A Century of Sermons, Sermon 3
THE THIRD SERMON UPON THE PASSION.
GEN. xxii. 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.
THe place where this memorable Sacrifice was offered up had a name given unto it by Abraham in the next verſe to that which I have read, Deus in monte videbatur, or Deus in monte apparuit; which is interpreted, God is ſeen, or God did appear in the Mount;Sup. Gen. hom. 9. c. 21. from which name Origen raiſeth this Meditation, Nihil hic corporeum ſentias, ſed quae Scripta ſunt in ſpiritu videas. Do not think in the ſtory of this Sacrifice that you ſee a Ram, or that you ſee Iſaac, you muſt apprehend it in Spirit, and believe that you ſee nothing but the Oblation of the Son of God upon the Croſs. To this end our Church hath made this Chapter one of the Leſſons for this day, the firſt that was read in Morning Service, and I have warrant that the practice was ancient, becauſe I find it was ſo in St. Auſtins days,Serm. de Temp. 71. for excuſing himſelf that he had not expounded this Scripture to his Auditors all the time of Lent. He gives this reaſon In Vigiliis Paſchae propter Sacramentum dominicae paſſionis reſervatur; it was ordained to be handled upon a Good Friday, becauſe of the myſtery of our Saviours Paſſion.
There is a Text, John viii. 56. which Chriſt alledgeth to the Phariſees, Abraham rejoyced to ſee my day, and he ſaw it, and was glad. Which of his days? Or when did he ſee it? It is not mentioned, I confeſs, and that makes a variance among Expoſitors.Extra 43. in Johan. St. Auſtin gloſſeth upon it, that Abraham and all the Prophets had a Revelation of the Incarnation. St. Hierom conceives it to be that day when the myſtery of the Trinity was opened unto him,Sup 8. Dan Gen. xviii. Tres vidit & unum adoravit; He ſaw three Angels, and worſhipped but one. But divers whom I could name, eſpecially St. Ambroſe, St. Chryſ. hom. 54. in Johan.that wrote whole Books upon the ſtory of Abraham, ſay, that my Text was the glaſs wherein he ſaw that joyful day. Vidit diem immolationis in Ariete; He ſaw the day wherein Chriſt was crucified for our Redemption in this Ram that was burnt upon the wood inſtead of Iſaac; Ambr. lib. 1.and ſhall not the Children of Abraham look ſo far into this Type to ſee the Oblation for our ſins which is paſt and gone already,Abrah. c. 8. when Father Abraham ſo many years before did diſcern the day to come? Elevemus oculos, as it is ſpecified of him in my Text; let us lift up our eyes, and look about, and we ſhall find it plainly dividing the whole Text into theſe three parts: 1. Here is Studium ſollicitum, a careful and a ſollicitous heart upon the matter, Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked. 2. Here is Preſens auxilium, help at an inſtant, in the beſt opportunity, behold, behind him a Ram caught in a Thicket by his horns. 3. Here is Sacrificium ſuccedaneum, one Sacrifice anſwering for another, or coming in the place of another, as it is in the words following, and Abraham went and took the Ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the ſtead of his Son. Every one of theſe ſhall be ſubdivided, as we handle them in order, the leading part of the three is Studium ſollicitum, the carefulneſs and ſollicitouſneſs of Abraham, That he lifted up his eyes and looked.
Iſaac was not nearer to be ſlaughtered, when the Sacrificing knife was at his throat, than we were to be condemned, when God was wrath with all the Poſterity of Adam for the diſobedience of that one man, but the timely voice of mercy was heard from heaven, the Angel of the Covenant appeared, as if he had ſaid, Miſerebor cujus miſerebor; the remnant of the Election are appointed to be ſpared. Iſaac ſhall live; God hath ſpoken it, and he ſhall not ſee deſtruction, then at the inſtant when the Angel bad, Save the Child, and lay no violent hands upon him, then Abraham lifted up his eyes: So that the firſt emergent obſervation is this, It was Geſtus benedicentis, Gen. 4.6.The geſture of him that bleſſed the Lord becauſe his mercy was revealed. Indeed, if God had not ſaid that Iſaac, and in him the promiſed ſeed ſhould live, our countenances would look like death, and be caſt down as Cains was, guiltineſs would not let the ſinner look towards heaven, for corruption cannot enter into theſe incorruptible places; our tranſgreſſing Parents withdrew from the Lord into the thicket of the Garden, and could not abide to appear.Gloſs. ord. Nuditatem non audebant oſtendere talibus oculis, quae diſplicebat & ſuis; They durſt not ſhew their ſhame and nakedneſs to ſuch glorious eyes which was irkſome to themſelves.2 Kin. 20.2. Hezekiah turned his face to the wall when his doom was told him, that he muſt die and not live. And our Saviour doth inſert that paſſage into the ſtory of the Publican, Luke 18.3.ſurely afflicted for his ſins, that he would not lift up ſo much as his eyes to heaven, all did not pleaſe him that he ſaw there, be it never ſo glorious a body. As St Baſil ſpake like an eloquent Orator in his Homily concerning Paradiſe, foreign A Roſe was a delightful flower, but it made him aſhamed to uſe it, becauſe that thorns and pricks grew upon it, Gods curſe for the ſin of man. So the firmament of heaven ſheweth the chief handy-work of the Maker, yet to ſome it is a dreadful ſight, becauſe the God of vengeance will ſhew himſelf from thence when he comes to judge the earth. As David ſaid to Abſalon, the Son of his diſpleaſure, let him turn to his own houſe, and let him not ſee my face: So the ſeverity of God ſaid unto man, In terram reverteris, turn again into your own place, from whence you came, into duſt and clay, but you ſhall not lift up your head to ſtand before me in the Kingdom of my glory. O but mercy begg'd the life of Iſaac, Et levavit oculos, And Abraham lifted up his eyes. Anatomiſts ſay, that there is one Nerve more deſcending from the brain to the eye of man than in any beaſt, that it may turn up it ſeems with greater readineſs and facility. Now to ſtand gazing up into heaven, a thing which the Angel reproved in the Diſciples, Acts i. 11. but as if the voice of the tongue, and the affection of the heart were encircled in the eye, to laud and magnifie his name that remitted vengeance, and ſpared our ſoul from death. I appove the old Philoſophy, Viſus fit intramittendo ſpecies; but allowing this divinity, Viſus fit extramittendo gratias; if nothing elſe, yet an eflux of thanks goes out of the eye when we look up to heaven. At the cxx Pſalm begin thoſe Pſalms of David which are called the Songs of degree. And ſee by what ſteps he marcheth up in thoſe degrees to the Mercy Seat of God. In the cxx Pſal. I cryed unto the Lord in my diſtreſs, there his voice aſcended. In the cxxi. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, there his eye aſcended. cxxii. Our feet ſhall ſtand in the gates of Jeruſalem, there his feet aſcended. cxxiii. Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwelleſt in the heavens, at every other ſtep or degree his eyes are caſt up; for Chriſt hath not only opened the Kingdom of heaven, but alſo opened our eyes, and put courage into all believers to look up unto the Kingdom of heaven, and therefore as I ſaid, it is geſtus benedicentis, the geſture of him that bleſſeth the name of the Lord.
Secondly, It is geſtus admirantis, an expreſſion of wonder and aſtoniſhment, Abrahams heart was full, ſo overcome with the loving kindneſs of the Lord, that he ſtood dumb, and knew not what to ſay, but in admiration of his mercy lift up his eyes to heaven, as if theſe thoughts did riſe up in Abrahams fancy, Sarah the Mother of my Son did muſe how a Child could be born unto her, in her old age, but ſhe did ill to laugh becauſe the Lord had ſpoke it; then give me leave to ponder how this Child can live any more when the mouth of God hath ſpoken that he muſt be ſacrificed for a burnt offering? Nay, O Lord, Non unum redimis ſed unitatem; In this act thou doſt not ſo much redeem this one from death, as the unity of all the faithful in this one; all thoſe Nations that ſhall be bleſſed in my name, wilt thou ſpare them all as thou ſpareſt Iſaac? What are our merits? What juſtice is in us? What is man that thou wilt not viſit him with indignation? Thus the ſoul of Abraham was in an extaſie to conſider the mercy of God, wonder had poſſeſſed him, we ſee it in this caſt of his eye, that he looked up to heaven. When the Lord turned the Captivity of Sion then we were like unto them that dream, ſays the Prophet. The deliverance was ſo fortunate, ſo much it did out-ſtrip their hope, that they did receive it at firſt, not as that which was done indeed, but as a delightful dream. As Livie, relating how the Graecians were ſtrangly ſtrucken with ſudden joy, upon the day when the Romans ſent them unexpected liberty, ſays he, Mirabundi velut ſomni ſpeciem arbitrabantur; they thought it was a pleaſing viſion in their ſleep, and not the happineſs of them that were broad awake: So when God did really make good that Promiſe which the Devil pretended, that he would bring about, Non moriemini; You ſhall not die. The faithful Patriarch knew not how to apprehend it at the firſt, but his eye did teſtifie that his ſoul was raviſhed with the mercies of the Lord. The wicked ſhall not end half his days, the ſeed of the ungodly ſhall be rooted out, eternal fire is prepared hereafter for them that ſhall be turned over to the Devil, and his Angels, there ſhall be much wrath and vengeance every where among the dwelling places of the unrighteous, but as for Iſaac, and they that are born according to the Spirit, Noli tangere, ſays the Angel, the hand of violence ſhall not come near them; as the Poet in his Eclogue brings in Melibaeus wondring at the clemency of Ceſar to his fellow-ſhepherd, when all the neighbour-Cottages were burnt and waſted, Ʋndique totis uſque adeò turbatur agris: So when God ſhall work ſo much deſtruction in the world, redemption is an admirable thing where it lights. John Baptiſt, as we read it in the vulgar Latine, blazeth out with two notes of aſtoniſhment, one upon another, Ecce Agnus Dei, ecce qui tollit peccata mundi: Behold the Lamb of God, I and again, Behold him that taketh away the ſins of the world. In two reſpects it is to be wondred at, without any prejudice to the foreign, or fulneſs of our faith, as I will ſhew by the examples of two memorable women in holy Scripture. Whence is it that the mother of my Lord comes unto me, ſays Elizabeth? Why did ſhe marvel at it?Beda in Luc. Quia non ſui meriti, ſed divini fatetur eſſe muneris, ſays Beda; becauſe it was a favour of mere grace, and not a recompence of merit. And again, the bleſſed mother of our Saviour aſtoniſhed at the Angels meſſage, that ſhe ſhould conceive and bear a Son; Quomodo, ſays ſhe? How ſhall theſe things come to paſs? Tanquam certa de facto querit de modo fiendi, Lira.as it is the common anſwer, She was ſure it ſhould be ſo, ſhe marvelled how it ſhould be ſo, and that was a blameleſs admiration. Both theſe paſſions did Abraham ſuffer, he knew there was no worth in man, that God ſhould releaſe him from condemnation, he knew not the manner what ſhould be paid for his ranſom, his eye did fix it ſelf upon the throne of God to find the myſtery out, and ſo you ſee it was Geſtus admirantis, the expreſſion of wonder and aſtoniſhment, that Abraham lifted up his eyes.
Thirdly, It is Geſtus inquirentis, beſides that he lifted up his eyes, he look'd about him from the tops of Moriah, it is the demeanour of him that did ſeek out for a Sacrifice to be offered up unto the Lord.Sen. Ep. 13. Reges Parthes non poteſt quiſquam ſalutare ſine munere, ſays he; No man was admitted to ſalute the Parthian Kings, unleſs he brought ſome Preſent in his hands, ſo becauſe Abraham came to this Mountain to worſhip before the Angel of the Lord, he look'd, and enquired for ſome Oblation, that he might not turn back until he had laid a gift upon the Altar. Many will lift up their eyes, but they liſt not to ſeek an Offering for the Lord. Such are beſt pleaſed with devotion when it comes off with as little coſt as may be. Nay, ſays David, when Araunah would have born his charges, I will not ſacrifice to God of that which ſhall coſt me nothing. An Objection is framed in the School, that the Piety of the Jews was more acceptable to God than the piety of Chriſtians, becauſe they in their daily Service were at great expenſe to provide beaſts for the Altar, we are at no ſuch charge in our Spiritual Worſhip, it is enough if we offer up a broken heart in mortification, a thankful heart in Praiſe, and a devout heart in Prayer: But this puts not our Purſe to any trial like the Oblations of the Jews. To cancel and wipe out this oppoſition it is anſwered, that we ſupply that charge of the Sacrifice of beaſts, In Sacrificio Eleemoſynarum, in the Sacrifice of Alms to the poor. The hand muſt look about it where to give, as well as the eye look upward where to be thankful. A diſtribution to the wants of the needy it is Pro ſacrificio, and prae ſacrificio, in place of ſacrifice, and to be preferred before all ſacrifices. Mercy is a better Oblation than a Beaſt that is ſlain [this day] you know how much was paid for the price of your redemption, but not the price of corruptible things, as Silver and Gold. Spare, O ſpare ſome portion of that which you ſpend profuſely in the conſumption of vanity at this ſolemn time of redemption, to redeem the diſtreſſed in Priſons that are faſt bound in miſery and iron. Look about you as Abraham did and you ſhall find I aſſure you Arietes prehenſos in Vepribus. Rams ſhall I ſay? Nay, they have ſcarce any fleece upon their back, but they are catch'd faſt poor Souls by the horns in the Thicket, thence they cannot ſtir unl…ſs Abraham will take them, and offer them up for an Oblation to the Lord. Above all other caſts of the eye this ſame Geſtus inquirentis pleaſeth me beſt to look about that we may preſent ſome gift upon the Altar; to frame a collocution with our own ſoul, as David did, What ſhall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits? And ſo you have the firſt part, Abrahams care and ſollicitous heart, He lifted up his eyes and looked.
It follows, here is preſens auxilium, his neceſſities are ſupplied at an inſtant, behold behind him a Ram caught in a thicket by his horns. In holy Scripture Verba and res both words and things are conſiderable one with another: So it is here, the word is Ecce, a note of attention beſtowed upon the Text, the thing is Aries, a Ram beſtowed upon Abraham. And that you may know him from all the Flocks in the world, there are two Marks ſet upon him. The one more obſcure, that he is Aries poſt eum, a Ram that was behind him; ſuch a one as was without a figure to be offered up long after Abrahams days, in another Age: By the other Mark he is eaſie to be gueſſed at. For whoſe arms were nailed to the Croſs? Whoſe head was dimpled with thorns? You know the man. That was he that was caught by the horns in a Thicket. I addreſs my ſelf to the four particulars, Ecce, behold, it is a note of attention beſtowed upon the Text.
A ſtrange ſight indeed to be juſt in the way at the inſtant when Iſaac ſhould be redeemed at the inſtant when Abraham look'd about him for ſuch a thing. 1. But let the Eunuch read, and God will ſend an Interpreter, let Cornelius pray,Muſcul. in hunc loc. and God will provide an Apoſtle to bleſs him. Mean well to the Worſhip of God, and himſelf will adminiſter, and ſuppeditate neceſſaries for the execution of the work. Abraham would fain preſent an Oblation, why, Ecce, behold his wiſh; and it pleaſeth me very well that Interpreters confeſs that they do not know which way this Ram came into a Thicket in the Mountain of Moriah; perchance, ſays one,Lutherus. Perenus. he was productus in vepribus, created at that inſtant in the buſh. Perchance, ſays another, he was Adductus ab Angelo, the Angel conveyed him thither from ſome other Flock feeding about the place; and, as the moſt ſay,Muſcul. perchance he was a ſtray that of himſelf came wandring to this place as God would have it, and ſtopt there at the nick and opportunity, when the Lord had need of it. St. Auſtin runs over all theſe opinions, and gives his Reader leave to take which he will, why thus it ſhould be, let Interpreters wonder ſtill, let them all ſay Ecce Aries, behold a Ram, but never know how he came thither; for believe the Goſpel and this was Chriſts own caſe, Joh. ix. 29. The Phariſees cry out, as for this fellow we know not from whence he is. And all the people ſay, Joh. vii. 27. When Chriſt cometh no man knoweth whence he is. Such was Melchiſedech, a perfect ſhadow of our Saviour, before this Ram was heard of, without Father, without Mother, without Genealogy. Strange is the Appariſion of the Ram, ſtrange the deſcent of Melchiſedech, ſtranger than both the coming of Chriſt into the world, Quis enarrabit. The Prophet confeſſeth that all men are poſed, and none can declare his Generation. Yet that the Ram was of new created in the Thicket, the gueſs is Theological, he that created all things in the beginning, his arm is not ſhortened to this day. That it was pick'd out of ſome other Flock, and brought thither by an Angel, the interpretation may be admitted, it skills not what Shepherd was the owner, as our Saviour ſent his Commiſſion for the Aſs and the Colt, Looſe them and bring them with you, if the Owner ask you what you do, Dicite Dominus opus habet, ſay the Lord hath need of them, ſo the Angel might enter upon any fold, and take his choice, for the Lord hath need of a Ram, all things are his poſſeſſion; Chriſt did exerciſe this propriety when he curſed another mans Fig-tree, and made it wither, when the Gargaſens took their Swine to be their own, but the very Devils confeſſed they were his, and ask'd his leave to go into them. And as Elias eat his Cake and the fleſh made ready upon the coals, from whomſoever the Ravens brought it, for it was Gods appointment: So Abraham burnt the Ram upon the wood from whomſoever the Angel brought it, for it was Gods proviſion. Again,Mart. that it was Aries fortuitus, a Ram that ſtraggled thither by fortune, it is not an opinion to be miſliked. O quantum eſt ſubitis caſibus ingenium! things that ſeem to be done accidentally, there is many times much obſervation in them; that which is caſualty according to the ſecond cauſes is deep providence in the divine wiſdom. Our ignorance hath made fortune, nay, it is not quite made, but only painted,Nat. Deo. Et tam facile deleri poteſt quam fingi, ſays Tully, refer all to the abſtruſe reach of Providence, and you may blot out the name of Fortune as eaſily as you have invented it. Thus you ſee that this note of attention behold puts us to wonder at the apparition of the Ram, and now let us come indeed to ſee and behold him.
Ecce Aries, behold a Ram, that is the thing beſtowed upon Abraham, and at this Point I may ſay my Text is like the clean beaſts in the Law, it divides the hoof, two ways the ſence is divided, and both belong unto Chriſt. Iſaac, ſays Origen, was firſt preſented to be ſlain, but he was drawn back from the ſlaughter, and the Ram was burnt in his ſtead: So Chriſt both God and man was arraigned before Pilate, condemned and brought to Golgotha to be crucified. But his Divinity was uncapable of corruption and paſſion, only the Manhood, like the Ram, was offered up, the ſtream of Writers goes the other way. In Iſaac the whole communion of Saints is ſhadowed, in Iſaac are all the Nations of the earth comprehended that ſhall be called bleſſed, it was no eaſie matter no not for theſe to eſcape death, ſo maliciouſly had our ſins beſet us round about, but the Lord took his Elect out of the jaws of death, As a Shepherd, ſays Amos, taketh a Leg or an Ear out of the mouth of a Lion; but the poor Ram bore our griefs, the chaſtiſement of our peace fell upon our bleſſed Redeemer, and with his death we are made alive, Man being in honour had no underſtanding, but is compared to the beaſts that periſh; we indeed deſerve no better compariſons, but Chriſt the excellency of his Fathers glory, Non ſolum per hominem ſed etiam per pecudem, eſt figuratus, ſays St. Auſtin. His honour is figured diſguiſed, I may ſay not only in the names of men, but in the names of beaſts; not one of them which the Prieſt did ſlay in the Temple to make an attonement for ſin but in ſome reſemblance or other it was Chriſt, In tauro videas fortitudinem, in hirco ſimilitudinem peccati, in ariete principatum, in agno innocentium; In the Oxen that were brought to the Altar, you ſee the ſtrength and mightineſs of his power, in the Goats that he bore the ſimilitude of ſinful fleſh, in the Ram his Principality, that he governed the Flock; in the Lamb his meekneſs and innocency, but before the Law this in my Text is the firſt by name which the Fathers took notice of as a type of the Sacrifice upon the Croſs, Quis in ariete figuratus niſi Chriſtus ſpinis Judaicis coronatus, of this Type St. Auſtin is bold to ſay this Ram in the Thicket was but a relliſh and preguſtation of him that was compelled to weare a Crown of thorns.
It is the firſt praiſe that Pliny gives to this harmleſs Creature, Magna huic pecori gratia in placamentis Deorum, among other attonements, it was very gracious to pleaſe and pacifie the divine powers how could Idolaters confeſs ſo much, unleſs with Caiaphas they propheſied and knew not what they ſaid. Indeed, we can ſay omnis huic pecori gratia in placamentis Domini; All our attonement, all our reconciliation, all our pardon it reſts upon the head of this Oblation, the principal of the Flock; Who can think upon the innocence of the Sheep and not remember this ſpotleſs Sacrifice without ſin? Who did no ſin, neither was guile found in his mouth, 1 Pet. ii. 22. Non Petrus erat qui haec dixit adulatus Magiſtro, ſed Eſaias praedixit, ſays Cyril; Peter did not ſay this of himſelf, to flatter his Maſter, he had it from an Evangelical Prophet, Iſaiah foretold it under the name of an innocent ſheep led unto the ſlaughter. The Phariſees called him Carpenter in diſgrace, but they could not call him Sinner; Clamant, habet damonium, non Clamant, habet peccatum; they cry out he had a Devil, and yet their tongue would not let them ſay there was a fault in him. Our Saviour proclaimes it, Quis veſtrum, Which amongſt you doth accuſe me of ſin? Again, who can think upon the meekneſs of the ſheep and not remember this Sacrifice that was led dumb before the Shearer? Moſes was meek, yet he commanded that the Adultereſs ſhould be put to death; Chriſt was meeker, his ſentence was clemency every jot, Joh. viii. Go and ſin no more. Moſes was meek, yet he brought Mandatum lapideum, a ſtony Law to the People: Chriſt was meeker, and turned thoſe ſtones into bread at his laſt Supper, he ſet before them Mandatum triticeum, Take and eat in remembrance of me. At his Baptiſm a Dove ſat upon his head, Columba ſuper agnum, a Dove upon a Lamb, meekneſs upon meekneſs. What heart could be more intenerated and mollified than that which prayed for his Perſecutors? Yet once more let me ſpeak; who can think upon the profitableneſs of the Sheep, and not remember this Sacrifice, that did yield commodity both in life and death? He liv'd in innocency of life for our imitation, he ſuffered in the bitterneſs of death for our redemption, ut afferret remedium in paſſione mortis, ut praeberet exemplum in innoecntiâ vitae, ſays Leo; Innoceny, Meekneſs, Utility, all do correſpond that the Angel ſhould take one of the Flock rather than any other Beaſt to prefigure the Sufferings of Chriſt.
And we muſt not omit that among all the Flock the Ram was cull'd out to be ſubſtituted for Iſaac, propter maſculam virtutem, never was there more need of a maſculine courage, and a ſpirit heroick, than to tolerate and endure ſo much as our Saviour did this day, ſtripes and ſtrokes, blaſphemies and buffetings, thorns and nails, to drink up all the bitterneſs of the Cup, to fight with God himſelf and his wrath in that Agony in the Garden; every vein of the body vented bloud, quia de toto corpore, id eſt de Eccleſiâ emanaturae ſunt paſſiones martyrum, ſays Proſper, becauſe the Martyrs ſhould ſuffer in every part of his Body, which is the Church. Such a Samſon we had need of, that could break the green withs, and ſnap the cords in ſunder. Such a Lion we had need of ſprung from the Tribe of Judah: and it falls out, I know not whether by art or by arbitrary impoſition, that the Latin word Aries for a Ram comes from the Hebrew word foreign which ſignifies a Lion come to his growth and vigour. I am ſure he that is the Ram in my Text is likewiſe the ſtrong Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Very appertinent is that which I find related in Ortelius concerning the Chriſtian King of the Abyſſens, that he gives for his Creſt a Lion holding a Croſs in his paw, notifying that Chriſt ſtuck to his Paſſion and his Croſs, with that power and fortitude like a Lion, that no tentation, nor Devil, nor infirmity could pluck him from it: An Angel came to ſtrengthen him ſays St. Luke. I pray you, did the Ram give back then? was the Lion frighted? did weakneſs creep upon him? not ſo, but becauſe in the very gall of affliction he had ſtrength and courage; therefore he did merit to be ſtrengthened by the miniſtery of Angels. For example, in this Militant ſtate of the Church, they that couragiouſly endure their trial, at length ſhall not want Divine conſolation. This Expoſition likes me beſt which aſcribes all maſculine courage to the Ram which was caught in the Thicket. Ecce aries, behold a Ram! why John Baptiſt makes him younger above a thouſand years after, Ecce Agnus Dei, behold the Lamb of God. Nay in one myſtical verſe, Gen. xlix. 9. Judah is called a Lions Whelp, and a ſtrong Lion, and an old Lion; great diverſity of age in ſo few words. I muſt ſay of theſe places as St. Auſtin did, reconciling the Propheſies of Eſay and Jeremiah, To us a Child is born, ſays Eſay, Mulier circumdabit virum, ſays Jeremiah, A woman ſhall compaſs a man, and both ſpeak of Chriſt. Why? time ſays the Father doth not make him older than he was before the beginning of the world, ſed inſinuant ei nunquam defuiſſe virtutem, but if the Child be call'd a man, it is to inſinuate that full ſtrength and perfection was alwayes in him. Now you have ſeen the thing which was beſtowed upon Abraham. The Wife of Manoah could ſay, if the Lord were pleaſed to kill them, he would not accept a Burnt-offering at their hands, neither would he have told them of a Son to be born; much more may I ſay, if the Lord were not pleaſed with Abraham and his Seed, he would not have given us a Burnt-offering, nor told us of him that was to come in the ends of the World, as it is in the firſt mark which is upon this Ram, He is Aries poſt eum, Abraham ſaw a Ram behind him.
For long it was indeed, long after Abrahams days, that the manifeſtation of this Shadow was revealed in the death of Chriſt. My father, ſays Iſaac in the 7. verſe of this Chapter, behold the Fire and the Wood, but where is the Lamb? Iſaac ſpake of no more than the preſent time; why, God will provide himſelf a Lamb ſays Abraham. He was more cunning in the myſteries of faith: futura reſpondet filio de preſentibus requirenti, ſays Origen, he put off his Son to the future age, to the times to come, then there would be a propitiatory Oblation worth all the bloud beſide which was ſpilt in the world. This was Abrahams Propheſie of Chriſt, he ſaw a Ram behind him: And I will tell you why it likes me to expound poſt eum, behind him, Civ. Dei. lib. 6. c. 23.rather to time than place, rather poſt ſeculum, than poſt tergum; for St. Auſtin tells it for news upon St. Hierom's credit, that the Jews with whom St. Hierom ſpake in Paleſtina confeſſed unto him, Ʋbi immolatus eſt Aries, ibi poſtea crucifixus eſt Chriſtus, that by infallible tokens they know that Chriſt was crucified in the very plot of ground where the Ram was offered for a Burnt-offering: as for the place then Abraham ſtood by the Pile of Wood, and lookt upon it; but it is a myſtery in time that the Oblation for Iſaac, and for all the Elect, was bound unto the Croſs in after ages. Ʋnus homo nobis cunctando reſtituit rem; Mercy was ſudden, and ready to promiſe, that the Seed of the Woman ſhould bruiſe the Serpents head; but the Divine Wiſdom for the exerciſe of faith made the World look many a long look before the thing was accompliſht. It was afternoon ſays Irenaeus, as we read the cool of the day, when the Goſpel was preached to Adam, that there ſhould be a Saviour, Quod adventus redemptoris ad mundi veſperam factus ſit, becauſe time was far ſpent, and the Evening of the World approached, before the Advent of the Redeemer; the Dove came in the Evening with an Olive branch in his mouth to the Ark of Noah: Simeon was grown old at the very brink of the Grave: Anna was far ſtricken in years before the Light of Iſrael did ſhine upon them in the Temple, the revolutions of Heaven had had their courſes for many ages before the Star appeared at Bethlem. But becauſe the caſe is altered in our days, and the Ram is as much before our times, as it was behind the time of Abraham. Let this Mark paſs as an obſcure one, the next is printed and engraven in him, by which he may eaſily be known, for he was caught in a thicket by his horns.
S. Auſtin writing upon the Prophecy of David concerning Chriſt, I will open my mouth in Parables, Pſal. 78. meditates thus upon it, there would be no perplexity in it, Si ſicut os ſuum aperuit in parabolis, ita aperiret etiam ipſas parabolas; if he had opened the ſenſe of the Parable, as he did open his mouth in Parables; but the ſenſe of this myſtery which I have read ſtands ſo direct before us, as the Angel did in Balams way, that we cannot turn aſide and miſs it. If there be any variance it lies in a word, and in the upſhot that will make no variance at all. The Septuagint and all the Fathers that follow the Tranſlation read it. Video arietem prehenſum in arbore Sabec, he ſaw a Ram intangled by the horns in a tree, which is called Sabec: the Interpreter forbore to give the Tree any other name but Sabec, as it is in the Hebrew: and ſince the whole Ram was held faſt in a Tree, well might St. Chryſoſtom ſay foreign, ſee the Lamb of God faſtned by the two hands to the Tree of the Croſs; upon that accurſed Tree his arms were pluckt out at length, as if you might have ſeen him beckning with his hands to both ends of the World, to the furthermoſt places of the Earth to come unto him, and to be Members of his Church which He had watered with his bloud. When the left hand, as the Tradition goes, when that hand which is next his heart was firſt driven through with a nail unto the Beam, then you might have ſeen nature ſhrinking at it for pain, and the body contracting it ſelf; when you might have ſeen the other hand reacht too far, and pluckt out with violence, here we muſt conceive the immenſity of his griefs; the veins bleeding, the nerves rackt and diſtented, the bones disjoynted, the wounds of the ſtripes made wider, the wood of the Tree unſquared, and the rough bark upon it chafing the tender fleſh, the weight of his body oppreſſing him downward as he hung, and the harmony of all the ribs about his breaſt diſſolved: In a word, as Tully ſaid of Milo the Wreſtler, that his arms were deteined ſo faſt in the cleft of a tree, that there he remained to be eaten up by the Wolves of the Forreſt: ſo my Saviour hung by the arms upon the Croſs while the Wolviſh Jews gaped upon him with odious revilings, and at length devoured him. One thing I cannot omit; what kind of death more like unto this in all the Scripture, than the death of Abſalon caught faſt by the head, in the arms of an Oak tree, thruſt through the heart with Joabs darts, as Chriſts ſide was pierced with the Souldiers Spear? is Abſalon therefore juſtified? is it enough to boaſt of likeneſs of puniſhment without likeneſs of innocency? Martyrem cauſa facit non poena, they are not Martyrs that dy for errors in Religion, not the ſufferance of death, but the ſufferance for a good cauſe that makes a Martyr.
But this Thicket, as Aquila reads it, and as all the later Writers do follow it, is no Tree properly, but ſpinarum perplexitas, an intricate Hedg of thorns, wherein the Ram was entangled; retentus in rete cornibus, as Symmachus hath it, as if he were catcht like a Bird in a Snare among the buſhes; it is as much in a Parable, as the Goſpel ſpeaks directly, that they platted a Crown of thorns upon his head, who is our ſtrength our might, the horn alſo of our ſalvation, and our refuge. Victimae coronabantur, as Pliny ſays, Sacrifices were brought to the Altar with Crowns of flowers, and Garlands upon their heads. The Prieſt of Jupiter brought out Oxen and Garlands, Acts xiv. 12. and therefore it came to paſs that the Ram had his Garland upon his head, before he was burnt upon the wood, but it was a twiſt of thorns. Let us inſiſt upon it a little, that we may gather grapes from theſe thorns which prickt our Saviour, that we may ſee the good will of him that dwelt in the Buſh.
Firſt, no meaſure of affliction ſhould ſeem too much for a Chriſtian, ſorrows if they be without number ſhould not be accounted too grievous a chaſtiſement, ſince Chriſt was prickt with as many thorns as his head could bear, Vidit haerentem in ſpinis ſays my Text, Abraham ſaw the Ram ſticking in the thorns, not the thorns ſticking in him, Qualis eſt haec praedicatio? what manner of ſaying is this? but an expreſſion, that there were more wounds in his body, than ſound fleſh, that was not mangled; Et fuit in toto corpore ſculptus amor, ſays a Chriſtian Poet: the thorns of the field catch the Fleece, and tear off locks ſometimes, that is more the Shepherds loſs than the Sheep; but Bleſſed Jeſus thou wert ſtript of thy Garments, and the skin was flaid off, and then the thorns were dinted into the fleſh; the leaſt touch of pain was too much for thee, but let not thy Cup ſeem too ſower to thy Children, the greateſt doſe that can be given is not too much for us.
Secondly, as Tertullian ſaid, abſtulit omnes aculeos mortis dominici capitis tolerantia, there will be tribulations, there will be ſorrows in the world, but the mortal ſting is gone, the thorns of all our perſecutions and vexations are ſtuck in the Temples of our Saviour, his ſufferance hath blunted their ſharp points, that they ſhall not run in ſo far as to our heart, to make our ſpirit ſad and heavy within us: quite contrary to Syneſius his Art of Gardening: foreign, he would have ſtrong and unſavoury roots planted neer to Roſe-trees, that the neglected root might draw the ill ſap and venom of the earth into it ſelf, and ſave the Roſe-trees harmleſs; but here the Roſe of Sharon did ſave the Garlick and the wild Roots harmleſs, and drunk up the bitter juice into it ſelf, leſt God ſhould come and root us out of his Vineyard.
Thirdly, we read of a purple Robe put upon the back of Chriſt, of bowing and bending to him, of a Reed in his hand, of a Crown upon his head, alas it was thorns: all theſe Enſigns of Majeſty were put upon him in ſcorn. What doth this mockery expreſs? Quod regnum Chriſti in hoc mundo ludibrio futurum ſit, becauſe the Kingdom of Heaven in this world, that is the Kingdom of Chriſt in his Church ſhould be made a taunt and a by-word to them that ſit in the Chair of the ſcorner: the Power Eccleſiaſtical, and the Hierarchical Dignity of it is flouted at by them, that would neither allow the Head of it a Crown, nor the ſupreme Prieſts their Miters, but trample all Rule and Order under their feet.
Fourthly and laſtly to end this part, the place where the Ram is caught is a Thicket of thorns, but what place was this afterward? Quantum mutatus ab illo? as I told you before from St. Hierom, that the Croſs was ſet up upon the very plot of ground where the Ram was ſacrificed; ſo upon the next part of this Hill of Moriah Solomon built the Temple, for ſo it is 2 Chron. iii. 1. Then Solomon began to build the Houſe of the Lord at Jeruſalem in Mount Moriah, and why may it not be that the Jebuſites who inhabited that Hill, are called thorns in the eys of Iſrael, why may not that be their Nick-name, becauſe thorns had overgrown their Habitation? certainly in the Thickets of thorns there are the Walls of the Church reared up; ſuch a choice was made, as the famous Antiquary of this Iſland hath wrote for the foundation of the Abbey which is the next to this place, the ground was ſometime called Thornega. Thus you ſee we muſt lay our foundation in thorns, we muſt ſow in tears; the higher we build from earth, the further from the briars, then our ſorrows will be trampled down, and we ſhall reap in joy; and though thorns were a curſe which was laid upon the vaſt World, yet to plant in thorns ſhall be a bleſſing to the Church, whoſe faith ſhall be refined in affliction, as Gold is tried in the furnace. Remember how St. Paul ſtil'd himſelf to Philemon, Vinctum Chriſti, a Priſoner of Chriſt, not the Jews Priſoner, not Feſtus his Priſoner, not Caeſars Priſoner, but rejoycing in his Bonds for the Goſpel, a Priſoner of Jeſus Chriſt. And ſo far of the ſecond General Part, praeſens auxilium, Abrahams neceſſities were ſupplied at an inſtant. Behold behind him a Ram caught in a Thicket by his horns.
In the handling of the laſt Part I muſt obey the time; I called it Sacrificium ſuccedaneum, one Sacrifice anſwering for another, or coming in the place of another. And Abraham went and took the Ram, and offered him up for a Burnt-offering in the ſtead of his Son. 1. Abraham went and took the Ram; ſo to apprehend and lay hold upon Chriſt, that's our duty. 2. And offered him up, that's only conſonant to God the Father. 3. For a Burnt-offering, there comes in Chriſts part. 4. Inſtead of his Son, there's the redemption of the Elect, I hope there comes in our part. The hand of faith; the good will of God the Father; the full ſatisfaction of God the Son; The full redemption of all that ſhall be ſaved. With theſe four Points briefly we will end. And Abraham went and took the Ram. It was the comfortableſt hand that ever Peter felt, when upon the danger to ſink and periſh in the Sea, Chriſt ſtretched forth his hand and caught him. So it was the moſt comfortable thing that ever Abraham caught hold of, to apprehend this Ram in the Thicket, partly out of natural affection, partly ſupernatural: the life of Iſaac lay at the ſtake juſt before, all the Sons of promiſe that he had, and if he be cut off, call him no more Abraham, call him Abram again, for how can he be the Father of many Nations? or if that be made good in Iſmael, yet ſhall Iſaac die, the joy and laughter of his Father, as his name goes; quaſi nuſquam alibi gaudium ei reſtaret, as if there were no joy without him. Once Abraham had fought valiantly againſt five Kings when He was young, foreign, ſays St. Chryſoſtom; what a hard thing was it for him in his old age to fight againſt nature. O had not his natural affections a brave occaſion of joy to work upon when a Ram was put into his hands inſtead of Iſaac, and all this ſorrow prevented? but the Spirit's comfort is the eye-ſight of the Spirit into ſupernatural bleſſings; hereby there was the gladneſs as Jacob laid hold of an Angel; ſo did Abraham of this Ram, the principal of the Flock, the Leader of all the Sheep in the Paſture, he was ſure of a bleſſing before he parted with him. Joabs hands may be pluckt from the Altar of refuge, Sauls hand may be rent from the Garment of Samuel, the Children of Bethlem may be pluckt from the arms of their own Mothers, and ſlain before their eyes; but who ſo apprehendeth the merits and mercies of Jeſus Chriſt, he that doubteth not as Thomas did, and yet approacheth by faith ſo near as to put his hand into his wounds, as if he would bury his ſins in that Grave; he ſhall lie ſafe in that Harbour, and never be removed from the love of God in Chriſt. Caius Caeſar his foot ſlipt, landing upon Affrica, and the palm of his hand fell upon the ground, verſo in meliùs omine teneo te inquit Affrica, turning it to the beſt luck, then I have thee Affrica ſays he, and I will hold thee. What man is it whoſe feet have not ſlipt? whoſe ſins are not ſo burdenſome as to caſt him down? the turning of the luck is where our hand lights, God ſend our lot fall in a fair ground, that we may ſay teneo te redemptor meus, teneo te Domine; I have laid hold on thee, O Lord, I caught thee faſt my Redeemer. So did the Father of the Faithful, he went and took the Ram, he took him and offered him; for ſo it follows, the ſame which he received, the ſame he gave back again. Quippe Dominum ſui ipſius dono honorat, ſays one, he did as much as the beſt in the world can do, that is, to honor God with no other gift but with the ſame that God himſelf did give before: but in this word Abraham acts another perſon than Abraham, obtulit, he offered up the Ram; and who did of…er up the Son but God the Father. When Abraham went out of his own Country, and grew rich in a ſtrange place, who was he then in the reſemblance but Chriſt the ſecond perſon of Trinity, ſays St. Auſtin, Qui relictâ Judaeâ ubi natus eſt apud gentes prevalet, who leaving the faithleſs Countrey of Jury, where he was born, purchaſed to himſelf an Inheritance among the Gentiles: but when his name was interpreted Pater multarum gentium, a Father of many Nations; and when this Prieſtly Office in my Text lay upon him, obtulit, that he offered up the Ram, there we ſee the firſt Perſon in Trinity of him; in this we ſee how God ſo loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that who ſo believed in him ſhould not periſh but have life everlaſting. Deus liberalitatem cum hominibus certavit, ſays Origen, he makes God in this place to contend with Man in liberality. Abraham ſpared not his Son whom he loved, no more did God: this was his only Son, ſo was he Gods; but his Son was mortal, and muſt die once; Gods Son was immortal, and his Father made him, that he might unmake him; he made him fleſh that he might bring him to the Grave; his Son ſhould die for his own ſins, Chriſt died for ours; his Son had been chopt off at once, without ſenſe of dying, Gods Son was tented, and beaten, and bruiſed, and wounded from midnight that he was taken in the Garden to this hour of the day, wherein we ſpeak of it, which was turned for ſadneſs into the firſt hour of the night. In the Levitical Law the Prieſt laid his hand upon the head of the Sacrifice when it was to be kill'd. Quia patris voluntate ſuſcepit noſtra peccata filius, ſays one, becauſe the Son was an Expiation for our ſins by the will of the Father; ſo Luke xv. 23. Bring the fat Calf and kill him, ſays the relenting Father, that he might bid welcom home to his Prodigal Son. But you will ſay, how did the Father offer up the Son? Let the blame lie upon Judas, and Pilate, and the Souldiers: but what did God? you ſhall hear the Schoolmen anſwer it appertinently. 1. Praeordinando, who but the Father preordain'd it before the foundation of the World. 2. Voluntatem patiendi humanam naturam infundendo, Thom. 3. p. 2. Sum. q. 47. Ar. 3.it was he that did infuſe an obedient affection into the Soul of the Manhood, and did perſwade it to be willing to ſuffer. 3. Non protegendo a perſecutoribus, he that did not deliver him out of the hands of his Perſecutors: when he might have ſent an hundred Legions of Angels to ſcatter his Enemies, it was his charity towards us to offer him up for a Burnt-offering.
At this word foreign, a Burnt-offering, there comes in Chriſts part; a Burnt-offering is that where all the fleſh of the Sacrifice is quite conſumed with fire, grant us therefore both the active and paſſive obedience of Chriſt for our juſtification, grant us the merit of his humility, with the merit of his death, or elſe it is not foreign, ſome part was ſacrificed for us, but it was not an whole Burnt-offering. Conſider that every vein of his body had evacuated bloud, that every inch of his fleſh was gaſhed with wounds, as the Firmament ſtands thick with ſtars, conſider that every faculty of his Soul was ſad and ſick with agony and diſtreſs, and then tell me if he was not a Sacrifice foreign, in every part, when Chriſt himſelf concluded with conſummatum eſt, as who ſhould ſay, all the bitterneſs of anguiſh is paſt upon me that can be imagined; then the Sacrifice was quite burnt out, and the Paſſion ended. Yet liſten to one word which our Saviour uttered, and then we will not ſtick at a ſcruple that may be made, how his death was ſhadowed in a Ram that was burnt, when his body ſuffered no corruption, nor incineration, but was crucified upon the Croſs? We muſt weigh this doubt in the Balance of that heavy Speech, My God, my God, why haſt thou forſaken me; it was not, it could not be the out-cry of his own Soul that was in deſperation becauſe it ſelf was forſaken; it was the voice of him that ſuſteined the puniſhment of thoſe who were plunged into deſpair and condemnation, Non ſuſcepit opera, ſed ſtipendia peccatorum, our ſins did not properly lye upon him, but the wages of our ſins. Now will you ſee a Burnt-offering indeed? now will you ſee a fire of brimſtone flaming more violently than if a Mountain did burn from the top to the bottom? Flammae inferni in animo Chriſti inſufflantur, ſays Brentius; let us ſpeak warily,Brent. Hom. in Luc. 62. the pains of Hell had not got hold upon him, but he ſaw the fire of vengeance which was prepared for us; it ſcorcht I may ſay the very compaſſion of his heart: when he ſaw that his Fathers juſtice would kindle it for the ſins of the world, not a ſpark could take hold on him; Sed tu quod facies hoc mihi Pete dolet, it ſet him all on fire, as if he were a Burnt-offering, for fear that we ſhould ſuffer it: the darkneſs which was over the face of the earth, non ſolum incurrerunt in oculos, ſed etiam in animam Chriſti, ſays Brentius, it did not only appear like night to the eye of his Body, but his Soul for our ſakes did ſee and dread the utter darkneſs, where there is weeping and gnaſhing of teeth. A little before, when he ſaid in the Garden, My ſoul is heavy unto death, there he did grapple with the horror of death, and conquer'd it; but when he lifted up his voice upon the Croſs, My God, my God, why haſt thou forſaken me? there he did ſtruggle with infernal fire, there he did grapple with the horror of Hell, and conquer'd it. Tell me I beſeech you, are you not affected with theſe things, like Cleophas and the other Diſciple? do not your hearts burn within you to hear them? if you feel ſuch a ſpark of fire blow it and kindle the whole man to be a perfect Oblation, an whole Burnt-offering to be preſented to God. Immolata ſacrificia ſunt perfecta ſtudia virtutum, ſays Origen, an whole Burnt-offering is he that hath quite renounced the world, conſumed the root of concupiſcence, denies himſelf all unlawful deſires, crucifies the old man, ſuffers zeal even to eat and devour him, encreaſeth charity ſo far to enflame his heart, as if his frail fleſh could ſcarce ſubſiſt becauſe of the love of God. For ſuch a one the Son of God became, a Burnt-offering, that He might not periſh in everlaſting fire: this is the full ſatisfaction of Chriſt to purchaſe the full of redemption of them that ſhall be ſaved in the laſt part. Abraham offered up the Ram in holocauſtum pro filio, inſtead of his Son.
The Jews, as their own Rabbies teſtifie, did ſo much rejoyce in after ages for the deliverance of Iſaac, that in the Feaſt of Tabernacles they ſounded the praiſe of God with Rams horns, as if they had been Trumpets, becauſe a Ram was ſubſtituted to death inſtead of their Patriarch: Alas for pitty the ſpilling of Iſaacs bloud it is of no price for the redemption of a Soul, it is not a ſufficient Pawn for his own head,Aenea. 5. much leſs for the ſins of the World; Meliorem animam pro morte Daretis perſolvo, as Entellus ſaid, when he offered up an Heifer inſtead of Daris; ſo the Ram in my Text, the Lord of the Flock, an Attonement of infinite value muſt bear the Curſe, and the Croſs of our iniquities, and lay down his life for his Sheep: a ſtrange Sacrifice conſiſting of two Natures in the Perſonal Union of God and Man muſt ſatisfie God for the abſolution of Man, ſuch a one as ſuffered not for himſelf, but was offered inſtead of Iſaac, & pro ſemine Electorum, and for the Seed of all the Elect that ſhall reign in glory. The Heathen had a glimpſe of ſome ſuch thing in their ſuperſtitious manner of Expiation; for if ruin did threaten any State or Kingdom, they thought it poſſible to remove the publick vengeance upon one or a few more that would willingly undertake it, whom they called Piaculares homines, men that took upon them the puniſhment or calamity due to all the people; and Caiaphas did ſeem to allude to this, when he told his fellow Prieſts, that one man muſt ſuffer for the whole Nation; Caritas in patriam, impietas in Chriſtum, his charity towards his Country was laudable, his impiety againſt Chriſt was damnable. One man muſt ſuffer indeed, unum pro multis dabitur caput, as he ſaid of Palinurus, ſo this was the true Pilot of the Ship, that guides his Church in the tempeſtuous waves of tentation, and the Pilot only was caſt away in the ſtorm, that Iſaac and the Sons of Promiſe might come ſafe to the Haven of eternal happineſs.
To end all, let us all conceive, and let our hearts be ſtrongly poſſeſſed with the credulity that we are going with Abraham to Mount Moriah, to the Hill of Divine Worſhip and Adoration; take Iſaac along with you, that is all your laughter, your joy, the ſtrength of your pleaſure in this world, to offer it up unto the Lord; then truſt and be aſſured Iſaac ſhall be ſpared, and the Ram ſhall die. Thus Bernard unfolds the Allegory, Non peribit tibi laetitia, ſed contumacia Domino vives, ſed crucifixus mundo, you ſhall not loſe your joy, nor your hearts ſolace; wantonneſs, laſciviouſneſs, rebellion of the fleſh, theſe ſhall be offered up and conſumed, you ſhall live unto God, but be crucified unto the World. Cum laetus acceſſeris ad Deum iterum tibi reddet quod obtuleris, a ſweet Meditation of Origen's, when it is gladneſs and delight unto you to come unto God, when you bring Iſaac for a Sacrifice, you ſhall not loſe your Offering, but again it ſhall be reſtored unto you, as he that multiplied his Talents by good husbandry, they were his own for his labour, and more to boot, take the ſingle Talent and give it to him that hath ten Talents ſaith the Lord. You that live in exceſs of pleaſure and jollity, you that think Abraham hath loſt his Iſaac, that a religious and a devout life, obſtinately averſe from the ſweetneſs of your time-conſuming mirth and ſport, is but ſadneſs and melancholy, and miſtaken. As no man heard the Muſick of Heaven but Pythagoras, ſo ſuch as have loſt the exulting bravery of the world in appearance are the only men to whoſe ſoul the harmonious joy of Heaven doth reveal it ſelf. Like young Abiſhag in Davids boſom; ſo Iſaac and the fruit of joy and gladneſs is always before the eyes of Abraham: Your heart ſhall rejoyce, and no man ſhall take it from you, ſays our Saviour. Almighty God grant that we may eſteem it the greateſt treaſure of our joy and felicity, that Jeſus Chriſt, a Sacrifice well pleaſing to his Father, hath died for us, and that his bloud hath waſhed away our ſins, and purchaſed us an Inheritance immortal with the Saints. AMEN.