SERMON XI.

THE REBELLION OF KORAH.

NUMBERS XVI. 3.

And they gathered themselves together against Moses

and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take

too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are

holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among

them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the

congregation of the Lord

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197

SERMON XII.

THE PROPHECY OF BALAAM.

NUMBERS XXIII. 11, 12.

And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done

unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and,

behold, thou hast blessed them altogether. And he

answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak

that which the Lord hath put in my mouth? .

216

SERMON XIII.

PROSPERITY AND ADVERSITY.

DEUT. V. 33.

Ye shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your

God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and

that it may be well with you, and that ye may pro-

long your days in the land which ye shall possess 238

SERMON XIV.

THE NATION AND THE CHURCH.

DEUT. VII. 22-26.

PAGE

And the Lord thy God will put out those nations before

thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume

them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon

thee. But the Lord thy God shall deliver them unto

unto thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty

destruction, until they be destroyed. And he shall

deliver their kings into thine hand, and thou shalt

destroy their name from under heaven: there shall

no man be able to stand before thee, until thou have

destroyed them. The graven images of their gods

shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the

silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee,

lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination

to the Lord thy God. Neither shalt thou bring an

abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed

thing like it but thou shalt utterly detest it, and

thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing. 255

SERMON XV.

THE TEST OF PROPHECY AND MIRACLE.

DEUT. XXIII. 1–8.

If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of

dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, and the

sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake

unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which

thou hast not known, and let us serve them; thou

shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or

that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God

proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your

God with all your heart and with all your soul

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276

SERMON XVI.

PENTECOST.

DEUT. XXX. 19, 20.

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you,

that I have set before you life and death, blessing and

cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy

seed may live: that thou mayest love the Lord thy

God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that

thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and

the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the

land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abra-

ham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them

293

SERMON XVII.

JOSHUA AND ST. JOHN.

JOSHUA XXIII. 1, 2, 3.

And it came to pass a long time after that the Lord

had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies

round about, that Joshua waxed old and stricken in

age. And Joshua called for all Israel, and for their

elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and

for their officers, and said unto them, I am old and

stricken in age: and ye have seen all that the Lord

your God hath done unto all these nations because of

you: for the Lord your God is he that hath fought

for you

311

SERMON XVIII.

THE BOOK OF JUDGES.

JUDGES V. 1, 2.

Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam

on that day, saying, Praise ye the Lord for the

avenging of Israel

SERMON XIX.

ELI AND SAMUEL.

1 SAMUEL III. 14.

And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that

the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with

sacrifice nor offering for ever

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328

346

PREFACE.

HE Author of these Sermons has been

THE

recently charged in a dissenting Review with 'not suffering men in general to hold converse with the Bible, unless the Church in some way be present at the interview, like the jailor when the prisoner receives a visit from his friends. Whether this statement is true respecting an individual Clergyman, is a question of immense importance to him, of little to the world. But I am supposed to be afraid of the Bible, because the Church of which I am a minister is afraid of it. In many other instances, the Reviewer says that my 'relations' with the Church are 'unfriendly;' in this part of my conduct, he believes I am its too faithful representative. This accusation therefore concerns us all. It has nothing to do with the sins or the follies of me, or of any who may happen to agree with me. Every

* Eclectic Review, September 1851, p. 269.