BENEFITS OF ABERAHAM/i’s MARTYRDOM. 129 
nut tree, bore his body to the temple, where, with 
exultation, it was offered in sacrifice to their god. 
They had, perhaps, beheld, with fiend-like joy, his 
writhing agonies in death, and listened with equal 
delight to his expiring groans. The unconscious 
earth had been saturated with his blood; and, when 
they placed his body on the rude altar, or suspend¬ 
ed it from the sacred tree, in the presence of their 
god, they not only supposed they offered a sacri¬ 
fice at once acceptable and efficacious, but, doubt¬ 
less, viewed the immolation as one by which they 
had achieved for idolatry a triumph over humanity 
and Christian principle. Before, however, these 
feelings could be exercised, and the earth had 
drunk up his blood, or his insulted corpse was de¬ 
posited on their altar, his liberated and ransomed 
spirit had winged its way to the realms of blessed¬ 
ness, had joined “ the noble army of martyrs 
and united in ascriptions of grateful homage unto 
Him who had loved him, and not only made him 
faithful to the end, but triumphant over death. 
Those who heard the young man's dying words, 
and witnessed his calm unshaken firmness in the 
moment of trial, with many, among whom the 
report circulated, were probably led to think dif¬ 
ferently of the religion he professed, than they had 
done before. The blood of the martyrs has ever 
been the seed of the church; and, from an exhibi¬ 
tion of principles so unequivocal in their nature, 
and so happy in their effects, it is not too much 
to presume that it proved so on the present occa¬ 
sion. 
ii* 
K 
