the lamb, and the lion and the calf dwell together; and the sucking child plays on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child puts his hand on the cockatrice's den, and the earth is full of the knowledge of the Lord,* and the people speak one language+ over all the earth, one aim, one love, one will, one God-and there is one Lord and his name one.”‡ Must not the soul be enraptured at the prospect of so much unspeakable bliss; must not the heart of the prophet indeed rejoice? Such rejoicing must also be thy portion, O man, O Israelite, O congregation of the Lord! It must be your portion, O my beloved, for ye also have to execute the behests of your God. Every law imposed upon you by reason and the Bible, every duty pointed out to you by reason and the Bible, is a charge given you by your God; ye men and women, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, youths and maidens, sons and daughters. Is not the countenance of the mother radiant with joy after she has cared for her infant, and watched over her child? Does not the father rejoice in dividing the hardearned fruits of his industry among his beloved ones? Does not the philanthropist rejoice after he has aided the sufferer? Does not the sage rejoice when he has shed light where darkness prevailed, and broken the fetters which bound a sorrowing fellow-creature? And though the present may leave much to be desired— though it may rob you of much, very much, it cannot rob you of a cheerfulness of spirit! When you look within, you must behold heaven-and, for the future, * Isaiah † Zephaniah. ‡ Zechariah. BA BD JD fear not. What the prophets beheld was not delusion; the Lord placed their holy visions before their eyes. Look with their steadfast clear gaze into the distance; and though it should tarry, wait confidently as the prophets did. May the holy maxim be your guide. "OUR HEART REJOICETH BECAUSE OF HIM," and "A CHEERFUL HEART MAKETH A GLAD COUNTENANCE." Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that such cheerfulness were their portion ! Do you now know the prophet's wisdom, the prophet's strength, the prophet's riches, the prophet's joy, the prophet's mind, the prophet's life? Yes, you do know them. Let not the matter rest here. Seek to make them your own; do all that in you lies, in order that the greatest, the most exalted wish ever uttered by the lips of man, may be fulfilled, that it may be verified in life : "WOULD GOD THAT ALL THE LORD'S PEOPLE WERE PROPHETS, AND THAT THE LORD WOULD PUT HIS SPIRIT UPON THEM!" Yes, that He would put His spirit upon them; such is the means by which alone this wish can, will, must be realised. Mercy and love, righteousness and peace, truth and fidelity, these are the Lord's spirit, as it is made manifest in nature, and in scripture. God's goodness must possess you, God's love must warm you, God's justice must strengthen you, God's joy gladden you, God's truth enlighten you, God's faith sustain you. This spirit must rest upon us, must animate us, bless us, if we would become prophets unto the Lord. This spirit must work within, whether you dwell in your own a the cuff vel geber; and Bhatt if the asp and the us partion. O man, e Led! It must be # Now tie te ust have to execute Fry w posed upon you Slik over dug palled out to you * && change given you by your 2% wok hastants and res Fathers MAPA YAN sus and daughters. the mother radant with joy wtf & Am and ached over her i di queing the hard among his beloved ones? dephianthos que or be has aided አ west the sage rejoice when he has wwe were prevailed, and broken the vex which bound a sorrowing follow-creature? And show a pt may leave much to be desiredsed you of much very BA BD JD fear not. What the prophets beheld was not delusion; the Lord placed their holy visions before their eyes. Look with their steadfast clear gaze into the distance; and though it should tarry, wait confidently as the prophets did. May the holy maxim be your guide. "OUR HEART REJOICETH BECAUSE OF HIM," and "A CHEERFUL HEART MAKETH A GLAD COUNTENANCE." Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that such cheerfulness were their portion! Do you now know the prophet's wisdom, the prophet's strength, the prophet's riches, the prophet's joy, the prophet's mind, the prophet's life? Yes, you do know them. Let not the matter rest here. Seek to make them your own; do all that in you lies, in order that the greatest, the most exalted wish ever uttered by the lips of man, may be fulfilled, that it may be verified in life : "WOULD GOD THAT ALL THE LORD'S PEOPLE WERE PROPHETS, AND THAT THE LORD WOULD PUT HIS SPIRIT UPON THEM!" Yes, that He would put His spirit upon them; such is the means by which alone this wish can, will, must be realised. Mercy and love, righteousness and peace, truth and fidelity, these are the Lord's manifest in nature, and in scrip s it is made s goodness ou, God's dden you, ustain you. us, bless us, This 1 in your own families, or be for a time removed far from them; whether your connections, your undertakings, be more or less extended, more or less important; whether your occupation be temporal or spiritual; whether you abolish or confirm regulations; whether you enjoy pleasure, or endure and subdue pain; whether you receive life, or restore it to Him who giveth and requireth it again. The Lord's spirit, like unto this, must be your aim; the Lord's spirit the centre of all your circles; the Lord's spirit the only end of your whole life! Whatever does not accord with this divine spirit, gives not life, gives not peace, affords no enjoyment, brings no blessing, cannot render either you or your's happy. Without this divine spirit you breathe, but you live not; without this divine spirit you dream, but you think not; without this divine spirit you have sensation, but no feeling; without this divine spirit, your learning cannot make you wise; your wealth cannot make you rich; your strength cannot make you powerful; your pleasures cannot make you glad. Why does there exist among men, with all their working and striving, their thinking and seeking, their improving and embellishing, and their teaching and learning, so much that is deformed and feeble in their houses, in their institutions, in their provinces, their nations, their governments? Because a lying spirit rules among them-(as among the prophets of old)—an idol, and no God. They cast glittering garments upon the idols of hatred, envy, selfishness, covetousness, meanness, folly, infidelity, intolerance, shamelessness. Men patch together miserable rags, and term them priest's garments, a heavenly mantle. But wherefore should I speak in metaphor? men declare their own |