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Eighth Sunday after Trinity.

Subject. The sin of Jeroboam.1

Text. 1 Kings xiii. 34. "This thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth."

Illustrative Scriptures. 1 Kings xi., xv., 2 Chron. x.-xiii. Illustrative Texts. 1 Kings xvi. 26; xxii. 52; 2 Kings iii. 3; x. 29; xiii. 2, 6, 11; xiv. 24; xv. 9, 18, 24, 28; xvii. 21, 22. Principal Word.

But we

"ALL unrighteousness is sin" (1 S. John v. 17) Rom. iv. 15; 1 S. John iii. 4. The "exceeding sinfulness of sin" (Rom. vii. 13) is rarely, if ever, duly conceived. This is owing to our imperfect conception of the Being against whom it is committed. might conceive of sin more justly than we do, did we contemplate its nature and effects. One sin ruined the world. Rom. v. 12. Nothing but almighty power, and an allworthy sacrifice, perfect obedience, and infinite suffering, could put away the consequences of one sin; and that one such as too many think venial—

1 For "the disobedient prophet," see Pastoralia, Outline for this Sunday.

and even after that dispensation, pain, affliction, labour, and death continue-and those who believe not, even now, die in their sins. (S. John viii. 21, 24.) Private judgment questions this, as derogatory from the mercy of GOD. We cannot think too highly of the divine mercy-but we cannot also think too highly of the deadliness of sin. (Compare S. John iii. 16, 17 with S. Luke xiii. 9; and see Outline for Sexagesima Sunday.) If sin merited less than an eternal punishment, it needed less than an infinite expiation.

The deadliness of sin is best proved by man's fall and recovery-but the connection of Adam's sin with that of his posterity is beyond our faculties; and, from the mysterious nature of the subject, the proof is not estimated except by deeply reflecting minds. There is, however, a kind of proof patent to every mindwhere the connection of one sin with that of generations is evidently traceable-where sin can be shown, like fire, or like some contagious pestilence or blight, to have a tendency to spread in the heart, and to pass from soul to soul, increasing in malignity and intensity, till it has corrupted and destroyed all within its contaminating reach. Such is the instance of Jeroboam, just brought before the Church in the lesson for the day. Let us examine then

He was assured by

I. The history of Jeroboam. GOD that he was chosen to reign over ten tribes, which were to be separated from the kingdom of Judah for the sin of idolatry, which he was warned to avoid; and he was encouraged by the divine promises to obey boldly and faithfully. (Illustr. Script.) Against this assurance and warning, he betook himself for

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safety and success to the crooked counsels of worldly expediency. "Thus irreligious princes do often prefer reasons of State to the concerns of religion; thus prejudice and pride are the first steps to schism, and worldly interests confirm and establish it." (Wogan on the Proper Lessons.) All Israel was bound to go up three times in the year to the metropolis of the kingdom of Judah; and this, he argued, would imperil their allegiance to him. Such was, doubtless, the natural human tendency of that practice. But the Ruler of the hearts of men had given him assurance that such would not be the result. This assurance Jeroboam would not trust. Forgetful that he owed the existence of his kingdom to God's hatred of idolatry, unmindful of the awful command and sanctity of the Law, and of the example of Aaron (Exod. xxxii.) he set up calves, a symbol which he had learned in Egypt, as representatives of the Deity, at Bethel and Dan, the extremities of his kingdom. He did not mean to change the religion of his people. But sin led on to sin-distrust and indifference to actual rebellion. One sin was made necessary by another-provoked GOD to give him up to another. Even if the people did not go up periodically to Jerusalem, the priests and Levites would; and these were scattered over his dominions, and, from their office and influence, might do all that the general observance of the festivals could effect. He therefore cast them from their office-or rather, professed to do so-for the office which he had not given, he could not take away. Then, unmindful of Korah's example (Numb. xvi.) as he had been of Aaron's, he proceeded to "make priests;" and con

cluding that, if he could give the priesthood, he must possess it, he exercised the priestly office-a sin for which God mercifully chastised him. But, if he could change the priesthood, he could, of course, change the Law (Heb. vii. 12); and so he accordingly did. 1 Kings xii. 32, 33. Warning and chastisement touched him not; "he returned not from his evil way.". "This thing," therefore, "became a sin ;" and it soon manifested the true nature of a sin. As it had passed in Jeroboam from distrust of GOD to contravention of His laws, so in succeeding princes it went on to avowed rejection of GOD altogether; the only nation acquainted with GOD and His truth fell into the darkest heathenism, and suffered in consequence the scourge of war and captivity. All this the Holy Scripture connects with the sin of Jeroboam.

II. The danger of Jeroboam's particular sin. It was twofold-the one part was consequent on the other. It consisted in,

1. The fear of man. Prov. xxix. 25; S. Matt. x. 26, 28, 31; Deut. vii. 17-21; xxxi. 6-8; Josh. i. 5 -9; Ps. lvi. 4, 11; cxviii. 6, 7; Isa. viii. 12, 13; xli. 10—16; li. 7, 8, 12, 13; Jer. xlii. 10 seqq.; Heb. xiii. 6; 1 S. Pet. iii. 14, 15. [From these texts the danger of fearing man, its folly, and its guilt, may be amply set forth.]

2. Wilful departure from the revealed will of God. With the exception of the worship of the calves, it is likely that his sin was esteemed lightly by many who professed the truth. Even the calves were symbolical, and it was avowed that the GOD Who delivered Israel from Egypt was adored under the symbol. Some

might say, "What matter whether GOD was worshipped at Jerusalem or Bethel, so He was worshipped in spirit and in truth ?" Yet could He be worshipped in either, when He was not worshipped according to His own commands? “Why,” it might be said, “ must His priests be descendants of Aaron? His ministers, Levites? If ministers were pious, what matter their family or tribe? Was not a godly Ephraimite better than an ungodly Levite ?" Yet how could any man be pious and godly who disregarded the command of GOD, Numb. iii. 10; xviii. 7? See 1 Sam. xiii. 9—14; 2 Chron. xxvi. 16-20. Some might say, "What consequence could it be in what month the Feast of Tabernacles was celebrated ?"-and others might even go on to say, "What consequence whether it was celebrated at all? Where was the importance, if the heart were pure and right ?" But could the heart be pure and right that disregarded or changed the commandment of GOD? These things might be called unessential, but they were found so essential, that the most essential of truths did not long abide when they were gone. How should it? If we may change GOD's appointments, why not reject them? Is not this change itself a rejection? A GOD not to be obeyed in all things is no GOD to him who thinks. SO. And so an early successor of Jeroboam reasoned. GOD had commanded, Deut. vii. 3. But many other of His commands had been set at nought in Israel, and why not this? Hence Ahab broke it. 1 Kings xvi. 31. His sin was worse than Jeroboam's; but it was the legitimate consequence of the latter. It was schism ripened into heresy and apostasy-the natural