Never was there a more glorious act of obedience than that which Abraham performed in offering up his son, his only son, Isaac. But it will be asked, Is any thing like that required of us ? I answer,
1 . A full equivalent to this is required of us —
[True, indeed, we are not called to that very act of offer- ing up our own son : but we are expressly commanded to " hate father and mother, and wife and children, and bre- thren and sisters, yea, and our own life also, in comparison of Christ8:" and our blessed Lord declares, that "whosoever cometh not after him, and forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be his disciple h." This may be deemed a hard saying ; but so it is ; and the declaration is irreversible : and further still, our blessed Lord has decreed, that " he who saveth his life shall lose it ; and he only who loseth his life for his sake, shall find it unto life eternal1." There is no difference between either persons or times : the same is true respecting all his followers, in every age and place. On no lower terms will any human being be acknowledged as a friend of Christ ; nor will any child of man that is unwilling to comply with them, find acceptance with him in the day of judgment.]
2. Without a compliance with this, we in vain pretend to have the fear of God —
[" The fear of God " is the lowest of all graces : yet must that, no less than the highest, be tried by this test. The truth is, that the new creature, even in its lowest state, is complete in all its parts. A little infant has all the parts of an adult : there is nothing added to him even to his dying hour : the only difference between him in the different periods of his life is, that his parts are more matured by age, and capable of greater exertion when he arrives at manhood than they were in the earlier stages of his existence. The different rays of light may be separated by a prism, and so be brought under distinct and separate consideration : but it is the assem- blage of all the rays that constitutes light. In like manner, we may separate in idea the graces of a Christian : but where there is one truly operative, there is, and must be, all. One particular grace may shine more bright in one person, and another in another; but when " Christ is formed in usk," not one of his graces can be absent. Hence then I say, that the fear of God, no less than the love of him, must be tried by this test: and by this alone will " God know that you fear him, if you withhold not your son, your only son, from him."]
8 Luke xiv. 2(5. h Luke xiv. 33.
» Matt. xvi. 25. k Gal. iv. 19.