December 13

and be merry." This is what he said—"But God said, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee; then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?"

The fact should also teach us to apply to God for direction in serious and earnest prayer. "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." He is able to do it: he is willing to do it; yea, he is engaged to do it, if you repay with the case to him. "I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them."

It is thus alone we can live happy in a miserable world, and be calm and confident in every disturbance or alarm. But this will enable the soul to dwell at ease. The remedy has been tried, and was never known to fail. And no wonder—It is of God's own appointing and prescribing. "Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass." "Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established."

DECEMBER 13.—"And the princes offered for dedicating of the altar in the day that it was anointed, even the princes offered their offering before the altar."—Numbers 7:10.

THESE princes, "heads of the houses of their fathers," were twelve. Their offering individually was this: "One silver charger, the weight thereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them were full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: one spoon of ten shekels of gold, full of incense: one young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: one kid of the goats for a sin offering: and for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year."

Some of these articles were for immediate use, such as the animals to be slain in sacrifice for burnt offerings, sin offerings, and peace offerings. Others were for fixed and standing use, such were the utensils to be employed in performing the service of the sanctuary. These were all of silver and gold. Was God to be served only in plate? The costliness was not for his pleasure, but for the sake of the people in an early and infantile state of the Church; to impress their imaginations; to remind them that he was "a great King;" and to teach them that they were to serve him with their best. The chargers were worth, in our money, sixteen pounds five shillings—the bowl fifteen pounds—the spoon, or ladle, seven pounds ten shillings. It is not possible to determine the value of the two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five lambs; but the presentation of two hundred and four of such animals, and three hundred pounds in silver, and seventy-five pounds in gold, was at this period, and in their circumstances, a vast donation.

And here the first thing that strikes us is the capacity of these donors. We are amazed to think how they came by so much affluence as to be able to spare for even one offering so much treasure. They had all been oppressed and plundered in Egypt, and they were now in a wilderness, without merchandise, trade, or agriculture. But from

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whatever source, or whatever way their wealth had been acquired, they had it; it was lawfully their own; they would not have been pious at the expense of justice; and they knew that God abhors robbery for burnt-offering. Those however who have riches commonly resolve to keep them; and as it is said that the ground is generally very barren about the silver and gold mines, so the wealthy often do less for the cause of God, not only comparatively, but really, than persons of less resources. But it was not so here. Who can help admiring the liberality of these men? And let it be observed, That they did this freely; they were not called upon to do it; it was not the effect of any excitement, but of the forwardness and willingness of their own minds. Nor was this the first time of showing their generosity. It had been evinced in two instances before this. The first was when the tabernacle was in framing. "Then they gave onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate; and spice, and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense." These were things much valued, and which could not be easily replaced. When also, the tabernacle was fully set up, and anointed, and sanctified with all the instruments thereof, "they brought their offering before the Lord, six covered wagons, and twelve oxen; a wagon for two of the princes, and for each one an ox: and they brought them before the tabernacle." Yet after this, immediately after this, they came forward again with the expensive donation before us.

With regard to this presentation we may remark three things. First, all the offerings were precisely the same in kind, quantity, and value. But were the donors equally rich? This is not likely. Yet they were equally disposed; they felt an equal interest in the altar; and to prevent mortification on one side, and pride on the other, by pre-eminence or inferiority, they had agreed upon this measure. We differ in our stations and in our means, but though we do not give the same in fact, we may give the same in principle. The Lord looketh to the heart, and in his sight all who give proportionately give equally; and the poor may be as liberal as the rich.

Secondly. The offerings were not to be presented at once. The solemnity continued twelve days: "The Lord said unto Moses, They shall offer their offering, each prince on his day, for the dedicating of the altar." Wherefore was this? We are never more liable to mistakes than when we assign reasons for the conduct of the Supreme Being. Yet he has reasons for all he does. And may we not suppose that he would teach us to do every thing decently and in order? As the work of God should not be done in a careless, so neither in a hurried and confused manner. "Take time," says the proverb, "and you will have done the sooner;" and if not, you will surely have done "the better." May we not learn also that we are not to complain of the length and repetition of religious services? Here were twelve days of convocation immediately following each other. But did the pious Jews cry out, "What a weariness it is to serve the Lord?" When will the work be over? Those who love the things of God call them "their pleasant things;" and in going from one ordinance to another, they only go from strength to strength. And when health, or the engagements of duty, keep them back from going with the multitude to the