, 1876-04-02

\ little reflection viii, tatnK, dno" ua NJ"
God dea.t with the children of Israel under the
Moenic law, and in His commands through the
mouths Ut His prophets from time to time
He dealt with thom almost exactly as Wlse
parent 4 .as with his child.
Obedience vas insisted upon first, last, and
always. This was taught in the endless. and
Whist would now be childish, ritual of the ccre-
mon,a1 law. King Saul was rejected. not because
Of his autbreaklng sins. or mis- inability ~
ruler, but because Of his unwiIlingness to obeY
God. 1t was to teach obediencs that Uzzah Was
emitt N down when he had put forth his hand
to stay the Ark from falling. Uzzah'u motive
seems to have been good one, bus there had
been positive command that no one should
touch the sacred box; and hence tbs proprl6ty
of the terrible Judgment
Another point ia tho comparison IL this: A
wise earthly parent givos ~ few commands as
possible to his young child (though. as We have
seen, what he does give he requires shall be
oboyed) and be adapts his requirements to the
age End development Of his child Through
David and Solomon, God added to but did not
alter what Moses taught, while the teachings Of
Isaiah, .1ho came after them, unfoldod much OF
the higher Developments OF 3 spiritual life. and
were only e1eelled by tho words uttered by the
Ssyior Himself. Hence sin especially pro-
hibsted would bo moro severely punished than
one that the offender had not been particularly
warned against. Against polygamy and concu-
piunge. hstred OF An enemy and lack OF gener-
osity, theirs seems to have been no command
we-e not punished in the Old Testament. The
Apostle Paul refers to this state Of affairs when
he oaid in his sermon On Mars Hill at Athens
!" These tinea Of Ignorance God uinked At for
overlooked, but now commands mon every
where to repent" Tho wise parent will try and
teach as much at once as be can, but not 80
much as to make failure Of his teaching.
as the Jews must first be taught to lore each
other, Moses commanded Love your neigh
bors," and It was nearly 1000 years after that
1xoF1 CSryk tn ttr alI
which Christ made, "Loye your enemies" Tho
Law said IAN eye for cn eye and tooth Tor :
tooth. I. g.. Be just, give exact Justice; but it
was christ who added the idea OF being more
than just-be!ne generous.
Again, while the child is young, not oysr IS or
II, the parent goes into The details. and points
out ons BY one what things must or mtst not be
done, bo: as the child natures then the parent
gives detai1s less, aud general principles more
and moro. The Mosaic Law, particularly its
teachings Of Christ were almost wholly Of gen
eral principles, and had no minutin except to
illustrate general principle. When two young
nen came to the Savior asktng him to divide
their inheritance for them He de0liued to enter
into the details OF the matter, hut instead OF it
He ANNOUNCED the general lar, which it they
would apply would meet thcsr case, Beware Of
coyetoushc6s."
Further to prove that this old dispensation was
designed for the moral infancy Of the race,
the affections snd allegiance OF Ills people.
Abraham was a wandering Sheik. rejoicing in
his numerous hocks and herds, aud dealrous o I
q large family Of children and Servants, and Of
+ permanent country for : possession. God
promised him just these thinGs,-aH OF them
earthly and sensuaL-adding. however, the dim
and shadow, though glorious, promise. *'And
in thee shall sll tie nations of the earth be
biessed'' The parent g1ves gifts to bis child
caud! even and toys-in order to Win his affec-
f1ru feet %rf f1,A nd fkar IN %hn;x
eiyer The same temporal blessings we're prom
ised to Isaac and Jacob. Could anything be
moro 'of tho earth earthly" than the vow which |
Jacob IN Ge1., xvii, 20. is recorded to have |
made: III God viii bs With ne ne and will keep
me in this way that 80, and will give mo bread
TO eat and raiment to put on, so that come
again to my fathers house in peace, then (sic)
shall the Lord be my God7" We should now
deem such prayer a. that from any one but |
child little less than blasphcmous, and ne can |
imagine that when God heard 1t HD cha1itAbly !
overlooked the first part Of the vow, and thought
only of its conclusion; and, moreover, Jacob |
vas do1b.leas the best mau our race then af- |
Eorded and 50 it WAS Israel Or nothing.
The rescue OF the children Of 1srxel from the |
Egyptians their marvellous preservation in the |
wilderness, and many other temporal blessings |
we're designed By Providence to win their affec- |
lions and bind their allegiance 10 Him; and thus
III through the Old Testament We find that near
y al tho promises and warnings are temporal,
ID ) lifo correctly before the life which is to
:, e could be understood It WAS Christ who |
:-tsi.d things hearenvard. He warned his fol-
owc:a of temporal dsssteF, prosecutions, and
tllins4 wtich the human heart craves here should
be- theirs u the life which ia to come. Did Abra-
lam Geai:e name among znen, Christ promises an |
among the heavenly hosts Hhsch will
earthly celebrity will have been forgotten. Did
Abraham desire to have earthly authority. Christ
promises crown and kingdom, and each fol-
over 50 to reign With Him forever;" and did
Ab-ah8n desire weath, Christ promises
10 inheritance in the new city where the very
streets are paved with pure gold, and the houses
.ud walls abound in diamonds, pearls, sapphlres,
md rubes.
It may be asked what mas the effect Of these
!. .000 yeaEs Of traiG!ag upon tho jews. Did it
-ase the.a to higher moral plane answer |
and deem 1t an easy matter to
prove tho correctness Of tue assertion if ueces-
:a1y. 4 comparison bstWeen the acts and say
ugs of the Apostles with those OF the early pa
rlalchs will show great progress az between
;hiId and man. Imagine the Apoatle Paul ut
eTing Jacobs prayer above referred 10 The
5ews as vt 1le at the time of Christ we're far
lboye the moral foyei Of the Greeks and Romans
II any Of their other neighbors, as the writings
II salipst, Tacitus, and numerous others of their
Fhat Paul thought OF the Iatins Of his
lay. read the first clapter of his epis-
le TO the Romans, where he declares
hat they had been characterized by idolatry,
odomy, fornication. murder, and all manner Of
'lher evil, and not only dii they do ali these
hings, but-what indicated the deepest de-
said they lad pleasure in them
rho did these deeds.
Compare Sallust (soms of Hhose writings are
90 beRtial for me TO mention here) With Paul in
ia advice to the Philippians, and tell me If tho
ews had not made progress in moral ideae
This verse (rhilip, iv., 3 has besn styled Pauls
Mental philosophy, "Einally, b,ethr.a, Rhat-
oever things are true; Whatsoever tl.ngS ire
onest. whatsoever things ara just Whatsoever
hings AFRO OF good report i: there be auy yir-
ae and il there b< any praise, th:ak On these
h'ags." J. ?. G.
ST. PATRfcK'S CATHEDRAL
xHE GREAT WORK CT NEW YORK a. 1oLIo1.
itf1s York 4sin,.
/: wiii bp eighteen years ne1t : .d9uut since
1e ..orner-stone Of st. Pat1ick's Cathedral VA.
.ia The building il not nearly finished, and
O oaa knows when it will be. Nesrly g., 000. 900
10 slrehd , been expended on it, and millions
lore viii be needed befots it is completed. The
lie :4aa been to incur NO Indebtedness On &C.