like this, would embody their complaints and petition for a redress of grievances, would exhibit prima facie evidence that they had very depraved hearts, and that probably something else, and not the matter mentioned, was the ground of their grievance.

2. The Israelites achieved their own separation and ruin, by adhering to the counsel of an impious and unprincipled Jeroboam. He, doubtless, instigated them to prefer their complaints, that he might have a pretence for seizing the sceptre of the ten tribes, before Providence gave the signal. They ought to have seen and been aware of their wickedness. It does not excuse men's sins, that they have presented to them insidious and powerful temptations. We may not give up our minds to be under the control of any other mind, till we know that the mind that guides ours is infallible. Else we must be responsible for all the results as if we had guided our own steps.

3. There was precipitancy in Israel's determining to be a kingdom by itself, till they had asked counsel of the Lord, whatever confidence they might have in the integrity and ability of their leader. True he had been marked out as a king by the Lord's prophet, but the transaction was private, and could be known to Israel, only as Jeroboam in the pride of his heart, had without authority divulged it. And his known character ought to have made them doubt whether their interests would be safe in his hands. Men may not resign their own judgment and presume on the divine protection and guidance, unless they look well, and wisely, and providently to their own interests.

4. The people of Israel, and Jeroboam with them, took upon themselves the whole responsibility of their separation and their undoing, by forsaking the worship of

the true God. "It shall be," said the Lord, "if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house as I built for David, and will give Jerusalem unto thee." Thus would the promise of God have secured Israel's prosperity, if they had walked in the counsels of the Lord. While, then, the purpose and providence of God made Israel a distinct people, and they, as it would seem, laid the train for their own undoing; we see in the story every feature of a mere human transaction, laying the foundation for guilt and for desert of punishment, for everlasting reproach and self-destruction; God rent Israel from the house of David, and yet Israel rent itself from the house of David, and chose its own king and him a wicked king, who drove Israel from following the Lord, and made them sin a great sin. For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam.

It is evident, then, a man may do infinite mischiefmischief that shall not be finished in his own age or generation, the stain and the shame of which shall adhere to his blood, and pollute his memory. Jeroboam is held up as an example of wickedness, in all the generations after him, till the time when no one could tell where the tribes dwelt. And even to this day, when not a trace of that people can, with any great assurance, be found, that man who was their leader in this revolt from the house of David, and from the worship of the true and living God, is held up as on a gibbet to warn all the generations not to copy his wickedness, lest they partake of his plagues.

The sequel is awfully admonitory. Israel departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, until the Lord removed

them out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants, the prophets. "So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day."

Remarks.-1. This subject should lead us to reflect on the immutability of all our own moral actions. It was not very far from a thousand years before Christ, when Jeroboam instigated Israel to revolt. And now, almost three thousand years afterwards, the curse is still resting on the house of Israel, If that portion of the seed of Abraham has not become extinct, as the promise would seem to tell, how incalculable is the weight of that man's iniquities-and whoever else might sin with him, and all Israel sinned, still how immeasurable in their moral turpitude are his crimes, who began the whole train of mischief.

2. How inflexible is the holiness and righteousnes of God-unpardoned sin he never can forget to hate. Sin not purged away in a Saviour's blood, will never lose its odious aspect, though under a process of punishment many thousand years. And how can we, with such facts before us, doubt but that, towards the incorrigibly wicked, God may keep his anger for ever.

3. The subject leads us to adore the wonders of God's moral government.

An event may be so his own that he appointed it, and would not let another defeat it, and was the mighty power that kept all the agents in life, and sustained and strengthened them while in the service, and there may be great sin and unpardonable in the transaction, and still God do only right, and the crime and guilt all belong to the agent that is governed and controlled.

4. The subject will lead us to reflect upon that text,

"No man liveth unto himself, and no man dieth unto himself."

There is not a transaction of life, if wicked, done in the seeing or the hearing of our fellow-men, but may go to involve them in guilt, and operate upon their character, and history, and destiny, when they may have perished a thousand years since. Hence we must ask those around us, and they us, what we and they shall be when these heavens are dissolved. The character of man is so pliable that it may be easily changed for the worse at any period of its formation, and no touch of moral influence fails to change it, hence every man lives where he is giving character to a world. And when, at last, we shall read the history of these moral results, we shall feel it to have been a terrible thing to have lived in such a world, where souls are spread out around us on every side, whose destiny will depend on their character-and that character connected with our conduct.

SERMON XIX.

THE MYSTERIES OF PROVIDENCE.

Psalm xcvii. 2.

"Clouds and darkness are round about him.

WHEN our Lord had assembled his disciples to eat with him the last paschal supper, it was a moment of amazing interest. The devil had put it into the heart of Judas to betray his Master, and the machinations of darkness were in rapid and successful operation. A few hours would pay the price of blood, seal the doom of the traitor, and scatter the little flock. There would be great weeping in the church, and equal joy without. Our Lord could have averted that storm, but his purposes of mercy must then have failed; hence he let his power sleep, and gave the hosts of hell the opportu nity of a triumph. He had yet one lesson to teach his disciples, and would instruct them practically. He rose from supper, laid aside his upper garment, took a towel and girded himself, poured water into a basin, and began to wash his disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel. He came to Simon Peter. Said the astonished Peter, "Lord, dost thou wash my feet?" The Lord answered, "What I do thou knowest not now." What could be more surprising to him than that his Lord and Master should offer to perform for him so mean an office? But the astonished Peter would live to see the mystery solved; "thou shalt know hereafter." He would learn a lesson of humility, and be prepared to teach it to all nations.