Moses fasted forty days and nights, before he saw the glory of the LORD, and so was illumined, as we read, with heavenly brightness.

Elijah afterwards, in Horeb also, was prepared by a like miraculous fast to have a hearing of God's still small voice, the voice which declares the deep evangelical mysteries.

And our blessed LORD HIMSELF, being full of the HOLY GHOST, fasted forty days and nights, to show the mysterious connexion which there is between high spiritual gifts, and humble and wise refusal of earthly enjoyments.

And so we find the Apostles, in the Acts, fasting with their prayers, when they wanted GoD's direction more than usual for some great Church action; such as laying hands on others to be messengers of CHRIST.

This, then, is turning to the LORD-attentiveness, prayer, obedience, self-denial; if either one of these be wanting, there is no promise that the veil shall be taken off, which lies between us and the true meaning of the Church and the Bible-the mysterious presence of CHRIST every where in His kingdom. If these were all seriously practised-not one, but all of them—it may be we should find a great deal more unity of opinion, and the Church would no longer be afflicted with the perplexing sight of persons, to all appearance equally good and holy, differing on great and high points of practical religion.

As in Mount Calvary, HE destroyed once for all the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that was spread over all nations; so for each soul that shall so turn to HIM, HE will take away, sooner or later, the veil which hinders it in particular from discerning His true light; and still, as the veil is being removed, their faces, like that of Moses, will grow brighter, and their brethren, seeing it, will fear, as Aaron and the rest when they saw Moses: CHRIST will shine reflected in the life and conversation of those, who in purity and self-denial contemplate HIM as He is in His Church; and the rest, seeing them, will feel His presence and fear HIM.

And, finally, as Moses at our LORD's transfiguration saw that in course of real accomplishment, which in figure and shadow God had showed him in Mount Sinai long before-saw the skirts of the glory of God, the Incarnate Son glorified, and partook

himself in His brightness ;-(for it is said that Moses and Elias appeared in glory :) so shall it be one day with all who faithfully turn to CHRIST; and in the mean time His SPIRIT is with them to change them, unknown to themselves (for Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone), after the One Image, from glory to glory, even as by the SPIRIT of the LORD; that is, with such power and virtue as one might expect from the MOST HIGH GOD dwelling in men's souls to make and keep them members of CHRIST.

But as His working is silent, so let us be content to walk silently on in the good way, and mournfully too, if we have been wilful sinners; not seeking even to know ourselves exactly, much less for others to take notice, where we are in our Christian course, but ever turning our faces from the world and from ourselves, to HIM, Who is our sun and shield, the Light in Whom we may see light, JESUS CHRIST, the everlasting Light of God's kingdom.

SERMON CCLXII.

HARVEST THOUGHTS.

JEREMIAH V. 24.

"Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our GOD, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: He reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest."

THE course of thought in this passage is what must have often come across the mind of every man, however little instructed, who has any sense at all of the power and presence of ALMIGHTY GOD. The harvest, with its long train of preparatory worksploughing and seed-time, spring and autumn rains, the rest of winter and the heat of summer-is not only the great support of our life in this world-the great business of the year, as far as bodily health and strength are concerned; but it is throughout an instance of our heavenly FATHER's teaching us, without book, many of the truths which it most concerns us to know. And yet mankind in general are very little the wiser for it. We receive the benefit of the former and latter rain. We watch the harvest in all its appointed weeks, and yet we do not learn in our hearts to fear the LORD our GOD. There is something in this exceedingly sad and alarming. It shows a defect in the very first beginnings of our duty to our Maker and Preserver; and we ought not to bear with it in ourselves for a moment, but to consider without delay, now that we have the blessings of the harvest before our eyes, what use God intended us to make of them, besides supporting our perishable bodies for a few short years.

He meant us to take notice, in the first place, of His continual presence and power in bringing forward the fruits of the earth. Observe the history of a grain of seed-corn, as it is related in one of our SAVIOUR'S Parables. A man casts seed into the ground, and sleeps, and rises, night and day, and the seed springs and grows up he knows not how. For the earth brings forth fruit of herself, first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear." Can we think on these things, and not perceive that every step in the whole process shows ALMIGHTY GOD to be ever among us, quite close to us, and ordering the least things as well as the greatest? We are not so stupid as to imagine that corn will spring up of itself in our fields, whether it be sown at all or no. When we see a piece of land well stored with it and free from weeds, we do not ascribe it to chance, but we acknowledge that the hand of man has been busy in that place. But consider how much finer and more skilful the work is, to form out of a dry seed, by mixture with a little earth and water, the several parts of an entire plant -the root, the stalk, the blade, the flower, the grain—and be ashamed to recollect how seldom you have thought of that infinite skill and wisdom, in comparison with the notice you have taken of man's part, so very far inferior, in the work of bringing food out of the earth. Man does his portion of labour and goes away, and sets about something else: but the work of GOD is for ever going on, and therefore we may be sure the workman is for ever present.

It is the more shameful not to take notice of this; because the growth of corn is, from beginning to end, a work of God's mercy as well as of His power. It is a great comfort to have something constantly presenting itself before us, whenever we take a walk in the fields, upon which the hand of our heavenly FATHER is at that moment employed for our good. It is a sort of token, to our very outward senses, that He has not left us nor forsaken us, for all we have done to provoke HIM; and who is there, that has a just sense of his own sin and unworthiness, who will not thankfully receive every thing, both in nature and in Scripture, which encourages him to meditate on so cheering a truth as this?

Then, the manner in which the harvest is made available for the supply of our wants may offer abundance of useful instruc

tion. Although He does so much for us, in forming, watching over, nourishing, and ripening the plant, yet it is not His will we should enjoy the benefit of it without any exertion upon our own part. In the sweat of our face we must eat bread:" we must put it in the ground in the first instance; we must fence, manure, weed, and reap, or all God's mercy in giving us the fruits of the earth, will at last be thrown away upon us. It is no otherwise in what concerns our spiritual happiness and eternal salvation. We must do our part by faith and prayer and sincere obedience, or we cannot expect God to do His. We must employ so much common sense, as to look forward to another world, and not to mind trifles any more than we can help, while eternal things' are open before us. The husbandman does not know how his labours bring about the wonderful change, which takes place in the condition of a grain of corn after it is put into the ground. The seed springs and grows up he knows not how: but he does not therefore account it unnecessary to prepare the ground and put in the seed. In the same way, we know not how God's grace acts upon our hearts: but we are not therefore to sit still and do nothing; we must pray our best, and endeavour in earnest to keep the commandments: we must do all we can to become worthy of His mercy; and then no doubt HE will make us so in His good time: but it is high presumption indeed, to expect holiness and happiness upon easier conditions, than those upon which we may acquaint ourselves with any art, or obtain any comfort, relating to this life merely.

But further: our SAVIOUR has instructed us, when we watch the growth of a crop of corn, to lift up our thoughts to the dealings of ALMIGHTY GOD with ourselves, and to His ways of governing the whole world. When we see that for all the husbandman's best care, weeds will grow up along with the good seed, we may understand that it is not God's doing which makes the world so wicked and miserable as it is, but the doing of God's enemy and ours. It is Satan who has been sowing tares among the wheat, mixing evil and discontent with the perfect work of GOD: and this may teach us our own danger, and continual need of prayer and help from above. When we perceive that notwithstanding the husbandman bears with many of the most mischievous weeds, because in rooting them up it