The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 3 · Section 12 – Section 13
SECT. XII.
SOme time after this, when Iſaac was well grown up (but of what age is not certain) God was pleas'd (though he knew the heart of Abraham perfectly, yet to manifeſt the ſtrength of his Faith, and the unfeignedneſs of his Obedience, both for his own Glory and the benefit of his whole Church in after Ages) to put Abraham upon an extraordinary trial. Wherefore he commands him (and in ſuch a manner that he could not but be aſſur'd it was the Command of God, and no Satanical illuſion) to take Iſaac his only Son by Sarah his lawful Wife, the Son whom he had ſo long expected, whom he ſo dearly and tenderly loved, the Son by whom God had promiſed to multiply his Seed as the Stars of Heaven, and from whom the Meſſiah was to Spring, in whom all the Nations of the Earth ſhould be bleſſed, (which could not be if Iſaac died without Iſſue) yet notwithſtanding God commands him to take this Son, this dearly beloved Iſaac, and to go to the Land of Moriah, and upon one of the Mountains there which he would point out to him, (viz. the very place where Jeruſalem, and the Temple were afterwards built, 2 Chron. 3.1.) to ſlay him firſt with his own hand, and then to burn his dead body to aſhes on the Altar, as a Burnt-Offering unto Him.See the Law of Burnt-Offerings, Levit. 6.9, 10. Here all that was in Abraham, either as a Man, or a Father, or an Husband, or a Believer, or Profeſſor of true Religion, were put to it. And he muſt not do it preſently neither, but muſt go three days journey with Iſaac, before he did it, during all which time ſurely he found many ſtrange ſtruglings and workings of affection in himſelf. However, being well aſſured it was God that commanded him to do it, and Grace in him having got the upper hand of Nature, and firmly believing that God would raiſe him up from the dead, if he did ſacrifice him,(u)Non haeſitavit, quia ſibi reddi poſſit immolatus, qui dari potuit non ſperatus. Divino intonante praecepto, obediendum eſt, non diſputandum. Auguſt. [Heb. 11.17, 19.] I ſay, Abraham beliving this, roſe up early in the morning, (without acquainting Sarah therewith, who in all likelihood would have ſtrove with all her might to divert him from it) and taking Iſaac and two Servants with him, and as 'tis probable ſome leſſer quantity of dry Wood to begin the fire (which was carried on the Aſs, (reſolving to furniſh himſelf with the reſt upon the Mountain) they travailed three days, and at laſt came within ſight of the place. At which, nothing appall'd, he bad the young Men his Servants ſtay with the Aſs, at the bottom of the Hill, telling them, that he and Iſaac would go to the Mountain to worſhip, and then return to them again.(x)Abraham intended really to offer up his Son; the ſpecial Iſſue of this work was unknown to him. However He believed God was able to reſtore Him his Son again. And thus without knowing what ſhould be done, He foretold what would come to paſs. Then laying the Wood of the Burnt-Offering on Iſaac, and taking fire in his hand, and a knife, they went towards the Mountain. As they went along, Iſaac ſaid to him, My Father, here is Fire and Wood, but where is the Lamb for the Burnt-Offering? Abraham anſwers, My Son, God will provide a Lamb. Hereupon it is likely Abraham by degrees began to acquaint him with Gods Command, and ſhewed him the neceſſity of Obedience and ſubmiſſion thereunto, and ſet before him the Promiſes and Power of God, and whatever elſe might diſpoſe him to yield Obedience. Iſaac meekly ſubmits, and ſuffered his Father to proceed, without making any reſiſtance, and therein was an eminent Type of Chriſt, who went forth bearing his Croſs, Joh. 19.17. Acts 8.32. When they were come to the top of the Mountain, Abraham built an Altar (probably of Turf and Stones which he found there and having laid the Wood in order, he bound Iſaac, and laid him thereon. Then ſtretching forth his hand to have ſlain and ſacrific'd him, (Jam. 2.21, 22, 23.) Chriſt the Angel of the Covenant (y)Who ſwears by himſelf, and promiſes as God, and is called Jehovah, v. 16.calls to him, and bids him hold his hand, telling him, Now I know (z)Cognovi] i. e. certiſſimo experimento deprehendi, vel cognoſci ſeci, ſcil. a te & aliis. Nec propter ſe Deus, ſed propter alios tentat ut probat. Vires enim dilectionis ſuae hominem latent, niſi divino experimento, eidem innoteſcant. More hominum loquitur, qui cujus rei periculum fecerunt, id ſe noviſſe perfecte putant.that thou truly feareſt Me, ſeeing thou haſt not withholden thine only Son from me when I requir'd Him of thee. As if He ſhould have ſaid, Now I know this by a viſible experiment (though I know the integrity of thy heart before) and by this extraordinary Trial, have given occaſion to have the ſame made manifeſt unto others. Abraham hearing this Voice from Heaven, look'd about him, and behind him he eſpied a Ram caught by his Horns in a Thicket, which he took, as ſent by God to ſupply the room and place of Iſaac, and accordingly offered him up for a Burnt-Offering inſtead of his Son.(a)The main thing hereby ſignifi'd was this, That God the Father would in the fulneſs of time, give his only begotten Son to be a Sacrifice for the ſins of Men. And till that time came he would accept of Rams and Lambs, and ſuch like Sacrifices, which ſhould prefigure and typifie this death of his Son. And Abraham called the Name of that place Jehovah-jireh, that is, the Lord will ſee or provide. And thence came afterwards that Speech to be uſed proverbially, In the Mountain of the Lord it ſhall be ſeen; that is, in due time God will provide help for his Children, though they be for the preſent brought into great ſtraits and difficulties; and He will help them in ſuch a manner, that they ſhall plainly ſee his Hand therein. After this the Angel of the Covenant called to Abraham a ſecond time, and ſaid, By my ſelf have I ſworn, becauſe thou haſt done this thing (for I accept of thy Will for the Deed) I will greatly bleſs and multiply thy Seed even as the Stars of Heaven, and as the Sand upon the Sea-ſhore, and they ſhall poſſeſs the Gates of their Enemies, that is, ſhall ſubdue them, and bring both their ſtrength and policy under their Command, (the Gates of Cities being the places of greateſt ſtrength, and places commonly of Conſultation, where the Magiſtrates uſed to meet, [ſee Deut. 32.15. Math. 16.18.] and in thy Seed ſhall all the Nations of the Earth he bleſſed. Then Abraham and Iſaac and the Servants returned to Beerſheba, where Abraham dwelt a good while after.
Gen. 22. from 1. to 20.
SECT. XIII.
AFter this Sarah (b)As Abraham is Regiſtred for the Father of the Faithful, Rom. 4.11. So is Sarah for the Mother of them, 1 Pet. 2.3.upon ſome occaſion, as it ſeems, went to Kirjath-arba, (afterwards called Hebron)(c)A City afterwards allotted to the Tribe of Judah, not far from the Okefield of Mamre, where Abraham had formerly lived. being 127 years of Age, and there ſhe fell ſick and died. She is the only Woman whoſe full and intire Age is recorded in Scripture. Abraham hearing of it, came thither to weep and mourn for her, and having ſat ſometime (as 'tis like) on the Earth, in token of the great ſorrow and affliction he was under by reaſon of her death; he at length roſe up and took order to have her honourably interr'd. Accordingly he applies himſelf to the Governors and Elders of the Hittites, the Inhabitants of Hebron (of the Progeny of Cham, Gen. 10.6, 15.) and told them that he being a Stranger among them, did humbly deſire this favour of them, that he might be permitted to buy of them a ſmall piece of ground. Namely ſo much as would make a burying-place, that he might bury his dead out of his ſight. For though he had now liv'd 62 years in Canaan, yet he never went about to purchaſe a foot of Land in it before. The Children of Heth anſwer, That he was a mighty Prince among them, and he might freely make uſe of any of their Sepulchres, even the choiceſt (d)Faviliis erant ſua ſingulis diſtincta ſeorſim Sepulchreta. Ita mortem in vita meditati ſunt & Ethnici, ſimile quid eſt Math. 27.60. Anonym. in loc.of them upon this occaſion.(e)Abraham would not by any bounty of theirs injoy one foot of that Land which God had given him intire for his poſſeſſion, but the time of poſſeſſion according to the grant and promiſe being not yet come, without any diſtruſt of Gods promiſe, or renunciation of his own Right, he buys a parcel of the Land, for his own preſent neceſſity. But Abraham being willing rather to pay for a piece of Ground that might be his own Propriety, than to hold any in Common with the Heathens (though it were but by burying his dead among them) he humbly bowed himſelf to them, (as acknowledging their kindneſs) and requeſted them that they would intercede with Ephron a chief perſon among them (who ſat at that time in their Aſſembly, though Abraham knew it not) that he might purchaſe of him the Cave of Machpelah for a burying-place, and he was willing to give him as much money for it as it was worth. Ephron being there preſent,(f)V. 10. ſic redde, And Ephron ſat among the Children of Heth. told Abraham in the audience of the Inhabitants of the City, that he did freely give him that Cave, and the Field belonging to it. Abraham bowing himſelf again in token of thankfulneſs, told him,(g)The like ſtriving in kindneſs is between David and Araunah, 2 Sam. 24, 21, &c. That if he were that Ephron, of whom he had before ſpoken, he would willingly pay him for it, and did not deſire to have it on any other Termes. Ephron told him the Land was worth about 400 Shekels(h)The common Shekel was about 1 s. 3 d. of our money. (amounting to about 25 l. of our money) and that was but a trifle between them two. Abraham however reſolved to pay him a juſt value for it, and accordingly paid him by weight (not by tale, as is now uſual) the 400 Shekels, and ſo the Field with the Trees growing thereon and the Cave was made ſure to Abraham by payment of the money, the Inhabitants of the City being Witneſſes, without Deeds or Writings, which were not then, as afterwards in uſe. See Jer. 32.9, 10. Abraham having thus bought this Field and Cave, he therein buried(i)Afterwards he himſelf was buried there, and Iſaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Leah, Gen. 25.9. & Ch. 49.31. & 50.13. They teſtifying thereby their Faith in Gods Promiſes, for the Inheritance of this Land, and of the heavenly Canaan figured thereby. This made Joſeph alſo give charge to have his bones carried thither. the body of his beloved Sarah.
Gen. 23. whole Chapter.