blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies? your tongue hath muttered perverseness. None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies: they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity. They hatch cockatrice's eggs, and weave the spider's web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper. Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands. Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings; they have made them crooked paths; whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace."

Jeremiah xxix. 8-14, "For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the LORD. For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon, I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end, Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive."

Tenthly, and lastly, Of the prophet who speaketh what is not true,that is, what never came to pass,thou shalt not be afraid. Psalm cxii. 7, "He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD." Isaiah xxxi. 4, "For thus hath the LORD spoken unto me like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for

the noise of them; so shall the LORD of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof." Ezekiel ii. 6, "And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briars and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house." Acts xviii. 9, “Then spake the LORD to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace."

SKETCH XXIV.

DEUTERONOMY XXI. 22. 23.

First, THERE were some sins not worthy of death. Deuteronomy xix. 6, "Lest the avenger of blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past." 1 John v. 16, "If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it."

Secondly, But if the sin be worthy of death and thou hang him on a tree; His body shall not remain all night upon the tree. It was considered a very great calamity to remain unburied. Jeremiah xvi. 4, "They shall die of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented, neither shall they be buried." But the spirit of God directs this degree of mitigation to the sufferings of the inalefactor, his body shall not remain unburied.

Thirdly, When the offender was buried, the defilement of the land, given by the LORD God as an inheritance, was removed. This scripture points to the character and sufferings of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world, and to the glory which should follow. Galatians iii. 13, "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us; for it is written, cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree." 2 Corinthians, v. 21, "For he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin; that we may be made the righteousness of God in him." VOL. III.

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SKETCH XXV.

DEUTERONOMY Xxii. 1—4.

First, WHO is our brother? Undoubtedly every son and daughter of Adam, without distinction. Yea, even those who hate us with the most bitter and virulent hatred. One is our Creator, one our origin, and one our Redeemer. In one way we enter into life, and by death we all make our exit.

Secondly, Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, the Saviour of the world, was made under this law. Ezekiel xxxiv. 4, 16, "The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost, but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them." Observe now the contrast. “I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat, and the strong; I will feed them with judgment." 1 Peter, ii. 25, "For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned to the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls." James v. 19, 20, "Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him, let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins."

SKETCH XXVI.

DEUTERONOMY XXI. 9-11.

First, WHAT are we to understand by the vineyard? Isaiah v. 7, "For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plants: and he looked

for judgment, and behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry." Jeremiah xii. 10, "Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness."

Secondly, They were not permitted to yoke the ox and the ass in the plough, while labouring in this vineyard. What did this prohibition intend? The ox was figurative of the great sacrifice offered up for us; the ass a figure of human nature. Job xi. 12, “For vain man would be wise, although man be born like the wild ass's colt." Jeremiah ii. 24, "Thou art a wild ass, used to the wilderness, that snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure." These two natures must not be united in their efforts; the work of the Redeemer was finished by himself; his own arm obtained for him the victory. But although these two natures were not united in the plough, we are presented with a striking and most glorious figure of their union, in Genesis xlix. 10, 11, “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes."

Thirdly, Of what is linen figurative? Revelations xix. 8, "And to her was granted, that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints." What is the woollen? It is the covering growing upon the sheep. This linen and this woollen the house of Israel were forbidden to unite; they should wear no garment thus constructed. The Apostle Paul prayed earnestly, that he may be found clothed in none other than the linen garment. Philippians iii. 9, “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. Thus these three beautiful figures point to one evangelical truth; and the commandment which forbids the sowing the field with divers seeds, the yoking the ox and the ass, and the wearing the garment of linen and woollen, is, in other words, directing the people to assume the robe of righteousness, wrought out for them by the Redeemer, without any addition of their own imperfect efforts as the plea of their justification before that God, in whose sight the very heavens are impure.

SKETCH XXVII.

DEUTERONOMY Xxxii. 1, 2, 3, 4.

DEUTERONOMY XXXii. 1, 2, 3, 4, “ Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. 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 because I will publish the name of the LORD; ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the rock; his work is perfect; for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth, and without iniquity, just and right is he."

(First, The audience, heaven and earth, this audience is indeed august, angels and men. May it not be said to comprise the universe? Every intelligent being is called upon to hear; nor should this be considered as matter of wonder, when God Omnipotent is himself the preacher."

Secondly, What doctrine doth this almighty Teacher inculcate? There are three descriptions of doctrines. 1st. The doctrine of men. Colossians ii. 22, "(Which all are to perish with the using) after the commandments and doctrines of men. 2dly, The doctrine of devils. 1Timothy, iv. 1, "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some should depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils." And 3dly, The doctrine in our text; the doctrine inculcated by this almighty Teacher, which is, with beautiful propriety, called the doctrine of God our Saviour." (Titus ii. 10, "Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things." 1Timothy, iv. 6, "If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine.") But what is this doctrine? The descriptions given in scripture of this doctrine are so luminous and so frequent, that we are at a loss where to make our selection. Paul's second Epistle to Timothy i. 9, 10, first presents: "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to