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extraordinary means; whether deliverance come immediately from God, or be wrought through the inftrumentality of fecond causes, the hand of Deity is equally to be acknowledged ; and prolonged life, and renewed ftrength are to be devoted to Him who "giveth to all life and breath, and all things; for in Him we live, and move, and have our being."

LECTURE

LECTURE XVIII.

JOHN, II. 19-17.

And the Jews' passover was at hand; and Fefus went up to Fcrufalem, and found in the temple thofe that fold oxen, and Theeep, and doves, and the changers of money, fitting: and when he had made a fcourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the fheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changer's money, and overthrew the tables; and faid unto them that fold doves, take thefe things hence; make not my Father's house an houfe of mer handife. And his difciples remembered that it was written, the zeal of thine houfe hath eaten me up.

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ESIDES the ufual, univerfal and fixed measurements of time, all men have a particular and perfonal ftandard of calculation and reference, namely, certain incidents of their own lives, to themfelves inexpreffibly momentous, however uninteresting to the rest of mankind. Thus a mother, with much accuracy and diftin&tnefs, refers every other event, of whatever magnitude and importance, to the respective dates of the birth of her children. The expiration of his time, as it is called, that is of his clerkship, or apprenticeship, forms an important epoch in the existence of a young man; and the fate of princes, and the revolutions of empire acquire. in his eyes, a peculiar confequence from their relation, in point of time, to that grand revolution in his own little ftate. The confecration of prelates, and the inauguration of kings are, at once, public and private meafures of duration. Every act of the ftate is dated by the year of the fovereign's reign. But human life admits not of a repetition of those more diftinguished periods. They are remembered and referred to becaule they are rare. Were every day to exhibit a state-trial, hardly any, except the parties and their connections, would care to attend it, or think of fetting a mark upon it.

There is one life, however, of which every hour is an epoch.

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of which every act is decifive, of which every event is highly and univerfally interefting, and of which every period is a "fulnefs of time." Of this life each inftant, each incident, every progreffive ftep furnithes a theme for the tongues, for the pens of thoufands of thoufands of men and angels, and,. when their stores are exhauffed, it prelents a fubject as new, as important, as unbounded as it was at the beginning. The beloved difciple, having thrown his mite of information into the public treafury, concludes his gofuel with declaring his belief, his deliberate conviction that the hiffery of the life and actions: of his divine Mafler was a fubje i finite and inexhauftible. "There are alfo many other things which Jefus did, the which, if they fhould be written every one, I fuppofe that even the world itfelf could not contain the books that should be written;" meaning undoubtedly, that the things which Jefus faid and did were fo many, fo extraordinary, fo fignificant fo efficient, as infinitely to exceed human comprehenfion and belief. But wherefore thould the expreffion of the Evangelift be confidered as hyperbolical, when we are told that these are the things which the angels defire to look into;" and when we reflect on the burthen of the eternal long of the redeemed, in heaven "I heard," fays Jolin, "the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the living creatures, and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thoufands of thousands; faying with a loud voice, worthy is the Lamb that was flain to receive power, and riches, and wifdom, and ftrength, and honour, and glory, and blefling. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and fuch as are in the fea, and all that are in them, heard I faying, Blefling, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that fitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever."

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From the marriage in Cana of Galilee, Jefus again "went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his difciples: and they continued there not many days." How thofe days were employed we have feen in the preceding Lefture in conducting the fervice of the fynagogue, in cultivating the charities of private life, in fecret devotion, in healing the fick, in cafting out devils, in preaching the kingdom of God. Having made a progrefs of teaching and preaching over the cities and fynagogues of Galilee, He now, for the firft time fince he affumed a public character, went up to Jerufalem to celebrate the feaft of paffover. Preferving the order of events as accurately as an attentive comparison of evangelift with evangelift enables us, we are now to contemplate an inci

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dent in our Lord's hiftory marked with very peculiar features, and presenting a new and inftruétive opening into his character, namely his purgation of the temple from the impurities with which it was profaned by an impious and infamous traffic.

From his earlieft years the commanded folemnities of that facred place were punctually obferved. Whatever the law enjoined was to his infant ftare duly performed. While under parental authority, particularly when it led to the house and worship of God, He refpectfully fubmitted,to it. In the maturity of age, voluntary and cheerful obedience to the ordihances of heaven diftinguifhed the great exemplar of decency and order. Through the goodnefs of God, we are delivered from all burdenfome and coftly attendance on the fervice of the temple. We are not called to wait upon God with rams and calves of a year old. Our hufbandmen, manufacturers and merchants are not fammoned, under fevere penalties, feveral times in the year, to join in the worship of the metropolitan church, at a great expenie of time and fubftance. Is therefore the service of the Chriftian fanctuary worthlels and contemptible? Do we therefore requite the Lord of the fabbath with neglect and ingratitude? Do we therefore fnuff at his bloodless facrifices, and fay, "Behold, what a weariness is it? and bring that which is torn, and the lame, and the fick for an offering?" Dare Chriftian parents fet the example to their -children and dependants of irreligion and profanity, and, because they are fet free from a coftly ceremonial, and a fuperftitious obfervance of the fabbath, will they claim and affume an exemption from the offices and the fpirit of piety, devotion and gratitude? Liberated from an intolerable yoke of iron, difdain they to wear the honourable, the golden chains of love?

The Jewish ritual was at this period vilely profaned, and was rapidly haftening to diffolution. But fo long as it is in force, our bleffed Lord condefcends to be the pattern of attention and respect to it. And yet, What a fcene did the house of God then prefent! The forms of religion remained, but the . power and glory had departed., The letter of the law was ftill held in affected veneration, but the fpirit was completely evap-orated. The facrifices of the living and true God were fhamefully profituted to gratify the moft fordid of human paflions, godliness, was perverted into a mere inftrument of filthy lucre, and the house of prayer was degraded into a den of thieves. And fuch is the fearful progrefs of moral corruption. Fervor gradually fubfides into lukewarmnefs, and lukewarmnefs into cold. Indifference foon becomes mere tormality, and formali

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y is but a step from total negle&t. Neglect, degenerates into. hatred and averfion, and an unhallowed zeal at length attempts to deftroy what a, zeal according to godlinefs once endeavour, ed to build up.. What can be more oppofite and unlike than devout worshippers engaged in a holy contention of gratitude, praise and love, ftriving who fhould prefent the moft acceptable facrifice to the Father of spirits; and carnal, worldly-minded formalifts trying to overreach one another; the one eager to purchase the ox or the fheep for his offering at as cheap a rate as poflible, and the other to fell it at the highest price. And the very court of the temple is made the open theatre of this abominable commerce.

Before thou lifteft up thy hand, man, to fcourge out those impious, fordid, profane Jews, paufe, and look into thine own, heart. Is no unholy traffic going on there ? Knowest thou not that thine own body is the temple of the living God? Whofe altar, then, is reared up in. that facred edifice of God's own building; and what incenfe fmokes upon it ? Say, is the name. of Mammon infcribed there? Does fentuality there celebrate no nocturnal revels? What, fhall the palace of the great King be transformed into "a cage of every unclean and hateful bird!'' Or, with the fuperftitious Athenian, art thou ignorantly bowing down before an " unknown God ?" Thou regularly obferveft the hour, and frequenteft the house of but.

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is there no table of the money-changer" lurking in fome obfcure corner? Didft thou leave the world at the door on com ing in? Why wander these eyes abroad over thy neighbour's garb and appearance? They ought to be fixed on "thy Father who is in fecret," and who" feeth in fecret." Doft thou too, "offer the facrifice of fools ?" Dareft thou approach the altar of God, confcious that thou art not yet reconciled to thy brother? The gift in thy hand is polluted; prefume not to offer it. Leave it before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.".

It was the court of the Gentiles which this fcandalous trade. thus fhamefully profaned, by the buying and felling of fheep, and oxen, and doves; and by the exchange of foreign for current coin, and of money of a higher for that of a lower denomination. And thus not only was the worship of the great Jehovah debafed and perverted, but the minds of decent and devout ftrangers, who " had come to Jerufalem for to worship." must have been grievously fhocked and fcandalized, to the utter extinction of every serious and devotional impreffion. This was which excited a holy and juft indignation in the Son of God; in beholding the temple violated, the facrifices

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