tions be blessed. All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name. In this mountain shall the

Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things; of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow; of wines, on the lees well refined: and in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts destroy the face of the covering that is cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth for the Lord hath spoken it. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. And him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. For as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation, even so by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. Who is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. For it is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption; it is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. As we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. And every creature that is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them,

heard I, saying, blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the lamb for ever and ever."

This doctrine is that river, the streams whereof make glad the city of our God; it is that pure river of the water of life, that proceeds from the throne of God and the lamb. In the midst of the street of it and on either side is the tree of life, which bears twelve manner of fruits, and yields her fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

That there is an abundance of this grace, even beyond the extent of our wants, is evident not only from the apostle's declaration, that where sin abounded grace did much more abound, but also from all the emblems which the holy spirit of prophecy has used to represent it.

Moses says; my doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew: as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass. These emblems extend the divine favour without measure. Isaac represents the Saviour by the emblem of light, rising and shining on the Gentile world, effecting salvation to the ends of the earth. Ezekiel travelled in the holy waters of this grace, until he says they were risen waters, waters to swim in, a river that no man can pass. Jesus said; The water that I will give, shall be a well of water springing up into everlasting life. And in the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, if any man thirst let him come to me and drink.

My friends, the grace of God is as free and as abundant as the light of the sun, as the rain from heaven, as wells and rivers of water.

Brethren, may it please an indulgent God, to reward all your labours, your highly honourable exertions, and your commendable perseverance, from the commencement of the gathering of your society in this place, to the completion of this beautiful house, and to its present dedication to

the worship of the one true and living God, with an abundance of those spiritual provisions with which Sion is blessed. And may the divine glory abide in this house; may there be wholesome meat on the table of the Lord in this place continually, for you and for your children for a long time to come. And may it also please God to continue your happy union, and your good agreement and friendly intercourse with the other Christian societies in this place.

SERMON XII.

THE GOLDEN CALF.

DELIVERED IN BOSTON ON THE FOURTH SABBATH IN FEB. 1922.

EXODUS XXXII. 35.

"And the Lord plagued the people because they made the calf which Aaron made."

WHEN Moses, the Jewish law-giver, was called into Mount Horeb, or Sinai, to receive the tables of the law from the hand of the Lord, he was absent from the congregation so long as to render the people uneasy. The people, therefore, came to Aaron the priest, and said, "Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.” Aaron, it seems, was like many modern priests, very much disposed to please the people, whether he pleased God, or not. "And Aaron said unto them, break off the golden ear-rings which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people brake off the golden ear-rings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand; and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf; and they said, these be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, tomorrow is a feast to the Lord. And they rose up

early on the morrow, and offered burnt-offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

The hearer will be careful to keep in mind this account of the making of the calf; for we shall find that Aaron gave a very different representation to Moses afterwards, when he found that Moses' wrath was hot against him for this wickedness. The Lord informed Moses in the mount, of the idolatry of the people; and sent him down immediately. "And Moses said unto Aaron, what did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them? And Aaron said, let not the anger of my lord wax hot; thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief. For they said unto me, make us gods which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. And I said unto them, whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf." You perceive here, that Aaron gives no intimation that he had any hand in forming this image; but endeavours, with all craftiness, to exonerate himself from any blame. In the first place, he referred Moses to what he himself knew of the people; that they were set on mischief. This answered as an excuse for his complying with their demand. This is the way that priestcraft excuses itself in our day. If preachers are asked why they preach such absurdities, such nonsense, doctrines not taught in the scriptures, doctrines which are dishonourable to both God and man-they refer to the wickedness of the people; and say that nothing else will suit them or their circumstances. The real fact is, they are afraid it they do not continue in the traditions in which they have been educated, they will be discontinued in their professional labours. Aaron, no doubt, was afraid of losing his office, if he did not please the people; he therefore made