Canon Couratin? (3)

 Lesson III. Abraham and Isaac. (Genesis 22:1-19)

1. God founded the Church in Abraham. He founded it upon Abraham's faith. He promised on two occasions to bring life from the dead, and demanded that Abraham should believe in his power to do so. He promised that Sarah should have a child when she was past age and Abraham himself as good as dead. Abraham believed that God was able to perform this miracle, and in due course Isaac as born. Again God promised that Abraham's posterity should be as many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and at the same time demanded the sacrifice of his only son. Abraham believed in God's power to effect this, and proceeded to offer up Isaac in Sacrifice, receiving him back from death in a figure.

2. The same faith that God demanded of Abraham is demanded of a Christian, faith in God's power to bring life from the dead. The Christian at his baptism makes the act of faith in Christ natum et passum, conceived supernaturally of a virgin by the Holy Ghost, and raised from death supernaturally on the third day.

3. Christ is the true seed of Abraham; by faith men become members of Christ, and therefore sons of Abraham and members of the true Israel. God's promise to Abraham that in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed is fulfilled in the continual increase of the church.