spirit to be the spirit of the Lord. What they desire not themselves, they forbid in the name of the Lord. This engenders, and has ever engendered, folly and weakness, sickness and misery. The sluggard would cloak his sluggishness with the garb of caution; and exclaims, when real improvements are proposed; "Do not shake the old edifice, either pull it down entirely, and build yourself a new one, or leave it as it now stands." That is the spirit of slothfulness, in whatever house you may dwell, whatever religion you may profess, but not the spirit of the Lord. The fearful would conceal his fear, and exclaims, at every step that is made in advance to promote the well-being of mankind, "Would that this proceeding may be unaccompanied by disastrous consequences! What will this one and that one say to it?" This is the spirit of cowardice, but not the spirit of the Lord. The covetous would conceal his covetousness, and says: "O yes, I would willingly promote noble undertakings, but wherefore should I, with my hardly-earned mite, contribute to chimerical schemes?" For such does he deem all things by which his chests are not filled. This is the spirit of covetousness, but not the spirit of the Lord. The fool would conceal his folly, and says: "What has the world gained by the spreading of light? Were not the earlier ages better than the present?" This is a spirit of darkness, but not a spirit of the Lord, who is light and truth. Unwise teachers, false prophets, would declare their intolerant spirit, and their darkness, to be light, and testify in the name of religion against all whose belief differs from theirs: they would preach religion, and forget its first precept:

"What thou dislikest, do not unto others;* love every man as thyself." What do those babbling hypocrites? They prune, and twist, and turn the words of the Bible and the law-be it the earlier or the later law; be they the words of Moses, or of them who have drawn their knowledge from his writings, till such meaning be accepted as they think it good to apply to them. This is a spirit of night, but not the spirit of the Lord. O, who would not desire that all the Lord's people should be prophets, with its old men and young men, its superior and subordinate officers, its masters and servants-that the Lord would put His spirit upon them all? This spirit of the Lord can alone make men prophets; wise and yet modest; strong, and yet mild; rich, and yet humble; cheerful, and yet sober; high, and yet accessible; godly, and yet human; looking towards Heaven, yet working for earth; professing one religion, yet loving the whole human race with as warm a love as the seer of the Lord, the Prophet of the Lord. Yes, beloved ones, prophets. In the original language, the word is used for prophet, and really signifies speaker, orator. the office of the prophet. This should be your office, if ye would be prophets. But it is not the lips, the tongue -it is the act which speaks; it speaks louder than the organs of speech. Your office of prophet shall declare itself in your deeds! And if God's spirit really rests on you, you will not desire to hold any other language, or to be a mere orator, you will not merely declaim of virtue in fine words and metaphors, and you will not bear your religion on your lips, without feeling it in

* Talmud.

Such was

your hearts, or showing it in yourselves. No, he, in whom dwells the spirit of the Lord, speaks the language of the Lord. Is it needful that the Lord should tell you, in the words of man, that He alone is God? Does not every thing speak for Him, of Him? His goodness, His wisdom, His truth, His justice, His holiness, do they not shine forth in His suns, gleam in His moons, sparkle in His stars? do they not blossom in His trees, bloom in His flowers, murmur in His breezes? Speakers like unto these should your actions be. Your whole life should be one sound; what ye do, what ye leave undone, your profusion, your want, your joy, your sorrows, your life, and your death a prophet's speech in which the Almighty works. To think of Him, feel Him, behold Him; to belong unto Him; in Him to live and act; this alone can form men such as mankind needs, prophets of the Lord on whom God's spirit rests.

We must consider one more point, my dear friends, and then we will close our present discourse. Many, who hear what we exhort men to do, and how high a standard we would place before them, would call us visionaries, or at least if they would much honour us, pious visionaries. They would ask; "How can that which you require be accomplished? Look around! The children of men are little worth; they wander hither and thither, and heap folly upon folly." But, my dear friends, the highest virtue is in itself no vision; you render it such by deeming it impossible: it is not so difficult to vivify it, to put it into action, if each individual would so will it ; each father, each mother, each son, each daughter, each public servant, each private individual. "Men are little worth." Let each.

individual begin to be worth something. From these single efforts, a large aggregate of good must ultimately result. Men recede: let each individual begin himself to advance, the mass will go forward." They heap folly on folly:" Let each one begin to lay aside his folly, how wise will the mass become! Individual instances of advancement you acknowledge; but is not the mass composed of individuals? Wherein then consists the delusion, the impossibility? Let each believe himself capable of much in the domain of morals; his strength will increase by exercise, each single virtue is a flower in Virtue's chaplet. Let each carefully contribute his mite, and not only the man, but mankind will rise higher. What the inspired have spoken, will one day be fulfilled. One day! and though that day should tarry, await it: that is the prophet's spirit. They beheld not the entire fulfilment of the glorious and the holy things which they predicted! That did not deter them from unweariedly teaching and testifying, warning and reminding, speaking and working for children, and children's children; and the latest generations reap the harvest which they have sown. Let us follow their example, beloved friends, and wrestle, and strive, and never rest, and never repose, till each has fulfilled the command of his Father, to be a prophet unto the Lord, animated by the Spirit of the Lord.

Yes, O Lord, may Thy Spirit rest upon us; may we be worthy of Thee and of ourselves; never standing still, but always advancing, may we become wise in Thy wisdom, strong in Thy strength, rich in Thy possession,

joyful in the light of Thy countenance. May Thy Spirit, O Father, rest on our English father-land, and on its princes; the spirit of gentleness and love, that they may execute justice with judgment and strength in Thy name, like unto the prophets of Thy word. Let Thy Spirit O Father, rest upon the rulers of this land, that they may watch over the general welfare with paternal care and may ever rejoice in Thy favour. Let Thy Spirit, O Father, come down upon the elders of the congregation, that they may work for the well-being of Israel, as once Thy prophets wrought. Pour out Thy Spirit, O Father, on the whole congregation, on fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, man-servants and maid-servants, yea, upon every one who wears a human aspect; may they all be active in doing according to Thy light, for their own benefit, and for the service of the whole human race. O God, if all Thy children would but keep Thee before them, if all would imitate Thee, how much that is great and glorious would be created upon earth: how soon would the wounds inflicted by hatred and discord be healed, how soon would the tears and sorrowing of the afflicted be dried! O let our eyes behold a new earth, such as the prophets have promised; and let our ears hear in every song which resounds here or elsewhere to Thy praise, the "Thrice Holy" which Thy prophets heard. Teach us ourselves to become holier; yea, more and more holy! Amen.