e promised blessings, and that He
would bless all the nations of the earth through him. Isaac was to
be the heir. But he says:

"My son, the last night I was at home God came to me in the hours of
the night and told me to bring you here and offer you up as a
sacrifice. I don't understand what it means, but I can tell you one
thing: it is much harder for me to offer you up than it would be for
me to be sacrificed myself."

There was a time when I used to think more of the love of Jesus
Christ than of God the Father. I used to think of God as a stern
judge on the throne, from whose wrath Jesus Christ had saved me. It
seems to me now I could not have

A FALSER IDEA OF GOD

than that. Since I have become a father I have made this discovery:
that it takes more love and self-sacrifice for the father to give up
the son than it does for the son to die. Is a father on earth a true
father that would not rather suffer than to see his child suffer? Do
you think that it did not cost God something to redeem this world?
It cost God the most precious possession He ever had. When God gave
His Son, He gave all, and yet He gave Him freely for you and me.

I can imagine that Abraham talks to Isaac and tells him how hard it
is to offer him up. "But God has commanded it," he says, "and I
surrender my will to God's will. I don't understand it, but I
believe that God will be able to raise you up, and maybe He will."

They fell on their faces, and prayed together. After prayer I can
see that old father take his boy to his bosom, and embrace him for
the last time. He kisses and kisses him. Then he takes those hands
that are so innocent, and binds them, and he binds the feet, and he
ties him up, and lays him on the altar, and gives him a last kiss.
Then he takes the knife, and raises his hand. No sooner is the hand
lifted than a voice calls from heaven:

"Abraham, Abraham, spare thy son!"

You remember that Christ said, "Abraham saw my day, and was glad." I
have an idea that God then and there just

LIFTED THE CURTAIN OF TIME

for Abraham. He looked down into the future, saw God's Son coming up
Calvary, bearing his sins and the sins of all posterity. God gave
him that secret, and told him how His Son was to come into the world
and take away his sins.

Now, my friends, notice: whenever God has been calling me to higher
service, there has always been a conflict with my will. I have
fought against it, but God's will has been done