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of them." Let those children who are guilty of this sin take heed lest the Lord should punish them. He is able, he can, and will do it, if they do not repent of their sin and forsake it. Good children must expect to be mocked by wicked ones. The Lord Jesus Christ was mocked when he was on earth. Fools make a mock at sin. Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his maker. The eye that mocketh at his Father and despiseth to obey his Mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out and the young eagles shall it. children beware of mocking God: for God will not be mocked. Pray to God to keep you from committing this sin: if you have mocked any one pray to God for pardon and go and ask their forgiveness also.-My dear children, Amen. go, and mock no more.

Let

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A HYMN.

Against Mocking and calling Ill Names.

OUR tongues were made to bless the Lord
And not speak ill of men;
When others give a railing word,

We must not rail again.

Cross words and angry names require

To be chastis'd at school

And he's in danger of hell-fire

That calls his brother FOOL.

But lips that dare be so profane
To mock and jeer and scoff,
At holy things or holy men,

The Lord shall cut, them off.

When children in their wanton play

Serv'd old Elisha so,

And bid the prophet go his way,

Go up,

thou bald-head, go;

God quickly stopt their wicked breath

And sent two raging bears,

That tore them limb from limb to death
With blood and groans and tears.

Great God, how terrible art thou

To sinners ere so young!

Grant me thy grace and teach me how

To tame and rule my tongue.

Watts.

LECTURE

LECTURE XXI.

ABRAHAM OFFERING UP ISAAC.

GEN. 22. 2. And he said, take now thy

Son, thine only Son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Meriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

THIS is one of the most interesting passages of scripture History. The whole story as it is here related is so natural, so wonderful, and so affecting, that you cannot help being pleased and instructed by it. Many and great were the trials of Abraham, but this was the most painful and severe. Called from his father's house in early life to a strange and distant land-obliged to flee into Egypt on account of a famine in that land:-fighting a battle with a far superior force:-seperated from his nephew:-tried in his family:-obliged to send his Son Ishmael away :-and now after all, commanded to sacrifice his dear and only Son, for whom he had waited so long. This

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was hard indeed, but it was the will of Abraham's God, and he could not disobey the divine command.

I. Let us attend to the cOMMAND which GOD gave to ABRAHAM.

"And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham." God tried Abraham to see whether he was still strong in faith and sincere in his love to God. God tried or proved him to see if he could part with Isaac. For God does not tempt any one to sin: remember it is Satan that tempts children to commit sin. "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man." God called Abraham by his name, and he said here am I. Perhaps he expected that God was going to make another promise. But to his great surprize, God says, in short, Abraham, go and kill thy Son. When God spoke, no doubt Abraham took notice of every word he said. Take now thy Son, not thy best bullock or best heifer, or the best lamb that is in thy flock; but thy Son. Abraham would now have given thousands

of

of his lambs to redeem Isaac. No, it must be thy Son, thine only Son by Sarah thy wife. It was not to be an adopted child. It must not be Ishmael, but it must be thine only Son Isaac, whom thou lovest. Let me know whether you love me better than Isaac. Let me know if you can cheerfully give me thy beloved Son. Take now that Son, that only one of thine, .... whom thou lovest......that ISAAC. Go to a distance from thy habitation; get thee into the land of Moriah, a place that was three days journey from where Abraham now lived. That he might have time to consider it, that he might do it deliberately, not hastily. Then it will be more acceptable to God and more honorable to Abraham. And offer him therefore a burnt offering upon one of the mountains that I shall tell thee of. He must kill his Son. He must see him consumed to ashes before his eyes. He must kill him in the most devout and solemn manner. He must do it as an act of worship, with all that seriousness and composure of mind which God demands of those who draw near to him. He must do all this in obedience to the command of a just, holy, wise, and gracious God. Every word of

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