viii. 32, in the words, " He that spared not His own Son, but
delivered Him up for us all ; " which are a verbal allusion to
Gen. xxii. 16. Abraham's love to God, which moved him to
the complete surrender of what was dearest to him on earth, in
and with which he gives God all the rest, is the earthly type
of the love of God to us, who gives us in reality what He
demanded from Abraham only in intention, not in accomplish-
ment. The command contains an actual prophecy; for the
God of Scripture desires nothing which He does not give ; every
demand is at the same time a promise ; He says continually,
" I did this for thee, what doest thou for me ? " If He demand
our dearest from us, it is only because He gives us His dearest.
Abraham is desired to undertake the three days' journey from
the land of the Philistines where he then resided, to the land
of Moriah, the region about Mount Moriah; and to offer up his
son on this mountain. This direction stands in the closest con-
nection withtheinner meaning of the transaction. Mount Moriah
was destined at a future time to become the most holy place of



HISTORY OF ABEAHAM. 165

the land, the place where God's honour dwelt, where He made
Himself known to His people when they appeared before Him
and did homage to Him by sacrifice. The primary object of
the command was to give this place a primitive-historic con-
secration. The memories connected with the spot proclaimed
aloud to every one who went to Moriah, " Offer up thy Isaac.
