earth. And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails : he that gathered least gathered ten ho- mers; and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp. And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people ; and the Lord (mote the people with a very great plague. And be called the name of that place Kibroth-Hattanavah : because there they buried the people that lufted.-- And hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is fed abroad in our hearts, by the Holy Ghost which is What think ye? A certain man had two sons ; and he · came to the first, and said, Son, go work to-day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not ; but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered, and said, I go, Sir ; and went not. Whether of them temperance ; and to temperance, patience ; and to pa- tience, godlinefs ; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity.--2 Peter, i. 5-7. · THE ABUSE OF DIVINE FORBEARANCE, Because sentence against an evil work is not executed Speedily, therefore the heart of the fons of men is fully set in them to do evil.-ECCLESIASTĖS viii. 11. - In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of The voice of rejoicing is in the tabernacles of the righten For fo an entrance frall be ministered unto you abundant. the first month, in the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, Nebu- chadrezzar, king of Babylon, caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus : every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled ; yet had he no wages, nor his army for Tyrus, for the service that he had served against it : therefore thus faith the Lord God, Behold I will give the land of Egypt unto Nebu- chadrezzar king of Babylon ; and he shall take her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey; and it shall be the wages for his army. I have given him the land of Egypt for his labour wherewith he served against it, because they wrought for me, saith the Lord Then I said, I shall die in my nest.-JOB xxix. 18. NEUTRALITY IN RELIGION EXPOSED. No man can serve two masters ; for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Te cannot serve God and mammon.-MATTHEW vi. 24. And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! for whosoever fall do the will of my Father which is in SERMON I. MISTAKES CONCERNING THE NUMBER OF THE RIGHTEOUS. Rom. xi. 2-4. M . Wot ye not what the scripture faith of Elias ? How he maketh intercesion to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars ; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God unto him ? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not, bowed the knee to the image of Baal. " W HO can understand his errors ?” How numerous, how various, how opposite to each other, are the mistakes of mankind! The lives and the language of many seem to imply a full persuasion, that there is very little evil in fin; that the difficulties of religion are by no means great ; that it is an easy thing to be a christian ; that if there be a hell, few are wicked enough to be turned into it; and that the generality of our fellow creatures are in a fair way for heaven. This persuasion is as false as it is fatal. “ Enter ye in at the strait gate : for wide is the gate, « and broad is the way which leadeth to destruction, B cand many there be which go in thereat : because • strait is the gate, and narrow is the way that leadeth “ unto life, and few there be that find it.” It is possible, however, to fall into another extreme, and to draw an unwarrantable conclusion respecting the state of religion, and the number of its adherents ; and even wise men, and good men, are liable to this. “ Wot ye not what the scripture faith of Elias ? how “ he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, “ Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged “ down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they “ seek my life. But what faith the answer of God “ unto him ? I have reserved to myself seven thousand « men, who have not bowed the knee to the image « of Baal.” . . . We are going then to examine the opinion that reduces the number of the righteous. We shall lay open the various fources from which it proceeds, and by discovering the cause, we shall prescribe the cure. Sometimes we draw the conclusion from THE PECULIAR STATE OF OUR OWN MINDS. By the indifposition of the body, or the depression of the animal fpirits, our minds are foon affected ; we become sad, gloomy, peevish, suspicious. In this situation our minds are unhinged, and easily receive a falling motion; we are more alive to the influence of fear than hope; the darker the intelligence, the more credible ; one direction is given to every occurrence, and the invariable inference is, “all these things are against "me.” And such seems to have been the condition of Elijah. His language betrays acrimony, petulancy, and despair. |