truth, choose principles of right. As you would have others do to you, so do to them. Remember that this world is but a mere passing stage, a mere nursery in which you are capable of growing, and being nurtured so as to fill a place in the Lord's kingdom.

Finally, allow me to remind you once more, that, nations exist and become great only from law and order. When these exist and are sacredly maintained, all the manifold blessings and beauties of social life manifest themselves and multiply. Each man's home is his castle. Each sits under his own roof and invents, creates, and enjoys in peace. A nation becomes a man on a grander scale: the legislature the heart; the executive government and great employers-the shoulders, arms and chest; the rest of the nation forming the remainder of the body of the state in multiplied diversity and beautiful order, doing the Lord's work and enjoying the Lord's blessing in ten thousand thousand ways.

Would you see a mere people, then study the roaming tribes of the desert, though even there, there is a nation in its smallest form-a tribe. Would you see a nation, then turn to the civilized states of Europe, or America, or to Great Britain, the chief of them all, and contrast the security, the loveliness, the convenience, the magnificence, and the abundance which reign in the one, with the uncertainty, the bareness, and the meanness of life in the other, and you will be convinced of the importance of that wondrous result of law-ordered life--a nation.

The same contemplation will disclose the enormous wickedness of the sin of rebellion: a sin which incloses in itself multiplied murder, wide-spread robbery, and every human villainy. Where rulers have substituted despotism for law, and gagged discussion, when they persist in rejecting remonstrance, and are themselves stifling the nation, to whom liberty is life, until no reasonable hope of change remain, then resistance to iniquity in high places becomes faithfulness to God. This is not rebellion, it is patriotism. But in all other cases rebellion is regarded in Scripture as on a par with witchcraft, as wickedness of the foulest kind.

Let us then in our capacity of citizens ever regard faithfulness to law as our abiding duty, so shall we become in the language of the Word, "a great and understanding people."

But to secure this your soul also must be like a well-ordered nation, in which every subject does his duty, and righteousness rules over all. Then "violence shall no more be heard in the land; wasting nor destruction within thy borders: but thou shalt call thy walls salvation, and thy gates praise.”

SERMON XIX.

OBEDIENCE, OUR DUTY AND OUR WISDOM.

"You have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how 1 bare you on eagles' wings and brought you unto myself. Now, therefore, if you will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people; for all the earth is mine."-Exodus xix. 4, 5.

When we seriously understand that the Israelitish journey is in reality a sacred picture of the journey of the soul by regeneration to heaven, we have got the key to an immense variety of most important and most beautiful truths. We have arrived at a stage in the journey through the Wilderness that brings this truth home to the thoughtful mind, and that will prepare us to appreciate it in some respects which otherwise would have escaped our notice. The Israelites had made their way step by step, overcoming the difficulties of the journey and mastering the opposition that had been brought against them to the very foot of Mount Horeb,-the place you will remember that Moses set out from in order to accomplish his mission, and thus to lead the people from their Egyptian bondage. So far a circle of operations has been completed. The Lord's appearance, by an angel, to Moses; Moses having made his way into Egypt, delivered himself of His mission, exercised the authority by which he had proclaimed the Israelites were to be set free, and actually led them out to freedom. Then returning with them to the Mount of God safe and sound, to reflect, as it were, on all the proceedings through which they had gone, and to devote themselves anew to the Lord. It is at this period that these divine words were uttered. The Lord says, "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians," you have further seen how I have led you; "how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself, now, therefore

T

and here is the divine result to which the Lord draws their attention,-"Now, therefore, if ye will obey my voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people, for all the earth is mine."

The first reflection which we would fain impress upon the minds of all is, that these wonderful things were manifestly done in order to induce the Israelites to be obedient to the Lord, and to prepare them for the ten commandments.

It is one of the most serious and fatal errors that have afflicted the Christian Church, to imagine, that, there are any means whatever, under the name of any religion whatsoever, that dispense with obedience to the divine commandments either on earth or in heaven. We say that there are not ANY SUCH MEANS.

You will find according to the Divine Word, as indeed we may see from the very nature of things, such obedience to the divine commandments is the one essential of real improvement and happiness from first to last.

Every one confesses that in Paradise man had to obey. Those who suppose that religion ever since that period has been a sort of machinery by which forgiveness can be obtained, and obedience done without, still profess that in Paradise God laid down the law to man, and said the day that he disobeyed he would surely die; but if he obeyed, that he would live and eat of the Tree of Life and be happy for ever. They suppose, however, that obedience as an essential to salvation then ceased.

But instead of the law of obedience being confined to this period of man's existence and ceasing with our first parents, what do we find immediately followed? When Cain had offended again in a deeper sin than that of Adam, the Divine Words to him were, "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted and if thou doest not well sin lieth at the door."-Gen. iv. 7. Precisely the very law that was first given. "If thou doest well shalt thou not be accepted?" whatever thy father may have done, whatever may have been thy condition up to this time, if thou doest well shalt thou not be accepted, and this divine law is contained throughout. Whenever prophet spake, this was the burden of his speech,-Obey the Lord thy God; do His commandments, and it shall be well with thee. "Oh that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever."-Deu. v. 29. "And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that he might

preserve us alive, as it is at this day. And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us."-Deu. vi. 24, 25.

In the New Testament, at the time when it is supposed by many there was a new system of religion given, as to obedience, as well as in regard to hope and redemption, and that the Lord Jesus came to set aside this law of the divine commandments, the very first address the Lord Jesus gave in His Sermon on the Mount, states and enforces the same essential law of obedience. "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for their's is the kingdom of heaven." "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God." "Think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." "Whoso

:

ever shall break the least of these my commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven, but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven."-Matt. v. 3, 8, 19, 20. This truth is reiterated by the Saviour again and again, "Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things that I say?"-Luke vi. 46, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven.' -Matt. vii. 21. It is the same throughout the Apostolic teaching. Paul says, "Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God."-1 Cor. vii. 19.

The divine book of Revelation is equally clear in its teachings. "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life; and that they may enter in through the gates into the city." This obedience to divine law is such in the very nature of things as to be indispensable. There could not be a heaven without obedience to every part of the sacred law of the divine commandments. It would be totally impossible. It would be just like attempting to make white out of black and blue. The thing could not be done. Therefore when the Lord had brought Israel up to this point of their deliverance, and they were free, He then proceeds to remind them, that all this has been done to enable them to keep His commandments. That they might be brought into a state, in which, the divine commands might be made lovingly, thoroughly, the laws of their affections and their lives. "Now, therefore, if

ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then, ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine."

How completely diverse is the whole of this from what is commonly called the "scheme" of salvation-and very properly called a "scheme -a plan of salvation. It is not the divine outgoing of infinite wisdom and the Lord's lesson of salvation, but it is A SCHEME, a thing of human ingenuity—a sort of spiritual quibble, which tends to divert those who adopt it from all real progress in goodness and truth.

We are bold to say, the Lord came not to give us any plans instead of the obedience we owe him, but to bring us to such a stage of the regenerate life, that His commandments would be the very joy of our hearts, and to break them our greatest sorrow. To a truly heavenly-minded man it is a peculiar pleasure to have the happiness of doing the divine laws, because it flows from love itself, and from goodness itself. This is the great object of the lesson before us. But, perhaps, some one will say, do you imagine that a person who has been living in sin all his life, but who repents and is converted, can all at once step out of his former condition into a state of perfect obedience to the Lord Jesus, his Lord? Certainly not. That is not the requirement of the King of Heaven. The person who has been brought out of sin and wickedness in the first state of his regenerate life, striving to quit all evil, is just like the Israelites. when they were willing to quit their house of bondage, and go out in haste. But such persons are always very feeble, ready to fall, liable to be brought into a state of jeopardy and danger again. But the Lord looks upon them as they are, "His tender mercies are over all His Works." He takes them under His guidance. He breaks down their dangers for them. He says, "See what I did to the Egyptians." A young convert is not left to fight his own way out of sin, the Lord fights it for him. If a man had to struggle altogether alone against his own passions and lusts, just as they are, he might as wisely expect to be delivered and brought into an angelic state, as a man might expect on the shores of a rough sea to quell the waves by saying, "Thus far shall ye go, and no farther." Such power belongs not to man, it belongs only to the Omnipotent. But then the law of the Omnipotent is that of the God of love, who desires every one of His children to become an angel. He is infinitely watchful in His glorious character of Jehovah Jesus the Saviour. You will remember He took a new name when He