vided for His Apostles, that they should go forth, two and two, to cheer the hearts of one another, will, beyond doubt, show the same mercy to us all, and give us like consolation of human friends, when once it has been proved to our soul's conviction, that He is all-sufficient without them.

Lastly, my brethren, if we believe that such is God's good pleasure to those who follow His call, if we believe that He wills to raise up faithful friends, to those, who have braved the sorrows of contempt and loneliness for their religion's sake, oh, let us endeavour, in this very act of love, to be fellow-workers with our heavenly Father.

Let us remember, that when a man seeks, in earnest, to join himself to Jesus, he becomes, to the eyes of many a former associate, too like his Master, to be, any longer, pleasing to them.

When angels are beginning to rejoice over him, those persons are beginning to dislike and taunt him.

Parted from the world, which they still worship, he, like his Lord, hath no form nor comeliness; he, too, is despised and rejected. He tastes that bitter cup of loneliness.

Then, let us doubly offer him our hearts and sympathy. To such a one, if God's providence

direct our eyes, let us open our hearts; let us conquer reserve and push aside little obstacles, and show him that there are those who care for him. If we can strengthen one faint heart that yearns for heaven, we shall have found a friend for eternity, as well as he.

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XIV.

NEHEMIAH.

Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.'-Nehem. ii. 4, 5.

THE

HE Book of Nehemiah, preserved, by the care of God, for our use and profit, was written by Nehemiah himself.

It is his own account of twelve or fourteen years of his life, commencing, as I imagine, before he had reached middle age; and, probably, written whilst yet, by God's mercy, there were many years in store for him, to be enjoyed and improved upon earth.

For, though we learn nothing further about his history, in holy writ, the Jewish historian states, that he reached an advanced old age. However, I have no wish to occupy your minds with uncertain matters. There is instruction and encouragement to be found abundantly in

the memoir which God's providence has served of him.

pre

Indeed, the text is so far from ranging over Nehemiah's life, from first to last, that, in its outward sound, it does but refer to a moment of time; literally and truly no more. But that was a moment of so great importance, in respect both of Nehemiah's behaviour, and the blessing of the Almighty upon it, that we might say it was the pivot on which his history turned. All his past life may, in some sense, be viewed as a preparation for this appointed event; and all his future life was influenced by it. And the action itself, although amongst faithful men a very common one, was, in its circumstances, of a peculiar kind. In the whole of the Scriptures, I hardly think mention is made of another instance.

For what Nehemiah here writes of himself is simply this: So I prayed to the God of heaven.' And our ordinary notion about such an act would be, either, that he was in a religious congregation, or surrounded by the members of his family; or else it may be, in entire privacy, holding solitary communion with his Creator. But, at the moment here referred to, our thoughts must travel in quite an opposite direction, to imagine the place and manner of Nehemiah's

prayer.

He was praying in a crowd, and in a palace.

Our minds must describe to us the royal banquet of an Eastern king,-a glittering and dazzling scene, such as very probably we have never witnessed; and gold and purple to attract the eye; and music to entrance the ear; and a crowd of eager, self-seeking followers of the court, to bewilder the mental faculties; and the presence of a very great sovereign to inspire awe and circumspection. Here Nehemiah stood, the cupbearer of the king, ready to answer a question which his master had asked him; and the king is expecting his reply; and the eyes of all the courtiers, we may well suppose, are fastened upon him, and there is not opportunity for the smallest gesture of obeisance to the Almighty; nor can there be uttered so much as one word of supplication. But, notwithstanding, Nehemiah prays. His spirit has gone up to the Father of spirits; he is such a one as the Father seeks to worship Him, a worshipper in spirit and in truth; and, his prayer prevails.

Now, in order that I may pursue the object of the present lecture, and engage your devout interest (as God may vouchsafe to enable me) in this book of the Scriptures, I will endeavour to lay before you shortly, in the first place, the occasion of Nehemiah's prayer upon that day; secondly, the preparations of his previous life, which enabled him, at that great crisis, to pray