CHAPTER XXX V.

THE TABERNACLE.

THE SABBATH. VOLUNTARY OFFERINGS. ALMS IN KIND AND IN CURRENCY. SELF-LOVE AND SELFISHNESS. ZEAL AND DEVOTEDNESS.

THE words I have read, constitute strictly the preface to the development and completion of that edifice, which was to last whilst the Israelites were in the desert, and only to be superseded by the yet more magnificent and splendid temple of Solomon. You will find at the beginning of this chapter, that the Sabbath is still to be observed as a day of rest from any work, done even in the sacred service of the Tabernacle itself. God seemed to regard this day as so obligatory upon each and all, and so peculiarly consecrated for man's highest good, and for God's present glory, that he would not allow the Sabbath to be used even in the building of that very house which was to be for his worship, and the assembling together of his worshippers. It was to be still a holy day; a day specially set apart for rest. The penalty denounced is not a penalty that belongs to it now; but it was peculiar to the circumstances in which they were placed; because the least departure from the discipline and organization established by God himself in the desert, would be, not simply the violation of a divine law -in itself bad enough but far worse than that; it must be remembered that in a theocracy, where God was visibly and audibly their King and their Lord, the observance of the Sabbath

was not merely in itself a grand moral obligation, but became binding as an act of allegiance from their peculiar relation to God; and, therefore, the violation of that day would be so overt an act of treason, and disloyalty, and rebellion, that the highest penalty in these circumstances not stretching into ours was attached to the violation of it. The expression in the third verse has been perverted by the Jews: “Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the Sabbath day." They hold that this applied, at least in after ages, to private houses; but it seems to me that you must interpret the text -I can only appeal to you as reasonable men, and ask you, looking at the narrative, to judge - as connected with the subject that God is speaking of, and Moses recording. That subject is the building of a tabernacle, that required blacksmiths and forges, and weaving, and embroidering, and melting of metals, and a great amount of employment of that kind. Now, God says: “Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations"—that is, your tents that are now pitched in the desert - "on the Sabbath day." But a fire here evidently means, a fire for preparing metals, for building the Tabernacle; as he is speaking of the use of the Sabbath in connection with the building of the Tabernacle; and the prohibition here not to kindle a fire in their habitations on that day, is, therefore, associated exclusively with the building of which God is speaking; but is not an obligation not to kindle a fire to prepare their ordinary food on the Sabbath day, when they were settled permanently.

We find Moses speaking from God, and commanding the children of Israel in the name of God to bring their offerings. But though it was a command, they were to bring them with a willing heart. Moses tells them, You are to give because it is a duty; but yet you are to give, not under constraint, to purchase something, or to atone for any thing, but you are to do it with a willing heart, that is,

spontaneously; not for show, or ostentation, or by constraint. I think that when we make collections in Christian congregations, we ought to do it in the way that will lead those that give, to give most spontaneously. Any attempt to make people give, in order that they may feel ashamed by not giving, seems to me preposterous, antichristian, and absurd. Better have the little that comes from the willing heart, than the large sums which are given by constraint, or from any earthly or worldly motive. In this chapter you will see how strongly this is insisted upon; they that gave, gave, it is said, with willing hearts-every one whom his spirit made willing brought an offering to the Lord the children of Israel brought a willing offering to the Lord, every man and woman. And therefore, if in these circumstances the ecclesiastical rulers of Israel did not dare to prescribe, or bid the people give, on any other ground than that of a willing heart; so, I think, now, were the rulers of any church, whether Protestant, or Romish, or Jewish, to inspect every man's income, to take an inventory of every man's property, to institute a sort of inquisition into every man's circumstances, and to say: "You ought to give this sum per annum to support the church, and you ought to give that sum per annum to support missions;" it would seem to me most unscriptural and most unchristian, and must be, in its effects, disastrous to moral and spiritual character. If it is to be what is called a voluntary system, let it be so in all its freedom and in all its influence; and you may depend upon it, wherever a heart is touched by grace, there the hand will be extended in beneficence, and men will give largely, because God has providentially given liberally and largely to them.

In the second place, every man gave willingly, not what he had not, but that which he had. Some had gold, and they gave that; some had silver, and they gave that; some had brass, and they gave that; some had linen, and they

gave that ; some skins of rams, some badgers' skins, some goats', and some could carve wood, and cut stones, and do all manner of cunning work, and they gave that. Now, what is implied by all this? There was no money in the desert; there was no representative currency. If there had been a currency established amid these nomade tribes of Israel, every man would have given his shilling, or his sixpence, or his sovereign, or whatever he chose to give; but as they had no money, they gave that which money represents; each gave the substance that he had, and could give, not being expected to give that which he could not. Now, in so far, in modern times it is changed. When you give to a collection for the building of a church, or for the extension of the Gospel, you do not give badgers' hair, and goats' hair, and rams' skins, and bracelets, and ear-rings; but you give that which your cutting of stones, your dyeing of skins, or weaving of fine linen, has enabled you to earn; and which is the representative, in your position, of your genius, your labor, your skill, your patience, your time, your capital. Hence it is still the same thing in substance, but different in form; ours the more convenient, theirs in the desert the more primitive and natural.

In the next place, you will notice that the women, as well as the men, gave. This was truly important and becoming. Woman has a deeper interest in the spread of real religion in this world than even man: it is to it that she owes all that she is; it is in its reflected splendor that she shines so beautiful; it is from Christianity that she has borrowed the position she now holds; and therefore, when she gives to the spread and maintenance of true religion, she really gives to the assertion of her own just position, and to the maintenance of her dignity and her privileges amid mankind. I do not say that this ought to be the only motive; but there is no doubt that it should come in. It is very absurd of people to say, that we ought to give without any thought of

self; I think we ought to give on every ground that is just and good, and in itself holy and expedient. Selfishness is sinful, but self-love is not sin; on the contrary, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself," is a command to love thyself as thy neighbor: and therefore self-love is not sinful; in its place it is most subservient to good. But when that selflove degenerates into selfishness, just as when anger degenerates into revenge, then that which was in itself most holy, and beautiful, and right, becomes degraded and depraved. We may, therefore, give to the maintenance of religion, because it benefits our country, because it adds to our greatness, because it is a benefit and a blessing indirectly to ourselves and when we do so from this motive, as a subordinate one, we do not do that which is wrong in the sight of God, or reprobated in any part of the Bible.

And in the last place, you will notice the intense zeal with which they gave. It seems to remind one that they themselves felt how sinfully they had acted in the matter of the golden calf, when they made an idol, and worshipped it instead of God; and that they were anxious - if I may so speak to compensate for the past by greater devotedness for the future. They redeemed the past by these efforts; reminding one, in the next chapter of Exodus, of what the apostle says, while he seems to have had this history in his mind, as he wrote: " Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter." They seem, as it were, to have repented of the past, and become rich in good works more and more. Their liberality was so great, that Moses had positively to restrict them, and assign limits to the exercise