretcheth out his hand taketh his knife with purpose presently I tremble to speake it presently I say to cut his throate to dismember his body and after to set fire to the wood that as a whole burnt offring he might be consumed leauing nothing to himselfe in apparance of all his hopes and expectations but a few ashes But blessed be God in the very nicke as he was giuing the fatall wound as appeareth by the sudden crie of the Angell Abraham Abraham hee is staied from his purpose and commended for his obediēce euen as if he had sacrificed his sonne the Lord to whom obedience is more acceptable then sacrifice 1. Sam. 15.22 accepting of the sincere will and earnest endeuour of his seruant for the deede it selfe But although Abrahams obedience was singular yet his faith which was the ground of his obedience and his victorie in the temptation was more wonderfull and therefore the Apostle saith Heb. 11.17 By faith he offred Isaac For Abraham had receiued a double oracle from God the one a promise concerning Isaacs seede the other a commaundement concerning the burning of him to ashes before he had any seed These 2. oracles in mans reason are cōtrarie one to another and nothing but faith can reconcile them How then was Abraham to behaue himselfe in this repugnancie of Gods oracles He knew certainly that the commandement was the word of the Lord and therefore resolued whatsoeuer should come of it to obey it and to commit the euent to God and of the promise he could not doubt but that it also was the very oracle of God and therefore resolued to beleeue it assuring himselfe that although Isaac before hee had any seede were consumed to ashes yet notwithstanding God would performe his promises concerning Isaacs seede But how can this be If Isaacs seede must inherit the land of Canaan and Christ himself must come of his seed then must he liue vntill he haue seede and not be consumed to ashes before he haue any if he die and be burnt to ashes before hee haue seede according to the commandement how shall his seede be multiplied or Christ come of it according to the promise Yet such was Abrahams faith that he assuredly beleeued that although Isaac were consumed to ashes before he had any seed yet the promise concerning his seede should be performed and in this assurance of faith in the promise hee readily resolutely and constantly obeyed the commandemēt But how could he obey the one and yet beleeue the other seeing the one is contrary to the other I answere Abraham assuredly beleeued that God as he is true and faithfull and therefore willing to keepe his promise so in respect of his omnipotent power and alsufficiencie he is able to make good his word being indeed able to doe any thing but to denie himselfe or to goe backe from his word And therefore doubted not but that as hee had receiued his soone from the dead and barren wombe of Sara as similitude of death for thus those words Heb. 11.19 may also be expounded so also the Lord would in respect of his truth and faithfulnesse and could in respect of his power euen out of those ashes restore him vnto life that his seed might be multiplied and all nations of the earth might account themselues happie in his blessed seed And this is testified by the Apostle Heb. 11.17.18.19 By faith saith he Abraham offered vp Isaac when he was tempted and he that had receiued the promises which were to be fulfilled in his sonne and his posteritie offered his only begotten sonne To whō it was said In Isaac shall thy seed be called For he considered or rather concluded that God was able to raise him vp euen frō the dead from whence he receiued him also after a sort For as Procopius saith he pondered in his mind that saying of the Apostle that God who had made Sarah of barren fruitfull could also raise vp Isaac from the dead And therfore as Augustine saith he beleeued whē Isaac was to be borne and mourneth not for him when he was to die his hand is lifted vp to sacrifice him that he might be dead whose heart was lifted vp to beleeue that he might be borne Abraham doubted not to beleeue when Isaac was promised he doubted not to offer him when he was required againe neither was his religion in beleeuing contrarie to his deuotion in obeying And again Credidit suscepturus filium credidit occisuru◠He beleeued when he was to beget his sonne he beleeued when he was to kill him vbique fidelis nusquam crudelis euery where faithfull no where cruell And therefore as another saith In spe non denegabat Deo quod contra spem acceperat ab eo In hope hee denied not to God which against hope he had receiued from him And thus by vndoubted faith in the truth and power of God Abraham reconciled the repugnancie betwixt the commandement and the promise and so approued his singular obedience to the one and his admirable faith in the other in respect of both is propounded to vs and to all posteritie as a most notable patterne to bee imitated For beloued wee are to know that these things they were written for our profit and therefore we must not be idle hearers of this story concerning Gods prouing Abrahams approuing his faith and obedience but we are to apply the same to our vse and edification And first from Gods prouing of Abraham wee are to learne that it is his maner to trie the sonnes of men and by triall to make knowne what is in them that men might labour aforehand to be sound and to lay a good foundation against the day of triall For if men bee indued with grace the Lord will not haue it smothered but by triall to bee manifested to his glorie their comfort and good example of others If men be vnsound and leade their life as it were vpon a stage he will by triall vnmaske them that their hypocrisie may be detected detested And although none may looke in these dayes to be tempted as Abraham was by a particular commandement from God because howsoeuer the Lord in former times spake 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 at sundrie times and many wayes to the Fathers yet in these latter times he hath
our selues to be the childrē of Abraham in imitating his obedience and his faith to which end the Lord hath by Moses propounded this worthie example and by me expounded the same vnto you And first our obedience must be conformable vnto his I say not that it must be equall For although we must striue towards this perfection and neuer content our selues with our growth vntill we come to our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is our full growth which wee shall neuer doe whiles we liue here because in this life wee are alwaies in our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and growing age yet few may hope to attaine to Abrahams pitch But though wee cannot be equall to match him yet we must be like to imitate him in obedience if wee would be esteemed his children as the faithfull are For as our Sauiour saith Ioh. 8.35 If you were the sonnes of Abraham you would doe the workes of Abraham But thou wilt say If God did speake to me and commaund me any thing as he did to Abraham I would doe as Abraham did I answere thou art to applie euery generall commaundement in the word as spoken vnto thee and thou art to make conscience of obeying the same as if God from heauen did now speake vnto thee For so the Lord hath propounded his commandemēts as that thou canst not doubt but that he hath spoken to thee therein For doth hee not speake to thee when hee saith Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not steale c. Nay further I professe vnto thee that as thou hast greater assurance that God speaketh vnto thee in his word then if an Angell should speake vnto thee from heauen for the written word the Apostle calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a more sure word 2. Pet. 1.19 and if we should trust to extraordinarie reuelations and apparitions of Angels we should bee subiect to the illusions of Satan who can transforme himselfe into an Angell of light so if thou wilt not hearken to the written word of God to Moses the Prophets and the Apostles neither wilt thou beleeue or obey though an Angel should come from heauen or a man should come from the dead Luk. 16. Well then when thou hast a commandement from God do as Abraham heere doth As for example God commandeth thee to turne vnto him to repent thee of thy sinnes to beleeue in Christ to walke vprightly before him to sacrifice not thy sonne but thy selfe and to offer vp thy soule and thy bodie as a holy liuely and acceptable sacrifice vnto him which is thy reasonable that is spirituall seruice of him Be carefull to approoue thy obedience as Abraham did What though inconueniences will follow what though the world shall condemne thee and the wicked flout thee the diuel thine owne flesh set themselues against thee denie thy selfe as Abraham did and thine own reason dispute not of Gods commandement but obey it and commit the euent to God And let thine obedience bee not onely absolute resolute but also speedie without delay constant without fainting Worthie is that saying of Luther to bee written in the tables of our hearts Qui habet certum verbum Dei in quacunque vocatione credat tantum audeat dabit Deus haud dubiè secundos exitus Whosoeuer hath the certaine word of God in any calling let him beleeue onely and be bold God no doubt will giue prosperous successe Now if we wold approue our obedience when God proueth vs as Abraham did wee must be qualified in two respects as he was For first seeing the Lord vseth to proue vs in such things as we loue therfore we are with Abraham to thinke nothing we haue too deare to be consecrated to God but we must be readie to offer as a spirituall sacrifice if God shall require the same our goods our honour our sonnes and daughters our parents our wiues our liues our selues for hee that loueth anie of these more then Christ is not worthie of him Matth. 10.37.38 This therefore in a word Abraham teacheth vs as Augustine saith Vt Deo non praeponamus quod dat Deus That we preferre not before God that which God hath giuen vs. Secondly we must as Abraham was bee resolued before hand to obey the commandements of God seeme they neuer so vnreasonable vnto vs. For this resolution will make the commandements easie to vs which seem hard to others As indeed the difficulty of Gods cōmandemēts is to be attributed to the corruptions and contrarie dispositions of men who haue resolued or at the least inured themselues to do euill so that it is as easie for them to abstaine from their accustomed sinnes as it is for a Blackamoore to change his hue or a Leopard his spots Ierem. 13.23 It is easie for a sober and temperat man to abstaine from drunkennesse a chast man from whoredome a religious man from swearing a mild man from chafing and reuenge but bid a drunkard leaue his drunkennes a whoremaster to forsake his filthinesse c. you may as well bid him pull out his eye or cut off his hand so hard a thing it is for them to mortifie their earthly members fornication vncleannes c. Col. 3.5 But let God say to an Abrahā that is resolued to obey him in all things offer thine only sonne vnto me for a burnt sacrifice and hee will readily doe it And as we are to follow Abrahams obedience so must we imitate his faith and that in two respects first in beleeuing the promises of God secondly in bringing forth fruites and working by loue As touching the former our dutie is to be resolued before hand with Abraham as to obey the commandements of God seeme they neuer so vnreasonable so to beleeue his promises seeme they neuer so vncredible Thou wilt say If God did promise me any thing as he did to Abraham I would beleeue as hee did The promises were made to Abraham and his seede that is the faithfull who are the sonnes of Abraham and the heires of promise And although the promises be generally propounded in the word yet art thou particularly to apply them to thy selfe as spoken to thee For being generall they include al that exclude not themselues by infidelitie only bring the condition of the promise which is faith and thou art safe For doth not the Lord promise whosoeuer beleeueth in Christ hath remission of sin shall rise to glorie shall be saued euen as the Israelites had a promise that if when they were stung with the firie Serpents they did lift vp their eyes to the brazen Serpent they should be healed Resolue then to lift vp the eye of faith to him that was figured by the brazen Serpent to beleeue in Christ labour to lay hold vpon him by faith striue against thine owne infidelitie and doubting assure thy selfe if thou beleeuest that thou art iustified and shalt be saued Let not the sense of thine owne weakenes or the
conscience of thine owne vnworthines or any thing else wring from thee thy stedfast faith in Christ but beleeue against sense and reason and hope against hope as Abraham did This is the promise of God beleeue in Christ and thou shalt be saued Indeed it pleaseth God many times so to trie his seruants for the exercise of their faith as that their triall seemeth to oppugne his promises But yet notwithstanding the promises are firmely to be beleeued and we are to be perswaded that when any thing doth happen vnto vs contrarie to the promise and the Lord shewes himselfe vnto vs otherwise then the promise soundeth as our Sauiour shewed himselfe to the woman which was a Cananite Matth. 15.23.28 that it is but a trial whereby the Lord howsoeuer hee exerciseth vs for a time will yet doe vs good in the end Deut. 8.16 and therefore we are not to let goe our hold or suffer the promise which is our staffe and stay to be wrested out of our hands Rather let vs imitate Abrahams faith in this place who when hee was commaunded to kil his sonne in whose seede hee had many promises yeelded indeed to the commandement and yet held him to the promise Though Isaac be consumed to ashes yet shall the promise of God concerning his seede bee performed So Iob when he was so grieuously afflicted as that in his own sense and opinion of others he seemed to be cast out of Gods fauour yet saith he though he kill me I will beleeue in him In like sort when as God promiseth life to all that beleeue yet we die we must beleeue that although we die yet wee shall liue Ioh. 11.25 In a word we must learne by Abrahams example to giue credite to the truth and power of God rather then to our owne sence and reason For he is true and therfore will hee is omnipotent and therefore can performe his promise SecoÌ„dly our faith must be fruitful as Abrahams was and we are to manifest it by good works that the Lord may say of vs as he did heere of Abraham Now I know that thou fearest God c. for although good works do not concurre with faith to the act of iustification as anie cause thereof yet they concurre in the subiect that is the partie iustified as necessarie fruits of his faith and testimonies of his iustification And therfore Abraham although he were iustified before God by faith without works as Paul saith that is absolued from his sinnes and accepted as righteous vnto life yet he was iustified not only in that sence by faith but in another sence that is declared to be iust by works as Iames saith But to this purpose most effectuall is S. Iames his argument in the second chap. By such a faith as Abraham was iustified must we be iustified but AbrahaÌ„ was iustified by such a faith as brought forth good works as appeareth by this example and was not an idle or dead faith and therfore that faith wherby we must be iustified must bring forth good fruits or els it is not a liuely a true but a dead counterfeit faith by which no man can be iustified For howsoeuer faith alone doth iustifie because it alone doth apprehend the righteousnesse of Christ whereby we are iustified and not loue or any other grace yet that faith which is alone doth not iustifie because it is not a true faith For euen as the bodie without spirit or breath is iudged to be dead so faith which is without works is dead And to conclude howsoeuer the promise of saluatioÌ„ is made to faith yet the sentence of saluation shall be pronounced according to our works and therefore let vs be carefull as Abraham was to shew our faith by our workes For good works are as it were the euidence according to which the Lord wil iudge of our faith in so much that where hee findeth none hee will say Depart from me you cursed into euerlasting fire And where hee findeth workes giuing euidence to our faith he will say Come you blessed of my father inherite the kingdome which is prepared for you from the foundation of the world To which kingdome let vs beseech him to bring vs who hath so dearely purchased it for vs euen Christ Iesus the righteous to whom with the Father and the holy Ghost be all praise and glorie both now and euermore Amen FINIS Errata Pag. 16. lin 10. reade as he knoweth he can answere pag. 27. lin 21. reade when as pag 41. lin 9. reade not deliuer lin 10. not be present Luk. 16.22 1. Pet. 1.9 Affectum tuum inquisiui non factum exegi Ambros. In voto probaui quod in facto renui August de tempore Serm 73. 1. Pet. 2.11 Iam. 1.14 Ephes. 6.16 Rom. 1.24.26.28 Exod. 15.32 Ephe. 4.19 Heb. 4.13 Vaâ—in apud â—ezâ—m De Sancta Trin. lib. 1. De temporâ— Serm. 72. De tempore Serm. 72. Ibid. Matt. 26.41 De tempore serm 73. God in trying his seruants obserueth a Geometricall proportion This was saith Philo lib. de Abrah 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the most forcible motiue of loue because as he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 parents dote as it were vpon those which are late borne De tepore Serm. 73. Gal. 4.22.23 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Philo. Iphigen Plin. 35.10 See Tully in Oratore Leuit. 1.5.11 Eph. 6.17 Sacrificing of men Psal. 106.37 Mich. 6.7 August de temp ser. 72. 1. Cor. 15.22 Heb. 9.27 Foelix orbis soret si omnes fic fierem parricidae Zeno. Veronens Neither must that trouble vs that he is called Nagnar vers 5. which is translated a child for so are the two seruants called vers 3.5 whom Philo supposeth to haue been 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the ancientest in the familie and Iosua when he was as the Hebrewes thinke 56. yeeres old Exod. 33.11 and Dauids souldiers 2. Sam. 1.15 Chrysost. tom 2. ser. 33 A caption in respect of their vnderstaÌ„ding taking that properly which was spoken by a Synecdoche vve wil returne and a prophecie in respect of the holie Ghost directing his speech according to the euent Serm. 73. De tempere 1. Ioh. 5.4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Serm. de temp 72. Eccles. 2.1 My sonne if thou wilt come into the seruice of God prepare thy soule to teÌ„ptation Iam. 1.12 2. Thess. 2.10.11.12 Vers. 10. Matth. 7.24 Rom. 12.1 De temp serm 72. Num. 22.8.9 Ioh. 3.14.15 16. Mat. 16.16 Luther in Gen. 22. Job 13.15 Iam. 2.18 Iam. 2.26 â—att 25.34
ABRAHAMS TRYALL A Sermon preached at the Spittle in Easter weeke Anno Domini 1602. By George Downame Doctor of Diuinity LONDON Printed for Humfrey Lownes 1602 To the Right VVorshipfull Sir Henry Killigrew Knight Grace in this life and glory in the life to come AMong all the worthy histories of the Saincts which are registred in the booke of God there is not any one example of faith and obedience comparable as I suppose to Abraham who as he was the father of all the faithfull Rom. 4.11 so he is propounded to all the heires of promise as a most worthie patterne for imitation And to this end the Lord as he had indued him with an excellent measure of his grace so by a correspondencie of trials proportionable to his faith he hath manifested the same to the world that all those which professe themselues to be the sonnes of Abraham might either imitate his faith and obedience or else know themselues to be none of his children For which cause the holy Apostles Paule and Iames the one intreating of the causes whereby a man is iustified the other of the effects and signes whereby a man is knowne to be iust the one prouing that we are iustified by faith alone without works the other concluding that we are iustified by such a faith as is not alone or without works both propound the example of Abraham as a rule the one of that iustification whereby we are made iust to wit by imputatiō of Christs righteousnes apprehended by faith the other of that whereby we are declared to be iust namely by the fruits of faith which are good works Paule therefore prouing that we are iustified by faith without works that is by imputation of Christs righteousnes alone which is apprehended by faith argueth from the example of Abraham to this effect that as he was iustified so are we Rom. 4.23.24 he was iustified by faith without works that is by imputation of Christs righteousnes apprehended by faith without respect of anie righteousnes inherent in himselfe therefore wee are iustified by faith without works Iames disputing against vaine mē Chap. 2. ver 20. who thought to be iustified by an idle or counterfeit faith proueth from the example of Abraham that wee must be iustified by such a faith as is not without works For by such a faith as Abraham was iustified must we be iustified Abraham was iustified not by an idle or dead faith but by a liuely faith working by loue as apeareth especiallie by that example recorded Gen. 22. Therefore howsoeuer we are iustified by faith alone yet we are not iustified by such a faith as is alone but as we are iustified by faith alone that is made iust by imputation of Christs righteousnes which is apprehended by faith alone so we are iustified that is declared and knowne to be iust by good works which are the fruits of faith Abraham therefore as you see is propounded to all the faithfull as a patterne in both respects So that if we would be esteemed the sonnes of Abraham as all the faithfull are we must looke to be iustified as he was and by such a faith The Papists therefore who seeke Iustification by works that is inherent righteousnes are not the sonnes of Abraham For those who are of faith that is who seeke iustification by faith and not by workes are the children of Abraham Gal. 3.7 No more is the carnall Gospeller 〈…〉 by such a faith as 〈…〉 and voide of righteousnes 〈…〉 our Sauiour saith Iohn 8. 〈…〉 the sonnes of Abraham 〈…〉 do the works of Abraham 〈…〉 Abraham though he were iustified by faith alone yet he was not iustified by such a faith as is alone But howsoeuer the notable faith of Abraham whereby he was iustified before God and his dutifull obedience whereby he was knowne and declared to be iust appeareth in many particulars recorded by Moses yet then especially he approued both his faith and obedience when he was enioyned by a commaundement of tryall to sacrifice his owne and onely sonne Isaac For by this greatest tryall the Lords purpose was to manifest to the world his greatest faith and rarest obedience and in respect of both to commend him to all succeeding generations as a most liuely patterne to be followed of all the heires of promise For which cause as I thought this notable story of Abrahams tryall most worthie to be handled in this Easters solemnitie so others haue desired and I haue yeelded that the Sermon wherein it was handled should be made more publike for the benefit of more then did heare me Being therefore to publish this Sermon as the first fruits of mine english labours I thought good to dedicate the same to your Worship to whome with your louing brother and the vertuous Lady your wife I am for great benefits exceedingly bound that there might remaine some memoriall both of your bountifulnes and of my thankefulnesse Accept therefore I pray you according to your accustomed fauour this commendation of Abrahams faith and obedience And as hitherto you haue to Gods glory be it spoken and to the good example of others shewed your selfe to be one of the sonnes of Abraham so my desire is that this example of Abraham commended vnto you may be some incouragement for you to continue to the end in that course wherein you haue long walked That imitating still the faith of Abraham and treading in the steps of his obedience vnto the end you may be sure after the labours of this life to rest in Abrahams bosome where you shall receiue the end of your faith which is the saluation of your soule by the precious merits of Iesus Christ 〈…〉 〈◊〉 the 28. of Aprill 1602. Your Worships in the Lord George Downame AΣYNOΨIS OR BRIEFE VIEW of the particulars contayned in this Sermon 〈…〉 Explication of the text diuided into a Proposition where three questions are discussed 1. Whether God tempteth any to euill 2. In what sense he is said to haue tempted Abraham 3. To what end he tempted him Narration declaring the action of God prouing Abrahā which is two fold his Vocation or call preparing Abraham to the triall Commandement containing the triall which appeareth to be great both by the Deerenes of that which he was to forgo amplified by the Lord in foure degrees commanding him to sacrifice 1. His sonne 2. His only sonne 3. Whom he loued 4. Euen Isaac Hardnes of that which he was to vndergo shewed by the Circumstāces of Time whē this commandemēt Was giuen Was to bee performed Place in Generall noted to be a hill in the countrie of Moriah Patricular lest indefinit Substance of the worke that he was to offer Isaac for a burnt sacrifice which was very hard in respect of his Affection to his son whom it had bin Hard onely to forgo but more hard by death and that a violent death Harder to Consent to his death Deliuer him to be killed Bee present at his slaughter
Hardest to kill him with his owne hands and that as a burnt sacrifice Allegeance to God viz. his Obedience with which how could it stād to do an act so Vnlawfull Vnnaturall Dishonorable to God Scandalous to man Faith for how could he beleeue in the promises concerning Isaacs seede and yet himselfe kill him and consume him to ashes before he had any seede Abraham approuing his Obedience which was 1. Absolute simple 2. Resolute serious 3. Speedy and ready 4. Not headie or for a brunt but discreet temperate constant and couragious Faith being assured that although Isaac were consumed to ashes yet the promise of God concerning Isaac should be fulfilled Application in respect of Gods prouing Abraham that he vseth to try men and that diuersly but his trials may be distinguished by the Obiects that is the things wherein we are tried and thus trials are of the Right hand by temporall benefites Offered Conferred Left hand by crosses Temporall Spirituall Subiects that is the men who are tried viz. Hypocrites Sound Christians Abrahams approuing himselfe that if we would be esteemed his children as all the faithfull are wee must imitate both his Obedience and to that end we must as he did Deny our selues Thinke nothing too deere for God Resolue beforehād to do what soeuer God shall commaund Faith in Beleeuing the promises of God Working by loue ABRAHAMS TRIALL 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gen. 22.1 to the 13. 1 After these things it came to passe that God himselfe tempted Abraham and said vnto him Abraham who answered Here am I. 2 And he said Take now thy sonne thine only sonne whom thou louest euen Isaac and go thy waies vnto the land of Moriah and offer him vp there for a whole burnt offring vpon one of the mountaines which I will tell thee 3 Then Abraham rose vp earely in the same morning and sadled his asse and tooke two of his seruants with him and Isaac his sonne and cloue wood for the burnt offring and rose vp and went to the place which God had told him 4 The third day Abraham lift vp his eyes and saw the place a farre off 5 And Abraham said to his seruants Stay here with the asse for I and this youth will goe yonder and worship and come again vnto you 6 Then Abraham tooke the wood for the burnt offring and laid it vpon Isaac his sonne and he tooke the sire in his hand and the knife and they both went together 7 And Isaac spake to his father said My father And he answered Here am I my sonne And he said Behold the fire and the wood but where is the lambe for the burnt offring 8 Then Abraham answered God will prouide him a lambe for a burnt offring my sonne and so they two went together 9 And whē they came to the place which God had told him Abraham builded an altar there and couched the wood and bound Isaac his sonne and laid him on the altar vpon the wood 10 And Abraham stretching forth his hand tooke the knife to kill his sonne 11 But the Angell of the Lord called vnto him from heauen saying Abraham Abraham And he answered Here am I. 12 Then he said Lay not thine hand vpon the young man neither doe any thing to him for now I know thou fearest God seeing for my sake thou hast not spared thine only sonne IN this chapter the Holie ghost hath recorded the memorable historie of Abrahams temptation by God himself concerning the immolation of Isaac pretended by God and intended by Abraham vnto the 11. verse and the euents thereupon ensuing in the rest of the chapter The storie of the temptation consisteth on two parts the proposition in the first words containing both the argument of the storie and the scope and purpose of God in this busines viz. that God tempted Abraham and the narration in the rest of the words vnto the 11. verse Wherein is declared both the action of God tempting and the behauiour of Abraham when he was tempted In the proposition the Holie ghost giueth vs and all that shall reade or heare this storie an item or watch-word that howsoeuer Abraham was to vnderstand the commaundement following concerning the killing and sacrificing of his owne sonne as a serious precept the omission whereof had been sinne vnto him and an honouring of his sonne more then God yet notwithstanding the Lord bad him offer his sonne not because he would haue Isaac sacrificed but Abrahams faith and obedience tried Which also appeareth by the euent vers 11.12 where the Lord who is not chaunged by a contrarie commandement signifieth that hee did inquire as Ambrose saith his affection and not require the fact and as another he did approoue in the intent and desire which he disprooued in the performance Now this warning that God did but tempt Abraham was necessarily to be giuen lest men vnderstanding the commandement following as a serious precept which God would haue fulfilled might imagine that God is pleased with sacrificing of men or might iustly ground their diuellish practise of sacrificing their children vpon this commandement of God This admonition therefore teacheth vs to vnderstand the commaundement following as the question which our Sauiour propounded to Philip concerning the feeding of fiue thousand men Ioh. 6.5 6. Whence shall we buy bread that all these may eate this he said tempting him for himselfe knew what he was purposed to doe So in this place God saith to Abraham Goe offer thy sonne to me for a burnt sacrifice This he said tempting him for himself knew what he was purposed to doe viz. to trie and by trial to manifest Abrahams faith and obedience and to propound the same to all ages following as a most worthie patterne to be followed But whereas it is said that God tempted Abraham for so the words are haelohim nissah and the Apostle speaking of this matter Hebr. 11.17 By faith saith he Abraham 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when he was tempted offered Isaac diuers questions may not vnprofitablie be moued and first whether God tempteth any man or not For Iames saith chap. 1.13 that God tempteth no man and therefore that no man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when he is tempted may say that he is tempted of God And yet Moses here saith that he tempted and as the seuentie Interpreters read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and accordingly the Apostle Hebr. 11.17 meaneth that Abraham 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whē he was tempted was tempted of God I answere by distinction that temptations are either prouocations to euill or probations and trials Of temptations as they are prouocations to euill God is not the author neither doth he tempt any vnto sinne as Iames saith but the diuell as the principall who is therfore called the tempter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the world and the flesh as his seruitours For from the flesh that is our owne corruption arise euill and noysome concupiscences which fight against
vs Act. 2.23 and 4.28 So by the wicked and malitions temptations of Satan who therein seeketh the ruine and perdition of the faithfull the Lord furthereth their saluation sometimes chastising them for their amendement sometimes trying their faith and obedience sometimes exercising them to humilitie and mortification of sinne alwaies so onerruling the malice of the diuell that euen in his temptations wherein he intendeth nothing but their harme and destruction he becommeth maugre his spite the instrument of God to further their saluation Thus then it appeareth that God tempteth no man vnto euill and that howsoeuer the Lord hath a hand in all temptations which be vnto euill yet he worketh no euill but vseth ordereth and disposeth them vnto good and so ouerruleth all his creatures that when they intend and doe euill to their owne damnation they are the instruments of God to aduance his glorie and further the saluation of the elect The which doctrine as it ministreth singular comfort to the faithfull vnto whose good al things euen the temptations of Satan doe worke together Rom. 8.28 So it serueth to discouer the diuellish malice of the Papists namely of the shamelesse author of the twelue Articles who is not ashamed to publish in print that wee not onely make God the author of sinne which is blasphemous but the only cause of sinne and that which the diuell would haue bin ashamed to vtter in his owne person that wee make God worse thē the diuell Articl 10. But I conclude this point with Fulgentius ad Monimum lib. 1. pag. 57. Deus itaque licet author non sit malarum cogitationum ordinator est tamen malarum voluntatum de malo opere cuiuslibet mali non desinit ipse bonum operari That is God therefore although hee be not the author of euill thoughts yet he is an orderer or disposer of bad willes and by the bad worke of euery wicked one he ceaseth not to effect that which is good Hitherto wee haue spoken of the former kinde of temptations which are prouocations to euill in which sense God tempteth no man The other kind are probations or trials in which sense God in diuers places of the Scripture is said to tempt that is to trie or to proue men and that diuersly as we shall heare anon But it wil be said that tentare to tempt or trie a man is to take an experiment of him that is tried presupposing in him that tēpteth either ignorance or doubting at the least the former whereof is a priuation or absence the latter a defect and want of knowledge but neither is incident to the alknowing God who with one eternall view or act of vnderstanding doth at once perfectly and distinctly know al things that haue been are or shall be It may therefore be demanded in the next place in what sense God is said who knoweth all men better then themselues to tempt or proue them I answere that tempting or prouing doth not alwaies presuppose ignorance or doubting in him that tempteth For there are two sorts of tempting or prouing the one when a man tempteth to take an experiment of that which hee knew not or doubted of as when a master trieth the fidelitie of his seruant or one friend the good will of another whereof he is not sufficiently perswaded The other when one tempteth to cause the partie tempted to giue an experiment of that which hee alreadie knoweth as when a Schoolemaster calleth forth one of his best schollers and apposeth him in such questions as hee can answere The end of both indeed is experimentall knowledge but of the former the knowledge of him that tempteth that hee may by experience know somewhat whereof before he was ignorant or doubtfull of the latter the knowledge not of him that tempteth but of him that is tempted and also of others In the former sense tempting cannot properly be attributed to God yet vnproperly and after the manner of men it may For euen as God is said to be angrie or sorie or to repent Non quantum ad affectum sed quantum ad effectum Not in regard of the affection which is not incident vnto God but of the effect whē he doth that which a man would doe when he is angrie or sorie or repenteth So God may be said to tempt metaphorically when as after the similitude of a man he saith or doth any thing whereby the minde and disposition of him that is tempted may appeare either to himselfe or to others And as this is spoken here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is by a metaphore takē from men so afterwards vers 12. when hee saith now I know that is now I haue experience or experimentall knowledge for thereunto tempting directly tendeth But in the latter sense tempting may properly be ascribed to God who is then said to tempt when he bringeth men into triall and causeth them to giue an experiment of that which is in them that their minde and disposition may be manifested not to God before whose eyes all things be they neuer so secret are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is naked and as it were cut through the backe bone but to themselues and to others In this sense God is said to haue tempted Abraham when he caused him to giue an experiment to the world of his excellent faith and obedience and answerably hee is said vers 12. now to know that Abraham feared God when Abraham had giuen a good experiment of it as Procopius fitly expoundeth those words Nunc noui i. nunc specimen eius rei dedisti eximium And thus tempting which in the former sense is attributed to God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 after the manner of men is according to the latter sense vnderstood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it beseemeth God as Athanasius speaketh Now if it be further obiected that if God would take triall of Abrahams faith and obedience hee should haue tried him rather whiles he was yonger and before he had giuen so many testimonies of his faith and obedience for it may seeme strange that he would trie a tried seruant I answere according to that which hath been said that God taketh triall of his seruants to another end then men doe Men take triall of their seruants because they would haue experience olf their fidelitie which is not sufficiently knowne vnto them But God to whom the secrets of all hearts are knowne needeth not make triall of men to this end that hee might learne something which before hee knew not But hee is said to trie men when hee causeth them to giue experiments of that which he perfectly knoweth and that either to themselues or to others To themselues for as Augustine well saith Nescit se homo nisi in tentatione discat se A man knowes not himselfe throughly vnlesse by tentation he hath experience of himselfe For men many times ouerweene their owne gifts and therefore God bringeth them into trial that they
may see their owne weaknes that seeing it they may be humbled and being humbled they may be more feruent in prayer more circumspect of their waies and as it were more iealous ouer their owne hearts Thus the Lord afflicted the Israelites in the wildernes that hee might tempt them and know what was in their hearts whether they would obserue his precepts or not that is that by their afflictions and trials he might discouer vnto them their owne weakenes and vnabilitie to keepe his law and that they by this means might be driuen vnto Christ Deut. 8.2 The like may be said of Ezechias 2. Chron. 32.31 whom the Lord left to himselfe for a time that he might tempt him and know whatsoeuer was in his heart On the other side men sometimes excelling in humilitie are defectiue in thākfulnes too much preiudging their own gifts and therefore the Lord bringeth them also to triall that they seeing his graces in themselues may be thankfull vnto him for them What shall we say then Sic ergo ignarus est Deus rerū c. saith Augustine Is God therefore so ignorant of humane affaires so vnacquainted with mens hearts that hee should by tempting seeke to finde men No but that man should finde himselfe For as hee also saith there are many things in a man hidden and vnknowne vnto himselfe which are not manifested or made knowne but in temptations And as the Lord by tēptations maketh men knowne to themselues so also to others First in respect of their frailtie that we by their example may become more circumspect especially if they whose example we behold were better and stronger then our selues For if Dauid if Ezechias if Peter when they were tempted bewrayed their weaknes how had we need to watch and to pray that wee enter not into temptation Secondly in respect of their faith and constancie that wee seeing their good examples may both glorifie God and stirre vp our selues to their imitation But as touching the tried seruants of God such as Abraham and Iob were this may be said in briefe that the Lord trieth them that his graces in them as their faith loue obedience constancie patience may be manifested not onely to themselues both to minister comfort vnto them and to stirre them vp to thankfulnes but especially to others vnto whom the Lord propoundeth them as notable patternes to be imitated For euen as schoolemasters sometimes call forth some of their most toward schollers and take exact triall of them partly to approoue their owne paines and partly to stirre vp their other schollers to greater diligence so the Lord maketh choise of some of his principall seruants of whom he taketh exquisit triall to manifest his graces in them both to themselues and also to others who comparing their own wants with their perfections and perceiuing how farre short they are of that perfection which they are to aspire vnto may be stirred vp to a daily increase in pietie And to conclude this point with Augustine Serm. 72. de temp where hauing shewed that Abraham was tempted that he might be the better knowne to himselfe he addeth And if Abraham were knowne to himselfe yet hee had not been knowne to vs. Verely he was to be manifested either to himselfe or to vs. To himselfe that hee might know wherefore to giue thankes to vs that we might know either what to begge of God or what to imitate in the man So much may suffice to haue spoken of the proposition wherein wee haue discussed these three questions first whether the Lord who is here said to haue tempted Abraham to kill his own sonne doth tempt any man vnto euill and secondly if the Lord tempt none to euill then in what sense he is said to tempt Abraham namely to try or proue him and thirdly to what end the Lord who by himselfe knoweth all things tempted and proued Abraham which Augustine briefly noteth Vt manifestetur mundo qui iam notus fuerat Deo That he might be manifested to the world who was alreadie knowne to God Now we are to proceed to the narration wherein this great triall of Abraham is declared And in the narration we are to consider two things the actiō of God tempting and the behauiour of Abraham when he was tempted The action of God is twofold his vocation or call whereby hee prepareth Abraham to vndergoe this triall vers 1. Secondly his commandement whereby he trieth him vers 2. As touching the former Seeing the thing here inioyned to Abraham namely that hee should with his own hands kill his sonne Isaac and offer him for a burnt sacrifice was in shew not onely most cruell and vnnatural but also repugnant to the commaundements and promises of God therefore this is to be presupposed as a most certaine truth and taken for granted that Abraham was as certainly and infallibly assured as a man can be certaine of any thing that it was the Lord himselfe which gaue him this commandement For if Abraham could but haue suspected that it was not the Lord which spake vnto him how easily might he yea and how resolutely ought he to haue repelled this temptation as being not so likely to be a serious commandement of God as an instigation of Satan who might seeme thereby to prouoke him to murder his only sonne and by sacrificing him to cut off the promises concerning the blessed seede of Isaac But the Lord so fully enlightened his minde so powerfully affected his will so certainly assured him of the truth of this reuelation as that he could not possibly once doubt thereof To this end the Lord speaketh familiarly to him and calleth him by his name Abraham that he might duly attend and aduisedly cōsider who it was that spake vnto him And then hauing receiued his answere Here am I wherein Abraham shewed himselfe not onely assured of the person that spake to him but also resolued to put in execution whatsoeuer he should commaund then I say he propoundeth the commaundement whereof I am now to speake But first with this protestation that it containeth the greatest triall that euer any meere man was exercised withall and indeed farre greater then I in my weaknes am able to set forth vnto you according to the worthines of the matter Neither are you to maruell hereat as though the Lord dealt hardly with Abraham whom thus hardly he tempted nor yet to please your selues that you are not tried after the same measure For seeing the Lord is faithfull and suffereth none of his children to be tempted aboue their strength therefore hee proportioneth their temptations and trials according to the measure of grace bestowed vpon them Hence it is that the best seruants of God haue endured the greatest trials and accordingly Abrahams strongest faith is proued by the greatest triall whereas the weaker faith of others is exercised by easier temptations For what Schoolemaster that seeketh by triall to encourage or approue his scholler and
he was the sonne of the freewoman and therefore not onely his legitimate sonne but that sonne with whom and whose seede the Lord had promised to establish his euerlasting couenant Gen. 17. vers 19. Thirdly because he was much desired long expected and after many delaies which increase the desire Pro. 13 5.1◠and by many earnest prayers at the length obtained Fourthly because he was giuen him of God by miracle aboue the course of nature as a pledge of Gods loue to him Fiftly because he was a vertuous gracious and obedient son which appeared in the voluntarie submitting himselfe to God and his father euen vnto death as being therin a type of Christ. And lastly which I touched before because he was his onely childe For loue diuided among many is not so feruent And yet these three degrees to forgoe his sonne his only sonne whom he loued are nothing to the last For it was Isaac that he was to lose Isaac the ioy of his hart Isaac the pledge of Gods loue the reward of his faith the earnest of his saluation of whom it was said in Isaac shall thy seede be called in whose death the promise not onely of posteritie but also of the Messias who was to come of him might seeme to be repealed and brought to nothing And therfore with him the Church who was to come of him might seeme to dye and in his losse concurred in all apparance the losse of saluation both to himselfe and to all the heires of promise For no saluation but by Christ who according to the promise of God was to come of Isaac In the former degrees Abraham was to contend with nature and with naturall affection which I confesse is hard to doe but in this he was to contend with grace and to oppose himselfe to the word and promise of God Why to bid him offer Isaac was as much in apparance as to bid him rend in peeces Gods couenant to renounce all assurance of Gods loue to destroy the Church as it were in the shell and to cut off all hope of saluation by Christ. And thus haue wee considered the deerenes of the person whom Abraham was willingly to forgoe now we are to consider the hardnesse of the action which he was to performe which indeed appeareth to haue been very hard in respect both of his affection to his son and of his allegiance vnto God And in both respects the hardnesse may bee shewed both by the substance of the worke it selfe and the circumstances thereunto belonging The work as you haue heard was that he should offer vp his sonne vnto God for a burnt sacrifice The circumstance is twofold of time and place The time both when this commaundement was giuen and when it was to bee perfourmed It was giuen saith the holie Ghost in the first words of the chapter After these things which haue relation to the matters cōtained in the last chapter although not to the last words of the chapter That is after the Lord had commanded Abraham to put away Ismael and had giuen him many notable promises in Isaac concerning the multiplying of his seed which should inherit the land of promise and the blessing of all nations in the promised seede and for a pledge of his loue had giuen him many temporal blessings insomuch that Kings were desirous to enter into league with him So that now Abraham after Ismael was gone rested wholy vpon Isaac and as himselfe liued in great prosperitie and fauour of God so he took this to be his greatest felicitie that hee was to leaue Isaac behinde him the heire of his happines and the inheritour of the fauour and promises of God insomuch that now Isaac being growne to mans estate for now hee was as Iosephus saith 25. yeares old as others 33. as the Seder Olam 37 he began to bethinke him of prouiding a wife for him that the promise concerning his seede might be performed as may be gathered by the last euent mentioned in this chapter wherby the Lord to gratifie his desire gaue him hope of a wife out of his owne kinred after these things I say when Abraham was in the height of his prosperitie and in the toppe of his felicitie resting wholy vpon Isaac and liuing in certain expectation of the accomplishment of the promises made in him euen then the Lord propoundeth vnto him this commaundement which might crosse all these promises cut off his happines and ouerthrow all his expectation This circumstance doth greatly increase the triall which had been farre easier if this commaundement had been giuen before the eiecting of Ismael with whom alone Abraham could haue been contented as may be gathered out of Genesis 17.18 before hee had receiued such promises or conceiued such hope of the performance thereof in Isaac or had tasted so plentifully of Gods blessings which now he hoped to leaue to Isaac as the inheritour of his happines and of Gods fauour for the more a man hath to leaue to his child the more he is grieued if he lose his only child As touching the time when this commandement was to be performed he must take him presently without further respite for so hee saith Take now vers 2. but he must offer him three daies after vers 4. that is although this work was most hard in mans iudgment most vnreasonable and in shew most cruell and barbarous yet he must deny himselfe and his owne reason and without further consultation not onely resolue to doe it but also addresse himselfe to this worke But hauing once resolued and being entred into the action hee should not offer him vntill the third day He might haue bidden him presently to dispatch to ridde him of this care and griefe or if he would needes haue him goe into the countrey of Moriah because there was the place which after he would chuse for his worship and seruice 2. Chron. 3.1 where also our Sauiour offred himselfe vpon the crosse of which sacrifice this immolation of Isaac was a type yet he might haue concealed it from him as Abraham in his fatherly care concealed it from Isaac vntill he came to the place because hee would not macerate his sonne with a tedious expectation of death The which circumstance also doth adde great weight to the triall especially if you consider the manifold exceptions which his own knowledge set on work by his affection could obiect and the cunning obiectiōs which Satan would suggest and those diuerse occurrents which might happē in the meane space especially the continuall companie of Isaac whom he could not behold without great remorse his sweete conuersation and amiable speeches which might make him relent So that by this delay Abrahams faith and constancie was strongly assaulted and his heart being resolute was macerated with the expectation of this dreadfull sacrifice It is truly said Acerbissima est mora quae trahit paenam And many times the long expectation of death is worse then death it selfe
The place also howsoeuer in general termes it was declared that it should be one of the hils in the countrey of Moriah which was distant from Beersheba where Abraham receiued this charge and whither he returned vnto his familie vers 19. as Lyra saith 20. leagues as Luther others 10. Germane miles yet in particular the place was not defined but for the greater triall of his faith and obedience as in his calling out of Vr Heb. 11.8 left indefinit For if on an hill then he might thinke not in an obscure and secret but an open and conspicuous place and perhaps in the presence or view hee knew not of whom and therefore he could not tell what either danger or offence he might incurre by sacrificing his son there And whereas he came not to the place before the third day you may thinke either that the place was so farre distant as that an old man of 125. yeares or vpward trauelling on foote with an asse loaden with all necessaries both for the sacrifice and their own prouision could with conueniēcie come thither no sooner especially being to trauell leisurely that hee might the better meditate and aduise of that which he went about or if hee came into the countrey sooner that the Lord for his greater triall held him in suspence not shewing him the hill before the third day So that by the circumstance of time and place it appeareth that Abraham had time enough to bethinke him that if hee had not beene very resolute hee might haue desisted from this enterprise Now as I said the worke it selfe was very hard to be performed of him whether you consider his affection to his sonne or his allegiance to God For as touching the former it had been a sore matter as I shewed before only to haue forgone his sonne as appeareth by his forgoing Ismael chap. 21.11 and Iacob his vnwilling forbearing of Beniamins presence for a time Gē 42.38 especially being his onely sonne the sonne whō he loued euen Isaac the ioy of his heart more especially to haue forgone him by death and that a violent death for the true parent 1. King 3.27 desired rather to lose her child altogether then haue halfe of him dead but most especially seeing his death seemed to annihilate the promises of God not only concerning the multiplication of the Church but also concerning the saluation of the faithful by Christ who was to come of Isaac to consent vnto his death had been more grieuous hauing consented to deliuer him to death had been dolefull to bee present thereat had beene more wofull The eloquent Poet Euripides and the cunning Painter Timanthes were no otherwise able to expresse the dolefull countenance of Agamemnon being present at the sacrificing of his daughter Iphigenia then by couering his face because howsoeuer they could decipher the mourning countenance and dolefull behauiour of her other friends and that in diuers degrees yet they perceiued neither pen nor pencill could expresse the griefe of a father being present at the death of his childe What then shall wee say to this worke enioyned Abraham that hee should not onely consent to his sonnes death nor to deliuer him to others by them to be sacrificed nor to be present only thereat which few men could endure for my part saith Luther on this place Ego non potuissem esse spectator nedum actor mactator I could not haue been a beholder much lesse an actor or slaughterer but also that with his own hands he should kill his owne sonne who was more deere vnto him then his owne life And how should he kill him as a burnt sacrifice that is first he was to binde him and to lay him vpon the altar then to cut his throate after hee was to sprinkle his blood round about vpon the altar then was he to cut him in peeces and hauing pulled out his entrailes and washed them in water he was to burne all on the altar himselfe making and tending the fire and putting euery part as it should fall out from the rest into the fire againe vntill all were consumed to ashes which is signified by the phrase of speech which God vseth vehagnalehu sham legnólah and make him ascend there namely in smoake as a whole burnt offring wherof nothing remaineth but ashes And all this was to be performed of a most tender hearted father in his owne person to his deere and only childe Whose bowels earne not to thinke of this fact who would not swoune to see it who would not dye rather then doe it And not only his affection towards his son might haue hindred him from this act but much more his allegiance to God euen his obedience and his faith which here the Lord tried And whereas in other temptations the word of God is our helmet of saluation to defend our selues and the sword of the spirit to offend our enemies in this temptation Abraham found the greatest opposition against him in the commandements and promises of God And surely beloued if God assault vs with his word wherewith in other temptations he doth arme vs how shall any man hope to stand And yet this was Abrahams case For if Abraham would shew himself obedient to the law of God then should hee not doe that which was in it selfe vnlawful and vnnaturall dishonourable to God and scandalous to men But this fact was condemned by the law of God who as hee forbiddeth the shedding of innocent blood Gen. 9.6 so he alloweth it not in sacrifices But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which was acceptable to the Gods of the Heathen who were diuels was most abominable to the Lord. As for him Augustine saith De temp Serm. 73. Deus pro nobis iussit filiū suū occidi non nostros immolari God commaunded his sonne to be slaine for vs and not ours to be sacrificed And if homicide be condemned can parricide be allowed It was vnnaturall and against the law of nature for a father to kill his guiltlesse childe for euen the brute beasts themselues doe loue and cherish their owne broode Dishonourable to God as though hee delighted in such cruell and vnnaturall sacrifices or as though he would haue men shew their religion by committing parricide Scandalous in respect of the Canaanites amongst whom there was yet no such practise as Philo saith who might haue condemned his religion and abhorred his God for this one practise Scandalous in respect of posteritie who would be readie to imitate his example For euen hypocrites if outwarde seruice would serue their turne would not stick to offer the fruit of their bodie for the sinne of their soule Scandalous to his seruants who would either haue bound him for a mad man or finding him in his wits haue detested him and his profession as bloodie and barbarous But scandalous especially to Sarah his wife who how she would haue taken the slaughter of her most deerely beloued and onely sonne in
dust Thou foule that which thou sowest is not quickened except it die and as it were rot in the earth 1. Cor. 15. vers 36. And although thy sonnes body he sowne in corruption yet it shall be raised in incorruption it is sowne in dishonour it shall be raised in glorie vers 42.43 Spirituall crosses are heresies in iudgement and common corruption in manners In respect of the former the Lord trieth vs when hee permitteth heresies to spring vp among vs. For as the Apostle saith 1. Cor. 11.19 There must be heresies euen among vs which are the true Church of God that those which are approued amōg vs might be known Therfore the Lord forewarneth the Iewes that if a false prophet should arise among thē they should not hearken vnto him though hee should confirme his doctrine by signes and wonders For saith he Deut. 13.3 the Lord your God proueth you whether you loue the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soule Euen so at this day the Lord suffereth Poperie the sinke of heresie and mysterie of iniquitie to spread and popish heretikes and Idolatours to goe about perswading men to an apostasie from Christ to Antichrist which they call reconciling men to the Pope and Church of Rome but is as I haue proued elsewhere the setting vpon men the marke of the beast whereby they are branded vnto destruction Reuel 14.9.10 But this is done for the triall of the faithfull and sound Christians and for a iust iudgment on the vnsound vpon whom the Lord sendeth efficacie of error and strong illusions that they may beleeue the lying doctrines of Antichrist because they haue not loued the truth of the Gospel y t they might be saued by it But blessed be God howsoeuer Antichrist preuaileth in those that doe perish as the Apostle saith yet the Lord Iesus hath prophecied that it shall not be possible for the false prophets and ministers of Antichrist to seduce either totally or finally the elect Mat. 24.24 And as touching corruptions in manners the Lord suffereth the wicked to liue among the faithfull to trie them Iud. 2 2◠And euen in these times beloued the godly liue among such a generation of men as that if a man doe but labour to keepe a good conscience in any measure although he meddle not with matters of state of discipline or ceremonies As for example if a Minister diligently preach or in his preaching seeke to profit rather then to please remembring the saying of the Apostle If I seeke to please men I am not the seruant of Christ Gal. 1.10 Or if a priuate Christian make conscience of swearing sanctifying the Sabboth frequenting Sermons or abstaining from the common corruptions of the time he shal straight way be condemned for a Puritane and consequently be lesse fauoured then either a carnall Gospeller or a close Papist But thus it pleaseth God to try vs whether we haue faith or not and whether wee preferre the applause of vaine men before the approbation of the great and glorious God For what saith our Sauiour to the Iewes Ioh. 5.44 How can you beleeue seeing you seeke glorie and estimation one from another and seeke not that glorie which commeth from God alone It therefore thou desirest to be approued for a sound christian thou must labour to keepe a good conscience and approoue thy selfe to God who trieth the heart and not onely contemne the censures of carnall men whose wisedome is enmitie against God but also think thy self happie when men speake euill of thee for righteousnes sake Mat. 5.11 And these briefly are the trials of God whereunto all sorts of men are subiect both hypocrites and sound Christians Hypocrites whom the Lord trieth that they shrinking in their triall and falling away their hypocrisie may be detected For beloued there bee many which liue in the Church which be not of it and cannot easily be discerned vntill triall come But such men as they are vnsound and by reason thereof subiect to defection so when they are tried they commonly fall away and they are suffered to fall that it might appeare they were not of vs as Iohn speaketh 1. Epist. 2.19 For as the firie fornace discerneth the drosse from the mettall the fanne seuereth the chaffe from the corne so trials put a difference betwixt hypocrites and sound Christians It behoueth vs therefore beloued in the Lord to lay a good foundation against the day of triall to build vpon the rock to take roote inwardly and to bring forth fruite outwardly to haue oyle in our lampes otherwise if wee content our selues with the greene leaues of an outwarde profession neither hauing the roote of faith nor fruits of loue we shall wither when the sunne of temptation ariseth Luk. 8.13 If we build vpon the sand that is as our Sauiour expoundeth be hearers and not doers of his word when the windes of temptations shall blow and surges of trials shall beate against vs our building will fall to the ground Matth. 7.26.27 If wee content our selues with the shining lampe of an outward profession wanting the oyle of inward grace when the Bridegrome commeth we shall be shut out But the Lord also trieth the faithfull and sound Christians sometimes to let them see their owne weaknes that they may be humbled at the sight thereof and be made more circumspect for the time to come Sometimes to manifest his graces in them both to themselues and others but alwaies for their good in the end Deut. 8.16 And therefore he neuer trieth them aboue their strength or at least aboue their profit but proportioneth his trials both to their strength 1. Cor. 10.13 and also to their profit Hebr. 12.10 and consequently the issue of them is alwaies happie and good the Lord causing all things and not onely his trials to worke together for their good which doe loue him Rom. 8.28 And although many times they are brought to that exigent as that their estate seemeth desperate and remedilesse yet euen in the nick when things are at the worst the Lord who neuer faileth those which forsake not him as it were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and beyond al expectation giueth deliuerance As in this triall of Abraham vers 10.11 and that of Iob. And it was well said of Philo when he pleaded the cause of his natiō being brought to a great exigent before Caligula It cannot bee but that Gods aide is neere seeing all mans help faileth vs. Seeing then the trials of the faithfull are profitable and tend to their good therefore so many of vs as are sound are to be so farre frō praying against these temptations of triall as that wee are rather to desire that wee may be tried Psalm 139.23 and to be glad when wee are Iam. 1.2.3 1. Pet. 1. vers 6.7 The vse in respect of Abrahams approuing himselfe is this that as we professe our selues to be the children of Abraham and heires of promise so wee should shew