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tion. The first step in a path, of which the last is a plunge to perdition is perhaps no more than foolish trifling. None can foresee the consequences of an act of sinful folly. The vain curiosity of Dinah, and the imprudent indulgence of her mother, brought ruin upon herself, shame upon her family, and the guilt of treachery and blood upon her brethren: and the criminal passion of Shechem, for which he afterwards vainly attempted to atone, was the destruction of himself, his father, and his people.

him only abhor the sin, but also avoid tempta- | and heroic virtue. The example of his elder brethren was most pernicious. We hear little or no good of them, but much that is very bad; yet he was neither seduced to sin by their example, nor provoked to anger by their envy and hatred. At the age of seventeen, he was treacherously sold to be a slave; but he kept his faith unshaken, and remained, the only worshipper of God, in a land of idolaters. Exalted in Potiphar's house, he shews no weakness in the height of prosperity. Tempted to sin by his mistress, he chose a prison with his integrity, before a palace with guilt. A prisoner for many a long year, without a prospect of release, and with none to comfort him, his spirit never sinks. From the depth

XIV.

O GOD, whose mercy, truth, and love,

From age to age endure;

Whose word, though heaven and earth remove, of calamity he is suddenly exalted to power

Shall stand for ever sure;

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In the services for the last Sunday, we are warned against certain flagrant sins. We are now called to admire and practise the opposite virtues. An illustrious example is of fered for our imitation, and the strength is shewn in which we may perform them.

No narrative in the Bible is more interesting than the history of Joseph; and perhaps no character is altogether so lovely as his. Always amiable, gentle, and affectionate, it is necessary to consider well the trials he endured to understand his invincible integrity,

and glory, and all his life after sustains a dignity next the throne; but the simplicity, integrity, and gentleness of his character remain to the last unchanged. Exposed to every variety and extreme of trials, he passed nobly through all. No man could have said with such propriety, "I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved."

The example of this good and noble patriarch is a commentary on the epistle. Are we called to "walk in love, as Christ loved us ?" Observe the affection with which he repaid the cruelty of his brethren. Is any tempted? Mark the virtue of Joseph: "how can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God!" Would the world, and its goods turn aside the heart? See, in his admirable character, how little true dignity depends upon station and circumstances; and how it is possible, through religion, to attain to a greatness, which neither prosperity can exalt, nor adversity depress.

The most beautiful feature in his character is its perfect simplicity. Nothing is done with an effort: every act of his life appears just what ought to be done, and no more than any one might do. In this respect, no example recorded for our instruction so closely resembles that of our Lord. We derive from the history, in connexion with the epistle and gospel, an encouragement, and a caution.

Joseph, like all of us, shared the infirmities of a fallen nature: "that fault and

corruption of the nature of every man that naturally is engendered of theo ffspring of Adam, whereby man is very far gone from original righteousness, and is of his own nature inclined to evil." He was victorious in every trial, not by his own goodness, or strength, but through that grace of God, which is freely offered to every man, and sufficiently imparted to all, who rightly seek, and improve it. Strengthened by this grace, nothing has been achieved by the most triumphant saint, which is not possible to the feeblest penitent.

The epistle shows us the bondage from which we are delivered; "ye were sometime darkness;" the sinful dispositions and actions we must be careful to avoid and the holy tempers and duties we are required to cultivate and practise. It warns us at the same time of the fatal consequences of trifling with sin, and walking in a manner inconsistent with our profession and hope.

of us.

In the gospel we learn what is the strength in which we may perform all that is required It represents us delivered from the power of the devil by a stronger than he, even by Christ; whose grace will keep us to the end; for the right hand of God's majesty is our sufficient defence against all enemies. But then, we are required to co-operate with

"He

hearty desires and strenuous exertions. that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad." That we may be stirred up to a sense of the necessity of this exertion, our Lord shews the awful condition of him who falls a second

time under the dominion of the wicked one :"the last state of that man is worse than the first." Finally, he warns us against presuming upon our privileges. Highly favoured are we who bear his name; but they are blessed who "hear the word of God, and keep it."

XV.

How happy is the quiet breast,

The pure and lowly mind, Pleased on a faithful God to rest; At peace with all mankind:

Content to bear its lot below,
Assured of hopes above;

And blest in every change to know
A Father's constant love.

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There is a close agreement between the history of Joseph, and his conduct towards his brethren, and that of our Lord, in his

dealings towards us. Three striking points will be found in this day's services.-Thinking only to gratify the malice and envy they bore against him, Joseph's brethren most wickedly sold him. But God over-ruled their crime, as He over-ruled the malice of the Jews, to the fulfilment of his gracious purposes, in preserving the family of Israel, and saving much people alive. Seeking deliverance from death, the offenders came to their injured brother, now, by God's appointment, their lord. He freely forgave, and received them, as Christ receives us, not as pardoned criminals, but as the brethren of his love. They were perishing of famine, and he established them in a good land, where he nourished them abundantly. So Christ brings perishing sinners into his Church; where he abundantly satisfies them with the fatness of his house, and makes them to drink of the river of his pleasures.

The epistle presents in contrast the rigour of the Law, and the blessings of the Gospel. In the Law, which is a covenant of bondage and death, 66 we, who for our evil deeds do worthily deserve to be punished," have nothing to hope. But a covenant of liberty and life is established in Christ, into which, entering through him, "we, by the comfort of God's grace, may mercifully be relieved.

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Like Joseph's brethren, we receive free pardon for all our sins, and full supplies for all our

necessities.

Joseph, by the wisdom which God gave him, saved Israel and Egypt alive. Christ, by his own divine power, fed the multitude, as the gospel relates, by a miracle. We shall understand these types, by referring to the latter part of the chapter, St. John vi., where our Lord explains that he is himself that living bread that cometh down from heaven, of which, if any man eat, he shall live for ever: "For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world." "Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you, Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him." St. John vi. 53-56. May it be granted unto us so to eat his flesh, and to drink his blood, that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his body, and our souls washed through his most precious blood, and that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us. Amen.

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Enslaved under a cruel tyranny, and bowed down with bitter bondage, the children of Israel served their hard taskmasters, till the appointed time was come; Gen. xv. 13-16. But they saw no prospect of deliverance. They could not help themselves; and if they could have known whom God had appointed to save them, small would have been their hope from a man 80 years old, and who had lived in obscurity as a shepherd for the last forty years.

Yet, if we consider the circumstances of the life of Moses, we shall find them well adapted to prepare him for the office he was to sustain. He was to be a prince and lawgiver; and he was brought up in a court, and instructed in all the learning of Egypt. He would be required to bear with the waywardness of a stubborn and rebellious people; and he was trained to self-command by a long course of retirement.

The Scriptures, rightly studied, give no countenance whatever to that lazy and vain enthusiasm, which expects extraordinary results, through God's help, without the use of proper, and reasonable means. This fancy springs from presumption, not faith; from pride, not devotion; from indolence, not zeal. God gives all the help we require; and accomplishes results so disproportioned to the means, that all must confess his hand, and none can glory in his presence. But He does not work miracles, to enable the vain and ignorant to effect that, which is within the scope of human talents, properly improved and exerted.

The first point to be observed in the services for this day is, that the Divine Person who came to deliver Israel, who appeared to Moses in the burning bush, and declared himself the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, was no other than our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ; who is called in the morning lesson, v. 2, the Angel of the Lord; and elsewhere, the Messenger, or Angel of the Covenant, Mal. iii. 1; and the Angel of God's presence, Isa. lxiii. 9. This is also evident from the

Christ our Almighty Saviour, and Great gospel, in which our Lord declares, "before

Morning Lesson .

High Priest.

Exodus iii.

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Abraham was, I AM!" thus claiming for him-
self that Name of self-existent being, by which
God commanded Moses to make Him known
to the children of Israel. The Jews perfectly
understood him to assert his Godhead, and imme-
diately attempted to stone him for blasphemy

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Joyful anthems we begin;

Songs of triumph raise to thee;
Thou hast conquer'd Death and Sin;
Thou hast set the captives free!
Glorious Victor! strong to save;

Full deliverance thou hast given!
Vain the terrors of the grave;
Through the flood we pass to heaven:
Sing, ye ransom'd of the Lord,
Raised by him to thrones above;
Angels, join with glad accord;
Sing the triumphs of his love!

By how much the accomplishment exceeds the type, by so much is the work of Redemption more glorious than the deliverance from Egypt. Moses, invested with power from on high, could execute judgment upon Pharoah, and bring forth the chosen people. But no servant could destroy our tyrants, Sin and Death, and achieve salvation for all mankind. None could quicken even his own soul; Psalm xxii. 29; only the Lord himself could give liberty to the captives. He hath delivered us from bondage, and given us an inheritance of eternal life; as he declares in the gospel, "if a man keep my sayings, he shall never see death." The Lord, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, who, by the hand of Moses, brought forth Israel from their captivity, hath by himself wrought this everlasting salvation for us, that we might be a holy Morning Lessons Exodus ix. people to serve him.

into

SUNDAY NEXT BEFORE EASTER,

CALLED ALSO PALM SUNDAY.

Christ exalted through humiliation and suffering.

Epistle.
Gospel .

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St. Matthew xxvi.

Heb. v. 1-10.

Philippians, ii. 5—11.

St. Matthew xxvii.

In the evening lesson, and the preceding Evening Lessons Exodus x. chapter, Aaron, the chosen Priest of the Lord, enters upon his office to intercede for Israel. When the Law was afterwards given, his duties as intercessor were defined, to make atonement for offences with blood. Entering with the blood of calves and of goats the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true," he offered for himself, and for the sins of the people. But "Christ being come, an High-priest of good things to come," hath entered by his own blood, not into the most holy place of an earthly tabernacle, or temple, but into heaven itself, having obtained eternal redemption for us. He, who will come as our Judge, once came to be our Saviour, and is now entered into heaven, there continually to remain our High-priest and intercessor; who having with his own blood redeemed his people from death, and purchased for them the promise of an eternal inheritance, now offers up their sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving, and pleads his own merits on their behalf.

XVII.

Saviour, whom our hearts adore!
Mighty, everlasting God!
Come with majesty and power;
Take the purchase of thy blood!

The fullness and extent of the services appointed for Passion Week and Easter are in proportion to the importance of the facts they commemorate, and the doctrines they teach. For ten successive days there are services, generally both evening, and morning; in which, besides the Psalms, and some lessons used in their order, we read fifty select portions of Scripture, thirty-two being entire chapters. Among these, the chapters in the four Gospels which describe our Lord's Passion are all read in their order; beginning to-day with St. Matthew, and ending on Good Friday with St. John. It is evidently the intention of the Church that the whole of this period should be consecrated to devotion as far as necessary duties will allow. If, therefore, we are prevented from worshipping at church, we should be careful to make the appointed service a part of our devotions at home, and in any case, to abstain from whatever may divert attention from the solemn considerations proper to the season.

On the first Sunday of Advent, we read of our Lord's public entrance into Jerusalem, the event which occurred on this day, and from which it obtained the name of Palm

Sunday. On the second Sunday after the Epiphany, we were reminded of the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, of God's judgments on their oppressor, Isa. li. 9—11; and of our own redemption, through the humiliation and sufferings of Christ, Isa. liii. To-day, this subject is explained more fully, and applied more closely. In the lessons from the Old Testament, are described the plagues of murrain, of boils, of hail, of locusts, and of darkness. The second morning lesson, and the gospel, contain the history of our Lord's Passion, as related by St. Matthew. The second evening lesson, and the epistle, set forth his humiliation, sufferings, and exaltation, with the encouragement and instruction we derive therefrom.

Christ existed before his advent in the fullness of the Godhead; for he was a Son, Heb. v. 9, "who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God," Phil. ii. 6: but he emptied himself of his glory, "made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of a man;" Phil. ii. 7. With our nature, he submitted to all its infirmities, sin only excepted, Heb. iv. 15; its sufferings, weakness, fears, and mortality. "In the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications, with strong crying and tears, unto Him that was able to save him from death, and was heard, in that he feared; though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things that he suffered;" Heb. v. 7, 8. 66 Being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross;" Phil. ii. 8. Therefore hath God highly exalted, not his Divine Nature, already infinite in all perfections, but his human nature, in which he suffered and triumphed; "and given him a name that is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven," angels, principalities, and powers; "and things on earth," the holy Church universal; "and things under the earth;" the spirits of the just, apostles, prophets, martyrs, the whole blessed company of saints, who rest from their labours in the joy and felicity of Paradise, waiting till their glory and happiness shall be complete at the resurrection of the body.

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To ourselves, these Scriptures reveal a glorious hope;-that Christ, "being made perfect through sufferings, became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;" Heb. v. 9. They offer an effectual encouragement, that our High Priest can have compassion on our infirmities, for that he made himself partaker of them all. They teach an important lesson,-that we should cultivate a spirit of meekness, humility, and love, for the sake, and after the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, Phil. ii. 5; “who did humble himself, even to the death upon the cross, for us miserable sinners, who lay in darkness, and the shadow of death, that he might make us the children of God, and exalt us to everlasting life." These things, if we duly consider, we shall learn, by God's help, "to follow the example of his patience," and so shall we "be made partakers of his resurrection."

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