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heaven that deserves a thought? If the forming of the shadows of divine truth was a just employment of supernatural skill, doubtless an exhibition of the substance may profitably engage all the talents that were ever confided to mortal man.] To all, then, I would say,

1. Acknowledge God in all the talents you possess―

[Not only Bezaleel and Aholiab, but all who were employed in the different departments of the work, were taught of God. So, whatever furniture we have for the constructing of God's spiritual tabernacle, we have received it from the same heavenly source, and must ascribe the glory of it altogether to our God. Let this be borne in mind, and none will envy those who are endowed with richer talents than themselves, or despise those who are called to occupy a humbler post. The eye in the natural body vaunts not itself above the hand, nor the hand above the foot; but each is satisfied with executing the work for which it is fitted and ordained: so let it be with us; every one doing what God has called him to, and every one seeking the glory of God in all that he performs.]

2. Improve your talents for the end for which they have been committed to you—

[At the formation of the tabernacle, every one engaged, according to his ability, to expedite the work. Men, women, rulers, all accounted it their honour to be employed for God": and "so," we are told, "it became one tabernacle." And who can say what the effect would be, if all, men, women, and rulers, engaged heartily in the work of God, and laboured to advance his glory in the world? Beloved Brethren, let us not sit down in despair, because the work is too great and arduous. God can fit us for it, however ignorant we be; and can bless us in it, however unequal we may be for the task assigned us. Only let it be said of every one amongst us, "He has done what he could," and we shall yet see glorious days amongst us; and God will rear his tabernacle, and glorify himself, as in the days of old.

But, for this end, it is necessary that you "stir up your hearts;" for, by nature, they are sadly averse to it. Nor need we fear that any exertions of ours will exceed the demand for them. The materials for the tabernacle, and the work, were soon supplied, when a whole nation were willing and active in the cause: but there is no fear that we shall have to bid you to cease either from your offerings or your labours. The whole world is the tabernacle which you are to rear; and every soul within it is a vessel you are to form for God's h Exod. xxxv. 21, 24, 25—27. i Exod. xxxvi. 13. k Exod. xxxvi. 5—7.

honour. Go on then, all of you, both in your individual and collective capacity, without intermission and without weariness: so shall the work proceed to the honour of our God, and a rich recompence be treasured up for your own souls.]

CV.

MOSES' INDIGNATION AGAINST THE WORSHIPPERS OF THE GOLDEN CALF.

Exod. xxxii. 19, 20. And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing. And Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. And he took the calf which they had made, and burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.

IT is painful to reflect how transient is the effect of the most laborious ministry, and in how many instances hopeful appearances of piety come to nought. If ever man was faithful, it was Moses; of whom God himself says, "He was faithful in all his house." And if ever there was reason to expect that the work of conversion had taken place upon many hundreds of thousands of people, it was when Israel were singing praises to their God on occasion of their deliverance at the Red Sea. It might well be supposed, that their gratitude to God on that occasion, deepened by the awe impressed upon their minds at the thunders of Mount Sinai, would never be forgotten. But, behold! Moses, summoned as he was by God into the holy mount, in order that he might receive from Jehovah a written copy of that Law which had been just proclaimed, had not been absent from the people forty days, before they all concurred in desiring Aaron to make for them a god whom they might worship, and who should go before them in their way to the promised land: and even Aaron himself became an active confederate in this horrible apostasy. As for Moses, they seem to have lost all respect for him, as well as all becoming reverence for Jehovah, whose minister he was. Of this, God apprised Moses; and at last sent him down in haste to the people, that he might see with his own eyes

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what impiety they were committing. Moses, therefore, hastened down from the mount: and, filled with indignation against them for their wickedness, he testified his displeasure in the way recorded in

our text.

Let us consider,

1. The grounds of his indignation—

The worshipping of the golden calf was a sin of most extraordinary enormity

[Such interpositions in their behalf had that people seen, as never had been witnessed by any other people under heaven. And they were still within sight of that burning mount where Jehovah himself, their great Deliverer, yet vouchsafed to them his visible presence. They had but just before, too, received an express command to make no symbol of the Deity, nor to keep in existence any of the gods of the heathen, but to "destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire ;" and not so much as to "desire the silver or gold that was on them, or to take it unto them, lest they should be snared therein; but they were utterly to detest and abhor it, as an accursed thing." Yet, behold! within less than forty days, they desire Aaron to make them a golden image, similar, probably, to what they had seen in Egypt; and they take the ear-rings from their sons and from their daughters for the purpose of forming it; and, having formed it, they offer sacrifices to it, and ascribe to it the honour of all their past deliverances, saying, "These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt"."

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This was plain and unequivocal idolatry. Perhaps they might be ready to deny this charge, just as the Papists have since done; and to say, that they only looked to the calf as a symbol, to remind them of the Deity, to whom alone they had respect in all the worship that they paid. They might say, that they could not be supposed to ascribe their deliverance to that, which but a few days before was in their own ears, and had no collective existence till it was cast into a mould and made a calf. But God declares it to have been idolatry, as all the worship paid to images and crucifixes by the Church of Rome also is; as the Apostle, in reference to this very transaction, says; "Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them: as it is written, The people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play."

a Exod. xx. 4. d ver. 1-8.

b Deut. vii. 5, 25, 26.

c Ezek. xx. 8.

e Compare ver. 6. with 1 Cor. x. 7.

Here, then, was ample occasion for the hot displeasure of Moses.] And is there no similar evil prevalent amongst us?

[As Protestants, we have discarded the idolatrous practices of the Church of Rome. But we may "set up idols in our hearts," as well as in our houses: we may have the love of money there; and that is expressly designated by the opprobrious name of idolatry: Covetousness," says the Apostle, "is idolatry." We may be addicted to sensual appetites and then we make, as we are told, "a god of our belly h." "The loving and serving of the creature more than the Creatori," in whatever way we do it, is the very essence of idolatry; and "provokes the Lord to jealousyk," as much without an external symbol, as with one. God says, "My son, give me thy heart:" and if that be withheld from him, he is justly filled with indignation against us.

Let me, then, bring home this matter more closely to your hearts and consciences. The Israelites professed to celebrate their redemption from Egypt: and having presented their sacrifices of burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, "they sat down to eat and to drink (of the portion of the peace-offerings which was allowed to them), and rose up to play." And, when Moses came down from the mount, he heard, whilst yet at some distance, their carnal revelry; which they judged a becoming mode of honouring their great Deliverer. Now at this season' we profess to commemorate the Redemption, not of a single nation, but of the whole world; and not by power only, but by price, even the precious blood of God's only dear Son: we commemorate, I say, the Incarnation of the Son of God, for the deliverance of our souls from sin and Satan, death and hell. And in what way do we commemorate it? Is not this season even proverbially devoted to carnal mirth? We present our offerings, if I may so say, on the day appointed; and throughout the whole season, with the exception of two or three hours, we sit down to eat and to drink, and rise up to play." Such is our religion, precisely like that of those impious idolaters. To the honour of the Levites, it must be acknowledged that they did form an exception to this national transgression. Would to God the like could be said of our Levites! or even of our Aarons! But, with us, Levites and Aarons too are found, for the most part, sanctioning, by their presence and example, these sad enormities; as if Christ had come for no better purpose than to give us a more ample occasion for carnal indulgence.

f Ezek. xiv. 3. k 1 Cor. x. 22.

* Col. iii. 5. h Phil. iii. 19. i Rom. i. 25. Sermon for Christmas.

Judge ye, then, whether God may not well be filled with indignation against us, as he was against his less enlightened and less indebted people of that day?]

Having seen the grounds of Moses' indignation, let us proceed to mark,

II. His expressions of it

1. He broke before their eyes the tables of the Law, which God had committed to him

[Was this done in a paroxysm of rage? No:m it was a significant action, declaring, in effect, to the whole people, that they had made void all their solemn engagements with the Deity"; and that therefore the covenant he had made with them, of which "these tables were a testimony"," was utterly annulled.

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And are not all the provisions of the Gospel, too, made void by wilful and deliberate sin? They are: and all hope in the Gospel, whilst our hearts are alienated from God, and fixed on earthly vanities, is nothing but delusion. Our Lord has faithfully warned us, that it is in vain for us to "cry, Lord! Lord! if we do not the things which he says:" and that however we may debate the matter with him in the last day, saying, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works? he will reply, I never knew you: depart from me, ye who work iniquity"." Whoever then ye be, who, instead of delighting yourselves in God, are addicted to carnal mirth, I break the tables of the covenant before your faces this day; and declare, that "whoso doeth not righteousness, is not of God;" but that, on the contrary, "whosoever committeth sin, is of the devil." It is needful that we declare this faithfully: for, whilst dancing about your golden calf, you conclude that all is well, and little think in what light your conduct is viewed by a holy and jealous God. And to learn it, first, when your Lord shall descend from His holy mount to judge the world, will be too late: for, as the Levites passed through the camp, and avenged the cause of God on the offenders without favouring even their nearest relatives, so will the angels at that day inexorably and irresistibly execute on all the violators of God's covenant the judgments denounced against them1. Let all, then, bear in mind, that "God is a jealous God;" and that "he will neither give, nor suffer us to give, his glory to another."]

afterwards, relates it,

n Deut. v. 27.
a 1 John iii. 6, 8, 9.

m The manner in which Moses, forty years sufficiently proves this. See Deut. ix. 16, 17. P Matt. vii. 21-23. Compare Isai. xxxvii. 36. with Matt. xiii. 41, 42.

o ver. 15.

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