of the richest ritual, the magnificence of the proudest decorations of a church, if the Word of God is not there, and its grand principles of charity, justice, integrity, usefulness, and real daily purity and virtue unfolded and enforced, are only the meritricious adornments of spiritual witchery, by which the lust of power in priests soothes its dupes and gains its ends. Bandits can listen to the soft strains of holy music, and go again to murder. The sensual can flock in crowds to grand displays of sacred show, and bow and kneel, and return to their vile debasements well satisfied that they have patronized the Deity and done the right thing.

But where, in such scenes of mere ceremonial worship, is the enlightened mind, the purified heart, the life improved, the selfdenial which would not pain the affections of another by a harsh word, or the property of another by the slightest injustice? The greatest persecutors in the world, the men who have laid provinces waste by fire and sword, and destroyed the salt of the earth by thousands, have been the most punctilious in religious services, which, being the ceremonials of superstition, have soothed their consciences and fanned their pride.

The religion which opposes progress, which does not perpetually promote regeneration, which does not enlighten the mind, soften and widen the sympathies of the heart, and lead to integrity of life, is useless to man and dishonouring to God; not a blessing but a curse. This is what is meant by Absalom being suspended by the branches of the oak, between earth and heaven-useless to both.

The Christ-like man, who seeks to exalt and spread the Word of God, who leads the erring to his Saviour, who urges all men to think, to act on principle, to use their judgments to find the truth in all things, and when they have found it to love and practise it; but, above all, who remembers to put on charity as the bond of perfectness (Col. iii. 14), as the very end of the commandment, out of a pure heart, a good conscience, and a faith unfeigned (1 Tim. i. 5), such a one, whether minister or layman, is a city set upon a hill that cannot be hid; he is a ministering angel among men, a helper of the helpless, and a hope and a blessing to all around him. But the man or the system which, without Christian virtues, usurps the Christian name, is worldly with the worldly; as selfish and as vile as they; satisfied if with holy mutterings there can be the husk of religion where all is dead and unholy within; this is indeed an Absalom suspended between earth and heaven.

A religion of mere ceremony, without a living earnest use of the Word of God, an outside religion which does not insist upon love and wisdom, the spirit and life of religion, the kingdom of God within-an Absalom which opposes David-is the upholder of every abuse, the sanctifier of every stupid notion, the source of unending bickerings, the infuser of jealous divisions between men and men, the impeder of education, the drag upon the chariot wheels of progress, a dark, dull, stupefying cloud that shuts out the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness.

And what relation does it hold to heaven? It hinders where it should help; it revolts where it should attract. The tree with an abundance of leaves but no fruit was the symbol of Judaism when it had become such a system, and evoked the withering condemnation of our Lord, "Let no fruit grow upon thee henceforward for ever." When the Supreme Owner of the vineyard, the church, sees that religion has become such a tree, and has come to it for the mystical three years without finding anything but barrenness and corruption, He says, "cut it down, why cumbereth it the ground."

Piety is not promoted, virtue is not strengthened, God is not honoured, by such a system. It puts itself in the place of God, and therefore the Lord says of it, "Thine heart was lifted up, because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee" (Ezek. xxviii. 17). Such is the state of things symbolized by Absalom, seized and suspended in the branches of the oak between heaven and earth.

By word being brought to Joab of Absalom being thus caught and thus helpless, is represented the convictions of the mind by many evidences of the worthlessness of such worship, combined with fearfulness and hesitation in weak minds lest harm should be done by its abolition.

The Lord desires worship, that He may bless us again and again. But, when, instead of this, we are only gratifying selfishness in a more subtle form, and turning the externals of worship to be instruments of the lust of power, pelf, and hypocrisy, then He suffers Joab to marshal the army and go out against it.

Joab represents the rational faculty on the side of true religion opposing, condemning, and destroying superstition. Joab had no hesitation. He took three arrows, which signifies a three-fold condemnation. Of the Lord, it is said, "Thine arrows shall be sharp in the heart of the King's enemies" (Psa. xlv. 5). True religion is a message of glory to God in the

highest, and on earth, peace, good-will towards men, but superstitious worship inaugurates war to mankind; it hates and despises them therefore a rational view of Divine Truth condemns it. This is the first arrow. The arrows of the evil are bitter words against the good. They shoot their arrows, even bitter words (Psa. lxiv.). But the Divine condemnation of them are bitter too, and are felt by them as arrows. "God shall shoot at them, with an arrow, suddenly shall they be wounded. And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God: for they shall wisely consider of His doing" (Psa. lxiv. 7-9).

True religion instructs, enlightens, and elevates the mind. It is light in our dwellings. Superstitious worship shuts out the light as an owl flies from brightness. The dark places of the earth are full of cruelty, therefore a rational view of religion condemns it. This is Joab's second arrow.

True religion leads to virtuous works. It lets its light so shine before men that they may see its good works, and glorify its Father who is in heaven. Worship without truth winks at evil. Its devotees love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil. The corrupt tree brings forth corrupt fruit. Tear it up by the roots. Lay the axe to the root. Cast it from the garden of the Lord. This is Joab's third arrow: the third condemnation. The piercing of the heart signifies that the very essence of superstition is altogether opposed to Divine Truth.

The ten young men who bare Joab's armour, and compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him, represent all the truths of the letter of the Word, which condemn and reject a system which, under pretence of serving God, destroys the very pith of all religion, for love to God and love to man are the very soul of all Divine precepts. "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Let us avoid the fate of Absalom; let us ever shun the form of worship filled with the spirit of evil, as the deadliest rebellion against our Heavenly King and Father the Lord Jesus Christ." Let us never forget His divine words, "Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?"

SERMON XXVI.

THE SIN OF DAVID IN NUMBERING THE PEOPLE.

"And David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the Lord, I have sinned greatly in that I have done and now I beseech thee, O Lord, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly."-2.SAM. xxiv. 10.

WE must never forget in reading the history of Israel in the Holy Word, that Israel was the divinely appointed type of the Church of God. They were chosen to be a nation not for themselves, and their comparatively small interests, but as a symbol of the Lord's spiritual kingdom in the world, and a lesson for mankind in all ages. They were an earthly Israel representing accurately the Israel of God.

Unless we bear this important fact in mind there will be much in the history from time to time that will be difficult of explanation, as in the subject before us. There does not appear to be any sin or impropriety in numbering a people, or in accurately examining and statistically defining a nation's resources. A tradesman who did not take stock would hardly be considered to be exercising that prudent care which would avoid serious error and lead to prosperity. To take stock of a people, to become acquainted with the facts of their national life, seems to be absolutely needful to those who desire to diminish whatever is injurious, and to promote all that would be advantageous to its well-being. If the Israelitish people had simply been as other people, it would appear very difficult to understand in what the sin of David in taking the census of the nation consisted; and yet it is clear that he had done a sinful thing; both from its being resisted by his counsellors before it was carried into effect, and from his own conscience, which smote him afterwards, and caused him to utter the words of our

text.

The first verse of the chapter indicates that the Israelites had come into a very evil state. They had been triumphant under

David, and the vigour of his government, and the protection he had afforded, had brought prosperity and wealth. Forty years of valiant rule and able government had produced their usual blessings, peace and abundance; but they had brought also their usual dangers, self-elation and pride of heart. Weak, erring man is prone to forget that all he has is from God, and not from his own merit or ability; and the more he abounds in the gifts of heaven, the more he is in danger of attributing to his own skill and power what ought to induce him to be more humble daily; for the more he has, the more he owes.

Israel was constantly forgetting this, and Israel's fault has been too often repeated in all ages. It is equally the error of to-day. We ought to tremble when we are prosperous, and pray to be kept thankful, but lowly in heart.

When we are

straitened, we mourn and complain : when we are rich we too often glorify ourselves, are thankless and proud, forgetful of God, and greatly overlooking the slender tenure of health and of all temporal possessions. "Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation." Alas! that it should be so: but it is the old and oft-repeated story. Prosperity has more dangers, and needs more wisdom than adversity.

Outward success often induces inward poverty. "Thou sayest thou art rich, and full of goods, and hast need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art poor and miserable, and blind and naked."

This had obviously become the state of Israel; for it is said the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. These words are only another mode of saying Israel was in a very wicked condition. The Lord is never really angry, but He appears angry when man is wicked, as the sun appears lowring when the clouds are thick. When men are drawn away of their evil lusts and enticed, as the apostle James expresses it, they hesitate, they ponder, they debate with themselves more or less, the attraction of vice grows stronger, the allurements redouble, their self-deception becomes more persuasive, until they become defiant against the divine laws; they know they are opposed to Him, and they feel thoroughly that He must be opposed to them, and all the sorrows that flow from their sins, they thenceforward attribute to God's anger. They drive themselves against the divine laws, which cannot be altered; they suffer pain, and they cry out God is punishing them. A person who has pursued a