The Great Duty of Self-Resignation to the Divine Will, Section 2 · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII. That the serious observation of the great Examples of Self-Resignation, which are recorded in the Scriptures, is of great use and advantage: And first of the Example of ABRAHAM.
VIII. EIghthly, Look to those lively Patterns and Examples of Self-Resignation set before us in the Holy Scriptures. These are of singular use and advantage to be seriously considered: For they plainly shew this holy disposition of spirit to be attainable, and that God requires herein nothing of us that is impossible.
Could they do thus, and cannot we by the same divine help and power do the like, which we have shewn is attainable by us as well as them? They were foreign, subject to like passions with us; they were flesh and bloud as we are, and naturally as weak and infirm as our selves, and God is the same in Power and Goodness now that ever he was.
And this may commend to us the fulness of the Scriptures, that besides the best Precepts and Rules, we have the best Patterns and Examples recorded in them of every grace and virtue: So that by the guidance and assistance of the Holy Spirit, the Christian man may be perfected, throughly furnished unto every good work.
The best Rules of the best life are laid down in the divinely inspired Writings, and they are plain and intelligible, especially to those that have the good and honest heart; but Examples superadded to Rules, and Patterns to Precepts, make both more instructive, and as well encourage as direct our Practice. And we having a many worthy Examples upon record of this Self-Resignation, the Lesson becomes neither too high nor hard for us to understand or practice.
How many Precepts have we in Scripture to engage us to Chastity and Purity, Meekness and Patience, Faith and Charity, to an holy resolvedness in owning of God, and adhering to his ways, and unweariedness in doing good, and to every other grace and virtue?
And have we not, besides others, the Example of Ioseph for Chastity, Moses for Meekness, Iob for Patience, Abraham for Faith, Dorcas and Cornelius for Charity, Daniel for an holy resolvedness of spirit in owning God, S. Paul for an unwearied Zeal, and above all, that Example of all Examples for every thing that is holy, pure and lovely, our Lord Jesus Christ?
Take we heed then that we be not found ingentium exemplorum parvi imitatores, small imitators of mighty examples, as Salvian expresseth it. But let it be our serious care and holy ambition to transcribe their vertues, to write after those fair Copies they have set us, to be followers of those blessed Souls wherein they were followers of God and Christ.
But our present argument determining us to Self-Resignation, let us consider some Examples hereof for our guidance and encouragement.
First, I will present you with that of Abraham, Faithful Abraham, as he is stiled by the Apostle St. Paul. There were ten trials wherewith God was pleased to exercise this good man, as they are collected out of his Story by the Hebrew Writers: The first and last of which ten were the sorest of all.
The first was his being called and commanded of God, Genesis the twelfth, to leave his own Countrey, his House and Lands, his Friends and Kindred, and to go to a place he knew not.
This Command as unpleasant and grievous as it must needs have been to his flesh and bloud, he did not in the least demurr upon obeying: But by Faith Abraham when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed, and he went out, not knowing whither he went, Heb. xi. 8.
The last was his being commanded to take his onelyonly Son Isaac, and to slay and offer him for a Burnt-offering, than which there could not be a greater trial.
We have the Command in Genesis xxii. 2. every word of which hath a singular Emphasis, and deserves attention.
Take now thy son, thine onelyonly son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt-offering, upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
Take now thy Son—Not a Beast for Sacrifice, not any of the best of his great store of Cattle, but his Son.
Take him now, forthwith, without any delay*foreign is the same here with foreign saith Aben Ezra..
Thy Son Isaac: Not Ishmael but Isaac, his and his Mothers delight and joy, as the name signifies.
Thine onelyonly Son: He and Sarah had no other to solace themselves in, nor were they ever like to have any other.
And besides there is another observable thing mentioned Heb. xi. 27. He that had received the promises offered up his onelyonly begotten Son, of whom it was said, that in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
Whom thou lovest: That is, very dearly and passionately, as being the Son of their old age, their onelyonly Son, and a Son of the promise. These two go together, tender and the onelyonly one, Prov. iv. 3. The onelyonly one and the choice one, Cant. vi. 9. To lose the onelyonly Son is that which causeth bitter lamentation; and the mourning for such a one is used to express the most passionate and doleful mourning, Amos viii. 10. Zech. xii. 10. Ier. vi. 26.
—And get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him there. Abraham himself must offer him, he might not command his two servants to do it; and they went no farther than till they came within sight of the place where he was to be offered.
The tender Father must take his onelyonly Son, whom he loved, and bind him with his own hands upon the Altar, and take the knife to slay him. As his eyes must behold him bleeding, and gasping, and burning, so must he be himself the Executioner.
—And offer him there for a burnt-offering, on one of the mountains, which I will tell thee of. This was the place where the Temple was to be built by Solomon, the place of offering Sacrifices.
And it was three days journey from Abraham's habitation, which might make the Command yet more grievous. As often as in that journey he looked upon the Wood, or Fire for burning the Sacrifice, or the Knife that must do the Execution, or the place where it was to be done, which he saw afar off, how could it be otherwise but that his eye must most deeply affect his heart.
It follows ver. vi. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt-offering and laid it upon Isaac his Son, and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and they went both of them together. What an affecting and heart-piercing sight was this! And herein was Isaac a Figure of our Blessed Saviour, who bare the wood of the Cross upon his Shoulders, whereon he was to be offered up for a Sacrifice to God.
And it is hence to be concluded, that Isaac was now no Child or weak Stripling, in that he was able to travel with so great a burden; such a quantity of wood as was sufficient to burn his body to ashes could be no small weight. Iosephus makes Isaac to be now twenty five years old, but an Hebrew Tradition, about thirty and three. If so, (and for what end should they feign it?) he was in this circumstance also a Figure of our Saviour, who was offered up at about the same age.
Now Isaac being at this time grown up to a good age and strength,The word foreign is used of one that is of an adult age, as of Ioshua, Exod. xxxiii. 11. when about 53 years old; of Benjamin, when he was 30 years old, Gen. xliii. 8. and of Ioseph, when about 28 years old: And the two young men accompanying them are called also foreign So that it should be rendred the young man, not Lad. it might make his Father the more unwilling to part with him, and considerably added to the greatness of his Trial.
And those words of Isaac which he spake in a strain of sweet innocence and simplicity, v. 7. My Father, behold the fire and the wood, but where is the Lamb for a Burnt-offering? they must needs cause a great colluctation within him, and yerning of bowels: No doubt Abraham's affections did strangely work now, and he was pained at the very heart.
There is one thing more which we may take notice of in this Command of God, it is said, Offer him there for a Burnt-offering; foreign: This kind of Offering was an Holocaust, all of which was to be consumed by fire, so that there was not the least Relick to remain of him.
This was the Command, and was it not a most difficult one? could there have been a sorer trial? But, behold the signal Resignation and Obedience of Abraham to the Will of God! He without the least delay or demurring, betook himself to the performance of the divine pleasure. It is said v. 3. that Abraham rose up early in the morning: it is like the Command came secretly to him in a dream, or vision of the night, and *foreign manicavit diluculo, or as the vulgar Latine, surrexit de nocte.at or before the first peep of day, he addressed himself to obey it. Thus he denied his natural and very great affection to his Son, and gave a most illustrious proof, that nothing was so dear to him, nothing so powerful with him as the Will of God: Wisdom kept him strong against his tender compassion towards his son, saith the Author of the Book of Wisdom, chap. x. 5.
The completion of his Obedience is set forth in the ninth verse: And Abraham built an Altar in the place which God told him of, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his Son, and laid him on the Altar upon the wood.
By the way, not onelyonly Abraham, but Isaac too, was herein a rare example of Resignation:To those words, they went both of them together, v. viii. the Ierusalem Targum addes foreign with a just and upright heart; and Ionathan foreign with a quiet, humble & submiss heart. Yea, both the Targum of Ierusalem, and Ionathan Ben-Usiel, make Isaac speak to Abraham, that he would bind him strongly, and then meekly and quietly to offer himself to become a Sacrifice. He was doubtless, (as appears by what was said of his age and strength) able to have resisted his Father now stricken in years, but he expressed no reluctancy, he quietly and meekly suffered himself to be bound, and laid upon the Altar. And herein again (as in several other particulars) was he a Figure of our Saviour, who, though he could have rescued himself from the power of the Jews and Romans, yet permitted them to take and bind him, to heap a many vile indignities upon him, and at last to nail him to his Cross.
And then it follows, —And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his Son: Completa voluntas pro facto aestimatur.This God accounted to him as if he had done it; because he was fully purposed in his mind to do it, and had it not been for God's interposition, had performed his purpose. Therefore the Scripture reports it as if he had actually offered up his Son: Heb. xi. 17. By faith Abraham when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his onelyonly begotten Son. And James ii. 21. Was not Abraham our Father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his Son upon the Altar? And hereupon (as it follows ver. 23.) he was called the friend of God. He eminently approved him as such for this high act of obedience. This is a title thrice given him in Scripture, in this place, in 2 Chron. xx. 7. and Esay xli. 8. and implied in Gen. xviii. 17. Shall I hide from Abraham the thing that I do? Where Philo addes foreign, Shall I hide from Abraham my friend. And by this Periphrasis the friend of God, without any mention of his name, is he described in the Alcoran the Turks Bible.
I will conclude this great Example of Resignation with that in Esay xli. 2. who raised up the righteous man from the East, and called him to his foot: Abraham was sequacious, and obeyed God in all things; he had him at his call, as the Faulconer hath a well man'd Hawk, and calls her to his hand.
And shall not the Spiritual Seed of Abraham, for so Christians are, be sequacious and observant of every call of God, though he call them to such trials as are very difficult and ungrateful? Let us walk in the steps, of the faith and obedience, of our Father Abraham, in readily sacrificing our Isaac, our delight and joy, that sin which is most beloved, the sin of our souls, (as the phrase is Micah vi. 7.) which seems to bring us most profit, and most delight and pleasure. By thus doing shall we be owned as the especial Friends and Favorites of God, as Abraham was, and receive the reward of such, as he did.