,transcriber's note3 ,unusual and inconsistent spelling is as printed4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,olive ,,leaf ,illustration3 ,,house ,,beautiful ,,by ,a ,l ,o ,e ,illustration3 ,,the ,,ark ,,of ,,bulrushes ,,thomas ,,nelson ,,sons ,,london1 ,,edinburgh ,,and ,,new ,,york ,illustration ,,house ,,beautiful2 ,,or1 ,the ,bible ,museum4 ,by ,a4 ,l4 ,o4 ,e4 ,authoress of ,the ,shepherd of ,bethlehem1 ,exiles in ,babylon1 ,rescued from ,egypt1 c4 ,illustration ,,london3 ,t4 ,,nelson ,,and ,,sons1 ,,paternoster ,,row2 ,,edinburgh2 ,,and ,,new ,,york4 ---------------- #ahfh4 ,illustration3 ,,preface ,,the narrative portions of the ,holy ,scriptures are full of striking biographies of those whose virtues are set before us as examples1 or whose errors as warnings4 ,we are led1 as it were1 into a ,gallery of ,portraits1 drawn with faultless accuracy by a sunbeam4 ,but besides these portraits1 there are many objects of deep interest for the student of ,scripture1 the accounts of which have been written for our learning1 objects which we are intended to contemplate with earnest attention1 and from which we may draw rich spiritual lessons4 ,such are ,noah's ,ark1 the ,brazen ,serpent1 the ,manna from ,heaven1 which have been commented upon by apostles1 and by our ,saviour ,himself4 ,if the biographies in the ,bible form the ,portrait ,gallery of ,scripture1 such objects as those to which ,i have referred--gathered together for our contemplation--suggest the idea of a ,museum1 and we are reminded of the instruction which ,bunyan represents to have been gained from such in ,house ,beautiful4 ,i have never yet met with a work in which a number of such objects have been specially collected for the contemplation of ,christians1 and it has occurred to me that such a volume of reflections might assist us more vividly to realize much of what is contained in the ,word of ,god4 ,come then with me1 my ,christian reader1 and let us examine together some of those ancient objects rescued by the inspired writers from oblivion1 and undimmed by the dust of many ages4 ,let us not handle them with superstitious reverence as relics1 but make use of them to raise our minds from the absorbing cares and pleasures of the present1 to holy musings on the past4 ,may the ,spirit of ,wisdom and ,truth assist us in our meditations1 and increase our deep reverence for those sacred ,scriptures in which these objects of interest are preserved4 ,a4 ,l4 ,o4 ,e4 ,illustration ,illustration3 ,,contents ,i4 ,,forbidden ,,fruit ,,ii4 ,,cain',s ,,offering ,,iii4 ,,noah',s ,,olive ,,leaf ,,iv4 ,,abraham',s ,,tent ,v4 ,,hagar',s ,,bottle ,,vi4 ,,jacob',s ,,pillow ,,vii4 ,,the ,,coat ,,of ,,many ,,colours ,,viii4 ,,the ,,ark ,,of ,,bulrushes ,,ix4 ,,pharaoh',s ,,chariot ,x4 ,,the ,,tables ,,of ,,stone ,,xi4 ,,the ,,high ,,priest',s ,,mitre ,,xii4 ,,the ,,high ,,priest',s ,,mitre1--,continued ,,xiii4 ,,balaam',s ,,staff ,,xiv4 ,,rahab',s ,,scarlet ,,cord ,,xv4 ,,gideon',s ,,ephod ,,xvi4 ,,the ,,jawbone ,,of ,,an ,,ass ,,xvii4 ,,ruth',s ,,barley-,,ears ,,xviii4 ,,job',s ,,sackcloth ,,xix4 ,,dagon',s ,,stump ,,xx4 ,,saul',s ,,spear ,,xxi4 ,,jonathan',s ,,bow ,,xxii4 ,,david',s ,,harp ,,xxiii4 ,,absalom',s ,,hair ,,xxiv4 ,,seed ,,corn ,,from ,,barzillai',s ,,gift ,,xxv4 ,,temple ,,lily ,,work ,,xxvi4 ,,the ,,widow',s ,,cruse ,,xxvii4 ,,elijah',s ,,letter ,,xxviii4 ,,jonah',s ,,gourd ,,xxix4 ,,the ,,fetters ,,of ,,manasseh ,,xxx4 ,,the ,,deed ,,of ,,purchase ,,xxxi4 ,,jehoiakim',s ,,knife ,,xxxii4 ,,the ,,rags ,,of ,,ebedmelech ,,xxxiii4 ,,the ,,golden ,,sceptre ,,xxxiv4 ,a ,,vessel ,,of ,,the ,,temple ,,xxxv4 ,,the ,,trumpet ,,of ,,nehemiah ,,xxxvi4 ,,writing ,,table ,,of ,,zacharias ,,xxxvii4 ,,the ,,manger ,,xxxviii4 ,,the ,,apostles' ,,net ,,xxxix4 ,,the ,,bed ,,of ,,the ,,paralytic ,,xl4 ,,the ,,cross ,,xli4 ,,the ,,stone ,,at ,,the ,,sepulchre ,,the ,,queen ,,and ,,the ,,twelve ,,names ,illustration ,illustration ,,house ,,beautiful ,i4 ,forbidden ,fruit4 ,,can this object1 so small1 so beautiful1 be yet through its effects more deadly than any weapon of war ever forged for man's destruction1 more deadly than the poison-flask1 the dagger1 or the thunderbolt6 ,it lies before us fresh and fair as when1 nearly six thousand years ago1 it hung amongst the green foliage of ,paradise1 more beautiful than any fragrant peach on which the last ripening sunbeam glows in a now fallen world4 ,on the fruit of ,eden1 which could so lightly yield to ,eve's touch1 and be marked by the soft pressure of her fingers1 we see not the trail of the serpent2 it is goodly to look upon1 and what mortal dare say that had he been in the place of our first parents1 the fair but fatal fruit would have hung untasted on the bough8 ,in looking on it1 how awful a lesson we learn of the poisonous nature of what we dare to call little sins6 ,who amongst us1 beholding ,eve in her beauty plucking the fruit which tempted her eye1 would not have been ready to have echoed the first lie ever breathed on our planet1 thou shalt not surely die4 ,bright1 guileless1 and1 until now1 sinless being2 ,god will not severely judge thee1 ,he has threatened1 but ,he will not perform4 ,is not the same deluding idea at the bottom of all our carelessness1 our neglect of duty1 our grasping at forbidden pleasure8 ,thou shalt not surely die has been the whisper of the ,tempter from ,eve's time till now4 ,let us answer him by pointing to that fruit4 ,was not the death of myriads enclosed1 as it were1 in its rind8 ,could the stain left by its fatal juice be washed out by floods of tears or rivers of blood8 ,had no sin but that one sin of plucking it been ever committed upon earth1 could that sin have been atoned for by anything less than the sacrifice of an ,incarnate ,god8 ,sin stands not alone by itself3 as the seed is contained in the fruit1 so one transgression is the parent of many4 ,coveting what ,god had withheld1 longing for a luxury forbidden1 ambitiously aiming at gaining knowledge which should make her independent as a ,god1 ,eve at once received into her heart the lust of the eye1 the lust of the flesh1 and the pride of life4 ,they came as guests--to remain as tyrants4 ,when we feel their influence within ourselves1 when covetousness1 love of pleasure1 or pride of intellect would draw us from our lowly allegiance to ,god1 from our simple obedience to ,his word1 let us look on the forbidden fruit and tremble--let us look on it1 and watch and pray4 ,the fruit of knowledge still1 ,plucked by pride1 may death distil4 ,when we make of intellect an idol2 when we exalt reason above revelation1 and would draw down ,god's hidden mysteries to the level of our finite comprehension1 we are putting forth our hand1 like ,eve1 to pluck and taste the forbidden fruit2 forgetful of the warning of the ,saviour3 ,he that receiveth not the kingdom of heaven as a little child shall in no wise enter therein4 ,illustration ,illustration ,,ii4 ,cain's ,offering4 ,,more of the fruits of the earth are here1 though no longer the fruit of ,eden4 ,these1 too1 are rich and beautiful1 and a special interest attaches to them1 for they are the offering made to ,god by the first man who was ever born into a sinful world4 ,have we ever realized the feelings with which ,adam and his wife must have watched the dawn of intellect in their firstborn son1 or the mingled grief1 shame1 and hope1 with which they would tell him the history of the ,fall1 and the mysterious promise linked with the sentence passed upon them by the righteous ,judge8 ,did young ,cain share the hope1 which appears at one time to have been his mother's1 that he should be the one to whom it would be given to set his foot upon the ,serpent's head1 and crush the ,enemy of his race8 ,we know not whether such thought as this ever passed through the mind of the boy1 but he never seems to have entered1 like his younger brother1 into the solemn meaning of sacrifice for sin4 ,cain was not one to neglect all forms of religion2 he had his thank-offering for the ,god of ,nature4 ,it is possible that when he looked around him on swelling fruits and ripening grain1 and found the earth beneath the labour of his hands yield thirty1 sixty1 or a hundredfold1 a feeling both of adoration and of gratitude may have stirred within his soul4 ,cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the ,lord4 ,but the offering was not accepted4 ,and wherefore was it not8 ,let us search a little more deeply into this matter1 and see1 if ,god help us to understand1 wherefore that sacrifice of ,cain was rejected1 and if there be any danger that ours may be even as his4 ,it is clear that the case of ,cain differs from that of the man utterly indifferent to religion2 the man who cares not to make any offering at all4 ,there are those1 bearing the name of ,christians1 whose purses 7readily enough opened at any call of pleasure or pride7 are kept systematically shut when ,god's service or ,his people's need require their contributions4 ,it may well be a startling thought for such that they do less than ,cain4 ,but what was it that marred the offering of ,adam's firstborn son8 ,why were those mellow fragrant fruits less acceptable to ,god than the bleeding lamb presented by ,cain's younger brother8 ,we have the answer in the words of inspiration4 ,by faith ,abel offered unto ,god a more excellent sacrifice than ,cain4 ,and what was this acceptable faith8 ,we cannot think that it consisted in a mere belief in the existence of ,god as the ,creator and ,preserver of mankind1 that vague belief which now satisfies so many who deem it a proof of higher intellect and more liberal thought to reject the peculiar doctrines of ,christianity4 ,doubtless ,cain held such belief1 yet his offering was not the offering of faith4 ,abel came before ,god in ,god's appointed way1 as a transgressor1 seeking grace through the medium of a sacrifice4 ,we know not how far he understood the meaning of the rite2 whether it was revealed unto him1 more or less distinctly1 that the promised seed of the woman was also to be the ,lamb of ,god that taketh away the sins of the world2 but whether the light granted to ,abel was dim or bright1 he walked by it in faith4 ,the fruits gathered by the hand of ,cain showed no recognition of guilt--no consciousness of needing mercy--no hope of grace to be received through a heaven-sent deliverer4 ,and the offering was not accepted4 ,if the touchstone contained in the words by faith were applied to a multitude of the gifts now placed upon the altar of ,god1 would not many--would not most of them be found to be offerings like those of ,cain8 ,pause1 dear reader1 and think over your own4 ,have you helped to raise churches1 or to ornament them1 to provide for orphans1 to assist needy widows1 is your name on many a subscription list--your gold often seen on the collection-plate8 ,do you give the fruits of your intellect to religious work1 the best of your time to charitable labours8 ,are you counted an active and useful member of the church to which you belong8 ,all this may be1 and yet it is not impossible that you are presenting the offerings of ,cain4 ,are you standing in your own righteousness1 labouring in your own strength1 not deeming yourself a sinner needing forgiveness1 but a saint entitled to reward8 ,search well your motives1 look closely at your own heart4 ,we shall not be judged according to the verdict of the world1 that sees the action but scans not the motive1 but by ,him who reads the secret thought and intent4 ,herod raised a magnificent temple to the ,lord ,god of ,israel1 and his liberality may have been lauded to the skies1 yet1 surely1 his was the offering of ,cain4 ,let us be fully persuaded that no sacrifice of ours can be acceptable but as made for ,christ1 and offered through ,christ1 that we need the blood of sprinkling both on ourselves and on our works1 if we would not find that sacrifice--these works1 however great1 however highly extolled--rejected at last6 ,and there is another way in which we may cause our gifts to be accounted worthless by the ,lord1 even when we believe them to be offered in faith--when the proud spirit of malice1 jealousy1 hatred1 which was especially the spirit of ,cain1 is suffered to pollute even that which we bring unto ,god4 ,theological hatred has become proverbial for bitterness3 so fierce are the disputes upon subjects of religion1 that the nature of that faith that worketh by love seems to be often entirely forgotten4 ,if we would not tread in the steps of the first murderer1 let us follow the command of our ,lord4 ,if thou bring thy gift to the altar1 and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee2 leave there thy gift before the altar1 and go thy way2 first be reconciled to thy brother1 and then come and offer thy gift4 ,of the deepest importance is it to all who come not empty-handed before their ,creator and ,judge1 to examine whether faith hallows or self-righteousness mars what they bring1 whether theirs be the accepted sacrifice of ,abel or the rejected offering of ,cain4 ,illustration ,,iii4 ,noah's ,olive ,leaf4 ,,precious little leaf1 symbol of hope and of peace2 well worthy art thou of being thus preserved for thousands of years1 to be viewed by generation after generation of the sons of men as a pledge of ,god's lovingkindness6 ,far more valuable art thou1 leaflet once borne in the bill of a bird1 than the glittering diadem worn by ,solomon in all his glory4 ,with what delight wert thou once hailed by all that survived of mankind1 by the whole ,church enclosed in the ark2 and we can well believe that even in ,paradise the spirit of ,noah dwells with pleasure on the recollection of that moment when he first looked upon thee6 ,to conceive what must have been the joy felt by the patriarchs at the sight of the first leaf from a renovated world1 let us try to realize their position when the dove flew back with that leaf in its bill4 ,when ,noah and his family first took refuge in the ark1 and the windows of heaven were opened1 and the fountains of the great deep broken up1 their emotions were doubtless those of thankfulness for deliverance and safety1 when the great judgment1 so long threatened1 so long expected1 had come at length on the earth4 ,while the storm raged around them1 they were secure2 the waves that swept over a guilty world could but lift their floating home nearer to heaven6 ,with their emotions of thankfulness would be mixed those of sorrow1 pity1 regret1 for neighbours1 perhaps friends and relatives1 who had been warned in vain1 then perishing beneath the terrible flood4 ,had not ,god ,himself shut him in1 how often would ,noah have thrown wide open the door of the ark to receive the poor struggling1 drowning wretches1 whose dying eyes would be turned to that refuge which they had rejected and despised until it was too late to seek it4 ,but when the flood had fulfilled its terrible mission2 when no cries of the drowning were borne on the blast2 when the cataract of rain had ceased1 and the dashing of waters was heard no more2 then the excitement1 the strong emotions of the family in the ark must also have sunk into comparative rest4 ,as the wild raging of the tempest was exchanged for the stillness of death1 and the great vessel floated tranquilly over placid waters1 and week after week1 month after month passed1 without bringing a change1 great and probably wearisome monotony would pervade the life of the inmates of the ark4 ,that which they had at first rejoiced in as a refuge1 would gradually1 but increasingly1 become to them like a prison4 ,how long were they to be confined within its narrow bounds2 when would they be permitted again freely to tread the earth1 and partake once more of its fresh produce8 ,if the ,israelites bitterly recalled to memory the riches of the gardens of ,egypt--the cucumbers1 the melons1 the leeks and the onions--would no such regrets be felt by the family of ,noah8 ,would not woman sigh for the flowers that she had been wont to cherish1 and an inexpressible yearning oppress all1 a yearning to look once more on the green1 smiling face of nature8 ,for how many more months1 or years1 were weary eyes to rest on the same objects1 counting the beams above or the planks below of the now familiar prison8 ,a fear might even arise that the supply of provisions1 however large at first1 might fail1 and privation and want ensue4 ,the venerable ,noah may have waited with unshaken faith and calm submission for the hour of freedom1 but it is more than probable that the younger members of his family grew impatient under the restraint of lengthened confinement4 ,at last ,noah opened the window of the ark and sent forth a raven4 ,in the monotonous routine of the life which he led1 this was an event thought worthy of record2 the creature appears to have been sent as a messenger1 and its return must have been anxiously awaited4 ,but never again did the dark bird re-enter the ark which he once had quitted4 ,again ,noah sent forth a bird1 a dove2 but in the beautiful language of ,scripture1 the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot1 and she returned unto him into the ark1 for the waters were on the face of the whole earth3 then he put forth his hand1 and took her1 and pulled her in unto him into the ark4 ,not yet had come the signal for release2 patience had not yet had its perfect work2 the fathers of mankind1 the inheritors of the world1 must wait longer ere entering into possession4 ,seven times the sun rose and set ere the dove was sent forth again by ,noah4 ,but this time the gleam of the silver wing was to bring joy to the waiting patriarch3 ,the dove came in to him in the evening2 and1 lo1 in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off3 so ,noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth4 ,when was earthly treasure ever received with the rapturous welcome given to that leaf2 the first brought from a world new-born1 as it were1 from the dead6 ,if we regard the ,church of ,christ as the ark floating now on the troublous waters of the world1 the story of ,noah's olive leaf becomes a beautiful parable4 ,how long1 ,lord1 how long1 has been for ages the weary cry of the people of ,god1 waiting and watching for the final deliverance and restitution of all things4 ,they are safe1 for they rest in ,christ1 but the heirs of the new heaven and the new earth may seem to wait in vain4 ,unbelief suggests the discouraging thought1 since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation4 ,virtue still suffers2 evil still spreads2 sin and sorrow1 like the waters of the flood1 are covering the face of the earth4 ,but there is an olive leaf still for the family of ,god in the ark4 ,it is the ,saviour's promise1 ,i will come again and receive you unto ,myself4 ,to find it and bear it home is not granted to mere human reason1 however keen of eye and strong of wing3 the raven brought not the emblem of hope4 ,it is the ,dove1 the ,heavenly ,comforter alone who brings to the waiting ,church1 to each weary individual heart1 the pledge and promise of a glorious inheritance1 when ,christ shall return to throw wide open the bolted door1 and bid ,his redeemed come forth to rejoice and to reign for ever6 ,has the ,dove1 dear ,reader1 brought that olive leaf to your soul2 have you rejoiced in the promise8 ,are you eagerly looking for ,him1 whom1 not having seen1 you have loved2 and is ,his word1 ,i will come again1 more precious to you than thousands of silver and gold8 ,well may the ,christian1 looking to the promise1 adopt the language of the poet1-- 99 ,oh6 who could bear life's stormy doom1 ,did not ,thy ,heavenly ,dove ,come brightly bearing through the gloom ,a peace-branch from above6 ,then sorrow1 touched by ,thee1 grows bright ,with more than rapture's ray1 ,as darkness shows us worlds of light ,we never saw by day4 99 ,slightly altered from ,moore4 ,illustration ,illustration ,,iv4 ,abraham's ,tent4 ,,we experience natural pleasure in visiting spots celebrated in history4 ,though corn may wave1 and fruit ripen over the scene of some celebrated battle1 we cannot look with indifference on the scene where was once held a world-famous struggle for freedom4 ,no modern palace would have the interest which would be attached to the ruin of one which had been trodden by famous monarchs of old4 ,were there buildings remaining of which it could be said1 here ,alexander planned his conquests2 or there ,cyrus administered justice2 we should regard such buildings1 however crumbling and defaced1 as places gilded by memories which time could never destroy4 ,but no palace of monarch1 no fortress of hero1 could ever wake in us such feelings of reverence as a tent of black goat's hair1 such as those which the nomade descendants of ,abraham now pitch on the sands of ,arabia1 if it could be certified to us1--here dwelt the father of the faithful2 he who in ,scripture is called the friend of ,god4 ,in that doorway sat the venerable patriarch in the heat of the day1 when1 raising his eyes1 he beheld three mysterious visitors from ,heaven stand before him4 ,behind yon curtain ,sarah listened with eager interest to the conversation between her lord and the angel1 laughing to herself at tidings which she would not at first believe4 ,there also1 when time had rolled on1 she laughed with joy over the babe1 the promised gift of ,god2 the child from whom should descend a race as the stars in the sky or the sands by the sea for number4 ,it was there that ,abraham first embraced his ,isaac1 and blessed ,god for the fulfilment of that promise which faith had grasped1 when the aged man had 'against hope believed in hope4' ,though the patriarch's tent was most unlike our own habitations1 and though the dwelling of a wealthy sheik would contain fewer comforts than many an ,english cottage1 we turn to it for lessons of what a home should be in all climates1 and through all ages4 ,not that it can be altogether a model even as regards the conduct of its inmates2 ,sarah's chidings1 ,hagar's scorn1 and ,ishmael's mockings must not be forgotten2 but in four respects1 at least1 the tent of ,abraham offers a scene which we may contemplate with reverence and profit4 ,firstly1 it was the dwelling of faith4 ,wherever its stakes were driven in1 its cords stretched1 its curtains spread1 there rose a habitation in which ,god was truly worshipped4 ,the ground upon which it stood became in a manner holy4 ,could that tent speak1 of what fervent prayers1 what wrestling faith1 what earnest adoration1 could it tell1 and that at a time when idolatry had spread over almost all the earth6 ,in the midst of darkness a bright light shone from that tent2 a light which has never been1 and never will be1 extinguished4 ,are our homes thus centres of light8 ,is ,god1 the ,god of ,abraham1 ,isaac1 and ,jacob1 thus constantly honoured in them8 ,could the word spoken of the patriarch be also spoken1 reader1 of thee8 ,i know him1 that he will command his children and his household after him1 and they shall keep the way of the ,lord1 to do justice and judgment4 ,had thy walls a voice1 what witness would they bear to earnest pleadings in secret1 or humble devotion in family prayer8 ,again1--,abraham's tent was the abode of conjugal1 parental1 and filial affection4 ,sarah1 with all her faults1 is held up to us as a model wife4 ,though1 even in advanced life1 celebrated for exquisite beauty1 ,sarah's adorning appears to have been no outward adorning of plaiting the hair1 and of wearing of gold1 or of putting on of apparel2 she obeyed ,abraham1 calling him lord1 yielding loving reverence to her husband4 ,isaac was brought up in the nurture and admonition of the ,lord2 and his obedience to ,god1 and submission to his aged parent1 were alike shown when he suffered himself to be bound1 an unresisting victim1 on the altar of sacrifice4 ,in these days1 when a spirit of lawless independence sometimes pervades even the nursery1 and wives too often forget that they have vowed to honour and obey as well as to love1 it is well that we should let our thoughts dwell awhile in the tent of ,abraham1 to see that a home should be as a monarchy1 governed by laws of love1 the husband and father a wise beneficent ruler1 emphatically a power ordained of ,god4 ,again3 ,abraham's tent reminds us of the duty of hospitality--that hospitality without grudging1 which alone is worthy of the title2 not that interchange of worldly courtesies--that asking in order to be asked again--that ostentation which consumes at one luxurious meal what would suffice to feed starving multitudes4 ,never let the name of hospitality be profaned by being applied to such entertainments as these4 ,but the hearty welcome given even to strangers1 the readiness to spread the meal for the guest who may never be able to return the kindness1 these we learn from the patriarch4 ,abraham entertained angels unawares2 and the same may be said of many of those who exercise hospitality in a spirit like his4 ,in one sense the ,lord of angels visits the dwellings of those who welcome ,his servants for ,his sake4 ,it is a privilege and an honour to entertain the humblest of ,his saints2 for ,he hath said1 ,inasmuch as ye did it unto the least of these ,my brethren1 ye did it unto ,me4 ,lastly1 let us regard our dwellings1 as ,abraham did his1 as a tabernacle rather than as a settled home4 ,here we have no continuing city1 but we seek one to come4 ,let not our hearts cling too closely to an earthly habitation1 as if it were to be ours for ever1 but let us rather remember that1 like the family of ,abraham1 we are strangers and pilgrims on the earth3 ,here in the body pent1 ,absent from ,heaven we roam1 ,but nightly pitch our wandering tent1 ,a day's march nearer home4 ,yes2 for not only our dwellings1 but even these our mortal bodies are but tabernacles1 to be taken down and laid aside1 to be exchanged for a building of ,god1 a house not made with hands1 eternal in the heavens4 ,in the meantime let us pray that they may be the abodes of peace and joy and love1 and that the ,holy ,spirit may be our guest1 not as one who tarries but awhile and departs1 but as one who comes to abide with us always4 ,illustration ,v4 ,hagar's ,bottle4 ,,an empty skin-bottle is before us1 such as is used by ,orientals to the present day to carry what they emphatically term the gift of ,god2 a title to which our ,saviour appears to have alluded when ,he said to the woman of whom ,he had asked water1 ,if thou knewest the gift of ,god2 seeking to raise her thoughts from the earthly well to the heavenly ,fountain4 ,of the value of water in the wilderness1 we1 in our moist climate1 can scarcely form an adequate conception4 ,let me briefly quote from a description of travelling in an ,arabian desert1 given by a graphic author3 99 ,on either hand extended one weary plain in a black monotony of lifelessness 4 4 4 ,a dreary land of death1 in which even the face of an enemy were almost a relief amid such utter solitude 4 4 4 ,day after day found us urging our camels to their utmost pace1 for fifteen or sixteen hours together out of the twenty-four1 under a well-nigh vertical sun 4 4 4 ,then an insufficient halt for rest or sleep1 at most of two or three hours1 soon interrupted by the often repeated admonition1 ',if we linger here we all die of thirst4' 99 ,palgrave4 ,but the scene which rises before us1 the wilderness of ,beersheba1 is not peopled with pilgrims and travellers urging on their weary camels2 there are but two figures in it--an exhausted1 grief-stricken woman1 and the fainting lad at her side4 ,that skin-bottle is in her hands--empty4 ,she has watched it shrinking as the precious fluid within was gradually used1 or wasted by evaporation2 dry and parched as is her own tongue1 she has feared to relieve her burning thirst lest she should too soon exhaust the priceless treasure4 ,with a sickening feeling of fear ,hagar has given the last draught to her ,ishmael2 and then1 with faint hope1 squeezed the skin hard with her feverish hands1 trying to press out one more drop--but in vain4 ,she looks anxiously around her1 but can see no means of refilling that empty bottle4 ,then1 in anguish1 ,hagar turns from the parched shrub under which she has cast her son2 she wanders away--but let the account be given in the touching words of ,scripture3 ,she went and sat her down over against him a good way off1 as it were a bowshot3 for she said1 ,let me not see the death of the child4 ,and she sat over against him1 and lift up her voice1 and wept4 ,while ,hagar was weeping1 her son appears to have been praying2 for it is written1 ,god heard the voice of the lad4 ,ishmael's cry was answered3 ,the angel of ,god called to ,hagar out of heaven1 and said unto her1 ,what aileth thee1 ,hagar8 fear not2 for ,god hath heard the voice of the lad where he is4 ,and ,god opened her eyes1 and she saw a well of water2 and she went1 and filled the bottle with water1 and gave the lad drink4 ,when the cool bubbling liquid filled out the swelling skin-bottle in the hand of the rejoicing1 thankful mother1 as she bent eagerly over the well1 far more emphatically than the first supply was it to her--the gift of ,god4 ,there are times when life appears to us as the wilderness of ,beersheba did to ,hagar and ,ishmael4 ,our troubles may have been of our own making2 like the proud youth who had mocked at his brother1 we may1 perhaps1 be able to trace our sorrows to their source in our sin2 but whether it be so or not1 we stand in a dry1 thirsty land1 where no water is2 we seem to have drained our last drop of earthly enjoyment--our lips are parched--our bottle is empty--we feel that we can but lie down and die6 ,few pass the meridian of life1 perhaps few reach it1 without knowing something of this desolation of heart1 this emptiness of all joy4 ,blessed to ,ishmael was the trouble which made him cry unto the ,lord2 blessed to us these disappointments which dry up our cherished supplies1 if in our baffled thirst for happiness we turn to our ,saviour in prayer4 ,the same ,god who gave to ,hagar a well in the desert has also a message of mercy for us3 ,ho1 every one that thirsteth1 come ye to the waters1 and he that hath no money2 come ye1 buy1 and eat2 yea1 come1 buy wine and milk without money and without price4 ,would we seek more specific direction to the ,fountain that bursts forth in the desert1 to change that desert to an ,eden1 and supply our deep thirst for peace and joy8 ,the ,saviour ,himself repeats the invitation2 ,if any man thirst1 let him come unto ,me and drink4 ,what do we need1 dear brethren in affliction1 to make us come unto ,him in whom the weary find refreshment1 and the broken-hearted peace8 ,we need that by the ,spirit our eyes should be opened4 ,the ,fountain is near us1 but we see it not until then4 ,we view the bare waste around us1 the withered hopes that strew it2 we vainly try to press out one more drop of pleasure from the earthly vessel which once held it1 and find the bottle utterly empty and dry4 ,in such moments of dreariness1 ,o ,thou who art the ,comforter indeed1 ,thou who canst fill up the empty void1 and satisfy the aching soul with abundance1 come to us1 speak to us1 open our eyes to behold the depths of ,thy lovingkindness2 lead us beside the still waters1 and let the promise of our ,redeemer be graciously fulfilled unto us3 ,he that cometh unto ,me shall never hunger1 and he that believeth on ,me shall never thirst4 ,illustration ,illustration ,,vi4 ,jacob's ,pillow4 ,,let us linger before this ancient stone1 used first by the benighted patriarch as a resting-place for his head2 then raised and anointed by his hands in the morning1 as a solemn memorial of a night to be much remembered by him through all his mortal life1 and beyond it4 ,if we may judge of the previous spiritual state of ,jacob by his conduct towards his father and brother1 we shall be inclined to date his conversion to ,god1 the new birth of his soul1 to that midnight hour when the wanderer dreamed his glorious dream4 ,some of the ideas suggested by ,jacob's pillow have been embodied in a beautiful hymn4 ,if1 in my wanderings1 ,my sun go down1 ,darkness encompass me1 ,my rest a stone1-- ,still in my dreams ,i'll be ,nearer1 my ,god1 to ,thee-- ,nearer to ,thee6 ,then let my ways appear ,steps unto heaven2 ,all that ,thou sendest me1 ,in mercy given2 ,angels to beckon me1 ,nearer1 my ,god1 to ,thee-- ,nearer to ,thee6 ,then1 with my waking thoughts ,bright with ,thy praise1 ,out of my stony griefs ,bethels ,i'll raise2 ,still by my woes to be ,nearer1 my ,god1 to ,thee-- ,nearer to ,thee6 ,but a yet deeper meaning seems to be given to the sacred dream by the words of our ,saviour1 if it be indeed to ,jacob's ladder that they allude as type4 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,hereafter ye shall see heaven open1 and the angels of ,god ascending and descending upon the ,son of man4 ,what the patriarch beheld in a dream1 faith views as a glorious reality4 ,christ1 by ,his incarnation1 linked heaven with earth2 by ,his ascension1 joined earth to heaven4 ,he formed a pathway of light1 by which the angels ascend and descend4 ,wherever we receive first into our hearts this glorious truth--first look unto the ,saviour as the ,way1 the ,truth1 and the ,life--that place becomes to us as memory's holy ground1 and we can say1 as the patriarch said1 ,this is none other but the house of ,god--this is the gate of heaven4 ,jacob's pillow and his mysterious dream naturally suggest to us meditation on the ministry of angels1 of which glimpses are given to us ever and anon in ,holy ,writ4 ,the bright tenants of a world unseen may be hovering near us1 when we have little thought of their presence4 ,how wondrous was the scene that opened on the servant of ,elisha1 when1 at a time of imminent peril1 the prophet's prayer1 ,lord1 open his eyes1 that he may see1 was granted6 ,with chariots and horses the fierce enemy was encompassing the city2 but lo6 ,above1 a defence1 before invisible1 was seen to girdle round the prophet3 horses and chariots of fire1 the legions of ,heaven1 guarded the servant of ,god1 and no puny arm of flesh had power to hurt one hair of his head4 ,were our eyes thus enabled to behold the spirits of light1 we might see bright winged visitors entering1 as familiar guests1 the lowly cottage1 the attic1 the cellar--abodes which proud1 luxurious sons of dust would not stoop to enter2 we might see angels still encouraging a ,peter in prison1 refreshing a weary ,elisha1 rejoicing over a repentant sinner1 or bending with celestial smiles over a dying ,lazarus1 waiting for the signal to welcome a seraph new-born to the skies4 ,but on whatever missions of love these bright beings may come to our earth1 we owe their ministry to the ,lord of angels3 they are descending upon the ,son of man4 ,and we have our ascending angels too--those whose upward flight we fain would follow--blest ones1 whom we dare not even wish to detain1 as they mount3 ,onward to the glory1 ,upward to the prize1 ,homeward to the mansions ,far beyond the skies6 ,our eyes are dim with tears1 as in vain we try to track their course1 lost in a haze of glory2 but this we own1 with thankful hearts--they owe their exaltation to the ,king of saints alone3 angels are ascending1 as well as descending1 upon the ,son of man4 ,in the dark1 bitter gloom of bereavement1 we rest our aching heads on the tombstone which covers the relics of one most dear1 peacefully sleeping in ,jesus4 ,like ,jacob1 we feel benighted and alone4 ,but if1 in the midnight of sorrow1 ,god reveal ,himself to us as ,he revealed ,himself to the patriarch1 even that stone will become to us as a ,bethel4 ,does it bear the dear name of our dead--no1 rather a name that is written1 we trust1 in ,god's ,book of ,life6 ,above the stone rises the ladder of light2 its foot may rest in the grave1 but its summit is hidden in the radiance of ,heaven4 ,illustration ,,vii4 ,the ,coat of ,many ,colours4 ,a ,,mournful relic this1 all torn and stained1 defiled with dust1 and blood1 and tears6 ,we seem to hear the wail of the miserable father1 as with anguish he gazed upon the once goodly garment4 ,it is my son's coat2 an evil beast hath devoured him6 ,joseph is without doubt rent in pieces6 ,in the excess of his grief1 ,jacob rent his clothes1 and put sackcloth upon his loins1 and mourned for his son many days4 ,in vain they who had inflicted the deep wound in a parent's heart1 hypocritically attempted to heal it4 ,his traitor sons rose up to comfort him2 but ,israel refused to be comforted4 ,and he said1 ,for ,i will go down into the grave unto my son mourning4 ,thus his father wept for him4 ,how bitterly the marred garment of many colours recalled to the mind of ,jacob the joy and pride with which he had placed it on his favourite son--the son of his old age1 whom he loved more than all his children6 ,joseph1 beauteous in person1 gifted in mind1 virtuous in character1 was well fitted to be the pride and delight of his parent4 ,we marvel not that the son of the beloved ,rachel--he who inherited his mother's outward attractions1 with the piety of his father--should have been to the heart of ,jacob peculiarly dear4 ,and yet1 perhaps1 the first thought which this part of ,joseph's history suggests to the mind is1 how great an evil is partiality shown by a parent6 ,how it draws upon its object many dangers6--,envy1 enmity from without1 with the yet greater peril arising from fostered vanity and pride within4 ,had ,joseph remained with his doting father1 wearing the distinctive garment with which partial affection had robed him1 his noble character might have been utterly marred4 ,presumption1 self-righteousness1 and vanity1 might1 and probably would1 have sorely tempted his soul4 ,joseph's ,heavenly ,father loved him as tenderly as did his earthly father1 but with a far wiser love4 ,god gave the bitter antidote to the sweet poison bestowed by a parent's hand4 ,oh1 that those whose blind and cruel partiality is sowing the seed of discord in their families1 and that of pride in the hearts of their best beloved1 would earnestly consider the history of ,jacob and ,joseph6 ,how terrible were the trials which the old patriarch's partiality drew upon his boy6 ,his weak affection tended to injure its object3 ,god knew that1 and divided--for how many long and bitter years divided--the father from the son6 ,again1 in yonder torn and bloody garment we see a terrible comment on the inspired declaration1 he that hateth his brother is a murderer4 ,how many thoughts of envy1 how many glances of malice1 how many bitter words1 must there have been in the family of ,jacob1 before hatred in ,joseph's brethren ripened into the horrible crime which deprived a brother of his freedom1 almost of his life1 and nearly brought the gray hairs of a father with sorrow to the grave6 ,was there not a time when1 if it could have been foretold to the elder sons of ,jacob that they would sell their own brother into slavery1 and then1 by an acted lie of the most cruel kind1 try to conceal their guilt by almost breaking their parent's heart--could this have been foretold to them1 would not each have exclaimed1 in the language of ,hazael1 ,is thy servant a dog that he should do this thing8 ,let us be watchful against the appearance of envy1 even in its least startling form4 ,if we see the crocodile's egg1 let us crush it2 nor let the destroyer come forth and gain strength1 so that it get the mastery over us4 ,the slightest stirring of ill-will towards one more favoured than ourselves1 should place us at once on the watch4 ,the humility that is content with a lowly place--the love that rejoices in the exaltation of a brother--these are the guardians of the soul against envy2 and1 where these are wanting1 can the ,spirit of ,god be said to dwell8 ,once more1 by ,joseph's coat of many colours1 rent and blood-stained1 we are reminded of the marvellous way in which ,god's providence brings good out of evil1 and makes the darkest events in ,his servants' lives links in a chain of mercies4 ,the beautiful garment given by paternal love1 and worn perhaps with some pride1 was torn indeed from the persecuted ,joseph--first to be replaced by the scanty apparel of a slave1 then afterwards by the garb of a criminal in prison2 but it was from wearing the dress of humiliation that ,joseph was raised to power and honour4 ,it was not the garment made by his father that he put off1 in order to assume robes of high office in the court of ,king ,pharaoh4 ,had ,joseph remained in his home at ,hebron1 unharmed by malice1 untouched by persecution1 he would never have been the ruler in ,egypt1 the benefactor of a nation1 the friend of a king1 the earthly preserver of all ,israel's race4 ,it has been said that evil is good in the making2 so1 even from the malice of ,joseph's brethren1 the grief of his father1 and his own anguish when the iron entered into his soul1 ,god brought forth blessings unnumbered to the man who feared and obeyed ,him4 ,we cannot leave the stained vestment of the ancient patriarch without turning our thoughts to ,him of whom it is written1 that ,he was clothed in a vesture dipped in blood3 and ,his name is called ,the ,word of ,god4 ,in ,joseph we see a remarkable type of our blessed ,redeemer1 sent by ,his ,father to visit man1 as ,joseph was sent to his brethren in ,shechem4 ,he came unto ,his own1 and ,his own received ,him not4 ,for envy1 the chief priests delivered ,christ into the hands of the ,gentiles2 and the betrayer received money for ,him whom the children of ,israel did value1 even as their fathers sold ,joseph for twenty pieces of silver4 ,but it is in his subsequent exaltation to be a prince and deliverer--it is in his exercise of boundless liberality and free pardoning grace--that ,joseph is especially a type of our ,lord4 ,god sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth1 and to save your lives by a great deliverance1 said the patriarch to his penitent brethren1 who owed preservation from famine to him4 ,and it was to those whom ,he deigned to call brethren that ,christ addressed the gracious assurance1 ,i go to prepare a place for you4 ,to ,him the sun1 and the moon1 and the stars pay homage2 to ,him all the world shall bow down2 in ,his hands is the bread of life2 and ,his word is still1 ,look unto ,me1 and be ye saved1 all ye ends of the earth4 ,once sinners parted ,christ's garments amongst them1 and upon ,his vesture did they cast lots2 but the hour is approaching when they shall look upon ,him whom they pierced1 and behold ,his glory1-- ,whose native vesture bright1 ,is the unapproached light1 ,the sandal of whose foot the rapid hurricane6 ,illustration ,illustration ,,viii4 ,the ,ark of ,bulrushes4 ,a ,,frail bark1 indeed1 this cradle of woven bulrushes1 to bear so precious a freight6 ,we read of the boat which carried ,csar and his fortunes2 if we measure human greatness by the extent and durability of a man's influence over his kind1 the mighty ,roman is dwarfed beside ,moses1 and his fortunes appear comparatively a thing of a day4 ,many ages have passed since ,csar exercised sway in the world2 all that remains of him is a mighty name3 ,moses1 who lived some fourteen hundred years before him1 is still a living power on earth4 ,the nation which ,moses was the instrument of delivering reverence his laws to this day1 while myriads of ,christians1 yea1 all who to the latest time will study the ,word of ,god1 will honour ,moses as a prophet1 obey him as a teacher1 and drink in wisdom from his inspired writings4 ,csar raised a ,babel structure of grandeur1 cemented not with slime but with blood1 and it has not left even a ruin behind it4 ,the work of ,moses1 heaven-guided as he was1 resembled more one of the everlasting hills which the ,almighty ,himself hath planted and made firm1 from which flow1 and to the end of time will flow1 pure streams to fertilize earth1 and which from age to age remain unchanged in their calm majestic beauty4 ,csar was a great conqueror4 ,moses stands before us in dignity of a loftier kind2 so glorious as deliverer1 lawgiver1 prophet1 that we almost forget that he was a mighty conqueror also4 ,csar climbed up to a point where a halo of fame shone around him4 ,moses soared high above it2 the glory which beamed from his countenance was glory derived directly from ,god4 ,did the hopes of ,jochebed venture to picture anything like this1 as she laboured at forming this little ark1 twining in and out every green bulrush with a prayer for her helpless babe8 ,a scene of touching domestic interest rises before the imagination as we think of the home of ,amram the ,levite1 near the bank of the ,nile1 in these old1 old days which the ,scripture narratives bring so freshly before us4 ,there is ,jochebed1 in a retired part of her dwelling1 anxiously pursuing her labour of love1 working and weeping1 and praying as she works1 trembling lest a cry from her hidden infant should betray the secret of his existence to any ,egyptian ear4 ,perhaps little ,aaron disturbs her ever and anon with innocent prattle1 lisping in his childish simplicity dangerous questions which the mother knows not how to answer2 while ,miriam1 the future prophetess1 of an age to share her parent's anxieties and guard their secret1 watches to give notice of the approach of any stranger1 her child-face already stamped with the impress of care too natural to one brought up in the house of bondage4 ,the story of ,jochebed and her little ark of bulrushes seems to be one especially recorded for the comfort of mothers4 ,though in our peaceful land such perils as those which surrounded the cradle of ,moses are unknown1 yet every parent who watches by a baby boy may learn a lesson from the ,israelite mother who1 strong in faith1 twined that green nest for her little darling4 ,for every infant born into this world of danger and trouble an ark should be woven of many prayers4 ,in two points of view we may regard every such infant as in a position not unlike that of ,jochebed's babe1 when found by ,pharaoh's daughter in his little floating cradle4 ,the child has been born to danger1 and under the doom of death2 he is redeemed1 adopted1 and may be destined to great usefulness and exalted honour4 ,should a mother's eye rest on these pages1 let her follow out with me a subject which can scarcely fail to be one of deep interest to her heart4 ,your child1 my ,christian sister1 has1 like ,moses1 been born to danger1 and under the doom of death4 ,you have transmitted to him a fallen nature2 he has first opened his eyes to the light in a world of which ,satan is the prince--that ,pharaoh whose wages is death1 that tyrant who seeks to destroy the babe whom you so tenderly love4 ,you cannot keep your little one from all the perils and temptations which1 if he live to manhood1 will certainly surround him4 ,you cannot prevent his being exposed to trials as perilous to his soul as the waters of the ,nile were to the body of the infant ,moses4 ,what can you do to guard your child from dangers in which so many have perished8 ,like ,jochebed1 strong in faith1 make him a little ark of your prayers4 ,and to turn to the brighter side of the subject--if you have to share ,jochebed's fears1 may you not inherit her hopes also8 ,it is no earthly princess1 but the gracious ,saviour ,himself who has raised your child from his low estate1 reversed his doom1 adopted him as ,his own1 and placed him as a little ,christian in your arms1 with the words1 ,take this child away1 and nurse it for ,me1 and ,i will give thee thy wages4 ,the destiny which may await your babe1 is one which is more great1 more glorious1 than your imagination can conceive4 ,can the human mind grasp all that is contained in the titles1 ,member of ,christ1 child of ,god1 inheritor of the kingdom of ,heaven8 ,you are tending an immortal being2 a future seraph may be cradled in your arms6 ,those soft lips1 pressed so closely to your own1 may hereafter utter words that shall influence the destiny of souls through the countless ages of eternity2 to that mind1 which can scarcely yet hold even the sweet assurance of a parent's love1 may be unfolded mysteries into which the angels desire to look4 ,if care and anxiety press on your soul when you think of what your child is--feeble1 helpless1 born to trouble as the sparks fly upward--there is deep rapture in the thought of what that child may be4 ,oh6 ,dedicate him now to his ,god2 ask for him not fame1 power1 or wealth1 not the riches of ,egypt1 but ask for him grace to follow the ,lord fully1 to choose the reproach of ,christ2 ask for him the spirit of humility1 faith1 and love1 which was given to ,jochebed's favoured son4 ,in view of the glorious destiny to which he is called1 as well as of the perils which beset him1 make him a little ark of your prayers4 ,an honoured woman was ,jochebed1 mother of ,moses1 ,aaron1 and ,miriam1 all peculiarly favoured by ,god2 and thrice blessed is every ,christian parent1 whether her offspring live for usefulness below1 or be early taken to bliss above1 who at the last day shall appear with an unbroken family before the ,heavenly ,king6 ,thou whose blood hath redeemed me and mine1 and whose grace has preserved us--lo6 ,here am ,i1 and the children whom ,thou hast given me6 ,illustration ,illustration ,,ix4 ,pharaoh's ,chariot4 ,,it is much more than three thousand years since the mighty wall of waters fell crashing and thundering on ,pharaoh and his host2 since over his chariots and his horsemen swept the huge billows of the sea4 ,we will not1 however1 look on his chariot as drawn from the watery waste1 where it lay perhaps imbedded in coral1 with the dank sea-weeds wrapped around it1 pierced by the ship-worm1 with the finny inhabitants of the deep gliding under the decaying axle1 or over the broken wheel4 ,we will survey ,pharaoh's chariot in all its pomp of colour and gilding2 as it was when the tyrant mounted it to pursue after ,israel1 a chariot meet for one of the mightiest of monarchs1 one of the proudest of men4 ,we will look on it as it was when powerful and fiery horses bore it rapidly onward1 under the guidance of the skilful charioteer1 and armed multitudes followed on its track4 ,what stern and terrible emotions must have darkened the countenance of ,pharaoh as he set his foot on that chariot1 which was to bear him on1 as he deemed1 to his revenge6 ,he was the tyrant from whom the captives were escaping2 the lion from whom his prey had been torn2 the bereaved father whose bitterness of anguish was turned into thirst for vengeance4 ,to ,pharaoh1 every forward bound of his horses1 every revolution of those massive wheels1 seemed to brine him nearer to what he most eagerly desired3 ,the enemy said1 ,i will pursue1 ,i will overtake1 ,i will divide the spoil2 my lust shall be satisfied upon them2 ,i will draw my sword1 my hand shall destroy them6 ,the speed of the royal chariot would appear too slow for the impatience of the monarch within it4 ,and yet to what goal was ,pharaoh so eagerly rushing1 to what was he pressing on with such fiery haste8 ,death and a watery grave6 ,in a few hours he was to be a gasping1 struggling1 dying man in that chariot1 or to be swept out of it like a whirling straw on a cataract by the power of the mighty waves6 ,as was his chariot to ,pharaoh1 so is ambition to those whose all-absorbing object is to advance in the course of worldly distinction4 ,there are many1 not only in the higher but in the lower ranks of life1 whose one great wish and aim might be expressed in the words to get on in the world4 ,rapid advancement is their grand object2 and they are not careful as to what they crush under their chariot wheels4 ,if conscientious scruples come in their way1 they pass over them2 regard for the interests of others cannot stay them in their career2 success is the goal towards which they eagerly drive1 though that success with each individual may take a different shape4 ,with one it may be an empire1 with another a thriving business2 the soldier's highest mark may be a marshal's baton1 while the village girl's dream of distinction is to become one day a lady4 ,with one the chariot of ambition is more richly gilded1 more gorgeously emblazoned1 than with another1 but in some form it is mounted by all who seek worldly advancement in this life as their chief end and goal4 ,doubtless there is something exhilarating in the rapid motion2 the feeling that every turn of the wheel brings the eager aspirant to rank1 or power1 or wealth1 or fame1 nearer to what he desires4 ,this feeling is not confined to hardened sinners like ,pharaoh4 ,the world does not judge ambition severely1 it rather admires the gilded chariot if it bear a man onward to success4 ,but if any one of my readers should be tempted to mount it1 let him first look forward calmly and thoughtfully to that point where1 to all earthly ambition1 it will be said1 hitherto shalt thou come1 but no further4 ,the waters of death lie before us1 high and low2 monarch and slave alike are swallowed up there1 as the waves of the ,red ,sea made no distinction between mighty ,pharaoh and the meanest of his host4 ,what will the proudest earthly success matter to us when once those waters close over us8 ,can storied urn1 or monumental bust1 ,back to its mansion call the fleeting breath8 ,can honour's voice awake the silent dust1 ,or flattery soothe the dull cold ear of death8 ,there is another chariot mentioned in ,scripture1 which affords the most striking contrast to that of ,pharaoh4 ,its circling wheels woke no echoes amongst the rocks1 left no impression upon the sands4 ,it was prepared for a poor and weary man1 whose feet had long trodden a thorny path of trial4 ,i allude to ,elijah's chariot of fire--the noblest car into which a son of ,adam was ever permitted to mount4 ,it came from ,heaven1 and ,heaven was its bourne4 ,in that chariot1 borne above the waters of death1 which might not so much as wet the sole of his foot1 in ,elijah the corruptible assumed incorruption1 and the mortal put on immortality6 ,the subject is a very sublime one1 but the lesson which we may draw from it is practical4 ,if ,pharaoh's chariot be an emblem of ambition1 we may regard ,elijah's as the emblem of a spirit of devotion4 ,it descends from ,heaven2 it is sent by our ,god to bear ,his servants upwards towards ,him4 ,not all the waters of death shall quench or dim its glory1 for it is immortal like ,him who bestowed it4 ,reader1 a choice is before us3 one of these chariots may receive us1 but into whichever we enter1 it must be by turning away from the other4 ,the man whose first aim and desire is to push himself forward in the world1 to press over whatever impediments conscience may place in his way1 though he may possess shining qualities1 cannot be a true disciple of the meek and lowly ,redeemer4 ,while he who has given himself heartily unto ,christ1 in a spirit of earnest devotion1 cannot rest his chief hopes upon any object1 however grand1 of mere earthly ambition4 ,the pride of life is not of the ,father1 but of the world4 ,if any man love the world1 the love of the ,father is not in him4 ,what1 then1 is the direction of our most earnest desires8 ,is it onwards or upwards8 ,is the goal towards which we are pressing below the skies or above them8 ,if the career before a man be but that of self-seeking pride1 however rapid may be his promotion1 however swiftly he may sweep on in the path of distinction1 with the gaze of an admiring or an envying crowd fixed upon him1 every turn of the wheel but brings him nearer to the dark goal of destruction1 where his vain ambition1 like the chariot of ,pharaoh1 must perish with the life of its possessor6 ,illustration ,illustration ,x4 ,the ,tables of ,stone4 ,,broken2 alas6 ,shivered and broken6 ,the gift of the ,most ,high--the tables inscribed with the ,law which was uttered in the thunders of ,sinai1 with the commandments which ,israel had thrice vowed to keep--all broken through the baseness of man6 ,but man is not willing to own this4 ,he has gathered the broken fragments together1 as the shivered pieces of a precious ancient vase were once gathered1 and has placed them together1 fitting bit to bit1 and has fastened them firmly1 as he deems1 with the cement of his own self-righteousness4 ,he believes that there are few particles missing4 ,perhaps1 indeed1 he has not kept the ,fourth ,commandment in all its integrity2 perhaps some fragments are wanting in the ,tenth2 but still1 on the whole1 he believes that he can present fair1 almost faultless1 tables1 on which ,god will look with approval1 and fellow-creatures with applause4 ,when the ,pharisee's eye rested on the tables of the ,commandments--that proud eye detected no flaw--he cried1 ,god1 ,i thank ,thee that ,i am not as other men6 ,when the young ruler was questioned by the ,lord1 he1 too1 marked no breach in the heaven-given ,law3 all these things have ,i kept from my youth up1 was the complacent answer of a conscience at rest4 ,the ,lord ,jesus1 the ,source and ,fountain of ,light1 threw such radiance on the ,law of ,god1 which man had broken1 that the flaws and fractures in it became terribly manifest to every unblinded eye4 ,christ showed that the ,commandment extends to the words of the lip and the thoughts of the heart4 ,how self-righteousness melts under the burning power of that declaration from the ,saviour1 which sums up all the ,commandments in two6 ,thou shalt love the ,lord thy ,god with all thy heart1 and with all thy soul1 and with all thy mind1 and with all thy strength3 this is the ,first ,commandment4 ,and the ,second is like1 namely this1 ,thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself4 ,no one1 but ,him who gave the ,law1 could keep that ,law unbroken6 ,yet still1 even to the present day1 man takes self-righteousness to cement the fragments1 and in his secret soul believes his work to be successful4 ,he regards the ,tables of ,stone as holy2 he knows that they were given by ,god2 and his object1 sometimes secret1 but sometimes even avowed1 is to make of them stepping-stones in the way to ,heaven1 so that he may pass the river of death without fear4 ,he says1 in his heart1 that he has so carefully kept the ,commandments1 that he may safely rest upon them1 and so receive the reward of obedience4 ,but woe to man1 guilty man1 if he trust his safety to that which has been broken again and again1 and which never can be effectually joined together again by human effort4 ,not to his faithfulness in keeping ,god's ,commandments1 can the highest saint look for salvation4 ,he knows that he might as well place his foot on a foam bubble floating on a torrent1 and trust to that bubble to keep him from sinking1 as rest on the broken ,law to save him from being swept away to everlasting destruction4 ,they who have tried most carefully to keep the ,law1 are most ready to own this truth4 ,well does the ,church of ,england make her children's response to each ,commandment a petition for mercy4 ,then at the close of all comes a prayer that ,god would write ,his ,laws in our hearts1 in allusion to ,his own gracious promise3 ,i will put ,my laws into their mind1 and write them in their hearts2 and ,i will be to them a ,god1 and they shall be to ,me a people4 ,when our ,lord sojourned upon earth1 a sinner was brought before ,him who had notoriously broken the ,law4 ,christ appealed to the consciences of her accusers1 and conscience convicted them all of having1 likewise transgressed ,god's ,commandment4 ,twice on that memorable occasion1 ,jesus stooped down1 and with ,his finger wrote upon the ground4 ,no action of the ,lord recorded in ,scripture can be without significance4 ,if we humbly try to penetrate the meaning of this one1 may we not find that the ,lord would remind man1 that though scribe1 ,pharisee1 and those whom they condemned1 had all broken the ,law contained in the ,tables given through ,moses1 yet that ,christ could write that ,law so indelibly in dust and ashes1 with the ,spirit of the living ,god1 not in tables of stone1 but in fleshy tables of the heart1 that it should ever remain there8 ,thus every true believer becomes1 in the forcible language of ,st4 ,paul1 the epistle of ,christ2 the ,law being inscribed therein by the finger of ,god1 not as a ground of acceptance1 but as a token of adoption4 ,and let us never forget that what is written in the heart will assuredly be read in the life2 none will so earnestly endeavour to keep the ,commandments in thought1 and word1 and deed1 as he who has received them in the spirit as well as the letter1 whose obedience is the cheerful heart-service of the man whose transgression is pardoned1 whose sin is covered4 ,illustration ,,xi4 ,the ,high ,priest's ,mitre4 ,a ,,very remarkable scene is brought before us in the history of ,alexander the ,great4 ,during his career of conquest1 he had been offended by the ,jews1 then subject to his enemies the ,persians4 ,unlike the ,samaritans1 who had sent troops to the aid of ,macedon's mighty king1 the ,jews remained faithful to their allegiance to ,darius4 ,alexander1 little accustomed to have his imperious will opposed1 resolved that as soon as he should have conquered ,tyre1 to which he was then laying siege1 he would march against the ,jews1 and let them also feel the weight of his wrath4 ,tyre fell1 merciless slaughter ensued1 the city was given to the flames1 and many of its inhabitants to the sword2 while1 with yet more horrible cruelty1 ,alexander caused two thousand of the miserable ,tyrians to be crucified along the sea-shore6 ,such was the conqueror who was now to march against defenceless ,jerusalem6 ,let me give the account of what followed in the words of ,rollin1 the historian3 ,in this imminent danger1 ,jaddus1 the high priest1 who governed under the ,persians1 seeing himself exposed1 with all the inhabitants1 to the wrath of the conqueror1 had recourse to the protection of the ,almighty1 gave orders for the offering up of public prayers to implore ,his assistance1 and made sacrifices4 ,the night after1 ,god appeared to him in a dream1 and bid him to cause flowers to be scattered up and down the city2 to set open all the gates2 and go1 clothed in his pontifical robes1 and all the priests dressed also in their vestments1 and all the rest clothed in white1 to meet ,alexander1 and not to fear any evil from that king1 inasmuch as ,he would protect them4 ,this command was punctually obeyed2 and1 accordingly1 this grand procession1 the very day after1 marched out of the city to an eminence1 where there was a view of all the plain1 as well as of the temple and city of ,jerusalem4 ,here the high priest and his company awaited the approach of the terrible conqueror surrounded by his victorious bands4 ,the boldest amongst the ,jews might well tremble before the destroyer of ,tyre4 ,but great was the astonishment1 both of the ,macedonians and the ,jews1 at the scene which ensued1 when the victorious monarch met the unarmed and defenceless ,jaddus4 ,alexander was struck by the sight of the high priest1 on whose mitre and forehead a gold plate was fixed1 on which the name of ,god was written4 ,the moment the king perceived the high priest1 he advanced towards him with an air of the most profound respect1 bowed his body1 adored the august ,name upon his front1 and saluted him who wore it with a religious veneration 4 4 4 ,all the spectators were seized with inexpressible surprise2 they could scarcely believe their eyes4 4 4 ,parmenio1 who could not yet recover from his astonishment1 asked the king how it came to pass that he1 who was adored by every one1 adored the high priest of the ,jews4 ',i do not1' replied ,alexander1 'but the ,god whose minister he is2 for whilst ,i was at ,dia in ,macedonia1 my mind wholly fixed on the great design of the ,persian war1 as ,i was revolving the methods how to conquer ,asia1 this very man1 dressed in the same robes1 appeared to me in a dream1 exhorted me to dismiss every fear1 bid me cross the ,hellespont boldly1 and assured me that ,god would march at the head of my army1 and give me the victory over that of the ,persians4' ,alexander having thus answered ,parmenio1 embraced the high priest and all his brethren2 then1 walking in the midst of them1 he arrived at ,jerusalem1 where he offered sacrifices to ,god in the temple1 after the manner prescribed to him by the high priest4 ,let us now see placed before us in the ,scriptures the mitre1 as appointed by ,god ,himself to be worn by the high priest of ,israel3 ,thou shalt make a plate of pure gold1 and grave upon it1 like the engravings of a signet1 ,,holiness ,,to ,,the ,,lord4 ,and thou shalt put it on a blue lace1 that it may be upon the mitre2 upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be4 ,and it shall be upon ,aaron's forehead 4 4 4 ,and they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold1 and wrote upon it a writing1 like to the engravings of a signet1 ,,holiness ,,to ,,the ,,lord4 ,it was before such a mitre as this1 or rather before ,him whose ,name appeared on the mitre1 that the proud head of earth's mightiest conqueror was bowed low in adoration4 ,we know that there was a solemn meaning in the various portions of the high priest's garments1 and the words inscribed on his holy crown leave us in no doubt as to what it symbolized4 ,he who appeared before the ,majesty of ,heaven to plead for ,israel1 and to offer the appointed sacrifices1 must be holy unto the ,lord4 ,yet how often must the weak1 fallible high priest1 have been humbled by the very dignity of his office1 when he contrasted his own infirmity and sin with the spotless purity symbolized by his mitre6 ,with heavy heart must an ,aaron or an ,eli have bound that holy crown on their brows1 when conscious of having fallen under the displeasure of the ,most ,high6 ,when we think of the sacred emblem being proudly worn by a ,caiaphas1 its being polluted by contact with that man of blood1 our ,lord's image of the whited sepulchre rises vividly before us2 how fair1 pure1 holy1 that which was without1 while the dark mind within was festering corruption6 ,there was but one ,high priest who could appear before ,god in innate purity1 holy1 harmless1 undefiled1 separate from sinners4 ,it was ,he who wore on ,his bleeding temples the crown of thorns instead of the mitre2 ,he who had ,,holiness ,,to ,,the ,,lord not borne aloft on ,his brow1 but woven into every action of ,his life4 ,what ,aaron symbolized1 that was the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,before ,him1 arrayed in the majesty of ,his spotless purity1 every knee shall bow1 earth's proudest kings shall fall down and adore ,him4 ,wherefore ,he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto ,god by ,him1 seeing ,he ever liveth to make intercession for them4 ,illustration ,,xii4 ,the ,high ,priest's ,mitre--,continued4 ,,the high priest's mitre affords to us another1 and a very wide field for meditation4 ,under the ,jewish dispensation1 the priesthood was confined to one tribe1 and the sacred crown was worn by one man2 but since the rending of the veil that shrouded the ,holy of ,holies1 all ,christ's servants1 even the lowly woman1 even the feeble child1 become a royal priesthood1 as well as a peculiar people4 ,the crown of life is for those--for all those who love the ,lord ,jesus supremely4 ,the song of the redeemed is a chorus of thanksgiving unto ,him who hath made us kings and priests unto ,god and ,his ,father4 ,surely it is in allusion to the inscription upon ,aaron's mitre that it is written of the blessed in the kingdom of ,christ1 ,his name shall be in their foreheads1 according to ,his own gracious promise1 ,i will write upon him the name of ,my ,god4 ,there is1 even in this world1 a sealing1 a marking of the servants of ,christ1 which conveys an idea both of dignity and of consecration4 ,very remarkable is that passage in ,ezekiel which records the vision granted to the seer of the mysterious ,one whose likeness was as the appearance of fire2 and the six1 each with a slaughter-weapon in his hand1 who signify the ministers of ,god's vengeance3 ,the glory of the ,god of ,israel was gone up from the cherub1 whereupon ,he was1 to the threshold of the house4 ,and ,he called to the man clothed with linen 4 4 4 ,and the ,lord said unto him1 ,go through the midst of the city1 through the midst of ,jerusalem1 and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof4 ,and to the others ,he said 4 4 4 ,go ye after him through the city1 and smite 4 4 4 but come not near any man upon whom is the mark4 ,the ministers of wrath were to spare ,god's people1 marked as those who in the midst of a sinful generation mourned for the general corruption1 and by doing so1 showed that they at least valued and desired holiness unto the ,lord4 ,this inscription1 the sentence graven upon ,aaron's mitre1 is1 then1 what all ,god's servants should wear--it is for them a distinguishing mark4 ,but does this appear to be the case2 is holiness unto the ,lord the visible sign and seal of the ,christian's high calling8 ,there are many who are recognized as active1 honourable1 useful1 zealous servants of ,god1 but how few could we single out as being eminent for holiness6 ,and how1 it may be asked1 can holiness be defined8 ,as that purity of thought and heart which the ,spirit alone can bestow2 that abhorrence of sin which is something far higher than mere abstinence from sin4 ,the man who bears the stamp of holiness1 will detect and grieve over the lightest stain upon conscience2 the coarse allusion1 however witty1 the drunkard's song1 or the scoffer's jest1 will never raise a smile on his lips3 nor are they so likely to be heard in his presence2 for the world1 like ,alexander1 is often constrained to pay homage where holiness is legibly inscribed1 and the silence of one whose habitual walk is with ,god1 impresses more than the open rebuke of a more inconsistent believer4 ,deep reverence for ,god and ,god's ,word is an accompaniment of holiness unto the ,lord2 the heavenly-minded ,christian will not jest with sacred things1 nor lightly use quotations from ,scripture4 ,it is the holy ,christian1 or to use the much abused1 yet most expressive ,scripture term1 the saint1 who earnestly endeavours to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of ,christ4 ,how marvellous is that constant current of thought flowing through every mind1 silently1 secretly1 like a narrow stream between banks so steep that we cannot catch a glimpse of its course1 and can but trace it by the vegetation on either side1 as our usual current of thought is judged of by our words and our actions6 ,how often1 when seated amongst silent companions--as1 for instance1 when travelling with strangers--have we reflected how interesting it would be1 could we gain a glimpse of that stream of thought passing unceasingly through each brain2 could we know whether it sparkles with hope1 or flows deeply and darkly in shadow2 whether it bears along golden grains of holy meditation1 or mere bubbles of folly to break at a touch1 or if the current be fetid and polluted with ideas that the lips would not dare for shame to form into words6 ,could the thoughts of the travellers in one railway-carriage1 during a single hour of silence1 be so photographed as to become visible to all1 how marvellous would appear the difference between those of the worldling and those of the saint2 though1 alas6 the musings of the holiest child of ,adam would be found no pure and untainted stream1 reflecting ,heaven perfectly within its crystal depths4 ,the contrast would be yet more striking were the thoughts thus laid open to view those which had flowed during an hour of public worship4 ,the posture of the body1 the words of the mouth1 might be the same1 but the current of thought would appear as different in individuals1 as the pestilential drainage from a marsh from the clear brooklet bearing health and fertility wherever it flows4 ,it is impossible for us to obtain this glimpse of the stream1 this knowledge of the thoughts in the minds of others1 but have we ever endeavoured to gain it as regards our own8 ,have we tried to retrace the windings of the current for one single hour1 and so enabled ourselves to estimate more correctly whether ,god's grace has in any degree purified the issues of life1 and imparted to our souls some measure of holiness unto the ,lord8 ,is such purity of thought actually requisite for--actually indispensable to a true ,christian8 ,to judge by the standard of the world1 even that which is called the religious world1 we should at once conclude that it is not4 ,the pre-eminently spiritual ,christian stands almost as singular amongst his brethren as did the high priest of ,israel amongst the sons of ,levi4 ,but is not this because ,christians live below their privileges1 so that comparatively few let their light so shine before men that ,god is glorified in ,his saints8 ,let us1 ere we close our meditations on ,aaron's mitre and its inscription1 earnestly1 prayerfully1 revolve the solemn exhortation addressed to the servants of ,christ3 ,follow peace with all men1 and ,,holiness1 without which no man shall see the ,lord4 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xiii4 ,balaam's ,staff4 ,,it is with a sigh that we look on aught that reminds us of ,balaam1 the highly honoured1 the highly gifted--he which heard the words of ,god1 and knew the knowledge of the ,most ,high1 which saw the vision of the ,almighty1 falling into a trance1 but having his eyes open4 ,in ,balaam we behold a mournful example of light without heat1 knowledge without practical wisdom1 the gift of prophecy without that more excellent gift of charity4 ,here is the staff which ,balaam grasped when eagerly setting forth upon his unholy errand1 desiring to curse those whom he knew that his ,god had blessed4 ,what was in the heart of the seer1 when1 with repeated blows from that staff1 he strove to urge forward the reluctant1 frightened ass which he rode8 ,not jealousy for the honour of ,god--not impatience to carry the blessing of religious knowledge to ,moab2 but one absorbing desire for his own advancement--his own profit1 though at the cost of the misery and the ruin of ,god's chosen people6 ,most forcible is the expression used by one of our most talented writers to describe a character utterly selfish1 such as that of ,balaam appears to have been3 ,a selfish man's heart is 'just the size of his coffin2' it has room to contain but himself4 ,a description which presents to us an image not only of narrowness1 but of death4 ,balaam was one whose conduct belied his words4 ,he was as a branch drawn back by main strength1 but as soon as the outward pressure is removed1 returning--springing back into its natural position4 ,fear was to him as a strong force drawing him back from sin1 but only as long as the pressure remained4 ,let me die the death of the righteous1 and let my last end be like his6 ,such was the aspiration on the lips of the prophet2 but thoughts of covetousness1 followed by an act of sin and the shameful death to which it led1 make the history of ,balaam a terrible warning to inconsistent professors of religion throughout all ages4 ,it is1 then1 possible that a man may preach to others1 and yet be himself a cast away2 that he may be admired1 followed1 looked up to as a leader in religion1 and yet have no real life in his faith4 ,he may guide others to wealth1 yet be himself miserably poor6 ,there is an analogy between the fate of such a man and that of ,rose and ,dietz1 two explorers in ,north ,america1 who discovered a creek so rich in gold1 that its treasures have1 for four years in succession1 maintained more than sixteen thousand people1 some of whom have left the country with large fortunes4 99 99 ,the ,north-,west ,passage by ,land1 by ,milton and ,cheadle4 ,surely those whose feet first trod this land of gold--those who led the way where thousands have triumphantly followed1 must have turned their knowledge into boundless wealth1 and have been amongst the richest of mankind6 ,so we might well conjecture1 till we read the record of their fate4 ,dietz returned unsuccessful to ,victoria1 where he was struck down by fever1 and obliged to receive help from charity4 ,the fate of ,rose was sadder still4 ,he disappeared for months2 and his body was found at length by a party of miners in a journey of discovery1 far out on the wilds4 ,on the branch of a tree hard by hung his tin cup1 and scratched upon it with the point of a knife1 was his name and the words1 ',dying of starvation6' ,did visions flit before the eyes of the famishing man of the vast wealth which he had discovered1 but never enjoyed--of thousands feasting on the golden harvest to which he had guided them1 while not a single crumb was his portion to save him from a terrible death6 ,darker must have been the thoughts of ,balaam1 if time for thought was left1 as his life-blood ebbed away where he lay involved in the fate--as he had been in the guilt--of the enemies of the ,lord6 ,to him had been revealed mysterious treasures of knowledge--his eyes had been opened1 his mind enlightened4 ,to him the ,almighty had spoken--to him an angel had appeared--to him had been vouchsafed a prophetic glimpse of the ,star that should come out of ,jacob1 the ,sceptre that should rise out ,of ,israel4 ,if knowledge had power to secure1 or spiritual privileges to save1 ,balaam surely would never have perished4 ,take heed and beware of covetousness4 ,the warning is addressed to all1 but it should come with peculiar force to those who are called on--in however narrow a sphere--to deliver the message of ,god4 ,their lips must not teach one thing1 and their lives another2 they must not guide others to the glorious land1 and themselves wander away to perish4 ,if they stand in a clearer light than most men1 greater is their guilt and their condemnation if they sin against that light4 ,covetousness is a snare into which the enlightened1 the honoured1 the privileged have fallen2 it has ruined a ,balaam amongst the prophets1 a ,judas amongst the apostles4 ,and yet how few dread its power over themselves6 ,to be in haste to grow rich1 is perhaps the leading characteristic of men in this age3 they are impatient of obstacles in their way1 as ,balaam at the stumbling of the beast that he rode2 they see not the opposing angel that stands before them with the warning3 ,they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare1 and into many foolish and hurtful lusts1 which drown men in destruction and perdition4 ,for the love of money is the root of all evil4 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xiv4 ,rahab's ,scarlet ,cord4 ,,no fragile cord this1 the scarlet thread which ,rahab fastened in her window4 ,its firm twist has borne the weight of the two ,israelite spies whom this woman of a doomed race1 strong in faith1 saved from the pursuit of their enemies4 ,it was a moment of deep anxiety when ,rahab led the spies to the casement in the darkness of night1 and ere they descended by that scarlet cord1 earnestly pleaded with them for the family whom she loved4 ,now therefore1 ,i pray you1 swear unto me by the ,lord1 since ,i have shewed you kindness1 that ye will also show kindness unto my father's house1 and give me a true token3 and that ye will save alive my father1 and my mother1 and my brethren1 and my sisters1 and all that they have1 and deliver our lives from death6 ,our life for yours1 answered the men to their brave and generous preserver4 ,behold1 they afterwards said1 when we come into the land1 thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by3 and thou shalt bring thy father1 and thy mother1 and thy brethren1 and all thy father's household1 home unto thee4 ,and it shall be1 that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street1 his blood shall be upon his head1 and we will be guiltless2 and whosoever shall be with thee in the house1 his blood shall be on our head1 if any hand be upon him4 ,they were gone1 those men of ,israel2 ,rahab had faithfully performed the duties of hospitality1 of mercy1 and now she remained awaiting in trembling hope1 the fulfilment of the promise which they had made4 ,there hung the scarlet line from her window over the wall of the doomed city3 on it was now suspended the safety of herself and her household4 ,we picture to ourselves ,rahab watching from that window the miraculous passage of the ,jordan by ,israel's hosts under ,joshua2 the priests descending into the bed of the river1 bearing with them the ,ark of the ,covenant2 and the waters standing on a heap to let the ,lord's people go over dry-shod4 ,she beholds the multitudes of ,israel1--warriors and women1 flocks and herds--streaming across the dry channel of the once rapid river1 a countless1 an irresistible force1 because under the immediate guidance of ,him who is omnipotent4 ,we know what was the effect of the marvellous passage on the minds of the people of ,canaan3 their heart melted1 neither was there spirit in them any more4 ,rahab might tremble like the rest2 but when she looked on that scarlet cord she would yet thank ,god and take courage4 ,those terrible hosts of ,israel came not as enemies to her4 ,then followed the siege of ,jericho1 the city on whose wall stood the dwelling of ,rahab4 ,day after day the woman of ,canaan beheld that mysterious march of the ,israelites round the city4 ,strange and terrible must have appeared the solemn procession which for seven days moved round its walls4 ,first came the seven priests with their trumpets1 preceding the ,ark of ,god4 ,the warriors of ,israel followed in stern silence2 there was no sound of voice from the hosts whose glittering arms were consecrated to the terrible work of executing the sentence passed by a righteous ,god upon ,his guilty creatures4 ,despair would have oppressed the soul of ,rahab1 who knew but too well that ,jericho was given into the hands of its foes1 but for that scarlet line1 the pledge and token of mercy to her and all in her house4 ,the seventh day dawned1 the last that the city of ,jericho--as it then stood--ever should see4 ,seven times the march of the ,israelites encircled the walls4 ,then with what terror must the household1 gathered together in the dwelling on the wall1 have heard the blast of the trumpet1 followed by that thundering shout before which crashing fell bulwark and battlement--all ,jericho's pride and strength6 ,fearful sounds succeeded2 slaughter was raging in the streets2 the swords of ,israel were bathed in blood6 ,rahab and her family could not but have experienced emotions of pity and horror1 as shuddering they listened to those sounds2 but they needed to have no feelings of personal fear3 that scarlet cord was to them a surer defence than strongest bulwark or loftiest tower2 a surer defence than a phalanx of spears bristling around them4 ,there was no danger to ,rahab from falling wall or from enemy's sword2 there was no stain on her threshold1 no dying cry in her home4 ,by faith1 she perished not with them that believed not4 ,she lived to be a mother in ,israel1 by adoption one of the people of ,god1 if1 as is supposed1 it was this ,rahab who became the wife of ,salmon1 and the mother of ,boaz of ,bethlehem1 and thus an ancestress of the blessed ,saviour ,himself4 ,we naturally suppose that the scarlet cord would be preserved as an heirloom in the family at ,bethlehem2 that the gentle ,ruth1 herself a daughter of ,abraham by adoption1 looked with peculiar interest upon this relic of her husband's ,gentile mother2 and that young ,david often gazed with reverential awe on this memorial kept in his father's home of her who1 in faith1 preserved the ,israelitish spies4 ,we can scarcely conceive that such a family relic as this would lightly be cast away4 ,there is much that reminds us of ,christ's ,church1 in the position of the pale1 anxious woman of ,jericho1 watching from her casement the ,israelites encircling the city doomed to destruction1 she herself secure in a promise1 saved by faith1 reserved for blessedness and honour4 ,a thousand years with the ,lord is but as a day1 and for nearly six such periods has the silent1 solemn march of events1 brought nearer the grand consummation before us4 ,the ,church knows that the day of the ,lord will come as a thief in the night2 in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise1 and the elements shall melt with fervent heat1 the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up4 ,she is listening with trembling expectation for the sound of the shout1 and the voice of the archangel1 and the trump of ,god1 when the earth shall reel to and fro1 and the mountains shall shake1 and the mighty cities shall fall6 ,she has nothing to fear in that day3 the blood of ,christ is her salvation--the angel of destruction will see the token of living faith1 and touch not the redeemed of the ,lord4 ,yes1 faith in ,christ is our scarlet cord1 and there are two lessons which we may learn from the type4 ,rahab's cord was not left in her dwelling a useless coil2 it was employed in ,god's service1 and it was shown forth in sight of the world4 ,what would the mere possession of a scarlet line have availed to ,rahab1 if she had not used it in doing ,god's work8 ,was not ,rahab justified by works1 when she had received the messengers1 and had sent them out another way8 ,nor was her scarlet cord hidden from men2 it hung from her window over the wall4 ,so should the ,christian's profession of faith be open3 he should not only believe in ,christ1 but serve ,him--not only serve ,him1 but confess ,him4 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xv4 ,gideon's ,ephod4 ,,we doubt whether the high priest of ,israel1 in all the glory of his festival robes1 wore so costly an ephod as this4 ,his was1 indeed1 to be of gold and blue and scarlet and fine twisted linen2 gold beaten into plates and cut into wires1 with engraved jewels in ouches of gold to rest on the shoulder-pieces1 very fair to the eye4 ,but a heavier mass of magnificence is before us than even the consecrated garment of ,aaron appears to have been2 a marvellous weight of gold1 such as a ,crsus or a ,darius might have worn to dazzle the eyes of their subjects4 ,had we asked one of the men of ,ophrah in the days of ,gideon concerning this gorgeous ephod1 his answer might have been something like this3 ,behold a nation's offering of gratitude to the hero who burst the bonds of ,midian1 and made ,israel to triumph over their oppressors6 ,gideon1 the favoured of ,heaven1 the honoured of men6 ,he to whom signs and miracles have been vouchsafed2 he whose faith hath made him the deliverer of a nation1 yet who hath refused to become its king2--,gideon formed this ephod4 ',i would desire a request of you1' said our hero to his warriors3 ',that ye would give me every man the ear-rings of his prey4' ,and the warriors made reply3 ',we will willingly give them4' ,a garment was spread to receive this tribute of gratitude to our chief1 and thereon was cast mighty store of jewels and gold1 and the purple raiment that had been upon the necks of the kings of ,midian4 ,then made ,gideon this ephod from the spoils of the conquered foe4 ,those who look upon it shall hold his triumph in remembrance2 it shall be as a monument to his honour1 worthy of him whose valour hath won it4 ,such might have been the reply of one of the followers of ,gideon1 dazzled with the glory of his leader4 ,very different appears the ephod of gold in the light thrown on it by this brief sentence from ,scripture3 ,which thing became a snare unto ,gideon1 and to his house4 ,it is difficult1 at this distance of time1 to know exactly the motive of ,gideon in making the ephod1 or in what way it became a cause of sin4 ,it has been suggested that it was a symbol of ,levitical worship set up by ,gideon at ,ophrah1 which drew away the people from ,shiloh1 the appointed holy place1 where the high priest abode in charge of the ark of ,god4 ,whether it were this irregularity1 or whether a race prone to idolatry actually worshipped the ephod1 has not been clearly made known4 ,we are simply told that the ephod was a snare4 ,the hundreds of shekels of gold1 the purple raiment and jewels1 were no real blessing to ,gideon2 he was less safe when he had become the idol of a nation1 than when employed in threshing corn beside the wine-press to hide it from ,midianite oppressors4 ,popularity1 however honourably won1 is too apt to become1 to fallen man1 like the ephod of ,gideon2 the garment of glory is often a snare4 ,if it led astray a man of character so pious1 so noble1 so disinterested as ,gideon1 how much need have all ,god's servants1 when placed in a position of distinction1 to take to themselves the warning1 ,let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall4 ,those who have earned for themselves an honoured name in what is called the religious world1 are in a situation of peculiar danger4 ,the popular preacher1 the eloquent author1 the active philanthropist1 may1 like ,gideon1 find a snare even in their nobly won honours4 ,howard shrank from the idea of a statue being raised to him2 he was not a man to form jewels into an ephod1 he would pour them all into the treasury of the ,lord2 but in most cases celebrity and distinction are very intoxicating to human nature1 even when that nature has been renewed by grace4 ,to be listened to as an oracle1 and appealed to as a judge2 to be welcomed in high circles1 flattered by the gifted and followed by the good1 is fraught with peril2 all the more real because it is not of a nature to startle conscience1 but rather to soothe it to sleep4 ,those of whom all pious men think well1 are naturally tempted also to think well of themselves4 ,it is desirable for such to keep before their eyes the golden ephod2 which thing became a snare unto ,gideon4 ,even in the comparatively narrow sphere of home there is some danger to him who is the idol of the family1 the pope in the dwelling1 to him whose will is law to those who love him1 and in whose conduct partial eyes can see nothing that is wrong4 ,love has its own sweet flattery1 and he who is constantly exposed to its influence1 without the wholesome antidote of the contradiction and opposition to be met with in the world1 may seriously suffer from its effects4 ,in the peaceful seclusion of private life1 in a pious home from which temptation might appear to be almost shut out1 there may be need to remember the golden ephod2 which thing became a snare unto ,gideon4 ,and in the inmost recesses of the heart lurks peril4 ,when a ,christian has long maintained1 through ,god's grace1 a successful struggle against the world1 the flesh1 and the devil2 when the spiritual hero has resisted outward temptations and overcome inward corruptions1 and is conscious that1 like ,gideon1 he has triumphed nobly through faith1--then let him stand on his guard4 ,how strong must be the temptation to form the ephod out of spiritual trophies1 when even ,st4 ,paul needed a thorn in the flesh to preserve him from being exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations vouchsafed him6 ,christian1 in ,bunyan's allegory1 fought bravely in the valley1 but slept in the arbour on the hill4 ,gideon gloriously triumphed in time of war1 but in time of peace made the ephod1 which became unto him a snare4 ,the ,christian's motto1 in the days of spiritual prosperity as well as the dark days of trouble1 should be3 ,god forbid that ,i should glory1 save in the cross of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xvi4 ,the ,jawbone of an ,ass4 ,a ,,greater contrast could scarcely be found than that presented to view between the last object of our contemplation and this4 ,the golden ephod is gorgeous and fair2 here we look on an unsightly bone1 a relic of the despised animal that crops the thistle1 bears the burden and the blow4 ,the jackals might reject it1 the passenger's foot kick it aside4 ,it has in itself no beauty1 no dignity1 no value2 and but for finding it carefully preserved in ,scripture1 we would not pause to give it a thought4 ,the practical lesson suggested by this bone contrasts well with that drawn from the ephod3 if the latter showed us the weakness of human nature even in the noblest of men1 the former teaches us what ,god can make of the most common--most humble instrument4 ,through ,him1 the jawbone of an ass became a more terrible weapon than the keenest steel had ever been in the hand of the strongest man4 ,samson1 after the victory which he had won single-handed1 exclaimed3 ,with the jawbone of an ass1 heaps upon heaps1 with the jaw of an ass have ,i slain a thousand men6 ,and then1 as if even he despised the instrument which he had used1 when he had made an end of speaking1 he cast the jawbone away4 ,but that which man threw aside1 ,god had chosen for peculiar honour4 ,samson was to feel his own weakness in the midst of his strength4 ,he who had slain a thousand found himself ready to perish for lack of a draught of water4 ,the proud boast of ,samson was soon followed by humble prayer3 ,thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of ,thy servant3 and now shall ,i die for thirst1 and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised8 ,god heard the cry1 and answered it by a miracle4 ,the dead bone became a spring of living refreshment3 ,god clave an hollow place that was in the jaw1 and there came water thereout4 ,once more the despised thing was eagerly raised by the hand of the mighty ,samson4 ,when he had drunk1 his spirit came again1 and he revived3 wherefore he called the name thereof ,enhakkore1 which is1 ,the well of him that cried4 ,the wonders accomplished by means of this jawbone illustrate the declaration of ,st4 ,paul1 which proud man is so slow to receive3 ,god hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise2 and ,god hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty2 and base things of the world1 and things which are despised1 hath ,god chosen4 ,there is encouragement to the lowliest in these words1 and they may also serve as a rebuke to those who act in the spirit of the man in the parable1 who1 possessing but one talent1 hid it2 that hopeless1 apathetic1 listless spirit1 which those who foster it are too apt to mistake for humility of soul4 ,we have seen the danger of self-exaltation1 but there is a danger on the opposite side2 there is a cowardly shrinking from performance of duty from a sense of our own deficiencies4 ,even ,moses fell into this error3 ,i am slow of speech1 and of a slow tongue1 cried he1 seeking an excuse for not undertaking the mission on which ,god would send him4 ,and the ,lord said unto him1 ,who hath made man's mouth8 or who maketh the dumb1 or deaf1 or the seeing1 or the blind8 have not ,i the ,lord8 ,and when ,moses persisted in declining the office of which he felt himself to be unworthy1 the anger of the ,lord was kindled4 ,for whatever work ,god gives ,his people to do1 ,he will provide them with an instrument4 ,there are those who say in their hearts1 ,had ,i but wealth1 how largely would ,i give6 ,how much good would ,i do6 or1 ,had ,i but strength1 how actively would ,i engage in the work of the ,lord6 ,had ,samson been like these1 he might have exclaimed1 ,oh1 had ,i but a sword in my hand1 ,i would put these ,philistines to flight6 ,but ,samson uttered no such idle exclamation2 he caught up the nearest weapon at hand2 he used what he found1 though it was but an ass's jawbone1 and ,god made it effectual to put to flight the army of the aliens4 ,so the imprisoned ,bunyan did not sit down in his prison despairing1 murmuring forth1 ,had ,i but 'liberty1' ,i would declare ,god's truth2 nor1 in our own times1 ,moon 99 exclaim1 ,had ,i but 'sight1' ,i would be useful in my generation4 ,no1 the imprisoned and the blind both worked with brave1 hopeful resolution2 and both have been enabled to do more for ,god's glory and the welfare of mankind than have tens of thousands of ,christians possessing the advantages lacked by these servants of ,god4 99 ,this blind man has given portions of the ,scriptures in embossed letters to those afflicted like himself in fifty-six languages6 ,hope is classed by ,st4 ,paul with faith and charity3 it is closely connected with both4 ,christian ,hope1 born of ,faith in the truth1 the power1 and the mercy of ,god1 gives energy to ,charity in all her active labours of love4 ,our ,lord can make a weak instrument strong1 a worthless instrument effectual2 ,he could bless even 'that'6 whispers ,hope1 as she points to the jawbone so mighty in the hand of ,faith4 ,and thus still may the weary worker1 disheartened by difficulties1 faint1 yet pursuing1 drink in refreshment1 and gain vigour for new efforts1 like ,samson1 from the bone of an ass4 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xvii4 ,ruth's ,barley-ears4 ,,meekly stooped ,ruth to gather up these scattered grains of the golden harvest which the servants of ,boaz1 the mighty man of wealth1 were bearing home to his garners4 ,but not the gleanings alone1 but the fulness of the harvest also was to be ,ruth's1 by her union with the lord of the land2 the fields in which the young widow in loneliness toiled1 were to become the possession of the bride4 ,blessed are the neck1 for they shall inherit the earth4 ,this is a peculiar promise1 made to the lowly1 of whom ,ruth1 bending down to glean in the barley-field1 may be regarded as a type4 ,in what especial manner that promise is to be fulfilled in a future state we know not1 but it is an interesting subject for our musings to consider how the meek are now gleaning1 as it were1 some ears of the rich harvest of which the full enjoyment will one day be their own4 ,it is the more needful for us to turn our thoughts to this subject1 from meekness being little valued on ,earth1 though highly esteemed in ,heaven4 ,men are apt to class it with a cringing1 cowardly spirit2 forgetting that ,moses1 who faced boldly both the wrath of the tyrant and the fury of the people1 firm and lofty in soul as he was1 is yet called the meekest of men4 ,but in what way do the meek1 like ,ruth1 now glean the first ears of a plenteous harvest reserved for their possession hereafter8 ,in the first place1 by that contentment which is proverbially better than riches1 the tranquil enjoyment of what ,god has bestowed instead of the misery caused by cankering envy and restless ambition4 ,while the covetous man cannot be said to enjoy anything which he does not himself actually possess1 and looks with pain rather than pleasure on the rich beauties of property not his own1 the meek already inherit the earth by the right of the eye4 ,the delight afforded to the ,christian by the fair landscape spreading before him1 has been well described by ,cowper3-- ,he looks abroad into the varied field ,of ,nature1 and though poor1 perhaps1 compared ,with those whose mansions glitter in his sight1 ,calls the delightful scenery all his own4 ,his are the mountains1 and the valleys his1 ,and the resplendent rivers2 his to enjoy ,with a propriety which none can feel ,but who1 with filial confidence inspired1 ,can lift to ,heaven an unpresumptuous eye1 ,and smiling say1 ',my ,father made them all4' ,secondly1 there is a special promise of the gift of wisdom to the humble3 ,the meek will ,he guide in judgment3 and the meek will ,he teach ,his way4 ,this wisdom1 which is from above1 is shown in various ways1 by those whose powers of mind are otherwise very limited1 as well as by the highly intellectual ,christian4 ,those taught of ,god's ,spirit have the wisdom to set a right value on the things of eternity as compared with the things of time2 to choose the good and refuse the evil1 to prefer what is perfect and imperishable to the glittering baubles of earth4 ,this is higher1 more sublime1 wisdom than any mere intellectual training can bestow4 ,and the wisdom of the meek is constantly shown in their way of receiving rebuke from a fellow-creature1 or chastening from the ,most ,high4 ,the word of counsel or of reproof which only stirs up anger in the breast of the proud1 is often of the utmost service to the meek3 ,he that heareth reproof getteth understanding4 ,a reproof entereth more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool4 ,the chastenings of ,god likewise1 under which the proud spirit rebels1 become blessings indeed when received with that meekness of wisdom which can say1 ,it is the ,lord2 let ,him do what seemeth ,him good2 ,his will1 not my will1 be done4 ,surely such a spirit of true wisdom is a most precious earnest of that spirit of perfect wisdom which will be the portion of the blessed6 ,thirdly1 the meek have peace2 not perfect1 indeed1 but as it were gleanings1 of the heavenly harvest3 ,the meek shall inherit the earth2 and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace4 ,theirs is the soft answer which turneth away wrath2 only by pride cometh contention4 ,the meek overcome evil with good1 and so show themselves followers of ,him whose title is ,,prince ,,of ,,peace4 ,and lastly1 it is in the hearts of the lowly that the ,lord deigns to make ,his abode3 ,for thus saith the high and lofty ,one that inhabiteth eternity1 whose name is ,holy2 ,i dwell in the high and holy place1 with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit1 to revive the spirit of the humble1 and to revive the heart of the contrite ones4 ,surely contentment1 wisdom1 peace1 and a sweet sense of the ,saviour's presence1 are rich golden grains gleaned here of that harvest of light which has been sown for the children of light1 which they will enjoy in perfection when the ,church1 the ,heavenly ,bride1 is raised from grace to glory6 ,only gleanings1 indeed1 yet precious gleanings1 and to be gathered by those who are ready1 like ,ruth1 to stoop1 to labour1 and to endure4 ,the foot of ,pride crushes these golden grains2 ,humility bends down1 grasps them by faith1 and carries them home in her bosom4 ,learn of ,he1 for ,i am meek and lowly1 said the ,lord of the harvest2 and it is for the meek and lowly that the treasures of the harvest are laid up above4 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xviii4 ,job's ,sackcloth4 ,,what an aching1 what a bursting heart throbbed under this1 the garment of sorrow chosen by him who could once say1 in the sincerity of his soul1 ,i put on righteousness1 and it clothed me3 my judgment was as a robe and a diadem4 ,to the history of ,job1 ,god's afflicted people have constantly turned in their hours of anguish4 ,this sackcloth has1 as it were1 helped to dry up the tears of thousands2 for who can say1 ,my sorrows have been greater than those of ,job6 ,whose have equalled his--and yet the ,lord loved him through all1 and out of all delivered him4 ,so great was the variety of the afflictions of ,job1 that under almost any burden that presses down the spirit1 we can look to ,job in his sackcloth and say1 ,he also was crushed by the weight of this cross4 ,is poverty our trial1 and poverty rendered more painful by contrast with former prosperity8 ,on ,job it came with fearful suddenness1 like successive shocks of an earthquake4 ,he had been a wealthy man4 ,he had multitudes of camels and oxen2 the valleys were whitened with the thousands of his sheep4 ,all his property was swept away from him1 he was left poor and bare upon earth4 ,yet could the ruined man meekly say1-- ,the ,lord gave1 and the ,lord hath taken away2 blessed be the name of the ,lord6 ,or are we weeping sorely for the loss of one who was to our eyes as the sunshine2 are we in bitterness of soul because some sweet voice is silenced in our home1 and there is a blank left in our aching hearts which we feel that time can never fill up8 ,job lost all his children at once6 ,those whose successive births had given him fresh joy1 new precious ties to earth2 those who had sported round him in childhood1 and in youth received his counsels2 those in whose happiness he had been happy2--all reft from him by one stroke6 ,not one left to soothe his anguish by sharing it6 ,is it not a marvel that reason endured it1 that the patriarch's heart did not break indeed8 ,but we may lose those whom we have loved by a separation far worse than that caused by death4 ,this was a cross which almost crushed the spirit of ,job3 ,my friends scorn me3 my kinsfolk have failed1 and my familiar friends have forgotten me4 ,my breath is strange to my wife1 though ,i intreated for the children's sake4 ,all my inward friends abhorred me3 and they whom ,i loved are turned against me6 ,where is the burden of family trial endured by a ,christian now that can weigh in the balance against such a mountain of sorrow as this8 ,is our cross that of sickness and pain8 ,we behold ,job suffering all the tortures which the malice of a fiend could inflict1 stretched on the rack of most acute suffering1 and that for no brief space of time3 ,i am made to possess months of vanity1 and wearisome nights are appointed to me4 ,when ,i lie down1 ,i say1 ,when shall ,i arise1 and the night be gone8 and ,i am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day4 ,my skin is black upon me1 and my bones are burned with heat4 ,nor were ,job's sufferings those of the body alone3 his was the wounded spirit1 the tormented mind1 oppressed with fear1 with temptation1 and with mysterious terrors3 ,thou scarest me with dreams1 and terrifiest me through visions3 so that my soul chooseth strangling1 and death rather than my life4 ,i loathe it2 ,i would not live alway6 ,the arrows of the ,almighty are within me1 the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit3 the terrors of ,god do set themselves in array against me4 ,wherefore is light given to him that is in misery1 and life unto the bitter in soul2 which long for death1 but it cometh not8 ,truly the spirit of ,job1 as well as his tortured body1 was clothed in the sackcloth of mourning6 ,the question naturally arises1 ,why was so good a man as ,job thus overwhelmed with affliction2 almost1 as it would seem1 abandoned for a while to the malice of the ,enemy8 ,god had ,himself said of ,job1 ',there is none like him on the earth1 a perfect and an upright man4' ,it cannot be that ,job was thus chastened only to show forth his patience in the sight of men and devils2 great as was that patience1 we know that it wavered in the trial4 ,nor do we suppose that ,job's miseries were permitted only that he might be thoroughly humbled before ,god2 still less that he suffered only that his history might be for the lasting instruction of the ,church4 ,all these advantages1 indeed1 followed2 but the more we reflect on the subject1 the more clearly we see that some great1 personal1 and lasting benefit must have accrued to ,job from every pang that he endured4 ,there was a proportion between his anguish and his subsequent joy4 ,it is delicate ground on which we now enter3 it would be a perilous error to hold that sorrow of itself sanctifies2 that because a man suffers much here1 he must necessarily rejoice hereafter4 ,so is it a perilous error to hold that any good works of men's doing can ever earn ,heaven4 ,but how clearly and forcibly the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,arnot places before us the blessed effects of good works1 not as a means of salvation1 but as a precious evidence of grace6 ,as ciphers added one by one in an endless row to the 'left' hand of an unit are of no value1 but on the 'right' hand rapidly multiply in power2 so1 although good works are of no avail to make a ,christian1 yet a ,christian's good works are both pleasing to ,god and profitable to men4 ,so may it be with the sufferings which saints are called to endure--not self-inflicted pangs1 but trials appointed by ,god4 ,numerous passages in ,holy ,writ lead us to such a conclusion3 ,our light affliction1 which is but for a moment1 worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory4 ,yes2 there is a mystery in suffering which we do not fully understand1 nor perhaps ever will1 until suffering is exchanged for bliss everlasting4 ,preeminence in pain appears to be connected with preeminence in glory4 ,what was the answer of our ,lord to those who asked for the highest places in ,heaven8 ,ye know not what ye ask4 ,can ye drink of the cup that ,i drink of8 ,we cannot fathom the depth of meaning contained in the words that even ,he1 the ,captain of our salvation1 was made perfect through suffering1 but we know that the cup which ,he drained was one of unutterable woe4 ,the very description of the saints in bliss seems to be the fulfilment of the blessing on them that mourn3 ,these are they which came out of great tribulation4 ,to them ,god hath appointed beauty for ashes1 the oil of joy for mourning1 the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness4 ,the fearful afflictions of ,job remind us of the saying1 that ,god1 like a human general1 gives ,his best soldiers the most difficult post1 places them under the hottest fire4 ,there is a striking passage in the ,book of ,proverbs1 which1 it has been observed1 makes a distinction between two metals1 both precious1 but one of nobler nature than the other3 ,the fining pot is for silver1 and the furnace for gold4 ,both are exposed to the heat of tribulation1 but the furnace-glow1 the hottest trial1 is that which the gold undergoes4 ,if it be indeed thus1 how should long-continued prosperity exercise our humility as well as our gratitude6 ,what the world regards as proofs of ,god's favour1 may be rather signs of ,his indulgence for the weakness of ,his feebler saints6 ,he keeps on easy garrison-duty those whose faith is not yet equal to the greater hardships and perils1 to be followed by the greater glories1 of the battlefield of life4 ,what a high post of honour was assigned by ,him to the veteran ,job6 ,we look upon his sackcloth as the warrior's uniform covered with decorations by the ,king of kings6 ,this view of the secret connection1 in the case of the redeemed1 between present pain and future pleasure1 the evil things here1 and the good things hereafter1 throws some light on the otherwise almost inexplicable mystery of the sufferings of idiots and of infants4 ,these sufferings can neither be chastenings for wilful sin nor exercises of patience1 yet they are permitted by a ,god of love who doth not afflict willingly4 ,how solacing to the affection1 how strengthening to the faith of parents witnessing the pangs of the innocent1 to feel that1 in some way that we understand not1 ,god makes the seed sown in tears rise into the harvest of joy2 that not one cry of pain from a baby's lips is uttered in vain6 ,thus we may believe1 dear afflicted brethren1 that ye have indeed cause to rejoice in tribulation2 that poverty1 bereavement1 depression1 pain1 through ,him who led the way on the path of suffering1 will all be found to enhance the joy and the glory of ,heaven4 ,perhaps the depth of the pit of woe may bear some proportion to the height of the monument to ,god's love1 for which its very mire and clay will furnish materials in a future state of bliss4 ,therefore sorrow not as those without hope2 nay1 let your hope become brighter through your very sorrow1 like the rainbow on the cataract which owes its beauty to the waters which seem in their furious washings to seek to sweep it away4 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xix4 ,dagon's ,stump4 ,,conquerors are wont to hang up trophies of victories1 the arms the standards won from the enemy2 it is as such a trophy that this mutilated1 unsightly idol1 or rather fragment of an idol1 is preserved in the ,scripture collection1 a witness to the power of the ,god of salvation1 by whom at length all idols shall be utterly abolished1 when the knowledge of the ,lord shall cover the earth1 as the waters cover the sea4 ,the ,philistines had won a great victory at ,ebenezer2 their foes had fled before them3 there had been a very great slaughter2 thirty thousand of the warriors of ,israel had fallen on that fatal day1 and a terrible wail of woe had risen from the dwellings of ,shiloh4 ,the rejoicings of the victors were the more exultant from the fears which had beset them before the fight began4 ,the worshippers of ,dagon had a dread of the power of the ,god of the ,hebrews4 ,the ,ark of the ,covenant had1 before the battle1 been brought into the camp of ,israel1 and had been welcomed there as a pledge of certain victory4 ,all ,israel had shouted with a great shout1 so that the earth rang again2 and the sound of that exulting cheer had reached the camp of the ,philistines1 and spread there a feeling of foreboding and alarm4 ,the ,philistines had been afraid1 and they had said1 ,god is come into the camp6 ,woe unto us6 for there hath not been such a thing heretofore4 ,woe unto us6 who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty ,gods8 ,be strong1 and quit yourselves like men1 ,o ye ,philistines1 that ye be not servants unto the ,hebrews1 as they have been to you3 quit yourselves like men1 and fight6 ,thus with something like the courage of despair had the ,philistines entered on the conflict4 ,victory seems to have taken them by surprise1 and the more unexpected1 the more welcome must it have been4 ,glorious tidings were borne to ,askelon1 loud were the rejoicings in ,gath2 ,israel had been signally defeated1 the ,ark of the ,lord had been taken1 the ,hebrew priests had fallen while vainly defending it4 ,there was wild exultation in ,england after a ,cressy1 or an ,agincourt1 but there was an element in the triumph of the ,philistines which was wanting to swell the joy of our ancestors2 the victory of ,ebenezer was not merely success in a hard-fought battle between rival hosts or races--it was deemed the triumph of ,dagon1 the fish-god1 over the ,god of ,israel4 ,it was into the temple of ,dagon that the ,ark of the ,covenant was exultingly brought1 the noblest trophy of victory1 a token of the conquering might of him whom the ,philistines worshipped4 ,but ,god then1 as ever1 over-ruled the brief triumph of ,his enemies to ,his own glory4 ,when the priests of ,ashdod arose early in the morning1 to their horror they beheld their idol prostrate on the earth before the ,ark of the ,lord4 ,surely this might have proved to them the folly of bowing down to that which had fallen before the symbol of ,god's presence4 ,but the evident helplessness of ,dagon seems to have made no change in the infatuation of his priests4 ,they set him in his place again2 he was still the god of the ,philistines6 ,yet more signally was the worthlessness of the idol to be proved in the sight of his priests4 ,when they arose early on the morrow1 behold1 ,dagon was fallen on his face to the ground before the ,ark of the ,lord2 and the head of ,dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold2 only the stump 7or fishy part7 of ,dagon was left4 ,here was evidence calculated to convince even the most superstitious of the folly of idolatry4 ,the head--the supposed seat of knowledge and wisdom--was wanting2 the hands--the emblems of power--were broken off4 ,dagon had evidently no means of helping either himself or his worshippers4 ,might we not have expected that conviction of the absurdity of adoring such an image would have flashed across the minds of the priests and people of ,ashdod2 that the temple would have rung with the shout1 ,the ,lord1 ,he is ,god6 the ,lord1 ,he is ,god6 ,nay2 the idol was broken indeed1 but the stump remained to be venerated still6 ,the very threshold on which it had lain prostrate was for its sake treated with respect4 ,the miserable relic of superstition was still spoken of as ,dagon our god6 ,such infatuation might well surprise us1 did we not so frequently see its counterpart now4 ,the human heart still sets up its idol2 the young1 full of hope and joy like the ,philistines after their victory1 pay homage to the world1 and expect from it those pleasures and delights which it is ever promising to bestow4 ,dagon has a lofty shrine1 and many bow down before it4 ,then comes some providential dispensation of sorrow1 that opens the eyes to the fact that the world and the things of the world have no power to secure our peace4 ,have we not known such a moment1 when ,dagon is seen prostrate on earth1 and we feel that he is indeed but an idol8 ,happy for us if the knowledge make us turn to ,one who is over all1 ,god exalted for ever6 ,but it is not always that sorrow and disappointment wean the soul from the world4 ,we too often find ,dagon set up again on his shrine1 and as ardently worshipped as ever4 ,yes1 even the gray-headed1 the weary-hearted1 who from repeated trials know the hollowness of the world and its sinful pleasures--who have1 as it were1 but the stump of the idol left--too often1 even to the last1 fondly worship that stump6 ,the dreary lament may be heard1-- ,my days are in the yellow leaf-- ,the flower1 the fruit of love are gone2 ,the worm1 the canker1 and the grief ,remain alone6 99 ,without one sigh of true penitence1 one upward look towards ,him who can give rest to the heavy-laden4 99 ,byron4 ,our last subject of thought was sanctified sorrow1 that sorrow which must be succeeded by joy as-- ,morning is ever the daughter of ,night2 but it is well to remember that there is also a sorrow of the world1 that worketh death4 ,if ,god throw down our idols1 it is not that we should raise them again and adore them all broken and mutilated as they may be4 ,tupper4 ,rather be ours the prayer of the ,christian poet3-- ,the dearest idol ,i have known1 ,whate'er that idol be1 ,help me to tear it from ,thy throne1 ,and worship only ,thee6 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xx4 ,saul's ,spear4 ,,repeatedly do we read in the ,bible of the javelin or spear of ,king ,saul3 it is1 of course1 impossible for us to know whether it is the same identical weapon that is mentioned on each occasion2 we may1 however1 take this for granted1 as the mental eye rests upon this ancient weapon1 once grasped in the hand of ,israel's first monarch1 the unhappy ,saul4 ,on three occasions that iron barb would have been stained with innocent blood1 had not the king in his blind fury missed his aim4 ,as ,david1 the hero-minstrel1 sat playing before the king1 the evil spirit came upon ,saul1 and1 in a sudden paroxysm of jealous hatred1 he attempted to smite ,david to the wall4 ,but the intended victim evaded the blow1 and escaped from the fury of the king4 ,after this proof of the malice and hatred of ,saul1 it is a sign of the trustfulness of ,david's character that we find him again attempting to soothe with music the deep melancholy of the king4 ,once more ,david narrowly escaped with his life from the javelin1 which1 aimed at his body1 struck the wall by which he had been placed4 ,many events had occurred between ,saul's two attempts upon the life of ,david4 ,the son of ,jesse had distinguished himself in fight against the ,philistines2 he had won the hand1 as he had gained the affections of ,michal1 daughter of the king2 ,jonathan had by his influence induced ,saul to swear that ,david's life should be safe in his hands2 yet that javelin was again raised by the furious tyrant against his faithful subject1 the beloved husband of his child4 ,once more that weapon was hurled by the king1 and with yet more unnatural cruelty1 this time against his own son1 the noble ,jonathan1 whose crime in the eyes of his father was fidelity to his friend4 ,never had ,saul more cause to thank ,god for undeserved mercy than when he received back that javelin unstained1 not wrenched from the corpse of a murdered son4 ,it was as though the weapon refused to be the instrument of unnatural crime4 ,the last occasion on which we hear of the spear of ,saul is one of singular interest4 ,before us rises the hill of ,hachilah1 with the dark shroud of night around it1 where ,saul the king and his chosen thousands lie stretched in deepest sleep4 ,the spear of the slumbering monarch is stuck into the ground close to his pillow4 ,we almost wonder that ,saul with a conscience so stained by guilt1 he being at the time actually engaged in an attempt to hunt ,david to the death1 can sleep so soundly4 ,he does not see the forms that have approached the spot where he lies1 he does not hear the sound of their footsteps nor the stern whisper of ,abishai1 who stands with ,david beside him1 ,god hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day3 now therefore let me smite him1 ,i pray thee1 with the spear even to the earth at once1 and ,i will not smite him the second time4 ,saul's weapon may now be grasped by a hand that will not miss its aim1 and be wielded with a deadly force that shall make no second blow needful4 ,surely the hour of vengeance is come6 ,it is but just retribution that he who has thrice attempted murder with a javelin should by a javelin be smitten to the earth4 ,so human nature might reason1 so human resentment would urge2 yet ,david spares his enemy and reverences his king4 ,the ,lord forbid that ,i should stretch forth mine hand against the ,lord's anointed6 ,david only takes the spear and the cruse of water from the bolster of the king1 and bears them away as tokens that his foe has been in his power1 but that he has abstained from injuring one who has inflicted the most deadly wrongs upon him4 ,as forgiveness is one of the most difficult of all graces to exercise1 and yet is indispensable to the ,christian1 it is well for us all1 as in the sight of ,god1 to search and try our hearts as regards our feelings towards those who have offered us injury or insult4 ,we may take it for granted that no real ,christian will deliberately seek revenge1 and that there are few who habitually use the petition1 forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us1 who will actually refuse pardon if entreated4 ,but ,i fear that we shall find that when the first ebullition of anger has boiled over1 and all appears quiet again1 there is a residue of malice left behind in many a heart that is no stranger to the fear of the ,lord4 ,i forgive1 but ,i cannot forget1 is a very common expression1 and we may generally infer from it that dregs of ill-will remain1 readily stirred up to embitter the spirit1 and often to colour the language and conduct4 ,there are few who have not something to forgive1 few whose comfort has not been assailed by the selfishness or envy of another4 ,have you1 dear reader1 suffered wrong8 ,perhaps you may reply1 grievous wrong2 but calmly weigh what you have borne from the malice of men with what ,david had to endure2 with that spear before you as a reminder1 think on what he could suffer1 and yet so forgive that not only did he twice spare his enemy when in his power1 but he poured forth a touching elegy to his honour1 in which not one of the errors of ,saul was mentioned1 not one of his own wrongs recalled4 ,when we receive injury1 it is usually in our prospects1 our peace1 or our character2 how was it with ,david8 ,the man to whom he had rendered most essential services sought to ruin him1 to blacken his fame2 again and again ,saul attempted his life2 the king drove ,david from his home1 hunted him like a partridge on the mountains1 slew those who had shown him kindness1 and wounded him most cruelly in his affections by giving his wife to another6 ,beside such a mountain of accumulated wrongs1 how small and trivial appear the injuries which we may have had to sustain6 ,if ,david1 who had never heard the command breathed from the lips of ,him who ,himself prayed for ,his murderers1 ,love your enemies1 do good to them that hate you1 if ,david could forgive even ,saul1 how can any ,christian make excuse for harbouring resentment against any whom he thinks have done him a wrong6 ,if we look beyond second causes to the one first cause1 the ordering of ,him who maketh all things work together for good to them that love ,him1 we shall see that no enemy can injure us1 unless by drawing us into sin2 that no wrong but will prove a blessing1 save a wrong which we will not forgive4 ,if our enemy seem to mar our worldly prospects1 he is as the thorny hedge planted by ,god to keep us from wandering out of the strait path which leads through the valley of humiliation4 ,if by a thousand petty acts of unkindness1 he try our temper and mar our peace1 he is the file in the hand of ,him who maketh the wrath of man to praise ,him2 a file whose roughness is to shape1 polish1 and prepare the living stones for ,god's temple4 ,if our enemy assail our character1 then is his malice the cross which ,god bids us carry after the ,saviour1 who1 though without spot or taint of sin1 was accused of many things1 condemned1 and led forth as a malefactor4 ,those who1 through ,god's grace1 can forgive freely as they themselves ask to be forgiven1 will find at length that the thorny hedge will blossom into fragrance and beauty1 the file prove but an instrument of good1 the cross bring them more close unto ,him in whose favour is life1 peace1 and joy6 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xxi4 ,jonathan's ,bow4 ,,there is pathetic interest in this memorial of ,jonathan1 prince of ,israel4 ,when the mental eye rests on the unstrung bow once grasped in his strong firm hand1 we recall the touching lament of ,david over him who fell on the mountain of ,gilboa4 ,how are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle6 ,o ,jonathan1 thou wast slain in thine high places4 ,i am distressed for thee1 my brother ,jonathan3 very pleasant hast thou been unto me3 thy love to me was wonderful1 passing the love of women6 ,there are few characters in the ,old ,testament that stand before us in more life-like reality than that of ,jonathan1 few that so much attract our sympathy and love4 ,we think of him less as the hero1 attacking almost alone the ,philistine garrison1 or falling1 covered with wounds1 at the fatal battle of ,gilboa1 as the faithful friend1 in close communion with one whom he loved as his own soul4 ,we think of him going forth into the field at ,ramah with his bow in his hand1 to give warning to ,david1 then lying concealed behind the stone ,ezel2 sadness on the prince's brow1 stern sorrow in his spirit1 but unchanging love in his heart4 ,touching is the account of that stolen interview between the prince and his persecuted friend1 when they kissed one another1 and wept one with another1 till ,david exceeded4 ,in the love between ,david and ,jonathan we see an exquisite picture of what friendship should be2 and as ,jonathan's constancy was put to a far sharper test than that of the man whom he loved1 let us for our own instruction examine a little into the leading characteristics of the friendship of the prince of ,israel4 ,there are few amongst us so desolate or so cold-hearted as not to have friendship for at least one being upon earth2 let us now try its strength and its nature by comparing it with the deep1 disinterested attachment of ,jonathan for one who was preferred before him1 one who was to supersede him1 the shepherd lad who was chosen to sit upon the throne to which the king's son seemed the natural heir4 ,in the first place1 ,jonathan's friendship had a religious basis1 the only one which can ensure stability4 ,it was when ,david had appeared before ,saul as a conqueror through faith1 that the soul of ,jonathan was knit with the soul of ,david4 ,theirs was peculiarly friendship in the ,lord4 ,in the last solemn meeting which was ever to be theirs upon earth1 when ,jonathan by the wilderness of ,ziph sought out ,david in the wood1 he gave religious encouragement to his friend1 he strengthened his hand in ,god4 ,is not that friendship wanting in the noblest attribute of which the bonds only regard this brief state of being8 ,are we indeed friends to those with whom we never interchange thoughts on the highest subjects1 those whom we have never made the slightest attempt to draw closer to the ,lord8 ,affection is a most powerful lever2 have we made use of it to elevate the character of those whom we love8 ,or do we flatter their foibles1 foster their vanity1 make their very affection towards us act as a clog to their souls8 ,there are times when unselfish attachment is best seen in not only strengthening1 in the ,lord1 but tenderly rebuking4 ,who speaks not needed truth1 lest he offend1 ,hath spared himself1 but sacrificed his friend4 ,jonathan's friendship was perfectly free from selfishness4 ,had there been in him the taint of ambition1 covetousness1 or envy1 he would rather have been inclined1 like his father1 to hate than to love the young shepherd4 ,jonathan was of royal descent1 the eldest son of a king2 he must have been accustomed from youth to hear the voice of flattery1 and to receive the homage of respect4 ,few readily part with dignity2 but the son of ,saul1 without a murmur1 apparently without a feeling of regret1 yielded place to the son of ,jesse4 ,and ,jonathan was not only a prince but a hero2 he had deservedly won both popularity and fame4 ,david eclipsed him in both4 ,in the song of the women of ,israel-- ,saul hath slain his thousands1 and ,david his ten thousands1 there seems not to have been even an allusion to the distinguished courage of ,jonathan4 ,how a proud heart would have chafed under such neglect6 ,what drops of bitter jealousy would have poisoned the friendship of most men in the position of the prince6 ,can we see a friend of lowlier birth pass before us in the race of honour without an envious pang8 ,are we perfectly content to let his fame eclipse our own2 and do we feel nothing but pleasure in listening to praises bestowed upon him8 ,then is our unselfish friendship worthy indeed of the name6 ,jonathan's attachment to ,david was firm under difficulties4 ,the prince had duties to balance2 he had to be submissive to the father who persecuted the friend4 ,in a very remarkable manner ,jonathan combined filial respect to ,saul with fidelity to ,david4 ,his mild but earnest1 and for awhile successful1 pleading with his father1 his remaining with that guilty parent even after the tyrant had attempted his life1 so that in death they were not divided1 are beautiful traits in the prince4 ,saul was a persecutor--a murderer2 his conduct must have wrung the heart of his pious son2 but in life1 as well as in death1 that son seems to have kept near to his parent1 without for one moment betraying the cause of his injured friend4 ,and1 lastly1 ,jonathan's friendship was tried in trouble4 ,he was no summer-day lover1 but a brother born for adversity1 who clung the more closely to ,david as the tempest raged the more fiercely around him4 ,jonathan's was love strong as death4 ,if our hearts be warmed with friendship1 is it holy1 unselfish1 generous1 unchanging friendship such as his8 ,we are inclined1 with ,david1 to mourn over ,jonathan1 and feel that his fate was a hard one2 that he suffered for sins not his own4 ,but let us remember that the ,lord reserves for those who love ,him a far brighter crown than that which ,jonathan was not permitted to wear1 and that it was doubtless in mercy that he was called to close on ,gilboa his brief but glorious career1 so that he survived not to witness the ruin of his house4 99 99 ,it is interesting to observe that while the family of ,saul may be compared to a blighted tree1 the branch of ,jonathan in later days bloomed into vigorous life4 ,he left1 as we know1 but one little lame son2 yet1 centuries after ,jonathan's death1 we find his descendants numerous4 ,the names of twenty-five of them are given in the ,book of ,chronicles1 and of one of these it is written1 ,the sons of ,ulam were mighty men of valour1 archers1 and had many sons and sons' sons1 an hundred and fifty4 ,it is very probable that the descendants of ,jonathan may be living still upon earth4 ,is it quite impossible that ,saul1 the ,apostle1 the most illustrious of all the tribe of ,benjamin1 may have been descended from another ,saul through the prince whom in his warm1 self-denying affection he so mush resembled8 ,jonathan's bow was as a type of himself4 ,he was not as a weapon left to hang idle in a royal armoury1 he was taken into the field of strife1 he was bent in the hand of the ,lord2 but the hand that bent supported him still2 his affections were strained like the tightened cord1 but they were strengthened to bear the sore strain2 and the bending and the straining were but to send the arrow of his hopes above an earthly sceptre or diadem1 and fix them on higher joys1 a crown that fadeth not away4 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xxii4 ,david's ,harp4 ,,it has been beautifully observed1 ,in the ,book of ,psalms we have1 if ,i may reverently say it1 the very prayer-book of our divine ,lord ,himself2 which ,he inspired1 which ,he ,himself made use of1 and has bequeathed as ,his own book to the ,church4 ,we might also1 speaking metaphorically1 say1--,the sacred harp on which ,david first played has never since been silent2 as the breath of ,god's ,spirit breathed through its chords1 its music has been the joy and the comfort of the ,church through all generations2 its mysterious sound was heard even in the awful hours of the ,crucifixion2 99 and never will it be silent1 never will one golden string be broken1 till all the redeemed of the ,lord join in the chorus of ,heaven4 99 ,compare ,matt4 xxvii4 #df with ,ps4 xxii4 #a4 ,let us recall some of the various periods when the now familiar psalms of ,david first burst from his lips as he touched his harp4 ,the son of ,jesse probably acquired his skill on the instrument by practice1 as he sat watching his sheep in the pastures by ,bethlehem1 when he was a beautiful ruddy-checked boy4 ,david's fleecy charge may have been his only auditors when first the sweet strain arose which has since been echoed by millions of human hearts4 ,the ,lord is my shepherd2 ,i shall not want4 ,he maketh me to lie down in green pastures3 ,he leadeth me beside the still waters4 ,but the first occasion on which we have certain knowledge of ,david's playing on his favourite instrument1 is when his skill soothed the deep depression of the half-mad king4 ,david took an harp1 and played with his hand3 so ,saul was refreshed1 and was well1 and the evil spirit departed from him4 ,gladly would we know what words were joined to the exquisite music which had such power to lighten deep gloom2 perhaps no words were then heard1 yet how often has a perturbed spirit been soothed by such breathings as these3 ,why art thou cast down1 ,o my soul8 and why art thou disquieted within me8 hope thou in ,god3 for ,i shall yet praise ,him1 who is the health of my countenance1 and my ,god4 ,david appears to have taken his harp with him into the gloomy recesses of ,adullam1 as the companion and solace of his flight2 for this is the strain of his psalm when he fled from ,saul in the cave4 ,be merciful unto me1 ,o ,god1 be merciful unto me3 for my soul trusteth in ,thee3 yea1 in the shadow of ,thy wings will ,i make my refuge1 until these calamities be overpast 4 4 4 ,awake up1 my glory2 awake1 psaltery and harp3 ,i myself will awake early4 ,under very different circumstances did the monarch of ,israel strike the sounding chords of his harp when the ,ark of ,god was carried in triumph from ,kirjathjearim3 ,and ,david and all ,israel played before ,god with all their might and with singing1 and with harps1 and with psalteries1 and with timbrels1 and with cymbals1 and with trumpets4 ,then indeed rose a sound of rejoicing4 ,the singers went before1 and the minstrels followed after2 in the midst were the damsels playing on the timbrels4 ,according to ,david's own striking metaphor1 he who had lien among the pots had become as the wings of a dove1 covered with silver1 and her feathers with yellow gold2 and the harp of the king swelled the glorious chorus1 ,let ,god arise1 let ,his enemies be scattered3 let them also that hate ,him flee before ,him6 ,but dark shadows were to succeed the glorious sunshine4 ,happier was ,david as the fugitive in the cave than as the king in the palace4 ,when the guilty but penitent psalmist bent over his harp1 the tears of the stricken sinner1 the bereaved father1 may have fast dropped on its strings as he uttered the cry for pardon and grace3 ,have mercy upon me1 ,o ,god1 according to ,thy lovingkindness3 according to the multitude of ,thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions6 ,could we be permitted to possess any visible relic of ,king ,david1 and to choose what that relic might be1 it would not be the crown of ,rabbah1 that was set on his head1 the weight of which was a talent of gold2 it would not be even the sword of ,goliath1 though with ,david we might say of that weapon1 there is none like that2 no1 surely it would be the harp of the sweet singer of ,israel that we would choose as the most precious relic of him whom ,god's ,holy ,spirit inspired4 ,but were that harp visibly before us1 would it not appear almost sacrilege to lay a hand on its strings2 would the mightiest or most gifted of mortals presume to waken its chords8 ,far1 far better for us to have its divine music preserved for us in the ,scriptures1 where the little child can make it sound1 and yet be not guilty of presumption2 where it is accessible to all--to the dying pauper on her sick-bed1 as well as to the crowned queen or mitred archbishop4 ,the ragged child's ,psalter is truly more precious than the identical harp of ,king ,david would be4 ,and we have a key to the divine harmonies of the psalms which those who first stood listening around ,david did not possess4 ,the blessed name of ,jesus sounds to us thrilling through all the deepest chords of his music4 ,if the ,psalmist's strain be mournful1 a ,saviour's sufferings are its theme4 ,my ,god1 my ,god1 why hast ,thou forsaken ,me8 4 4 4 ,the assembly of the wicked have inclosed ,me3 they pierced ,my hands and ,my feet4 ,if it burst into a loud song of triumph1 its keynote is still the name of our ,lord4 ,thy throne1 ,o ,god1 is for ever and ever3 the sceptre of ,thy kingdom is a right sceptre4 ,thou hast loved righteousness1 and hated iniquity3 wherefore ,god1 ,thy ,god1 hath anointed ,thee with the oil of gladness above ,thy fellows4 ,it would be deeply interesting could we know how far ,king ,david himself understood the meaning of his own songs when1 guided by the inspiring ,spirit1 he uttered dark sayings to the sound of his harp4 ,let us not quit this subject without alluding to the fact that the harp is the only instrument which is mentioned in ,revelation as adding to the music of ,heaven4 99 ,the elders beheld by ,st4 ,john around the throne of the ,lamb had every one of them harps1 when they sung a new song1 saying1 ,thou art worthy to take the book1 and to open the seals thereof3 for ,thou wast slain1 and hast redeemed us to ,god by ,thy blood out of every kindred1 and tongue1 and people1 and nation2 and hast made us unto our ,god kings and priests3 and we shall reign on the earth4 99 ,the trump of ,god1 which shall awaken the dead1 cannot be spoken of under such a term4 ,and again1 recording his bright vision of the blessed above who bear ,god's name written on their foreheads1 thus writes the beloved ,apostle3 ,i heard a voice from ,heaven1 as the voice of many waters1 and as the voice of a great thunder3 and ,i heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps4 ,there again1 we believe1 will the voice of the son of ,jesse blend with the notes of a nobler instrument than that which he played upon earth2 there may even we--the weak1 the wayward1 we whose lips have been so cold in praise and whose hearts in thanksgiving--lift up our voices with his6 ,lord1 ,i believe ,thou hast prepared1 ,unworthy though ,i be1 ,for me a blood-bought1 dear reward-- ,a golden harp for me4 ',tis strung and tuned for endless years1 ,and formed by grace divine1 ,to sound in ,god the ,father's ears ,no other name than ,thine6 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xxiii4 ,absalom's ,hair4 ,,it is not without a cause that a record is preserved in those ,scriptures which are written for our learning1 of the magnificent growth of ,absalom's hair1 which1 like a golden harvest1 was cut by him every year1 and weighed1 in the pride of his heart4 ,it is remarkable that this very hair1 this mass of rich beauty1 was1 through ,god's judgment1 the instrument of ,absalom's destruction4 ,when the prince fled on his mule before the troops of his injured father1 as ,absalom was passing beneath a thick oak1 the branches caught his head1 and suspended him between the heaven and the earth1 while his mule passed on through the wood2 and there in agony and terror hung the miserable sinner1 unable to release himself from the fetters of his own luxuriant hair1 till death came in the form of a merciless kinsman1 and three darts were thrust by ,joab through the heart of ,absalom as he was yet alive in the midst of the oak4 ,there is no one in ,scripture whose mortal beauty1 is more vividly described than ,absalom's4 ,in all ,israel there was none to be so much praised as ,absalom for his beauty3 from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him4 ,and there are few whose characters are represented to us as so loathsome and black with sin4 ,this suggests a natural inquiry1 ,was the extraordinary beauty of ,absalom in any way a snare to his soul2 was it a bane to him throughout his life1 as well as the immediate cause of his death8 ,in a certain subordinate degree1 perhaps1 we may find that it was so4 ,absalom's great personal attractions probably increased the weak1 doating partiality of ,david for his unworthy son1 while they made it more easy for the prince to attain the object of his guilty ambition--he stole the hearts of ,israel4 ,should we then represent beauty as a thing to be despised8 ,far from it4 ,beauty is the stamp which ,god hath set upon the wondrous works of ,his creation2 deformity only entered this world with sin1 and in the realms where sin is unknown1 all will again be perfect beauty4 ,personal charms1 like rank or wealth1 are a talent1 for they undoubtedly bestow influence2 and a blessed thing is influence used for ,god4 ,there is no fairer sight than that of youth and loveliness united with the beauty of holiness1 and devoted to the service of ,christ4 ,the subject naturally opens out into that of personal appearance in general1 and a little reflection upon it may not be unprofitable to those who possess few attractions1 as well as those gifted with many4 ,to appear well is a common wish1 confined to neither sex1 nor to any station or age4 ,as beauty has its advantages and responsibilities1 let us consider for a brief space1 with ,absalom's rich locks before us1 what are some of the temptations to which it exposes its possessor4 ,they seem to be chiefly these--love of dress1 love of the world1 love of admiration4 ,the first of these1 love of dress1 may seem to be a folly better attacked by playful satire than by serious rebuke4 ,it is not very often noticed from the pulpit1 though it can be very little pleasure to an earnest-minded pastor to see the pews like a tulip-bed before him1 where1 instead of being dressed with modesty and shamefacedness1 ,christian women seem to study how to evade the command to wear a covering on their heads in the house of prayer1 by making that covering as slight and as fantastic as may be4 ,even painting the skin is not unknown amongst the women of ,england1 though she of whom it is recorded that she painted her face and tired her head1 is assuredly one of the last whom our matrons or maidens would wish to resemble4 ,a bold style of dress is so utterly repugnant to all our ideas of ,christian devotion1 that we can hardly even imagine it to have been ever worn by the holy women who ministered to our ,lord4 ,the sums of money lavished on dress 7nor is the reproach confined to the weaker sex7 is also a disgrace to ,christian profession in a land where poverty abounds4 ,i have heard that a lady 7,i am glad to say not ,british7 boasted that she spent a thousand a year on dress4 ,she would hardly have uttered that boast had she realized that upon her at that moment was resting the eye of ,him who said to the rich young ruler1 ,sell that thou hast1 and give to the poor1 and thou shalt have treasure in heaven4 ,it is1 indeed1 impossible to fix a rule as to how much it is lawful to spend upon dress1 as the amount must necessarily vary according to means and station in life2 it would be well1 however1 to determine never to spend money on any mere ornament of the person1 without giving at least an equal sum to purchase plain articles of clothing for the poor1 to be bestowed personally4 ,were this simple plan adopted1 one may safely aver that the flannel and serge would be found to bring far more pleasure than the jewel1 the lace1 or the plume2 and luxuries would be gradually relinquished1 and that with no feeling of regret1 for the richer luxury of clothing the shivering forms of the poor4 ,love of the world is another evil to which those are peculiarly exposed whose attractions dispose the world to love them4 ,to them there is an added gloss to pleasure2 scenes of amusement are brightened by the ready welcome which they ever receive there4 ,the ornaments of society need even more than others to watch and pray lest they enter into temptation1 and to seek that grace which alone can keep them unspotted from the world4 ,for the love of admiration is in many minds not unlike the feverish craving for intoxicating liquor which possesses the habitual drunkard4 ,eager is the longing for the sweet poison of flattery1 the excitement caused by a sense of power over human hearts4 ,and this leads to very serious evil4 ,i am not referring only to the dark descent to actual vice1 to which1 in thousands of cases1 the love of admiration has led2 but would earnestly protest against that common effect of it which makes trifling with the happiness of others the favourite amusement of the vain of both sexes1 under the name of flirting4 ,one who would not willingly set foot on a worm will often feel actual pleasure in inflicting the keenest pangs4 ,selfish vanity must be gratified at any cost to others1 ungenerous as it is to desire to engross affection which cannot be returned4 ,the man who prides himself on being a lady-killer1 or the beauty who complacently counts up the number of her conquests1 is making an unworthy and sinful use of the endowments of nature4 ,i might quote to such the homely advice of the great ,marquis of ,montrose1-- ,let no one to more love pretend ,than he has hearts in store2 ,true love begun should never end-- ,love one1 and love no more4 ,but ,i would rather take higher ground4 ,this pride of beauty1 this selfishness of vanity1 is utterly inconsistent with a ,christian character2 it is incompatible with the adoption of that spirit of ,christ without which we are none of ,his4 ,god's people are called to glorify ,him in their bodies as well as their souls2 and where the beauty which ,he has bestowed becomes a cause of vanity1 selfishness1 and folly1 its possessor may one day have reason to regret not having been a cretin or a dwarf4 ,there are two special antidotes to the spiritual poison which is constantly offered to those in whom the world delights4 ,the first is a realization of the transitory nature of that beauty which passes away like a flower2 the second is meditation on that beauty which will abide for ever4 ,one great poet has1 as it were1 written the first on a skull2 he preaches his sermon in the churchyard4 ,but it is more pleasant1 and at least as profitable1 to turn our thoughts from the dust sown in dishonour to what it shall be when raised in glory4 ,we cannot but think that outward beauty will then correspond with that which before was inward2 that they who have borne most of the ,saviour's image in their hearts will bear most of that image visibly when we shall be like ,him1 for we shall see ,him as ,he is4 ,oh1 what marvellous changes will appear on the day of the resurrection6 ,the wrinkled face1 the decrepit form1 the blemish1 and the deformity1 will then1 in ,god's saints1 be exchanged for the brilliancy of immortal beauty1 beyond what thought can conceive6 ,but how then will an ,absalom appear8 ,let ,nature's favoured ones turn from the looking-glass to ,god's ,word1 and test by that mirror of truth both what they are and what they are likely to be2 whether their goodliness be but as the flower of grass which passeth away1 or be the faint1 dim type of that beauty with which ,god will clothe ,his redeemed1 who1 though now in the world1 and perhaps admired and sought after there1 are yet 7like their ,master7 not of the world1 nor look for their happiness in its vain pleasures or empty applause4 ,illustration ,,xxiv4 ,seed ,corn from ,barzillai's ,gift4 ,,twice is the aged ,barzillai brought before us in ,scripture4 ,on the first occasion1 when ,david1 fleeing from his unnatural son1 had with his faithful followers crossed over ,jordan1 the ,gileadite1 himself too old to join in the approaching conflict1 brought valuable help to those who were to bear the burden and heat of the day4 ,let us notice the minuteness with which every article of the old man's gift is noted down in the ,word of ,god1 not even the homeliest omitted4 ,barzillai the ,gileadite of ,rogelim brought beds1 and basons1 and earthen vessels1 and wheat1 and barley1 and flour1 and parched corn1 and beans1 and lentiles1 and parched pulse1 and honey1 and butter1 and sheep1 and cheese of kine1 for ,david1 and for the people that were with him1 to eat3 for they said1 ,the people is hungry1 and weary1 and thirsty1 in the wilderness4 ,considerate kindness was shown2 the mind of the old man had revolved what would be most needed1 and therefore most welcome2 his was a freewill offering1 a timely offering1 gladly accepted1 and afterwards royally requited4 ,again old ,barzillai comes before us in ,scripture1 but not this time as bringing aid to a fugitive1 but as welcoming a king at the head of victorious forces4 ,david was returning to reign when the venerable ,gileadite went over ,jordan with the king4 ,then were the old man's loyal services acknowledged and richly rewarded2 his was the kiss1 and the blessing1 and the promise1 ,whatsoever thou shalt require of me1 that will ,i do for thee4 ,that was a day of honour and of rejoicing to the faithful ,barzillai when his royal master returned in peace to his own4 ,a few thoughts are suggested to the mind by the parallel between the position of ,david's followers in their time of need1 and that of ,christ's soldiers now struggling in warfare against the powers of evil1 especially as regards missionaries in heathen lands4 ,this is a time when many of the followers of our heavenly ,king are called1 as it were1 into the wilderness4 ,the missionary quits home and country1 and goes forth to do battle with idolatry in the dark places of the earth4 ,we read of the brave devotion of ,ittai1 who1 when ,david would have dismissed him from sharing his perils1 exclaimed1 ,as the ,lord liveth1 and as my lord the king liveth1 in what place my lord the king shall be1 whether in death or life1 there will thy servant be6 and we feel that such is the spirit which should animate the ,christian missionary4 ,but we need our ,barzillais also1 to strengthen the hands of those whose perils and hardships they are unable to share4 ,what have ,i done to aid the missionary cause8 is a question which each should solemnly ask his conscience4 ,we rest in our comfortable homes1 on our tables are the honey and the butter1 in our barns the barley and the wheat4 ,have our offerings to our ,king1 in the persons of ,his servants1 been proportioned to the means bestowed upon us by the rich bounty of ,god8 ,how much lies in that word proportioned6 ,the widow with her two mites gave1 we know1 more than all the rich who cast into the treasury4 ,what proportion does what we bestow on the cause of missions bear to what we spend on our pleasures8 ,are there not many who would be startled by the idea of its being their duty to subscribe to missions a sum equal to what they would1 without a scruple1 lavish on a single entertainment1 a picture1 or an article of plate8 ,the question of systematic beneficence rises before us4 ,some urge on us the duty of devoting a tenth of all that we possess to the ,lord2 others would have us not mete out our charity thus1 but would bid us give as we have the power1 whenever our help is required4 ,it seems that the adoption of either mode of giving should greatly depend on the character of the individual1 and that we should study our own dispositions1 to know which we should make our own4 ,there are some ,christians whose zeal is so warm1 whose hearts so liberal1 that the idea of fixing upon any proportion as a rule would only chill and cramp their charity4 ,when ,st4 ,paul was delighting to spend and to be spent1 who would have suggested to him that he should lay aside a tenth of his earnings for ,god6 ,we do not measure out the waters of the overflowing river that pours its rich treasures through the land2 we should but mar its beauty by attempting to curb its windings and bring it to a uniform width4 ,let it contract here1 or expand there2 it is ever flowing onward1 a type of the cheerful giver1 whom ,god loveth4 ,but the bounty of many--perhaps of most men--is not so full or so free4 ,if we have not the river1 let us dig the canal1--that is1 adopt the rule of systematic beneficence1 mete out boundaries and fix embankments1 not to prevent the waters of charity from overflowing1 but to prevent their being encroached upon by the sand of selfishness1 the mud of worldliness4 ,thus has ,god walled in ,his ,sabbaths1 not to confine devotion to one in seven1 but 7amongst other reasons7 to insure a given space for its exercise1 from which earthly concerns should be carefully excluded4 ,the ,christian makes his business arrangements as if the week held but six days1 and inconveniences are thus avoided which would otherwise often arise4 ,if he were in like manner to count but nine-tenths of his income as his own1 and systematically consider the remaining portion as not his1 but ,god's1 he would1 in most cases1 no more miss the tenth of his earnings than he now does the seventh of his days1 and the consecrated gold1 like the consecrated ,sabbath1 would1 with ,god's blessing upon it1 yield a rich harvest through ages eternal4 ,the ease with which systematic beneficence enables us to give1 is not the only advantage accruing from it4 ,it necessitates an increase in charity proportioned to increase in our wealth4 ,this is a point too much neglected4 ,it might appear that a man whose income is doubled would naturally also double the amount of his alms2 that he who had a thousand a year would give much more largely upon its being increased to two4 ,but it is to be feared that this is seldom practically the case4 ,wants expand in more than equal ratio to the means of satisfying them4 ,the larger residence1 the increased establishment1 the better style of entertaining1 place the richer man still in the position of living quite up to his income2 the stereotyped guinea in the missionary report has not at the end of the year become two1 though systematic beneficence might have raised it to a hundred without any sensible difficulty4 ,the channel of the canal was not deepened and widened at once1 and the new supplies are sunk and lost in daily household expenditure1 or evaporate in ostentation4 ,the ,jews were commanded to devote a tenth of their property to ,god2 and it seems clear that a ,christian cannot be required to do less than a ,jews who knew not1 as we do1 the grace of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 who1 though ,he was rich1 yet for our sakes ,he became poor1 that we through ,his poverty might be rich4 ,there are many persons1 indeed1 who cannot maintain even their independence without a painful struggle2 to speak of systematic beneficence to such1 would appear but mockery2 faith must be their wealth1 their offerings their prayers2 but we have our ,barzillais amongst us1 who1 having enough and to spare1 are bound by every consideration of gratitude and duty to give freely--liberally--joyfully4 ,the time is coming when our ,king will return in triumph to ,his own4 ,then will the ,shimeis who rejected ,him and despised ,his cause fall down in terror before ,him2 and the wondering ,barzillais find that their gifts of love1 even to the lentiles and parched pulse and honey1 nay1 even to the cup of cold water given for the sake of their ,king1 have all been registered1 and will be a thousand-fold requited by ,him4 ,then will the deep adoring gratitude of the redeemed far exceed that expressed in the words of the ,gileadite3 ,why should the king recompense me with such a reward6 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xxv4 ,temple ,lily ,work4 ,,in the porch of ,king ,solomon's magnificent temple stood two mighty pillars of brass1 nearly thirty feet in height3 to the one he gave the name ,jachin1 ,he shall establish2 to the other ,boaz1 strength4 ,thus would the royal preacher seem to teach all generations that to the house of prayer we should come to be firmly established in sound doctrine1 and to receive strength to stand fast in the faith4 ,but we are not only told of the size and material of those stately columns1 but of their ornaments also3 ,the chapiters that were upon the top of the pillars were of lily work in the porch4 ,such details were not deemed too insignificant to find a place in the ,word of ,god4 ,now1 the question of the amount of ornament to be desired in a church is not one into which ,i desire to enter1 believing that where a devout congregation worship ,god in spirit and in truth1 it is of minor importance whether the edifice in which they meet be fair as ,solomon's temple1 or plain as the upper room in which the disciples assembled4 ,let us rather consider the beautiful lily work on the pillars as a type of that which is lovely crowning that which is lofty2 the spirit of kindly sympathy towards our fellow-worshippers forming a complement and addition to exalted devotion towards ,god4 ,were we to ask the use of churches1 we might receive the reply1 ,they are buildings set apart for prayer1 praise1 and preaching1 and the celebration of the sacraments ordained by our ,lord4 ,this might be a correct1 but it would not be a complete answer1 unless it conveyed the idea of social worship1 brethren meeting as brethren in the house of their ,father1 lovingly uniting their hearts and voices1 as they hope to do in their home above4 ,much is it to be regretted that there is so little of this spirit of religious sympathy2 that we have1 as it were1 the pillars of brass without the lily work round them4 ,there is often a chilling formality in places of worship1 that makes us painfully feel that the world has brought its distinctions and its vanities even into the house of prayer4 ,we see1 perhaps1 the large pew with its solitary occupant1 while weary women are standing in the aisle2 it is the piece of silver that admits to the seat1 and those who are unable to bribe are treated as strangers1 almost as intruders1 in the place where1 beyond all others1 they should find themselves welcome4 ,is it not constantly the man in goodly apparel1 the woman in gay clothing1 to whom it is virtually said1 ,sit thou here in a good place2 while the poor must obey the implied though unuttered command1 ,stand thou there1 or sit here under my footstool8 ,hospitality in church is not a subject likely to be treated of in either religious or moral essay2 the very name might provoke a smile2 but ,i had once a practical sermon preached to me on the subject1 which sank deeper into my memory than almost any sermon which ,i ever heard1 which makes me venture to mention the trivial incident4 ,many years since1 ,i entered as a stranger a church in ,brighton4 ,the preacher was a very popular one1 and ,i knew that ,i might have difficulty in obtaining a seat1 so ,i took the first which ,i saw vacant2 it was a free seat1 close to a wall4 ,i soon found that my position was a very undesirable one as regarded comfort2 a large air-hole was directly in front1 probably intended to warm the church with hot air1 but that which rose up1 almost under my feet1 was the chilling breath of ,november4 ,i merely state the circumstance to introduce mention of the conduct of two ladies1 perfect strangers to me1 between whom ,i chanced to be seated4 ,the one on my left hand surprised me by offering to change places with me3 as there was no reason why she should be exposed to the chilling draught rather than myself1 ,i of course declined her offer4 ,i know not whether the lady on my right was related to the other1 but she was at least her sister in kindness2 for she lent to me1 an utter stranger1 her handsome fur tippet to place over my knees1 to protect me from cold4 ,a very trivial incident indeed1 may be said2 but when ,i consider its effect upon my own mind1 ,i cannot look upon it as so trivial3 often and often has the example of those ladies recurred to me in church4 ,i heard an eloquent sermon on that ,november day in ,brighton2 but ,i derived at least as much benefit from the conduct of two of the congregation4 ,i asked myself why they should be so kind to me1 a stranger1 and concluded that they were not of those who merely attend church to keep up a cold1 heartless form of devotion1 but that they had felt the genial influence of ,christianity while uniting in social prayer4 ,with them the pillars of brass lacked not the lily work on the chapiter4 ,church is a place that often affords opportunity for the exercise of the little courtesies of life4 ,the proffered scat1 the church-book lent1 the place in the hymn-book found for the deaf1 the guiding hand held out to the blind1--these are trifling things in themselves1 but they warm the heart of strangers1 and make devotion itself more earnest by contact with ,christian kindness4 ,in church1 selfishness and pride are peculiarly repulsive2 we should feel the connecting link which binds together those who are one in ,christ2 we should see that our religion is one of humility and love4 ,solomon's noble pillars would have looked cold and hard but for the graceful lily work which crowned them2 it might not1 indeed1 add to their strength1 but it greatly enhanced their beauty4 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xxvi4 ,the ,widow's ,cruse4 ,,who1 on first glancing at this homely piece of earthen-ware1 an oil-cruse1 with nothing to distinguish it from thousands used in the dwellings of the poor1 would connect it with a miracle8 ,yet day after day1 for the space of years1 was it mysteriously supplied1 while the prophet ,elijah1 the widow and her son1 were fed on the store never failing4 ,we know not whether the oil within multiplied itself like the bread in the hands of the ,lord's disciples1 or whether an angel1 pleased to be employed on such a mission of mercy1 each night replenished an empty cruse4 ,how the miracle was wrought matters not to us2 the widow who had obeyed the word of the man of ,god1 who had been willing to share her little with him1 found that little increased to an inexhaustible supply4 ,what hallowed meals must have been those partaken of in the cottage at ,sarepta1 where ,elijah was the guest1 and where every morsel of the food on the board was a pledge of the peculiar favour of ,god6 ,the widow of ,sarepta was evidently a woman of faith1 and we believe that her grace was renewed day by day1 like the oil in her cruse4 ,yet it is not impossible that her faith1 like that of the ,israelites when they were fed by manna from ,heaven1 like our own amid a thousand proofs of the watchful providence of ,god1 may have known times of wavering and weakness4 ,the widow would but have resembled others1 if at some time she had looked with anxious fear even at this cruse so constantly supplied1 and had thought1 ,how small it is1 how unable to contain more than enough for the wants of a day6 ,it is true that ,i have never yet found it empty1 but what if it should fail at last6 ,the heavens are still like brass1 and the earth like iron2 no rain has fallen--or is likely to fall2 others wealthier far than me are perishing around me6 ,if this oil and meal should fail1 whither could ,i turn1 to whom could ,i go8 ,i should see my only son wasting with hunger before my eyes6 ,oh1 how fearful would be the fate before us if the oil in this cruse should fail6 ,we can at once see the unbelief1 ingratitude1 and folly of such fears1 if ever the widow entertained them2 but are not such fears common guests within our own bosoms8 ,what had the widow's hopes to rest on8 ,experience and a promise4 ,and have not we the same8 ,have we not experienced that ,god can and will help us2 that ,he has brought us through past troubles2 that ,he has known how to fill the cruse in time of need1 though ,he may not cause it to overflow1 nor give more than sufficient for the wants of the day8 ,and have we not ,his promise1 ,seek ye first the kingdom of ,god1 and all these things shall be added to you4 ,take no thought for the morrow3 for the morrow shall take care for the things of itself8 ,we are slow to trust ,god's providence and love4 ,we would have visible stores laid up for the future2 we are not content with the cruse4 ,while we torture ourselves with the thought1 ,what if at last it should fail8 ,we need the ,saviour's reproof1 ,ye of little faith1 wherefore did ye doubt8 ,give us this day our daily bread4 ,there is a lesson conveyed in these words of the prayer put by our ,lord ,himself into the mouths of ,his servants4 ,we ask--not for luxuries--but bread2 we ask not for stores1 but for this day's supply4 ,it is more difficult for us1 in our artificial state of society1 to exercise the simplicity of faith as expressed in this prayer1 than it was for the first disciples4 ,we multiply our wants1 and are discouraged if they be not abundantly supplied4 ,it is no common attainment to be able from the heart to say with the apostle1 ,i have learned1 in whatsoever state ,i am1 therewith to be content4 ,it is not only for the supply of our earthly need that we should look with calm trust to ,god4 ,there are those who have never known what it is to want anything that money can buy1 who yet require to reflect on the widow's cruse in order to strengthen their faith4 ,we are oppressed with fears for the future3 ,if that trouble come upon me1 how shall ,i meet it8 ,if that sorrow be sent1 how shall ,i bear it8 ,will not grace fail under such a temptation8 ,why art thou cast down1 ,o my soul8 and why art thou disquieted within me8 hope thou in ,god3 far ,i shall yet praise ,him4 ,hath ,he not said1 ,as thy days1 so shall thy strength be8 ,may we not come to ,him boldly1 for grace to help in time of need8 ,we are indeed but weak and frail1 earthly vessels that have held but little2 but the blessing of ,god1 if vouchsafed to us1 will make us even as the cruse at ,sarepta--grace will secretly be supplied1 by means of which the world knows nothing4 ,and let us remember that the famine time will not last for ever2 the day draws near when there will be a sound of an abundance of rain4 ,drop down1 ye heavens1 from above1 and let the skies pour down righteousness3 let the earth open1 and let them bring forth salvation1 and let righteousness spring up together2 ,i the ,lord have created it4 ,grace and peace will not then be meted out1 as it were1 drop by drop1 but flow as the river1 and as the waves of the sea2 the supply in the cruse will be exchanged for measureless joy1 the handful of meal for the banquet prepared in the mansions of bliss6 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xxvii4 ,elijah's ,letter4 ,,over this letter a strange mystery hangs1 such as is attached to no other writing of man4 ,this is a letter to ,king ,jehoram1 a letter of stern rebuke1 of terrible denunciation3 it stands as a death-warrant issued by the ,almighty on the idolater1 the oppressor1 the murderer1 whose hands were stained with the blood of his six brethren1 the sons of the noble ,jehoshaphat4 ,but by whom was this letter written8 ,the ,bible informs us by ,elijah2 but--before ,jehoram had ascended the throne1 or had committed his fearful crime1 ,elijah the prophet had gone up to ,heaven in a chariot of fire6 ,hence arises a difficulty which has perplexed the minds of the learned1 and which has given rise to various conjectures4 ,some have imagined that for ,elijah we should read ,elisha2 but1 as has been forcibly remarked1 we have no evidence whatever that any mistake has been made by the copyists1 but all the evidence lies on the other side4 ,the ,septuagint version1 which was very early made1 and very widely spread1 has it ,elias--that is1 according to ,greek1 ',elijah'2 and not ,elisha1 which latter word in ,greek is ',eliseus'4 ,again1 the ,jewish historian ,josephus1 referring to this event1 has expressly the word ,elijah4 ,krmmacher appears to hold that the mysterious writing actually came from the world of spirits2 that that hand which had never known corruption had traced the letters denouncing judgment upon a most wicked king4 ,there is a third conjecture1 which seems to bear with it much of probability2 that the prophet1 foreknowing both the crimes of ,jehoram and their punishment1 wrote the letter before his ascension1 and left it to be delivered in the ripeness of time4 ,if either of these latter conjectures point to the actual fact1 what a solemn interest attaches to this message from the departed1 the letter to a monarch of earth from one who dwelt upon earth no more6 ,it is interesting to reflect on the power and influence which writings may possess after the death of the writer1 nay1 in consequence of his death4 ,a parent's letter1 received after his departure from this state of being1 may penetrate a heart that was closed against all the warnings of that parent when alive4 ,we set an especial value upon last messages1 last words2 they are like proofs of an engraving made more precious from the plate being broken4 ,an instance is given by the traveller ,palgrave of a writing left as a legacy1 in itself so beautiful1 and written under circumstances so interesting1 that ,i cannot forbear transcribing the greater part of it4 ,the reader will1 ,i trust1 forgive what may appear as a digression4 ,palgrave received the following account1 on the occasion of his visit to ,moharreb1 an island on the eastern coast of ,arabia1 from a learned ,arab named ,mogheeth1 who was scarcely able to finish his recital from the emotion which it caused him4 ,the famous ,ahmed el ,ghazalee1 native of ,toos in ,persia1 a poet who lived in the twelfth century1 said one day to his disciples1 ,go and bring me new and white garments1 for the ,king hath summoned me to his presence4 ,they obeyed1 and on their return they found their master lifeless4 ,by the side of the corpse lay a paper1 on which were inscribed the following lines4 ,it is impossible not to be struck with the spirit breathing through the poetry1 which appears not to be ,mohammedan1 but ,christian4 ,some of the ideas seem actually to be gleaned from the writings of the apostles2 there is ,st4 ,paul's sublime view of death1 ,st4 ,john's lofty revelation of ,god as love1 though there is no allusion to the great doctrine of justification by faith4 ,as the religion of ,christ prevailed in early ages in the islands of the ,persian ,gulf1 we cannot but think that it left traces behind1 as the garden flower grows wild where it once was carefully cultivated1 springing up in congenial soil1 though no longer tended by man4 ,these are the lines by which the dead ,ahmed el ,ghazalee spake1 as if from the realm of spirits3 ,tell my friends who behold me dead1 ,weeping and mourning my loss awhile1 ,think not this corpse before you myself2 ,that corpse is mine1 but it is not ,i4 ,i am undying life1 and this is but my body1 ,many years my house1 and my garment of change4 ,i am a bird1 and this body was my cage2 ,i have winged my flight elsewhere1 and left it for a token4 ,i am a pearl1 and this my shell ,broken open and abandoned to worthlessness4 ,i am a treasure2 this was a spell ,thrown over me1 till the treasure was released in truth4 ,thanks be to ,god who has delivered me1 ,and has assigned me a lasting abode in the highest4 ,there am ,i now the day conversing with the happy1 ,and beholding face to face unveiled ,deity2 ,contemplating the ,mirror wherein ,i see and read ,past and present1 and whatever remains to be4 99 99 99 99 ,i have journeyed on1 and left you behind2 ,how could ,i make an abode of your halting-place8 ,ruin then my house1 and break my cage in pieces1 ,and let the shell go perish with kindred illusions2 ,tear my garment1 the veil once thrown over me1 ,then bury all these1 and leave them alike forgotten4 ,deem not death--death1 for it is in truth ,life of lives1 and goal of all our longings4 ,think lovingly of a ,god whose name is ,love1 ,who joys in rewarding1 and come on secure of fear3 ,whence ,i am ,i behold you1 undying spirits like myself1 ,and see that our lot is one1 and you as ,i4 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xxviii4 ,jonah's ,gourd4 ,,we look on a dry and withered thing1 killed by the worm1 shrivelled by the heat4 ,not so appeared the plant when its broad leaves1 full of life and beauty1 afforded a cool green shade to the prophet ,jonah4 ,the gourd formed a kind of bower1 under the shadow of which the weary could rest1 and was thus a beautiful emblem of that charity which covereth a multitude of sins4 ,it was a worm at the root which destroyed it2 and when we read in the sacred story how1 with ,jonah himself1 charity was so dried up and withered that ,god's mercy to thousands could afford him pain instead of joy1 we naturally ask1--,what was the worm at the root with him8 ,if we search a little under the surface1 we shall find that the worm was pride2 and that1 not only with ,jonah1 but too often with ourselves1 hidden pride eats the life out of charity1 and leaves but a dry1 sapless skeleton1 worthless in the sight of ,god and ,his angels4 ,there is something to admire1 but little to love1 in ,jonah1 as his portrait stands in the gallery of ,scripture1 drawn by his own vigorous hand4 ,we admire the straightforward truthfulness of the man who softens not one harsh feature1 but represents his own defects with unsparing fidelity4 ,we admire ,jonah's calm courage when he bade the mariners fling him into the raging billows1 and save their own lives by sacrificing his4 ,we admire the faith which sustained him1 and made him look towards ,god1 even ,when the depth closed him round about1 and the weeds were wrapped about his head4 ,but we shrink from the severity of character which marked this prophet1 who could contemplate the destruction of a large heathen city with stern satisfaction1 and betray irritation because the mercy of ,god far exceeded his own4 ,we imagine that1 if ,jonah had lived in these days1 though he would have been a man of spotless integrity and unblemished life1 he would probably have appeared as a severe master1 or a hard landlord1 far more just than merciful2 that little ones1 who cannot discern between their right hand and their left1 would not have clung to his neck1 or smiled up into his face1 reading there--as children intuitively do --the impression left there by a spirit of kindliness4 ,we contrast the character of ,jonah with that of ,st4 ,paul2 the hardness of the prophet with the intense desire of the apostle that sinners might be spared1 and his readiness to spend and be spent for others3 ,to the weak became ,i as weak1 that ,i might gain the weak4 ,i am made all things to all men1 that ,i might by all means save some4 ,paul's charity1 like the gourd of miraculous growth1 spread its glorious branches far and wide2 nor did opposition1 cruelty1 or ingratitude1 destroy its vigour or wither its leaf4 ,perhaps the chief cause of ,st4 ,paul's tender indulgence and yearning sympathy towards sinners1 is to be found in his deep sense of personal sin4 ,when he was a proud1 self-righteous ,pharisee1 we find in him no trace of mercy towards those who differed from him in religious opinions4 ,we have no reason to suppose that the perishing state of the ,gentile world ever then cost him a sigh4 ,saul might have seen a ,nineveh destroyed with as much cold indifference as ,jonah himself would have done4 ,but he who deemed himself the least of saints and the chief of sinners1 loved much1 because he had been forgiven much2 he delighted in dwelling on the free grace which had saved his own perishing soul2 he felt that that grace alone had made him to differ from others1 and his heart's desire was that ,jew and ,gentile should participate in the blessing4 ,now1 this deep sense of sin does not appear in ,jonah4 ,he confessed1 indeed1 to the sailors1 that the storm was a judgment upon his flight from duty2 but we discover in him none of the lowly humiliation on account of sin which marked a ,david1 a ,peter1 or even a righteous ,job4 ,perhaps the very nature of his punishment rather fostered the pride than abased the spirit of the prophet4 ,the elements were moved on his account2 his transgression had raised a storm--his generous sacrifice quelled it4 ,god wrought a special miracle for his preservation from death4 ,then1 scarcely had ,jonah declared the ,almighty's message to ,nineveh1 than the whole mighty city repented in dust and ashes4 ,when did the voice of preacher ever command more sudden1 more marvellous success8 ,truly1 ,jonah was set on a very high pinnacle indeed6 ,he was reverenced by monarch and people as the inspired oracle of ,god4 ,we cannot marvel that pride was fostered in the heart of ,jonah2 and are less surprised that it had such an effect upon his charity--that1 to maintain his lofty position as a prophet1 he would have been content that the judgments which he had threatened should all be terribly fulfilled4 ,how gently did ,god1 in ,his love and wisdom1 deal with the haughty ,jonah6 ,he who had seemed to grasp the thunderbolt was taught that he was but man--but a weak1 sinful man4 ,the bodily frame1 once miraculously preserved1 was shown to be subject to pain and fatigue1 even like those of others2 the mere force of the wind1 the mere heat of the sun1 were sufficient to exhaust its strength4 ,jonah was ready to faint4 ,the soul that had been so lofty and firm in the prospect of instant death1 was prostrated and brought to despair by the withering of a gourd6 ,where was his courage--where his power of endurance8 ,jonah1 under a common form of trial1 shows1 not the dignity of a prophet1 but the impatient querulousness of a child4 ,it must have been with shame that he afterwards recorded the almost impious complaints which bodily discomfort drew from his lips4 ,the story is abruptly ended4 ,jonah tells not the effect on his own mind of the gentle rebuke of the ,lord2 but we may trust that it caused him to bow down in shame1 and search for the worm at the root1 and learn to extend to others that mercy which he found that he so greatly needed himself4 ,what are our feelings towards them that are without1 those whom we deem grievous sinners1 like the men of ,nineveh8 ,is there a cold1 self-righteous complacency1 in the thought that we are not as they are-something of satisfaction in the belief1 that1 though they may revel in prosperity now1 judgment will ere long overtake them8 ,when the tower of ,siloam falls1 are we eager to show that those crushed beneath it were sinners above all that dwell at ,jerusalem8 ,let us beware of a censorious spirit1 ready to judge and to condemn4 ,if we see the leaf of our charity shrivelling1 let us search for the worm at the root4 ,many a sorrow and many a fall may ,god permit ,his servants to suffer1 in order to humble and to prove them1 and to teach them1 as ,he taught ,jonah1 that they are but dust4 ,the most exalted saints have nothing wherein to glory but the ,cross of ,christ2 through which alone they1 as well as the lowest and worst of transgressors1 can be delivered from the righteous judgments of ,god4 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xxix4 ,the ,fetters of ,manasseh4 ,,we bless the ,lord for our creation1 preservation1 and all the blessings of this life2 but how strange are some of the things which the white-robed saints on high will number amongst these blessings6 ,there may be heard a ,nebuchadnezzar praising for the blessing of madness2 a pardoned thief for the torments of a cross2 and a ,manasseh1 remembering1 in a song of loud thanksgiving1 those ,babylonish fetters of which the iron entered into his soul6 ,manasseh1 ,king of ,judah1 had perhaps descended into lower depths of depravity than any other sinner of whose conversion we read in the ,bible4 ,he might have been thought beyond reach even of the mercy of ,god1 so deep had he sunk in the pit of iniquity4 ,dr4 ,kitto thus sums up the list of the transgressions of this most wicked man3 ,the crimes of all former kings seem light in comparison with those which disgraced his reign4 ,he upheld idolatry with all the influence of the regal power1 and with such inconceivable boldness1 that the pure and holy ceremonies of the temple were superseded by rites of an idol image1 set up in the very sanctuary 4 4 4 ,the practice which was1 of all others1 the most abhorrent to ,jehovah1 the king sanctioned by his own atrocious example1 for he devoted his own children by fire to strange gods1 in the blood-stained valley of ,ben ,hinnom4 ,wickedness reigned on high1 and1 as usual1 persecuted righteousness and truth2 so that1 by a strong but significant hyperbole1 we are told that innocent blood flowed in the streets of ,jerusalem4 ,it is said that the prophet ,isaiah was martyred by the command of ,manasseh1 and underwent a terrible death1 by being sawn asunder6 ,god spoke unto ,manasseh1 and to his people1 but they would not hearken4 ,who could have marvelled1 then1 if the sentence had gone forth1 ,manasseh is joined to idols--let him alone8 ,he that1 being often reproved1 hardeneth his neck1 shall suddenly be destroyed1 and that without remedy4 ,but ,manasseh1 son of ,hezekiah1 had doubtless been the child of many prayers1 and the ,spirit of his heavenly ,father yearned still over this worse than prodigal son4 ,god sent other messengers1 to whom ,manasseh could not choose but hearken4 ,the ,lord brought on him the captains of the ,king of ,assyria1 which took ,manasseh among the thorns1 and bound him with fetters1 and carried him to ,babylon4 ,those chains were as the cords of love1 with which mercy would draw the wretched sinner back from the gulf of destruction into which he was plunging4 ,when he was in affliction1 he besought the ,lord his ,god1 and humbled himself greatly before the ,god of his fathers4 ,the prayer attributed to ,manasseh1 though not contained in the inspired record1 nor perhaps written by ,manasseh himself1 well expresses what must have been the feeling of his broken and contrite heart4 ,i have sinned above the number of the sands of the sea4 ,my transgressions1 ,o ,lord1 are multiplied1 my transgressions are multiplied1 and ,i am not worthy to behold and see the height of heaven1 for the multitude of my iniquities4 ,i am bowed down with many iron bands1 that ,i cannot lift up my head1 neither have any release2 for ,i have provoked ,thy wrath1 and done evil before ,thee4 ,i did not ,thy will1 neither kept ,i ,thy commandments4 ,i have set up abominations1 and have multiplied offences4 ,now1 therefore1 ,i bow the knee of my heart1 beseeching ,thee of grace4 ,i have sinned1 ,o ,lord1 ,i have sinned1 and ,i acknowledge my iniquities4 ,wherefore1 ,i humbly beseech ,thee1 forgive me1 ,o ,lord1 forgive me1 and destroy me not with mine iniquities 4 4 4 ,for ,thou art the ,god1 even the ,god of them that repent2 and in me ,thou wilt show all ,thy goodness1 for ,thou wilt save me1 that am unworthy1 according to ,thy great mercy4 ,the blood of ,jesus ,christ cleanseth from all sin4 ,the history of ,manasseh is a most striking comment upon such a text as this4 ,if he was saved1 who need despair8 ,if he was granted true repentance1 what heart so dead in sin that it cannot be quickened by the ,spirit of ,life6 ,when ,god released the prisoner from captivity1 and brought him again to ,jerusalem to reign on the throne of his fathers1 ,manasseh proved the sincerity of his contrition by the change in his life4 ,he took away the strange gods1 and the idol out of the house of the ,lord1 and all the altars that he had built1 and cast them out of the city4 ,and he repaired the altar of the ,lord1 and sacrificed thereon peace-offerings and thank-offerings1 and commanded ,judah to serve the ,lord ,god of ,israel4 ,we believe that amongst the ransomed of ,christ1 ,manasseh will at the last day be found with the pious ,hezekiah his father1 and the holy prophet ,isaiah1 whose inspired words were so touchingly fulfilled in the case of his own cruel murderer4 ,though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow2 though they be red like crimson1 they shall be as wool4 ,the history of ,manasseh is fraught with hope and comfort1 not only for those bowed down under the weight of manifold sins1 but for parents enduring that anguish which is only second to that of remorse1 grief for the wickedness of a child4 ,hezekiah was a man of prayer2 he had1 we doubt not1 often fervently prayed for his boy1 and long after his own decease his prayers were abundantly answered4 ,the supplications of ,hezekiah may have helped to forge these fetters for ,manasseh1 they may have helped to draw the ,assyrians upon him4 ,let us close our meditations upon this most striking history of ,god's abounding grace1 in the words of one who was himself a miracle of pardoning love1--,godly sorrow worketh repentance not to be repented of4 ,the wages of sin is death2 but the gift of ,god is eternal life through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xxx4 ,the ,deed of ,purchase4 ,a ,,life of bitter trial was that of ,jeremiah1 the messenger of wrath and of woe1 the prophet who announced evil tidings of disgrace and ruin to a profligate court and a wicked people4 ,jeremiah stood like a light-house on a desolate rock1 exposed to the fury of the blast of calumny1 the fierce billows of persecution4 ,what would be the position of a seer1 even in these days1 who should announce the utter devastation of our land by famine and sword1 who should declare amongst us that we should become an execration and an astonishment1 a curse and a reproach1 who should pronounce a sentence of death upon monarch and noble1 bid our soldiers sheath their swords1 and our volunteers submit to a foreign foe without so much as a struggle8 ,jeremiah has recorded his own sufferings in language which shows how deeply he felt them4 ,i am the man that hath seen affliction4 ,he hath made me desolate4 ,i was a derision to all my people1 and their song all the day4 ,nor were hatred and mockery all that the prophet had to endure4 ,his liberty was taken away2 his life was in imminent peril2--it is said that he fell at last a victim to his countrymen's hatred4 ,when we consider also that the ruin of his nation was the source of deep affliction to one who was a patriot as well as a prophet1 that--like the blessed ,saviour--,jeremiah wept over ,jerusalem while he foretold her destruction1 we shall conclude that amongst ,god's saints few drank more deeply of the cup of sorrow and will scarcely wonder that in his anguish ,jeremiah cursed the day of his birth4 ,but the deed of purchase which we are now contemplating reminds us of an occasion when a gleam of joy may have shone on the darkened path of the prophet1 a drop of sweetness have been mixed in his cup4 ,the whole transaction connected with it is very remarkable4 ,when ,jeremiah was shut up in the court of the prison at ,jerusalem1--when the ,chaldeans were investing the doomed city which he knew must fall into their hands--then received he an intimation from ,god that he should purchase a field in his native place ,anathoth1 of which the right of redemption was his4 ,what have ,i to do with buying land6 may have been the first thought of the wondering seer2 is this a time to receive olive-yards and vineyards8 ,i am a prisoner and cannot get forth2 ,anathoth is now in the hands of the enemy1 and soon will ,jerusalem be so also4 ,my people will be led into captivity2 the ,gentiles will rule in the land3 what profit can there be in this field to me or to mine6 ,but if such a thought arose1 ,jeremiah's faith suffered it not to influence his conduct4 ,the purchase was to be made as a pledge and token that the captivity of ,judah was not to last for ever2 that the ransomed of the ,lord should return to ,zion2 that ,anathoth of ,benjamin should again belong to the chosen race4 ,jeremiah would not live to see the return of his people1 but he foresaw it by faith1 and in faith bought the field as the ,lord had appointed4 ,we see the prisoner with calm thankfulness weighing out the seventeen shekels 99 of silver in the balances2 a small sum1 and yet probably deemed by many a desponding ,jew too large to be thrown away upon what might seem to be a worthless claim4 ,mocking smiles may have been interchanged between the witnesses to so strange a transaction1 when the prisoner subscribed and sealed the deed1 and gave it to the faithful ,baruch to be carefully preserved for a time yet remote4 ,but ,jeremiah had full assurance that such a time would arrive2 for thus said the ,lord of hosts to ,his prophet3 ,houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land 4 4 4 for ,i will cause their captivity to return4 99 ,not much above forty shillings4 ,see note in ,d',oyly and ,mant's ,bible4 ,we look upon ,jeremiah's deed of purchase as a type of that claim which both ,israel and ,judah hold still on the land of their fathers4 ,jerusalem1 with all the inheritance bestowed by ,god upon ,abraham1 is now in the possession of the followers of the false prophet2 ,judea1 for the sins of her people is again in captivity1 and her sons are scattered abroad amongst the ,gentiles4 ,the olive-yards and vineyards of ,palestine are now--and for many ages have been the spoil of strangers4 ,but it shall not be so for ever4 ,not by purchase but by promise is the whole land reserved for the sons of ,abraham4 ,the deed has been carefully preserved1 not--as ,jeremiah's--in an earthen vessel1 but in ,god's own ,book4 ,the whole deed is too long for transference to these pages1 but a portion may be transcribed1 gathered from various books of the ,old ,testament ,scriptures2 each prophet1 as it were1 setting his seal to the precious document4 ,i will pour upon the house of ,david1 and upon the inhabitants of ,jerusalem1 the spirit of grace and of supplications3 and they shall look upon ,me whom they have pierced1 and they shall mourn for ,him1 as one mourneth for his only son1 and shall be in bitterness for ,him1 as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn4 99 ,sing1 ,o daughter of ,zion2 shout1 ,o ,israel2 be glad and rejoice with all the heart1 ,o daughter of ,jerusalem4 ,the ,lord hath taken away thy judgments1 ,he hath cast out thine enemy3 the king of ,israel1 even the ,lord1 is in the midst of thee3 thou shalt not see evil any more4 ,at that time will ,i bring you again1 even in the time that ,i gather you3 for ,i will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth4 ,all nations shall call you blessed3 for ye shall be a delightsome land1 saith the ,lord of ,hosts4 ,for1 lo1 ,i will command1 and ,i will sift the house of ,israel among all nations1 like as corn is sifted in a sieve1 yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth4 ,and ,i will plant them upon their land1 and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which ,i have given them1 saith the ,lord thy ,god4 99 ,zech4 xii4 #aj4 ,zeph4 iii4 #ad1 #ae4 ,zeph4 iii4#bj ,mal4 iii4 #ab4 ,amos ix4 #i1 #ae4 ,and the heathen shall know that ,i the ,lord do sanctify ,israel1 when ,my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore4 99 ,at that time they shall call ,jerusalem the throne of the ,lord2 and all the nations shall be gathered unto it4 ,he shall cause them that come of ,jacob to take root3 ,israel shall blossom and bud1 and fill the face of the world with fruit4 99 ,ezek4 xxxvii4 #bh4 ,jer4 iii4 #ag4 ,isa4 xxvii4 #f4 ,st4 ,paul1 himself a ,hebrew of the ,hebrews1 looked with faith and hope on this deed1 and thus subscribed himself as a witness3 ,blindness in part is happened to ,israel1 until the fulness of the ,gentiles be come in4 ,and so all ,israel shall be saved3 as it is written1 ,there shall come out of ,sion the ,deliverer1 and shall turn away ungodliness from ,jacob3 for this is my covenant unto them1 when ,i shall take away their sins4 ,yes1 the time is coming1 and now may be near1 when it shall be said1 ,rejoice ye with ,jerusalem1 and be glad with her1 all ye that love her3 rejoice for joy with her1 all ye that mourn for her2 when the gathering of her people shall be as life from the dead4 ,rom4 xi4 #be-bg4 ,isa4 lxvi4 #aj4 ,rom4 xi4 #ae4 ,christian brethren1 is this nothing to us8 ,shall we be cold and indifferent1 nor strive to hasten the time of ,israel's restoration by our prayers1 and by such efforts as ,god may enable us to make8 ,oh6 ,pray for the peace of ,jerusalem1 they shall prosper that love thee4 ,the word of the ,lord to ,israel still standeth firm1 blessed is he that blesseth thee6 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xxxi4 ,jehoiakim's ,knife4 ,,if the shadow of a curse could ever be said to lie on the inanimate instrument employed by man to work his evil will1 surely it lies upon this1 the first1 as far as we know1 ever used in the attempt to destroy a portion of ,god's holy ,word4 ,on the dethronement of his brother by the ,king of ,egypt1 ,jehoiakim had mounted the throne of his father ,josiah1 and for eleven years he reigned in ,jerusalem4 ,the sins of this wicked monarch drew down upon himself and his people the wrath of the ,lord4 ,for many years had the ,prophet ,jeremiah uttered the voice of solemn warning2 sadly had he foretold the coming desolation4 ,the harvest is past1 the summer is ended1 and we are not saved4 ,oh that my head were waters1 and mine eyes a fountain of tears1 that ,i might weep day and night for the slain of my people6 ,this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment1 and these nations shall serve the ,king of ,babylon seventy years4 ,at the command of the ,lord the prophet dictated to ,baruch the scribe all the words of his prophecies against ,israel and ,judah1 and they were written down upon a roll4 ,the prophet confided the roll to ,baruch1 and bade him read it aloud in the ears of the people in the house of the ,lord4 ,it may be1 said ,jeremiah1 they will present their supplication before the ,lord1 and will return every one from his evil way3 for great is the anger and the fury that the ,lord hath pronounced against this people4 ,the solemn announcement of coming ruin1 though it led not1 as in the case of ,nineveh1 to national repentance1 yet excited interest and alarm4 ,the princes of ,judah sent for ,baruch1 and at their desire1 he again1 in their presence1 read aloud the prophecies of ,jeremiah4 ,fear fell on the nobles2 we will surely tell the king of all these words1 said they unto ,baruch4 ,but aware of the storm of anger which might be roused in the monarch's breast1 the princes counselled that both the prophet and the scribe should conceal themselves1 and let no man know their hiding-place4 ,then was ,jehoiakim informed of the prophecies written against himself and his guilty land2 and he sent ,jehudi to fetch the roll1 and read it in his presence where he sat in his winter palace1 with all his princes assembled around4 ,striking and solemn must that scene have been6 ,there would be deep stillness in the royal chamber1 broken only by the voice of the reader1 uttering words of living power1 which would fall on the ears of such of the silent listeners as had faith in prophecy1 much as the voice of the judge pronouncing sentence of death falls on the ear of the criminal4 ,the nobles would watch the effect of the reading on the countenance of their king2 would he1 like ,ahab1 rend his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh1 and by humbling himself before ,god avert the threatened judgments at least for a time8 ,would he1 like ,josiah his father1 go up into the house of ,god1 call around him the priests and the people1 both small and great1 and read to them the ,word of the ,lord1 honouring it1 and mourning because of the curses written in the ,book8 ,to ,josiah a message had been sent1 ,because thine heart was tender1 and thou didst humble thyself before ,god1 when thou heardest ,his words against this place 4 4 4 behold1 ,i will gather thee to thy fathers1 and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace1 neither shall thine eyes see all the evil that ,i will bring upon this place4 ,but the spirit of ,josiah was not in his son4 ,instead of repentance and humiliation1 anger and stubborn resistance to the will of the ,almighty might be read on the darkening countenance of the ,king of ,judea4 ,he would not even suffer ,jehudi to read to the end of the roll2 ,jehoiakim grasped it1 and cut it with his knife1 and not satisfied with this open insult to the ,word of ,god1 this defiance of the terrors of the ,almighty1 the king flung the mutilated roll into the fire which was burning before him1 as if with the blackening parchment he could destroy that ,word which abideth for ever6 ,in vain two of the nobles present endeavoured to stay the rash hand of the king1 entreating him not to burn the prophetic roll2 the rage of ,jehoiakim was not satisfied by the crime which he had committed1 he wished to wreak his fury on the living witnesses for ,god1 as well as upon ,his inspired ,word2 he commanded the seizure of both ,jeremiah and ,baruch1 but the ,lord hid them from the anger of the king4 ,what availed it to the wretched ,jehoiakim that he had consumed to ashes the writing of the prophet against him8 ,the ,word of the ,lord came to ,jeremiah1 saying1 ,take thee again another roll1 and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll1 which ,jehoiakim the ,king of ,judah hath burned1 and thou shalt say to ,jehoiakim1 ,king of ,judah1 ',thus saith the ,lord2 thou hast burned this roll 4 4 4 therefore thus saith the ,lord of ,jehoiakim1 ,king of ,judah1 he shall have none to sit upon the throne of ,david2 and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat1 and in the night to the frost4' ,then took ,jeremiah another roll1 and gave it to ,baruch1 who wrote therein from the mouth of ,jeremiah all the words of the ,book which ,jehoiakim had burned in the fire1 and there were added unto them many like words4 ,such was the result of this first attempt to mutilate the ,scriptures1 and stop the free course of the ,word of ,god4 ,it may have been the first1 but it assuredly was not the last effort of that kind4 ,jehoiakim's knife and ,jehoiakim's fire have but been precursors of other instruments used for the same unhallowed purpose1 notwithstanding the awful warning which is found almost at the close of the ,revelation4 ,if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy1 ,god shall take away his part out of the book of life4 ,superstition has been actively employed from early ages in using the knife to mar and mutilate the ,scriptures2 she has tried to cut away the ,second ,commandment1 to rend from the roll all the texts on which1 as emblazoned in light1 are written the doctrine of justification by faith4 ,nay1 when she has found1 like ,jehoiakim1 the knife insufficient for the work1 she has literally cast the ,bible into the flames1 and not only the ,book1 but the bodies of many of those who counted its doctrines more precious than life6 ,but superstition has had no power to destroy one inspired sentence1 ,the ,word of the ,lord endureth for ever4 ,heresy1 also1 has diligently plied the knife on various parts of the sacred roll4 ,here one would cut away the testimony to the ,divinity of ,him whose goings forth are from everlasting1 here another would deprive us of the consolation to be derived from the truth that ,christ was in all points tempted as we are though without sin4 ,but vain has been every wild attempt to destroy any part of the sacred ,book1 let man or ,satan do what they may1 ,the ,word of the ,lord abideth for ever6 ,in the present day many an eager hand is stretched out to grasp the knife4 ,now this part--now that part--of ,god's truth is fiercely assailed4 ,unbelief would cut away the record of miracles1 would cast aside much of those sacred writings of which ,he who is the ,truth itself said1 ,search the ,scriptures1 for in them ye think ye have eternal life1 and they are they which testify of ,me4 ,sceptics and unbelievers may1 like ,jehoiakim1 draw down on themselves a heavy doom2 but they will find at last that the so-called wisdom of man is foolishness with ,god1 and that they have no more power to destroy ,his ,scriptures than passing clouds have to extinguish the sun which shineth in glory far far above them6 ,the ,word of the ,lord endureth for ever6 ,is there no danger of our falling into the sin of mutilating ,scripture1 though not1 like ,jehoiakim1 with the knife8 ,if we search the ,bible in order to confirm our own views on religion instead of to form them1 passing lightly over everything there which clashes with our notions1 almost secretly wishing that some passages in sacred ,writ were not to be found there1 do we truly honour ,god's ,word8 ,there were parts of ,jeremiah's roll which probably even ,jehoiakim would have willingly preserved4 ,all would gladly keep the promises1 could they put out of sight the warnings and threats4 ,and so likewise in matters of doctrine3 one treasures all the texts which proclaim free salvation through faith1 another lets his mind only dwell upon such as enforce the necessity of a holy life and good works4 ,i was once surprised at the dissatisfied feeling with which an excellent man regarded the ,epistle written by ,st4 ,james1 who has been called the apostle of duty4 ,the ,christian did not seem to realize the truth which has been well illustrated by one who represented ,st4 ,james and ,st4 ,paul as soldiers fighting back to back1 under the same banner1 against the same foes to the truth1 but necessarily from their position facing different errors2 each soldier strengthening and supporting his comrade by guarding him from strokes from behind1 where the enemy might have taken him at disadvantage4 ,let us receive--honour--and keep the ,bible in its integrity1 deeming no portion superfluous which ,god hath thought fit to preserve2 waiting for more light from above to reveal its hidden mysteries1 and being assured that though heavens and earth may pass away1 yet the ,word of the ,lord endureth for ever6 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xxxii4 ,the ,rags of ,ebedmelech4 ,,who can doubt that the ,god of ,love notices the minutest act of kindness done to ,his servants1 when even these rags of the ,ethiopian are carefully preserved in the ,scriptures1 memorials of considerate thoughtful tenderness shown to ,his afflicted prophet4 ,let us review one of the most interesting passages in the history of ,jeremiah4 ,the miserable ,jehoiakim fell into the hands of ,nebuchadnezzar1 by whose command he was bound with fetters and ordered to be carried to ,babylon4 ,as no account is given in ,scripture of ,jehoiakim's death1 it is surmised that the prophecy which foretold that his burial should be as the burial of an ass1 was fulfilled by his dying on the way to ,babylon1 and his corpse being thrown into a ditch1 exposed to the heat of the day and the frost of the night4 ,for three months ,jeconiah 7or ,coniah71 a youth of eighteen1 reigned in the place of his father ,jehoiakim4 ,of him ,jeremiah had prophesied1 ,thus saith the ,lord 4 4 4 ,i will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life1 and into the hand of them whose face thou fearest1 even into the hand of ,nebuchadnezzar1 ,king of ,babylon1 and into the hand of the ,chaldeans4 ,and even so came it to pass that the young king and his mother1 his officers and princes1 and thousands of warriors and artizans were carried away captive to ,babylon1 with the vessels of ,solomon's ,temple4 ,zedekiah 7the son of ,josiah71 the last native monarch of ,judah1 then mounted the throne of ,david1 to suffer one day a fate even more terrible than that which had befallen his two brothers and his nephew1 who had successively reigned before him4 ,zedekiah sought help from ,egypt1 and1 as it appeared at first1 with success1 as on the approach of ,pharaoh's army1 the ,chaldeans1 who were besieging ,jerusalem1 retired4 ,if the heart of ,jeremiah had shared in the joy which this gleam of returning hope had caused in ,jerusalem1 it must have been to him a task all the more bitter to quench that hope in utter darkness4 ,anguish must have been his when he thus declared the message of ,god6 ,behold ,pharaoh's army which is come forth to help you1 shall return to ,egypt into their own land2 and the ,chaldeans shall come again1 and fight against this city1 and take it1 and burn it with fire4 ,after uttering this terrible prophecy1 ,jeremiah made an attempt to quit ,jerusalem1 and return to his native land of ,benjamin2 but he was seized as a traitor by a captain of the ward1 brought before the princes as one taken in the act of falling away to the ,chaldeans1 maltreated1 and thrown into prison4 ,for a time1 the rigour of ,jeremiah's captivity was softened by the king1 who appears never to have doubted the innocence of the prophet4 ,but ,jeremiah's enemies were not satisfied with his imprisonment2 they were determined to have his life1 and to destroy him by a death of lingering suffering4 ,abusing the weakness of ,king ,zedekiah1 who delivered the prophet into their hands1 the princes of ,judah cast ,jeremiah into a dungeon1 or rather pit1 in the court of the prison1 which had mire at the bottom1 in which their victim partially sank1 and there his merciless foes seem to have left him to perish by inches from hunger and damp4 ,such would probably have been the fate of ,jeremiah1 but for the intervention of ,ebedmelech1 not one of his own countrymen1 but an ,ethiopian in the service of the king4 ,this ,african went to ,zedekiah1 and roused him to make an effort to save his innocent subject from so cruel a death4 ,my lord the king1 said ,ebedmelech1 these men have done evil in all that they have done to the prophet1 whom they have cast into the dungeon2 and he is like to die for hunger in the place where he is4 ,ebedmelech succeeded in obtaining the king's order that he should take thirty men1 and release the prophet from his dreadful situation4 ,and here occurs the little trait of womanlike tenderness in the ,african1 which ,god hath deemed worthy of record4 ,ebedmelech knew that ,jeremiah must be drawn out of the pit by cords2 he knew that in his probable state of weakness and emaciation the ropes would be likely to gall and hurt him4 ,so he went into the house of the king under the treasury1 and took thence old cast clouts and old rotten rags1 and let them down by cords into the dungeon to ,jeremiah4 ,and ,ebedmelech the ,ethiopian said unto ,jeremiah1 ,put now these old cast clouts and rotten rags under thine armholes under the cords4 ,and ,jeremiah did so1 and was safely drawn to the top4 ,the ,lord did not fail to requite the deed of the ,ethiopian1 to whom was granted a special promise of deliverance in the coming time of trouble4 ,thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid4 ,and here the ,african disappears from our view1 and we know nothing further of ,ebedmelech2 but the soft wrappings which he collected to put over the rough ropes may afford us a pleasant and profitable subject for our reflections4 ,ebedmelech not only did a substantial service to ,jeremiah1 but he did it in a tender considerate way2 he did not1 as most men would have done1 hurt the prophet even in helping him4 ,the complaint of the ingratitude of those who have received great benefits is very common in the world1 but we shall often find that ingratitude has been caused by the want of delicacy in the benefactor who complains2 he has supplied the ropes but neglected the wrappings4 ,for instance1 a sufferer is sunk in the pit of poverty2 he has seen better days1 his feelings are tender1 the very means used to raise him are likely to wound him1 to gall even while they relieve4 ,but ,christian love must regard the feelings as well as the outward wants of the sufferer2 it should bestow a gift almost as if it were asking a favour2 it should smooth what is rough1 soften what is hard1 and let down the wrappings with the rope4 ,again1 there is the same1 and even greater1 delicacy to be observed when he whom we would help is sunk in the pit1 not of poverty1 but of sin4 ,we earnestly desire to draw him forth1 for we know that if he stay1 he must perish4 ,fervent exhortation1 faithful reproof1 may be as the cords in our hands1 and with a prayer for success we use them2 but our efforts will be far more likely to avail1 if gentleness1 consideration1 and tenderness accompany earnest effort2 if1 shrinking from galling pride1 or giving one needless pang1 we let down the wrappings with the rope4 ,nothing is really insignificant that affects the happiness or the character of men2 a look or a word may awaken far more kindly feeling than the gift of a purse of gold1 and that reproof is usually most effectual which is uttered in a tone of love4 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xxxiii4 ,the ,golden ,sceptre4 ,,very different is the object of our present contemplation from the last--the gold from the tatters1 the sceptre of a powerful monarch from the rags of an ,african servant--and even so our theme rises from man's mercy to that of ,god1 from the kindness of ,ebedmelech to the free grace of our ,lord4 ,for it is not on the history of ,esther herself that we will now dwell1 except so far as she appears an emblem of the ,church1 the queen all glorious within1 whose clothing is of wrought gold4 ,let us muse on how she1 and with her every individual believer1 dares to approach ,him who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity1 the great and terrible ,god1 who hath measured the waters in the hollow of ,his hand1 and meted out heaven with the span4 ,there is1 indeed1 far too little of reverence in the way in which we too often enter by prayer the presence of our ,lord4 ,the careless posture1 the wandering thought1 the hastily-uttered supplication1 seem to denote that ,christians little realize how solemn a thing it is to draw nigh to the ,king of kings4 ,not thus did ,esther approach the throne of ,ahasuerus4 ,if the traditional account preserved in the ,apocrypha be true1 her heart was in anguish for fear1 she turned pale1 and fainted1 and fell4 ,not that ,god wills that such terrors should oppress ,his redeemed2 they are permitted to come boldly to the throne of grace1 they are commanded to draw near with a true heart1 in full assurance of faith2 but a certain degree of holy awe should be mixed with holy confidence2 let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before ,god2 ,god is in heaven1 and thou upon earth1 therefore let thy words be few4 ,but for the golden sceptre of grace held out to us through the mercy and merits of ,christ1 the sentence of death would indeed go forth against us when we appear before ,him4 ,for our ,god is a consuming fire4 ,the mountains quake at ,him1 and the hills melt1 and the earth is burned at ,his presence4 ,who can stand before ,his indignation1 and who can abide in the fierceness of ,his anger8 ,but the love of ,persia's king for his bride was but a faint shadow of the love of the ,lord for ,his ,church4 ,what wilt thou1 ,queen ,esther8 and what is ,thy request8 it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom4 ,such were the gracious words of ,ahasuerus to the trembling supplicant before him2 and so the ,church hears the tender assurance of her ,king1 ,ask1 and it shall be given you2 seek1 and ye shall find4 ,whatsoever ye shall ask the ,father in ,my name ,he will give it to you4 ,and what was it that ,esther came to entreat1 when the golden sceptre of ,ahasuerus was stretched out towards her8 ,in the first place1 the presence of the king at her banquet1 and1 beyond this1 the preservation from destruction of herself and her people4 ,much the same as hers is the petition of ,christ's ,church to her heavenly ,king1 only with the loftier blessings implored their order is reversed4 ,the ,church prays first for salvation1 deliverance from death eternal1 and then for the presence of her ,lord--not for an hour or a day--but even for ever and ever4 ,if ,esther1 an orphan exile1 born to bondage and sorrow1 was able in royal garments to approach her lord1 and invite him to a sumptuous banquet which she had prepared in a palace1 the robes which she wore1 the feast which she spread1 were all the gifts of his love4 ,she could but offer him of his own4 ,how strikingly does this exemplify the position of the ,church in regard to her ,lord6 ,by free grace ,he holds out to her the sceptre of pardoning mercy2 by free grace ,he clothes her with the royal garments of righteousness2 by free grace ,he enables her to welcome ,him and minister unto ,him4 ,he is more ready to hear than she to pray1 more ready to grant than she to implore4 ,he has loved and will love her for ever1 will save her from all her enemies1 and crown her with joy everlasting4 ,such are some of the comforting thoughts suggested to us by the golden sceptre1 thoughts of mercy1 grace1 and love4 ,it is a sceptre1 the emblem of power and dominion2 a golden sceptre1 reminding us of the word spoken of ,christ our ,king1 ,thy throne1 ,o ,god1 is for ever and ever3 a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of ,thy kingdom4 ,it is a token of free salvation2 they to whom it is extended shall live in the presence of ,god1 shall stand accepted before ,him2 and it is a sceptre held out to every one who1 in lowly faith1 approaches ,him who loved and gave ,himself for us4 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xxxiv4 ,a ,vessel of the ,temple4 ,,bitter must have been the shame and grief of the ,jews when ,nebuchadnezzar1 ,king of ,assyria1 plundered the glorious building which they had raised1 the ,temple which1 eleven years later1 was itself given to the flames4 ,well was it for the good ,king ,hezekiah that he lived not to see that day when his precious things1 his silver and his gold1 with the consecrated gold of the ,temple1 were carried away to ,babylon1 according to the word of the ,lord spoken by the ,prophet ,isaiah4 ,great was the quantity of sacred vessels taken from ,jerusalem1 even if ,ezra's list of those restored comprises them all4 ,thirty chargers and twenty basins of gold2 a thousand chargers of silver4 ,all the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred4 ,it was a humbling day to the captives from ,jerusalem when the treasures of the sanctuary1 the pride of their fathers1 were placed as trophies in the idol temple of the ,gentiles4 ,but we conceive yet stronger indignation excited in the breasts of ,jewish exiles1 when the sacred vessels were brought forth to add to the magnificence of the feast of ,king ,belshazzar1 when the heathen in riotous mirth quaffed wine out of those splendid chargers1 and praised their own gods of silver and gold1 of brass1 of iron1 of wood1 and of stone6 ,it was a sacrilegious hand that ,belshazzar laid on the golden cup before us1 a blasphemous lip that pressed its brim2 and ,god at once avenged the insult to ,his ,majesty4 ,part of a man's hand appeared writing on the wall terrible mysterious characters that no one present could read1 and the king's countenance was changed1 he trembled1 his knees smote one another with fear4 ,on that night was proud ,babylon taken by the ,persians under that ,cyrus who subsequently restored to the ,jews the vessels of their ,temple1 to be once more devoted to the service of the one true ,god4 ,the image of a vessel is repeatedly employed in the ,new ,testament to represent human beings4 ,st4 ,paul writes of ,god making known the riches of ,his glory on the vessels of mercy which ,he had before prepared unto glory2 he describes a believer as a vessel unto honour1 sanctified1 meet for the ,master's use1 and he was himself spoken of by the ,lord as a chosen vessel4 ,it does not appear improbable that in each instance the idea was suggested by the vessels of the ,temple4 ,it seems as if some light might be thrown by the use of this simile upon the subjects of baptism and conversion4 ,in baptism every ,christian adult or child becomes a vessel solemnly consecrated to ,god1 even like the treasures of the ,temple dedicated by ,solomon to the ,lord4 ,happy those who are never suffered to fall into the hand of the ,enemy6 ,what myriads of babes will there be in ,heaven1 little vessels of mercy that have never been defiled by wilful sin1 but which have been safely laid up in the treasury above6 ,but there are many baptized beings whose history is like that of the golden charger on which the mental eye now rests4 ,they were indeed once solemnly devoted to ,god1 but the world has them now1 ,satan has carried them away1 they are no longer used in the ,master's service4 ,they are given to idols1 they are filled with iniquity1 and though some in the sight of men may be precious and beautiful still1 they are no longer vessels unto honour4 ,they need to be washed1 and cleansed1 and given back--restored to their lawful ,owner1 and to their rightful use1 and when ,god's grace has accomplished this1 we call the blessed restoration conversion4 ,it is therefore with feelings of grief1 yet not unmingled with hope 7like those which the ,jews of old must have experienced in regard to their ,temple plate71 that believers should look upon the unconverted around them4 ,it is not with loathing and contempt that the drunkard or the thief should be thrust aside2 it is not with proud disgust that the ,christian should turn from the multitude whose daily course of life proves them to be under the dominion of the ,prince of this world1 though they were baptized in childhood4 ,these are all precious vessels1 once dedicated to ,god1 and which may be restored to ,his service still4 ,they are in ,babylon now1 but they may be rescued from thence2 that which has been filled with iniquity may yet overflow with grace2 saved from the idol temple1 snatched from the revel and the riot1 they may yet be reserved to shine in glory amongst the jewels of their ,lord4 ,what marvellous instances of such conversion have formed themes for the songs of rejoicing angels6 ,such men as ,john ,newton and ,vine ,hall1 and many others besides1 were as vessels grasped by ,satan himself and held up on high in unhallowed triumph3 but they were to be wrenched from his hold1 filled with grace and filled with glory1 and made chosen vessels of the heavenly ,temple which is built not by man but by ,god4 ,fervent should be our prayers for the unconverted1 whether they be those whom the world condemns or the world admires4 ,there are some amongst them whose characters seem to bear no dark stain or spot3 all acknowledge the metal to be precious and the form to be fair3 they are so goodly--so bright--that it is hard to believe that they are not vessels of honour4 ,but alas6 ,if they be not truly devoted to ,god's service and receiving ,his grace1 they are like the golden chargers of the feast of ,belshazzar1 they are yet but vessels of wrath4 ,they are like beautiful chalices made to hold the wine of blessing1 but taken from the church to the godless banquet4 ,it is profanation when any baptized being is given up to the service of the world2 the familiar sound of his own ,christian name should remind him that he has once been devoted to ,god4 ,let us close our meditation with the words of the apostle3 ,every one of you should know how to preserve his vessel in sanctification and honour 4 4 4 ,and the very ,god of peace sanctify you wholly1 4 4 4 faithful is ,he that calleth you1 who also will do it4 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xxxv4 ,the ,trumpet of ,nehemiah4 ,,the trumpet of ,nehemiah is one of the objects in what we may call the sacred museum of ,scripture1 on which the mind rests with pleasure4 ,it tells of earnestness and unanimity in a great work2 its sound was a call to ,god's servants to help one another in a time of difficulty and of danger1 when the ,jews1 after their return from ,babylonish captivity1 rebuilt the wall of their ,zion4 ,what a scene of anxious and yet joyful labour rises before us as connected with that trumpet6 ,we picture to ourselves the brave men of ,judah1 with the tool in one hand and the weapon in another1 toil-drops beading their sun-burnt faces1 labouring from the rising of the morn till the stars appeared2 some1 as we know1 not even putting on their clothes at night1 but throwing themselves down in their garments to snatch needful rest1 till dawn should rouse them to fresh exertions4 ,we picture to ourselves not only the men bending their strong backs under the burden1 and straining their muscles to lift great weights1 but the matrons and maidens of ,zion1 nay1 even the little children1 lending what help they might1 trying to make up by zeal for want of physical power1 bringing food and water to the workers2 bearing1 perhaps1 the lighter burdens1 or carrying rubbish away1 and speaking those words of encouragement which would add new strength to the strong1 and energy to the active4 ,we hear them repeating one to another the rousing call of their leader when bidding them prepare for attack from their foes3 ,be not ye afraid of them2 remember the ,lord1 which is great and terrible1 and fight for your brethren1 your sons1 and your daughters1 your wives1 and your houses4 ,at one blast from ,nehemiah's trumpet1 weapons would have flashed from their scabbards1 and a rush have been made to the spot whence the warning note proceeded1 for thus writes ,nehemiah3 ,he that sounded the trumpet was by me2 and ,i said unto the nobles1 and to the rulers1 and to the rest of the people1 ,the work is great and large1 and we are separated upon the wall1 one from another4 ,in what place therefore ye hear the trumpet1 resort ye thither unto us3 our ,god shall fight for us6 ,even such a scene of active1 earnest labour is around us now1 realized by faith2 in the midst of an opposing world1 surrounded by difficulties1 encompassed by snares1 the labourers for ,god are raising the walls of the spiritual ,zion4 ,the ,word of the ,lord is their trumpet call1 bidding them quit themselves like men and be strong2 to fight against their own besetting sins1 and at the same time to be ready for every labour of love1 and especially such labours for souls as are typified by the building of the wall of ,jerusalem1 that city of the great ,king4 ,there is something delightful and exhilarating in the feeling of working together1 combining in efforts for ,god4 ,the labourers are indeed engaged on different parts of the wall1 they may be one far from another1 yet is there a union of purpose between them1 and the trumpet at any moment may call them to union in action4 ,not all are fit for the same kind of work2 some are employed but to clear away rubbish1 others are laying the strong1 deep foundations1 those prepare mortar1 these hew stones1 the work of many shows no visible result1 whilst beneath the busy hands of their brethren the wall rises with marvellous rapidity4 ,but all are helping in the building for ,god1 and when the bulwark is completed1 the glorious task done1 how joyfully may the weakest of the workers exclaim3 ,i1 even ,i1 was a labourer too6 ,yes--on this building there is room for the efforts1 not of the pastor alone1 but of the people2 not of the men alone1 but the women2 nay1 even of the feeble little child4 ,something will be found for each to do1 if all combine together4 ,and how inspiriting is the feeling of brotherhood and sisterhood between those engaged in working for ,god6 ,we may regard the great and successful efforts of some highly distinguished ,christian1 as a ,jewish child1 bringing but a few pebbles to add to the wall1 may have regarded the giant strength of some ,samson1 heaving up to its place a huge mass1 which the boy's feeble arms could not have stirred4 ,the child would admire and rejoice in the strength of the man2 and1 if humbled1 yet not discouraged1 by its contrast with his own weakness1 would do the little which he could do with the cheering thought1 ,i1 even ,i1 am a labourer too6 ,oh1 how far preferable the humblest kind of spiritual work1 to the shame of standing all the day idle1 while ,god's people are anxiously toiling around us for ,him6 ,there are very many ways in which we may help to raise the wall of our ,zion4 ,missionary labour amongst heathen abroad and heathen at home is the most lofty kind of building work4 ,the earnest clergyman1 the ragged-school teacher1 the ,bible-woman1 the ,christian visitor to the haunts of poverty and the dens of sin1 are those directly engaged in raising stone upon stone4 ,such need refreshment1 encouragement1 help2 and to give it to them for the sake of the cause is indirectly to forward the building4 ,there is one way in which we can1 as it were1 bring our little contribution of mortar to fix the stones1 which1 though a way neglected by many1 is beyond the strength of but few--by the circulation of religious literature4 ,there is1 indeed1 judgment required in the choice of religious works for such distribution4 ,the mortar should in itself be good1 and be laid on1 not carelessly thrown on2 but no great courage is usually required1 except by novices in the work4 ,in nineteen cases out of twenty1 the book or tract which is courteously offered is civilly received1 and sometimes thankfully and eagerly accepted4 ,a ,protestant lady1 just before entering a ,french church to see the interior1 gave a tract to an old woman who chanced to be near the door4 ,on the lady's leaving the church1 the woman--who was doubtless a ,roman ,catholic--returned the tract1 which she probably regarded as heretical trash4 ,the lady1 whose ,english companion did not sympathize with her tract-giving1 took back the despised paper with a little feeling of embarrassment1 which instantly passed away as a man held out his hand for what the woman had rejected1 so that the lady had merely to pass the tract from the one to the other4 ,travellers1 while in search of health or amusement1 would do well to remember that valuable opportunities may be afforded to them1 when thus casually meeting with those whom they never again may see1 of helping to build the wall of ,zion4 ,they are not likely to behold any effect of their work here2 but labour for ,god1 with faith and prayer1 is not in vain in the ,lord4 ,would that reflection on this subject would induce every reader who may glance at this little volume to form a prayerful resolution never to let one day pass without doing something1 be it ever so little1 towards raising the spiritual wall6 ,how cold is our zeal1 how careless our efforts1 compared to those of the ,jews under ,nehemiah6 ,they did not sit quietly in their homes1 buried in studies1 or absorbed by business1 while the din of earnest work was going on around them1 or the blast of the trumpet summoned all true sons of ,abraham to do brave battle for the right4 ,the nobles thought it an honour to be engaged in the work2 the governor himself set an example of devoted energy in it4 ,it was a day of triumph for ,nehemiah and his companions when their glorious work was finished2 when1 in the words of the leader1 all our enemies heard thereof1 and all the heathen that were about us saw these things1 and were much cast down in their own eyes1 for they perceived that this work was wrought of ,god4 ,but what will be the joy of those who have toiled for ,christ1 and in ,his strength1 when they gaze on the jasper wall of the holy ,jerusalem1 descending out of heaven from ,god1 wherein those shall dwell who1 ransomed and pardoned by the ,saviour1 have loved1 lived1 and laboured for ,him6 ,the trumpet in the hand of the archangel shall sound then no summons to conflict4 ,and when the blessed review the time of their sojourn upon earth1 with all its mingled trials and blessings while ,god's work was slowly rising to completion1 will it not be one of their sweetest joys then to be able to say1 ,unworthy as ,i was of a privilege so glorious1 ,i1 even ,i1 was a labourer too6 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xxxvi4 ,writing ,table of ,zacharias4 ,,though mentioned but once in ,scripture1 there are circumstances which invest the writing table of ,zacharias with peculiar interest1 as on it may be said to have been traced the first written sentence of the ,gospel--the fulfilment of the words of the angel1 with the name of him of whom the prophet ,isaiah had foretold1 that he should be a voice crying in the wilderness1 ,prepare ye the way of the ,lord4 ,as soon as ,zacharias had written the words1 ,his name is ,john1 what a thankful utterance of joy burst from the lips of the aged father6 ,he that had been dumb now spake--his mouth was opened at once to prophesy and to praise4 ,zacharias was filled with the ,holy ,ghost1 as his venerable wife had been before1 and rejoiced in the ,day-spring from on high1 that was rising to give light to them that had long sat in darkness and in the shadow of death4 ,as the rosy clouds1 flushed with his upward beams1 seem to cradle the rising sun1 so we find1 at the first advent of the ,sun of ,righteousness1 a holy radiance brightening the latter days of four aged saints1 who were chosen1 as it were1 to reflect the first rays of coming glory1 and bear witness to the ,messiah4 ,first ,elisabeth1 then her aged husband1 afterwards the venerable ,simeon and ,anna1 gave thanks to the ,lord1 and spoke of the coming blessing to all them that looked for redemption in ,zion4 ,the song of the one seems to have been appropriate to all3 ,lord1 now let ,thy servant depart in peace1 for mine eyes have seen ,thy salvation4 ,with these saints1 indeed1 was the hoary head a crown of glory1 for it was found in the way of righteousness4 ,the spirit of wisdom granted to these four aged believers reminds us of the words of the poet-- ,both worlds at once they view1 ,who stand upon the threshold of the new2 and lead us to reflect upon some of the privileges of a holy old age4 ,when an aged ,christian lady was once speaking of the different generations in a family1 she remarked1 ,it is like a ladder--happy those who are near the top6 ,the observation contrasts strikingly with ,moore's melancholy regrets for departed youth1 and gloomy views of advancing age-- ,dim lies the path to death before me4 ,age is commonly described by the expression1 descending into the vale of years3 with ,christians1 it should rather be1 mounting towards the height of ,pisgah2 not going down into darkness1 but up into light--nearer to ,god1 and nearer to ,heaven4 ,thus it was with the four ,new ,testament saints on whom we are reflecting2 and the privilege which was granted to them1 of witnessing to ,god's truth and rejoicing in ,his salvation1 seems to be the especial portion of aged believers in every generation of mankind4 ,the old in years can1 in a peculiarly forcible manner1 witness to the truth and faithfulness of ,god4 ,i have been young1 and now am old1 said ,david1 yet have ,i not seen the righteous forsaken1 nor his seed begging bread4 ,behold1 this day ,i am going the way of all the earth1 cried the venerable ,joshua2 not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the ,lord your ,god spake concerning you4 ,such words had additional weight from the very fact that those who uttered them were aged4 ,when the old tell of the goodness of ,god--,his power to sustain in trouble and to guide in difficulty--they speak1 not merely of what they believe1 but what they have experienced4 ,the respect due to the aged is enforced by the command of the ,most ,high3 ,thou shalt rise up before the hoary head1 and honour the face of the old man1 and fear thy ,god3 ,i am the ,lord4 ,the law is general2 but never do we more strongly feel its force than when the hoary head has the halo of piety around it--when the old man1 like ,zacharias1 stands up as a witness for ,god4 ,his feeble broken accents may then have more power than the most fervid eloquence of the young1 to lead the heart to trust in the love of ,him who so fulfils ,his promise3 ,even to your old age ,i am ,he1 and even to hoar hairs will ,i carry you3 ,i have made1 and ,i will bear2 even ,i will carry1 and will deliver you4 ,but if age has its privileges1 it has also its own peculiar trials1 especially in the case of the childless1 and those who are encompassed with many infirmities4 ,solomon calls theirs evil days1 4 4 4 when thou shalt say1 ,i have no pleasure in them2 4 4 4 when the keepers of the house shall tremble1 and the strong men shall bow themselves1 and the grinders cease because they are few1 and those that look out of the windows be darkened1 4 4 4 and fears shall be in the way1 4 4 4 and the grasshopper shall be a burden1 and desire shall fail4 ,how touching and how true a picture is here given of decrepit age1 bowed down with feebleness and infirmity6 ,when loneliness is added to all this--when the childless man has outlived all the companions of his youth1 and the years of his long life have been marked out by gravestones--how deeply does he claim the sympathy and compassion of his brethren and sisters in the ,lord6 ,he may have a long1 tedious time of waiting by the banks of ,jordan1 while they who were behind him press on before him2 and though the prospect on the other side of the narrow stream be ineffably fair1 on this side it is indeed a dry and barren wilderness to him4 ,but there is divine love even in the decree that so often weakens the powers and dims the faculties of the aged4 ,very beautiful is the simile used by a departed authoress1 99 when1 alluding to the decay of sight and hearing which is natural to extreme old age1 she remarks1 that ,god acts towards ,his feeble servants as a tender mother towards her child as the time for rest approaches she draws the curtain to shut out the light1 and stills every sound in the chamber1 that1 the outer world excluded1 her beloved may more quietly sink into slumber4 ,we may draw out the parallel further4 ,when the memory ceases to retain its grasp upon what were once objects of interest1 what is it but the same loving ,parent gently taking from the child the toys of life's little day as the evening shades fall around1 and laying aside whatever might keep the mind restless and awake8 99 ,mrs4 ,gaskell4 ,i quote from memory4 ,god's love is remembered when the things of earth are forgotten4 ,who has not heard of the ,christian1 aged and dying1 whose memory had so failed that he knew none of the friends around him1 not even the wife1 so fondly beloved2 but when he was asked1 ,do you know the ,lord ,jesus8 ,that name was so deeply imprinted in the heart and memory that the erasing of all besides left it but more distinctly legible1 and the saint1 in his second childhood1 exclaimed1 ,precious ,saviour6 ,he is my only hope4 ,so1 to pursue the simile1 though the light was darkened and the room stilled1 and all that had once delighted the senses was put away1 ,god's child felt beneath him the everlasting arms1 and knew the voice of the ,parent hushing him to that sleep from which the same voice should awake him to life and to joy in the dawn of the everlasting day4 ,such are a few thoughts suggested by a relic of the aged ,zacharias1 the saint well stricken in years1 whose latter days were1 we doubt not1 his brightest and best4 ,we know nothing of the struggles of his youth or the efforts of his manhood2 but we know that the angel's visit and the message from ,god--the father's rejoicing1 and the prophetic hymn inspired by the ,holy ,spirit--were reserved for the evening of a life which had been devoted to the service of ,god4 ,illustration ,,xxxvii4 ,the ,manger4 ,,it is in no spirit of vain superstition that we regard this cradle of an incarnate ,god4 ,were the very manger in which ,mary laid her heavenly ,babe to be placed before our bodily eyes1 we should not dare to fall down and worship it4 ,but it is well that faith should linger by the manger of ,bethlehem1 and endeavour there to gain a more vivid perception of the amazing condescension of ,him who came to visit us in great humility4 ,while1 therefore1 with the shepherds1 we adore the ,infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger1 let us attempt to raise our thoughts to the divine nature of ,him who1 in ,his poverty and ,his helplessness1 appears to us here so truly human4 ,he came unto ,his own1 and ,his own received ,him not4 ,there was no room for ,him in the inn4 ,in one sense we might say that there was no room in the world for ,one3 ,whom heaven cannot contain1 ,nor the immeasurable plain ,of vast infinity enclose and circle round4 ,for1 while we rejoicing cry1 ,unto us a ,child is born1 unto us a ,son is given1 we must also with awe remember that ,his name shall be called the ,mighty ,god1 the ,everlasting ,father4 ,let us glean from the ,scriptures a few from the many proofs that ,he who was very ,man was also very ,god2 that the ,babe who lay in the manger was one with ,him who filleth the throne of ,heaven4 ,unless we keep this central truth steadily before us1 we shall have a very faint idea of the love and grace implied in the words1 who for us men1 and for our salvation1 came down from heaven4 ,in the beginning was the ,word1 and the ,word was with ,god1 and the ,word was ,god4 ,the same was in the beginning with ,god4 ,all things were made by ,him4 ,such is the sublime commencement of the ,gospel of the beloved disciple1 upon whom rested the ,spirit of ,truth4 ,john had probably been present when the lips of the persecuted ,jesus of ,nazareth uttered the mysterious sentence1 ,i and ,my ,father are ,one2 and he heard from the risen ,saviour that revelation of ,himself1 ,i am ,alpha and ,omega1 the ,first and the ,last4 ,here was the ,lord of ,heaven1 repeating ,his own solemn declaration1 uttered when ,he abode upon earth--that declaration for which the ,jews would have stoned ,him as a blasphemer--before ,abraham was1 ,i ,,am4 ,in that mysterious sentence1 ,christ assumed to ,himself that incommunicable name by which ,god made ,himself known unto ,moses as the eternal ,deity1 to whom the past and the future form but one everlasting present4 ,eternity1 it has been said1 is the lifetime of ,god4 ,st4 ,paul also bears witness to ,him who lay in the manger of ,bethlehem1 as the ,creator and ,preserver1 as well as the ,saviour of the world4 ,god 4 4 4 hath in these last days spoken unto us by ,his ,son1 whom ,he hath appointed ,heir of all things2 'by whom also ,he made the world3' who1 being the brightness of ,his glory1 and the express image of ,his person1 and 'upholding all things by the word of ,his power1' when ,he had by ,himself purged our sins1 sat down on the right hand of the ,majesty on high4 ,st4 ,paul quotes from the ,psalms the testimony of the ,eternal ,father to the dignity of the ,redeemer3 ,unto the ,son ,he saith1 ',thy throne1 ,o ,god1 is for ever and ever6' ,micah the prophet witnessed of ,him who was to be born in ,bethlehem1 that ,his goings forth have been of old1 from everlasting4 ,zechariah1 in a passage1 part of which our ,lord ,himself quoted1 exclaims3 ,awake1 ,o sword1 against ,my ,shepherd1 and against 'the ,man that is ,my ,fellow1' saith the ,lord of hosts smite the ,shepherd1 and the sheep shall be scattered4 ,this is ,he who1 being in the form of ,god1 thought it not robbery to be equal with ,god3 but made ,himself of no reputation1 and took upon ,him the form of a ,servant1-- yea1 even that of a feeble ,infant1 lying in a manger1 in an obscure corner of the world which ,he ,himself had created4 ,such a mystery as this the understanding of man cannot grasp2 but faith meekly receives it1 and reason bids us acknowledge1 that ,he whose sacrifice was to be of infinite merit must needs ,himself be infinite2 that no created being could possibly have made satisfaction for the sins of a whole world1 the redemption of which is a work as marvellous as was its first creation4 ,but nowhere do the marvels of that creation strike us with more overpowering force than when we muse on them beside the manger of ,bethlehem4 ,let us consider ,him who deigned to become a mortal ,babe in the single attribute of power1 as displayed in launching into space this globe in which we live1 on which ,he stooped for a while to dwell1 and which1 as compared with the heavenly bodies around it1 is but as a grain of dust in the universe created by ,him by whom all things were made4 ,though the giving motion to our world was but a comparatively small exercise of such power1 how overwhelmingly great it appears when set before us in the scientific page6 ,let us make an extract from ,the ,christian ,philosopher3 99 ,however rapidly a ball flies from the mouth of a cannon1 it is the flight of a body only a 'few inches' in diameter 4 4 4 ,the earth contains a mass of matter equal in weight to at least #b1bjj1jjj1jjj1jjj1jjj1jjj1jjj1 or more than two thousand trillions of tons1 supposing its mean density to be only about two and a half times greater than water4 ,to move this ponderous mass a single inch beyond its position were it fixed in a quiescent state1 would require a mechanical force almost beyond the power of numbers to express4 ,the physical force of all the myriads of intelligences within the bounds of the planetary system1 though their powers were far superior to those of men1 would be altogether inadequate to the production of such a motion4 ,how much more must be the force requisite to impel it with a velocity 'one hundred and forty times swifter than a cannon-ball1 or sixty-eight thousand miles an hour1' the actual rate of its motion in its course round the sun6 4 4 4 ,the ideas of 'strength' and 'power' implied in the impulsion of such enormous masses of matter through the illimitable tracts of space are forced upon the mind with irresistible energy far surpassing what any abstract propositions or reasonings can convey1 and constrain us to exclaim1 ',who is a strong ,lord like unto ,thee8 ,thy right hand is become glorious in power6 ,the ,lord ,god ,omnipotent reigneth6' 99 ,by ,t4 ,dick1 ,l4 ,l4 ,d4 ,and it was ,he whose ,word could thus launch forth1 and for thousands of years keep the world and the other planets whirling round the sun at a speed that baffles thought to conceive1 it was ,he who deigned to inhabit a human form so helpless that a woman's weak arms were needed even to lift ,him out of the manger in which that woman had laid ,him6 ,the thought is overpowering1 we can but prostrate our souls in silent adoration4 ,well might the angels1 bending over the manger1 desire to look into such a mystery2 ,god was manifest in the flesh6 ,o blessed ,redeemer1 when even a faint glimpse of the riches of ,thy glory falls on the mental eye1 it seems to dazzle and blind2 and yet1 for our sakes1 ,thou didst become poor1 so poor that the stable was ,thy first earthly dwelling-place1 and ,thy cradle this manger6 ,grant unto us1 feeble worms1 the grace of ,thy ,holy ,spirit1 that we may be able to comprehend1 at least in part1 what is the breadth1 and length1 and depth1 and height1 and to know the love of ,christ which passeth knowledge2 that love which is infinite as ,thy power1 and everlasting as ,thy existence6 ,illustration ,,xxxviii4 ,the ,apostles' ,net4 ,,there is a danger1 especially to imaginative minds1 when meditating on ,scripture1 to allegorize what ought to be taken literally1 to lose the clear outlines of fact in a haze of fancy4 ,may we be watchful against this6 ,but the ,bible is full of types and emblems1 and many objects of which we read in ,scripture naturally form themselves into such4 ,the miraculous draught of fishes is at once a fact and an allegory2 the fishes were types of souls2 something far beyond a mere present supply of food was betokened by the abundance in which these fishes were caught by the apostles4 ,that such was the case is evident from the ,saviour's promise1 ,i will make you fishers of men4 ,the net therefore appears to us as a type of what ,st4 ,paul calls the foolishness of preaching1 by which it has pleased ,god to save them that believe2 and it may not be unprofitable to us to pause for awhile by that net1 and to consider some of the characteristics in which it resembles the teaching of the gospel by the ministers of ,god4 ,two especially suggest themselves to the mind2 its imperfection in itself1 and its power when blessed by the ,lord4 ,this net before us is twined of the same homely material as that of other fishermen1 the hemp has undergone the same rough process of manufacture1 toil-hardened hands have with patient labour formed every knot in its meshes1 there is nothing in its appearance to charm the senses or attract the eye4 ,yet we do not turn from it because the web is not silken2 we look not--care not for brilliancy of dye in the net which enclosed the miraculous draught4 ,but how strangely critical are many amongst us in regard to the preaching of the ,word6 ,a blemish in style1 a defect in pronunciation will sometimes mar the effect of an earnest discourse4 ,the net must be silken to attract us2 truth1 when homely1 too often offends4 ,the ear and taste must be satisfied1 though heart and conscience be left untouched6 ,then1 again1 the net is not only of common material1 but it requires both cleansing and repairing2 we read of the apostles both as washing and mending their nets4 ,here the application of the lesson seems to be rather for the minister than his flock4 ,the popular preacher1 to whose words hundreds--thousands listen with rapt attention1 who feels his net heavy with the richest of prizes1 needs constantly to remind himself of the weakness and imperfection of the instrument which the ,lord is deigning to bless4 ,it was when the apostles were drawing in a multitude of fishes that their net brake4 ,when in the midst of their successes1 servants of ,god suddenly feel their net breaking1 when their physical or mental powers are crippled1 so that they need to beckon to their partners that they should come and help them1 is not this sign of the imperfection of their noblest talents sent to them lest they should fall into the sin of pride1 and1 albeit unconsciously1 sacrifice unto their net1 and burn incense unto their drag2 rest complacently in those powers which at any moment might fail8 ,but if the net be but a poor instrument in itself1 how marvellous its power when blessed by the ,lord6 ,how mysterious the faculty of stirring souls to their very depths1 of sending forth words like arrows1 which ,god ,himself guides to the hearers' hearts6 ,st4 ,peter1 the illiterate fisherman1 must have marvelled at the effect of his first recorded sermon4 ,three thousand souls gathered in at once1 a number far larger than appears to have been drawn in during all the years of ,christ's sojourn upon earth by the ministry of ,him who spake as never man spake6 ,what were the emotions of the apostle when his preaching1 by the might of the ,spirit1 brought into the ,church such a harvest of souls8 ,we know that the miraculous draught made him fall on his knees1 humbled and overpowered under a sense of his own unworthiness1 and exclaiming to the ,divine ,being who had wrought the miracle1 ,depart from me1 for ,i am a sinful man1 ,o ,lord6 ,may we not believe that ,st4 ,peter was far more humbled by the miraculous draught of souls1 the mighty success granted to one who had1 but a few weeks before1 so sinned against light and love6 ,what is this honour vouchsafed to me6 ,such may have been the apostle's thought ere he laid down his head to rest that night1 with his soul overflowing with thankful joy3 ,have these lips1 so lately polluted with cursing and swearing1 these lips that have thrice denied my ,lord1 been permitted so to preach the gospel1 that thousands are gathered into the ,church6 ,what am ,i that ,i should be chosen to enjoy a privilege so glorious6 ,but though on that occasion the confession1 ,i am a sinful man1 ,o ,lord6 may have been uttered with far deeper consciousness of guilt than it was in the boat on ,gennesaret2 the depart from me6 would never more be heard from the contrite ,peter4 ,his sense of sin would but make him cling the more closely to ,him who taketh away sin2 the greater his guilt1 the greater his need that the ,saviour should not depart1 but abide with ,him for ever6 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xxxix4 ,the ,bed of the ,paralytic4 ,,when was a burden ever lifted more joyfully than this was1 when at the ,saviour's command the light bed was raised by the strong arms that had1 but a few moments previously1 rested in helpless weakness upon it6 ,how joyfully did the restored paralytic make his way on his own feet through that crowd whose presence had rendered it impossible for his friends to bear him in on his bed6 ,we know not of a single word spoken by the rejoicing pardoned believer in that hour of intense happiness1 but surely the utterance of his heart must have been like that of the psalmist4 ,bless the ,lord1 ,o my soul1 and forget not all ,his benefits6 ,who forgiveth all thine iniquities1 who healeth all thy diseases2 who redeemeth thy life from destruction1 who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies1 4 4 4 so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's6 ,we would gladly follow the restored sufferer to his home1 and hear him recounting to eager listeners there what great things the ,lord had done for him2 describing his feelings of hope as--borne on that bed--he had approached the house in which the ,master was teaching1 then the fear1 the anxiety1 the difficulty which had followed when it was found to be useless to attempt to carry the invalid in4 ,how grateful must he have felt to those friends whom difficulties would not daunt1 especially to whoever first offered the suggestion to let him down through the roof6 ,the sufferer could not help his friends in their labour of love1 but how anxiously he had watched it1 and1 when gently lowered down by kind hands1 with what a trembling hope had he found himself in the immediate presence of the ,redeemer6 ,to hear such scenes described by those who were the immediate actors in them1 may probably be one of the joys reserved for ,god's children in ,heaven4 ,how would the restored paralytic in the course of his after-life regard that bed on which he had lain perhaps for weary year after year6 ,would the associations connected with it be those of pain or of pleasure8 ,would he dwell on the long wearisome days1 the dreary nights which he had spent on that bed when he had no power to lift himself from it8 ,would he sigh when he looked on it from the recollection of all that he had had to endure8 ,we cannot think this1 however long1 or painful1 or trying1 his illness may have been2 it is far more likely that the sight of that bed would bring to his mind recollections on which memory would dwell with rapture4 ,it was when stretched on that bed that ,i first looked on my ,lord1 and met ,his glance of ineffable love and compassion6 ,it was when stretched on that bed that ,i heard those accents which will thrill delight through my soul to my dying day1 yea1 and through all eternity1--',son1 be of good cheer1 thy sins be forgiven thee6' ,oh1 ,god be praised that ,i ever was sick6 ,i thank1 ,i bless1 ,i adore ,him for the weakness1 the helplessness1 the disease which brought me so close to my ,lord1 and made me a monument thus of ,his everlasting mercy and grace6 ,and thus will many a dear ,christian brother or sister1 long afflicted by sickness1 look back on the couch of suffering when the ,lord has restored health to the feeble frame1 or when--through what man calls death--,he has bidden the pardoned believer arise1 never more to lie down in pain4 ,many will doubtless have cause to say1 ,it was in love and mercy that sickness and suffering were permitted to chain me down to my bed2 it was from thence that ,i first looked through faith on my ,saviour--there first ,i knew that my sins were indeed forgiven4 ,my weakness made me rest in ,christ's strength--my sufferings brought me to ,his feet4 ,i would not exchange the lessons learned1 the privileges enjoyed on that sick-bed1 for all the wealth of the world6 ,the story of the paralytic man is fraught with comfort also to those in sorrow for loved ones afflicted either in body or in mind4 ,it is terrible to watch sufferings which we cannot relieve1 to seek aid from physicians but to find that their utmost skill is exerted in vain4 ,which of us has not known the wearing anxiety1 the sickening suspense1 when a precious life is at stake8 ,oh6 ,let us not then rest on earth1 and put down our loved burden in despair4 ,we must go up higher1 we must carry our friend upwards on the strong arms of prayer1 we must lay him at the feet of the ,saviour4 ,the ,son of ,man hath still power to say1 ,arise1 take up thy bed and walk4 ,still more earnest should be our efforts when the sickness of him for whom we pray is that of the soul--the sickness of sin4 ,bodily health and strength and beauty may be united with deadly spiritual paralysis4 ,some seem as if they would not--could not--come to the ,saviour2 they have no power to rise1 they are chained down by the cares or pleasures and follies of the world2 when others are pressing in to hear ,god's ,word1 they remain in peril without4 ,let us1 as it were1 carry those who will not or cannot walk1 let us bear the burden on our hearts4 ,god is trying our faith and our patience4 ,have we clambered the outward stair1 have we toiled to uncover the roof--to remove as far as we can the obstacles which divide the paralyzed soul from the ,lord8 ,and then1 using the bands of love1 the cords of a man1 have we gently placed our burden even at the feet of our ,heavenly ,master8 ,he has still power to say to the diseased and paralyzed soul1 ,thy sins be forgiven thee1 and to bid it arise to walk in newness of life1 to tread in the paths of holiness1 to run with vigour that blessed race of which ,heaven itself is the goal6 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xl4 ,the ,cross4 ,,in the olden times when legends and traditions1 like parasites mantling a tree and hindering its healthy growth1 had appeared well-nigh to choke gospel-truth while meant to adorn it1 the day of the supposed discovery of the true cross was made a festival2 99 its name was given to province and city2 and fragments1 however small1 of what was deemed so inexpressibly sacred1 were esteemed amongst the greatest treasures of princes4 ,satan would be well pleased to see adoration paid to pieces of wood1 if he could so draw away the minds of the pious from contemplation of the true cross1 as it is preserved for believers in the ,bible alone1 to be touched only by ,faith as she repeats the words of ,st4 ,paul1 ,god forbid that ,i should glory save in the cross of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 99 ',invention of the ,cross1' an annual feast solemnized on the #crd of ,may1 in memory of ,helena's 7the mother of ,constantine7 finding the 7supposed7 true ,cross of ,christ deep in the ground on ,mount ,calvary1 where she erected a church for the preservation of part of it4 ,english ,encyclopdia4 ,with the deepest1 most solemn reverence1 let us now draw nigh in spirit to this altar1 on which was offered the one full1 perfect1 and sufficient sacrifice1 oblation1 and satisfaction1 for the sins of the whole world4 ,let all worldly thoughts be put off2 it is on holy ground that we tread1 as the cross--stained with that most precious blood which alone cleanseth from all sin--draws our contemplation to ,him who upon it agonized and died for mankind4 ,that ,christ could suffer proves that ,he was human2 that ,he could so suffer1 proves that ,he was divine1 for ,deity alone could so hold the tortured frame in subjection as to keep it suspended for six hours in agony upon the cross4 ,a mere man1 by the force of strong will1 may give himself up to death--may so overcome the shrinking of nature as to spring down the chasm1 or throw himself into the waves4 ,many martyrs have yielded up their lives willingly and cheerfully1 but who could die as ,jesus died8 ,his was no single effort of will1 but a prolonged exercise of it1 hour after hour1 amidst sufferings more excruciating than the mind can conceive4 ,we cannot doubt that ,he who is the mighty ,god could at any moment have ended those sufferings2 no nails could have fixed ,him to the cross2 not the united powers of a thousand peopled worlds could have kept ,him there for an instant6 ,the unutterable pangs which the ,saviour endured were ,his own deliberate choice1 and it was ,his own infinite love which made ,him sustain them even to the end4 ,we know this from the ,lord's declaration3 ,i lay down ,my life 4 4 4 ,no man taketh it from ,me1 but ,i lay it down of ,myself4 ,i have power to lay it down1 and ,i have power to take it again4 ,christ had but to will it1 and the cross of shame would instantly have been exchanged for the throne of glory1 and the mocking crowds have been stretched blackened1 blasted corpses before ,him6 ,we speak of our ,lord's temptation in the wilderness--what must have been ,his temptation on the cross8 ,such as none but ,deity could have resisted--none but ,god have overcome4 ,a ,paul might have consented to be crucified for the sake of his brethren--but could even a ,paul have remained long on the cross had it needed but an act of volition to release him8 ,human nature must have failed under the trial4 ,the fondest of mothers clinging by her hands to the edge of a precipice1 with her infant fastened to her shoulders1 must let go ere long1 though conscious that her child as well as herself will be dashed in pieces by her fall4 ,the weight of a world's salvation hung on the ,redeemer1 and ,he would not let go4 ,come down from the cross6 shouted the rabble4 ,come down from the cross6 urged the tempter4 ,come down from the cross6 cried out agonized human nature1--,christ could1 but ,he would not come down4 ,this was constancy beyond that of humanity2 this was the endurance not of a man but of a ,god6 ,there appears to be a mysterious analogy between the great act of the ,creation and that of the ,redemption of the world4 ,after the six days in which the ,lord made earth and the things within it1 ,he did rest the seventh day from all ,his works2 and so1 after the six hours of anguish1 the ,saviour rested in death from the more awful work of redemption4 ,another analogy arises in the mind1 though it is mentioned with some hesitation1 as ,scripture warrant cannot be brought forward to support it4 ,it is an ancient well-known tradition that the world will endure six thousand years under our present dispensation1 and that then will come the long ,sabbath of rest4 ,if it be so1 is it impossible that each hour on the cross may have had a mysterious relation to each thousand years--that the two first hours of agony may have expiated the guilt of the antediluvian race2 the succeeding1 that of its successors2 the increasing numbers of sinners corresponding with the tortures which1 towards the close of the awful time of sacrifice1 would naturally most fearfully increase8 ,if such a suggestion be admitted1 what a peculiar interest have we1 who live in these latter times1 in the dying thirst--the agonized cry1 which appears to have marked the climax in the sufferings of our blessed ,redeemer6 ,the idea links itself on to another4 ,is it impossible that before ,him who knoweth all things may have passed in prophetic vision every human being who should enter ,heaven through the merit of those pangs which ,he at that moment was enduring8 ,that the ,lord waited1 with arms outstretched1 strained muscles and bleeding hands1 until the last1 the very last1 should be safe2 and till--knowing that none1 not the least of ,his flock should perish--,christ could at length exclaim1 ,it is finished1 and so bow the head and yield up the ghost8 ,there is something inexpressibly touching in this thought1 especially if we regard the possibility that some one now breathing on this globe may have been the last one for whom the ,lord waited on the cross6 ,perhaps some prodigal for whose soul a mother is now wrestling in prayer2 perhaps some poor heathen slave in a distant land2 perhaps some despised one brought up in haunts of vice1 the answer to whose first cry of faith and repentance1 ,god be merciful to me a sinner1 will be the sound of the trumpet announcing that the world's great suffering-time is ended1 and that the last saved soul being gathered in1 the glorious ,sabbath shall commence6 ,let us pause for a few moments1 and with closed eyes and bended knees attempt to realize the thought1--the ,saviour waited on the cross for me6 ,for me was that awful thirst1 for me that intolerable pain4 ,christ would not save ,himself from a death of torture1 because--with all my coldness1 selfishness1 sinfulness--,he could not1 would not1 suffer me to perish6 ,a few words inscribed under a picture of the ,crucifixion were once made the means of converting a soul2 they were as a question from ,him who hung on the cross1 these touching words are addressed to us all--what reply dare we return8 ,i suffered this for thee2 what dost thou for ,me8 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xli4 ,the ,stone at the ,sepulchre4 ,,who has not known the pang of bereavement1-- ,when sorrowing o'er the stone we bend1 ,which covers what was once a friend1 ,and from his hand--his voice--his smile1 ,divides us for a little while8 ,let the mourner draw nigh to this stone which closed the sepulchre of the ,lord1 and beneath its quiet shadow meditate on the solemn and most blessed doctrine of the resurrection4 ,with aching hearts1 with drooping heads1 the disciples of the crucified ,saviour turned from the sepulchre in which they had seen ,his sacred body laid4 ,for ,him1 indeed1 the awful trial was over2 ,he was beyond reach of the cruelty of soldier1 or the malice of priest4 ,those holy eyes were clothed in death1 no cry of anguish would ever more burst from those pallid lips1 the blood had ceased to flow from the pierced hands and side4 ,for the ,master indeed there was rest1 but for the disciples desolation1 for none in that hour of anguish appears to have believed or understood the re-iterated promise1-- ,after three days ,i will rise again4 ,what was the world1 then1 to the followers of ,christ1 without ,him who had been their ,friend and their ,guide1 the ,life and ,light of their souls6 ,that tombstone seemed to shut them out from all that remained to them of ,one so deeply reverenced1 so tenderly beloved4 ,and when early in the twilight which preceded the ,easter morn1 women drew near to the grave to pay the last honour to the body of the ,lord1 this same stone1 heavy1 sealed and guarded1 appeared to their anxious minds as a barrier between them and ,him4 ,who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre8 was the perplexed enquiry of those whose love was stronger than their faith4 ,but the stone had been rolled away by an angel's hand1 and had become the seat of a messenger from ,heaven1 whose countenance was like lightning1 and his raiment white as snow2 at the sight of whose glory the guards had trembled1 and become even as the dead6 ,the ,lord of ,life had risen indeed1 the first-fruits of them that sleep2 the sepulchre had yielded up its heavenly guest2 ,christ had led captivity captive1 and by dying abolished death6 ,thenceforth all believers could exclaim1 ,o death1 where is thy sting8 ,o grave1 where is thy victory8 ,thanks be to ,god1 which giveth us the victory through our ,lord ,jesus ,christ6 ,this stone stands as a representative of all that shuts out from the eye of love1 from the sunshine of ,heaven1 the mortal forms that once held souls that ,christ hath redeemed4 ,the little grassy mound in the churchyard over some babe whose brief span of life-- ,left no trace behind1--save in a parent's breast2 the heavy monument in the cemetery1 the solid walls of the vault1 the earth-covering in the deep pit on the battlefield1 the unfathomable sea which rolls over the dead1--all1 all shall yield up their trust6 ,again shall an angel of ,god descend from heaven2 again shall the solid earth tremble and shake2 again shall rocks be rent and graves be opened2 and as ,christ1 the ,head1 arose1 so shall the body--the ,church--arise6 ,hear the glorious words of ,isaiah's prophecy1 omitting the italics which are not in the original text1 and which seem to obscure its meaning3 ,thy dead shall live1 ,my dead body shall they arise4 ,awake and sing1 ye that dwell in dust3 for thy dew the dew of herbs1 and the earth shall cast out the dead4 ,oh1 joyful ,easter morn1 for which ,faith is watching and waiting6 ,when the first dawn of its coming light is around us1 and the shadows of night are beginning to flee1 well may our ,lord address to mourners for departed saints the question1 ,why weepest thou8 ,christ when ,he rose from the dead was again restored to ,his loving followers1 but1 as regarded visible presence1 for only a little space2 but when the graves of ,his saints shall be opened1 when from countless sepulchres the heavy stones shall be rolled back1 it is to no transient glimpses of the ,lord1 to no brief moments of blissful intercourse that they will then be admitted4 ,i know that my ,redeemer liveth1 and that ,he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth3 and though after my skin worms destroy this body1 yet in my flesh shall ,i see ,god3 whom ,i shall see for myself1 and mine eyes shall behold1 and not a stranger-- 7marginal reading74 ,no1 ,,not ,a ,,stranger6 ,when ,mary first beheld her risen ,lord1 her eyes were holden that she should not know ,him1 and as a stranger she addressed ,him6 ,but the saints as they burst from the sod in the morn of the resurrection shall at once recognize ,him1 whom not having seen they have loved6 ,they will know the voice of the ,good ,shepherd who has led them through the wilderness of life1 and the valley of the shadow of death6 ,and it shall be said in that day1 ,lo1 this is our ,god2 we have waited for ,him1 and ,he will save us3 this is the ,lord2 we have waited for ,him1 we will be glad and rejoice in ,his salvation4 ,illustration ,the ,queen and the ,twelve ,names4 ,,we find in the seventh chapter of the book of ,revelation a description of the sealed ones1 the spiritual ,israel1 under the names of the tribes to whom was granted the promised inheritance of ,canaan4 ,if it be1 as many believe1 that we here behold ,christ's ,church under a different symbol1 yet identical with her of whom we read in the forty-fifth ,psalm1 the twelve names in ,revelation beautifully fill up the description of the ,king's daughter1 the ,queen1 who is all glorious within1 for all these names have meanings4 ,the virgins1 her companions1 that shall be brought into the ,king's palace with gladness and rejoicings1 may be regarded as representing the multitude which no man could number1 of all nations and kindreds1 and peoples and tongues1 who appear to be distinct from1 and yet in some degree sharers in the blessedness of the sealed ones1 the hundred and forty-four thousand4 ,let us examine the meaning of the names mentioned in ,revelation vii41 and see if they are not as twelve stars in the crown of the ,church of the firstborn1 99 placed on her head by ,him whom she worships1 because ,he is the ,lord her ,god4 99 ,heb4 xii4 #bc4 ,and1 first1 we mark what name is omitted4 ,,dan had a place amongst the twelve tribes of ,israel under the ,law1 but none amongst the spiritual ,israel4 ,the signification of the word may throw light upon what is otherwise dark and mysterious4 ,dan signifies judgment4 ,there was judgment stern and terrible under the ,law1 but in the ,gospel mercy rejoiceth against judgment4 ,the curse has been removed1 the penalty endured by another2 ,dan is1 as it were1 absorbed and disappears4 ,it is remarkable that when ,jacob on his death-bed blessed his sons1 after speaking of ,dan1 judgment1 then1 and then alone1 he burst forth into the exclamation1 ,i have waited for thy salvation1 ,o ,lord6 ,following the order in which the names of the tribes are given by ,st4 ,john1 the first of which we read is3 ,,juda1 the praise of the ,lord4 ,and so praise unto ,him who hath chosen and redeemed her is1 as it were1 the first gem1 the central star in the crown of the ,church1 the spiritual ,bride4 ,,reuben1 see the ,son1 or who sees the ,son1 a name of deep meaning if we may take it as descriptive of the precious privilege of her whose eyes shall see the ,king in ,his beauty1 the pure in heart who shall look upon ,god4 ,,gad1 a band1 or happy1 or armed and prepared4 99 ,the interpretation seems to speak for itself4 ,the ,church is a chosen band of those who are happy in the love of their ,lord2 who have been armed to fight the good fight1 and prepared for the coming of ,him whom1 not having seen1 they have loved4 ,of such is the spiritual ,israel4 99 ,see ,cruden's ,concordance4 ,,aser1 blessedness1 or happiness4 ,the ,church1 when she enters the palace of her ,lord1 will shine in blessedness for ever4 ,immortal happiness will beam from her countenance1 the reflection of the light of ,him in whose presence is the fulness of joy1 and at whose right hand there are pleasures for evermore4 ,,nepthalim1 my wrestling1 or one that struggles4 ,here we are reminded that they who bear the palms of victory are they that have endured the conflict4 ,a reference may also be made to earnest wrestling in prayer4 ,esther1 ere the hour of triumph1 might be said to have earned the name of ,naphtali4 ,the ,church who will wear the garment of praise1 now appears in the spirit of heaviness1 wrestling1 struggling1 till ,he with whom she pleads grant her more than she dares to ask for1 or to desire4 ,,manasseh1 forgetfulness4 ,this name was given by ,joseph to his firstborn in ,egypt2 for ,god1 said he1 hath made me to forget all my toil1 and all my father's house4 ,the patriarch's words sound like a response to the exhortation addressed to the bride in the psalm1--,hearken1 ,o daughter1 and consider 4 4 4 forget also thine own people1 and thy father's house4 ,the vanities of earth1 with its sorrows and sins1 put away and forgotten for ever6 ,,simeon1 that hears or obeys4 ,in this word is described a special attribute of the ,church of ,christ1 the obedience of faith4 ,he that hath ,my commandments and keepeth them1 ,he it is that loveth ,me1 saith the ,heavenly ,king4 ,it is the ,church that listens to ,his voice1 that seeks to follow wherever ,he leads4 ,of ,reuben1 the patriarch1 it was said1 unstable as water thou shalt not excel2 but ,reuben's name taken in its hidden meaning may remind us that even water1 hearing and obeying the ,lord1 became as a well at ,his bidding1 or firm as a pavement under ,his feet4 ,,levi1 joined1 or held and associated4 ,here is a description of that union of which1 alas6 amongst those who are called ,christians1 we now see so little4 ,there is too much of the party spirit which cries1 ,i am of ,paul--,i of ,apollos1 with believers who should be one in ,christ4 ,should mere form and ceremonies1 the colour of a garment1 a posture1 or a name1 have power to separate those whom ,god ,himself hath joined together8 ,we need larger ,christian charity4 ,the higher we rise towards ,heaven1 the wider spreads the horizon around4 ,not but that purity of doctrine must ever be jealously guarded1 we must earnestly contend for the faith once given to the saints2 but as regards those non-essentials by means of which the enemy would divide us1 and bring discord into the ,church1 well may we say1-- ,judge not thy differing brother1 nor in aught ,condemn2 his prayer and thine may rise above1 ,though blending not in unison of thought1 ,yet mingling in the harmony of love4 ,,issachar1 price1 reward4 ,a touching allusion may here be contained to the truth that we are not our own1 but bought with a price2 that the salvation of the ,church is the reward of a ,saviour's merits1 the purchase of a ,saviour's blood4 ,to the spiritual ,israel comes the message1 ,fear not1 for ,i have redeemed thee1 ,i have called thee by thy name1 thou art ,mine4 ,,zabulon1 dwelling4 ,under another figure we find the ,church represented as the temple of an indwelling ,god4 ,if a man love ,me1 said the ,lord1 speaking of each individual believer1 he will keep ,my words3 and ,my ,father will love him1 and we will come unto him1 and make our abode with him4 ,st4 ,paul reminded the early ,christians of this high privilege granted to them4 ,know ye not your own selves1 how that ,jesus ,christ is in you1 except ye be reprobates8 ,know ye not that ye are the temple of ,god1 and that the ,spirit of ,god dwelleth in you8 ,,joseph1 increase4 ,here we have in the name of ,israel's best beloved son the description of one of the essential attributes both of the ,church and of each of her members2 growth in grace1 increase in knowledge and brotherly love4 ,the ,church is not only a temple but a living body1 that must be nourished and exercised1 till it come in the unity of the faith1 and of the knowledge of the ,son of ,god1 unto a perfect man1 unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of ,christ4 ,it is the ,spirit of ,god whose effectual working maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love4 ,,benjamin1 the son of the right hand4 ,the impression conveyed by such a name as this is that of power1 honour1 and strength4 ,it is the name which ,jacob substituted for that bestowed on his youngest son by a dying mother1 ,,benoni1 the son of my sorrow4 ,by birth every child of ,eve is born unto trouble1 as the sparks fly upward2 as ,benonis we enter into the world1 and as ,benonis we must have left it1 had not the ,father of mercies and ,god of all comfort changed the nature of ,his child1 as ,jacob with his changed the name2 so that the worm 99 should thresh the mountains1 and to the feeble be given power over the nations4 99 ,isaiah xli4 #ad4 ,rev4 ii4 #bf4 ,this very slight sketch of the features of the ,church as drawn in the names of the tribes of ,israel must be considered as little more than suggestive2 an abler hand than mine may fill up the outlines1 and so give us a glimpse of the spiritual beauty of the ,queen when she shall be presented to her ,lord without spot or wrinkle1 or any such thing1 robed in ,his righteousness1 bright with ,his glory1 and blessed in ,his love6 ,illustration3 ,,finis