The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1886-04-01

"And blue and purple, and scarlet, and
| fine linen, and goats hair. r.'-Ex. 25. 4.
The Israelites had arrived at Sinai, and
the Lord called to Moses, to come up
unto the Lord, thou, and Aaron, and
Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy Of the
elders of Israeli These were all COM
manded to worship afar off, only Moses
himself being permitted to come into the
presence of the Lord. The people all
declared obedience to the command of
the Lord, and sacrifices were made of
oxen, and Moses sprinkled blood upon
the people, and read the hook of the cov-
enant. Then went up Moses, and Aaron,
and Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of
the elders of Israel, and they saw the
Lord, and there was shining glory about
him, and under his feet was a paving as
of sapphire stones.
Right here is where the search of a
great number of Gods creatures after
Divine light ends. They may have a
vague or indistinct idea about Christian
duty, Christian charity, or fellowship
one with another, but the sight of the
Supreme Being which their eyes really
| long to behold, is similar to that presented
to Moses. They long to see God rich
enough to tread upon precious stones,
| and to whom these treasures are suf-
| fciently Insignificant to render them
| only fit for paving stones. This grade of
| Christians-for they must be graded by
| themselves-may have passing interest
| in the outward forms of worship, and
may be guilty of betraying an occasional
streak of religious zeal. but the heart,
even though the body may be kneeling
| at the altar, is guilty of an intense long
ing of another kind of worship; they do
not look into the face of God as into the
great light of a Divine hope, and a prom
ise OF endless glory; they look to a God
not of necessity, but of convenience
They look to promise of salvation, just as
the weary traveller looks to the roof
which promises him shelter from the
storm-only as means of convenience,
comfort, and escape from something
worse.
God gave directions as to the character
of the offerings for the tabernacle. They
were not to bring offerings of pride or
frivolity, or disinterestedness- though
they were to bring offerings of rams
skins, dyed red, and badgers skins, and
shittim wood. The greatest mistake,
perhaps, made by mankind, is the manner
of the offerings brought to Gods taber-
nacle. A man professed to love God, and
the sacred song glided as smoothly and
lovingly from his lips as the song of the
wild bird at the approach of Spring.
That man was dealer in stock. Let not
our friends who deal in live stock regard
the remark as intimating that all men
who deal in such goods are not perfectly
honorable, for so me of our best friends
are such dealers. But this man was
known far and near as a dealer in stock,
and divided his time between talking of
horses, mules, steers, and sheep-the talk
of the latter being principally confined to
the Lamb of God. He was known as a
close buyer and smooth seller-some
called him sleek-for he always had
either good stock, OF a good story to as
sist in showing it on the market. That
man did business for many years. Those
who were the customers found no fault
WIN oPShAJ. AhOJ "oCCASo A1iA1A
and made such bargains as they could.
Thus the business went on-but the GUS
toners noticed that on the occasions
when the good man talked loudest and
most earnestly about the Lamb of God,
he invariably feeced them the worst in
the trade. This good man, after the man.
ner of mankind, came down to death.
He was prepared to be laid away with
his fathers. They sang the songs of Zion
above him, and undertook to speak his
many virtues. They used the lesson of
his pure life as an example worthy the
emulation of all mankind. But after the
funeral train had left the sacred chapel,
the quickened imagination saw two an
gelic figures steal softly to the pulpit,
| whereon one wrote the simple question,
"What offering brought this man to the
tabernacle?" and the second wrote the
reply, "He brought rams skins, dyed
black, not red" And the kind of skins
this one brought proved that his whole
character had been badly skinned.
A man brought purple, and scarlet,
| and fine linen, and surely he could claim
| his reward. Like the Pharisee, he could
say, 81 have obeyed the request of the
Lord in these things, my calling and
| election is sure" So it is-but not in the
manner in which he would have it, per-
haps. These little matters would go on
smoothly with us if there was no
solemn test and investigation to go
through with. God is an inquisitive
being. He does not go upon the theory
of call is fish that comes to my net" but
He wants to know the kind of fish that
have been drawn in. He investigates as
to the character of the beautiful colors
brought. The professed Christian says,
81 have brought these things for the
tabernacle-the Lord must accept them
and me, without further requirement or
test, or the Bible is lie' He takes his
place among men claiming respectability
of character; he is not questioned in the
public congregation, and the world drifts
along without worrying as to whether
he is, or is not, what he processes to be-
But there comes a time when the offer
ings brought will be scrutinized, and
its merits. Then it will perhaps be dis
covered that the scarlet brought by this
man was the bloom of Sin-the artistic
touch of the DemOn-artist of Intemper
ance, and that the purple and fine linen
were not offerings of his own, but were
the goods of his victims, sacrificed to al
j. unnatural appetite for poison. This