rious than the first, because it was frequented by the Son of God, clad in the form of a servant, meek and lowly in His majesty.

The pious care which delights to adorn, because it loves the House of God, differs materially from a disposition to insist upon as essential that which is in truth accidental, and by giving undue predominance to the former, is in danger of impairing the spirit of our religious service.

Nor let us imagine that the unity for which our Lord prayed, that they who should believe in His name might be one, even as He and the Father are one1, is to be secured by unity of ritual. That was the bond of union when the Tabernacle or Temple was made the centre of worship, for the purpose of keeping one people separate and distinct from all other nations. The true universality of the Christian Church consists in its embracing in one all national churches, each preserving inviolate its liberty and spiritual independence; but all depending alike upon the one Head, which controls and governs the whole body of which they severally are the members.

As obedient sons of our own Church we are bound to observe the laws which she imposes, and to strengthen our ties of union

1 John xvii. 21.

one with another, by uniformity of practice as well as of doctrine. But if we would extend our views of Christian brotherhood beyond the limits of our own Church, and are unwilling to lose sight of our connexion with other branches incorporated in the true Vine, let us remember that true catholicity consists not in uniformity of ceremonial, but in unity of belief, and is defined by the inspired Apostle when he beseeches the Ephesians to walk worthy of the vocation in which they were called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as we are called in one hope of our calling; one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in all1.

THE CONQUEST OF CANAAN.

EXODUS XXXIV. 6, 7.

And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

THIS solemn proclamation of the attributes

of the Divine Majesty was made under circumstances which deserve our especial attention. The absence of Moses in the Mount had given occasion to the people of Israel to evince the instability of their faith and the inconstancy of their obedience. At their instigation Aaron had made a golden calf, before which they had worshipped and offered sacrifice. This flagrant act of defection from their true Master had been visited by condign punishment. But the Lord was not yet appeased. He threatened to remove His Presence from the midst of them, and it was not without earnest and repeated supplication that the forfeited privilege was won back, and

Moses obtained for them a renewal of the promise: "My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest1." The reconciliation of God with His people was ratified by a fresh revelation of His attributes. To Moses, who was alone able to bear it, was vouchsafed the miraculous exhibition of the goodness and glory of God recorded in my text. To the people the same truths were communicated through Moses, who "gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him in mount Sinai'."

Nearly the same words, descriptive of the Almighty, had been pronounced at the first delivery of the Law3; and on more than one critical occasion a reference is distinctly made to this proclamation as containing the sanction of the hopes and fears of Israel in the Divine character thus authoritatively revealed. When the sins of the people called forth the anger of the Lord at Kadesh-Barnea, and he threatened once more to smite and disinherit them, Moses in his pleadings with the Almighty intreated for the pardon of their iniquity on the ground of this very declaration: "Let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, The

1 Exod. xxxiii. 14.

3 Exod. xx. 5, 6.

2 Exod. xxxiv. 32.

Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation'." In the remarkable colloquy between Joshua and the people, wherein he sets before them the nature of the Covenant into which they are desirous to enter, he recurs to another part of the same proclamation: "Thou shalt worship no other God for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." "Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the Lord: for he is a holy God, he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins"." When Hezekiah attempted again to gather the severed tribes of Israel to the house of God at Jerusalem, his persuasions were enforced by a repetition of the terms in which the Lord had declared to Moses and to the people His graciousness and mercy. In the solemn act of humiliation and repentance in the time of Nehemiah, when the people sought the renewal of the favour of God, the Levites in the name of the whole congregation recounted the marvellous acts of the lovingkindness of the Lord, and reverted to the language of my

1 Numb. xiv. 17, 18.

3 Josh. xxiv. 19.

2 Exod. xxxiv. 14. 42 Chron. xxx. 9.