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herself present one great and splendid picture of inequality? What are her hills and vallies, the differences of soil, the varieties of climate, the giant forests, the dwarfish woods ?—what are our oceans, rivers, lakes, brooks ?-what is all this wondrous, endless, variety which encompasses us on every side but a perpetual testimony to this great truth, that inequality is one of the primeval laws of God, impressed upon the world at its creation by the fiat of the Almighty's hand? You might as well attempt to reduce and pare down the inequalities of the earth's surface to one dead level of uniformity as to render the social system one of perfect equality.

It is true that in one sense all are equal, in that all are sinners: it is true that in another sense all are equal, in that all have been redeemed by the same blood of Christ in the truest and highest sense then-viz., as members of Christ, as children of God, as citizens of a spiritual kingdom, as having one Saviour, one Spirit, one God and Father of all, one hope of glory, one common home and country, eternal in the heavens-in this respect all men are equal; but to assert equality in any other sense is a mere fallacy. If, then, these visionaries, who are so clamorous for equality, would but scatter

their wild schemes to the wind, and return to the good old paths of the Bible, they would realize, and more than realize, all that their fondest fancy ever pictured. Any other equality but that which is taught by Jesus Christ and His apostles is sure to prove a disappointment and delusion-a sort of splendid mirage, which, at a distance, looks fair, beautiful, inviting, tempting to the weary traveller as he crosses the desert; but, when he approaches it, it vanishes away. Where can the human soul quench its feverish thirst, and allay its inappeasable cravings, but by drinking of those waters which flow from Siloah's rock? Where can the heart of man, with its perpetual unrest and its inextinguishable ambition, find repose but in Him who has said, "Come unto me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest?" Where can the all-devouring want, which preys upon the immortal spirit, be satisfied except by Him who says, "Look unto me, all ye ends of the earth, and be ye saved?"

III. Another popular cry of the day is for "Fraternity." The meaning of this is, that all men are brethren—a beautiful idea, but not quite so new as the Revolutionists and Chartists would seem to imagine. If they would read their Bibles, they would find it there said—“Sirs, ye are

brethren; why do ye wrong one to another" (Acts vii. 26). They would find it also written in another place "There is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free but Christ is all, and in all" (Col. iii. 11). Again, they would find it written-"There is one body and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all" (Eph. iv. 4-6). And still more to the purpose, they would find such words as these"Love the brotherhood" (1 Pet. ii. 17.)

But they would find also that there can be no fraternity without subordination-that order is heaven's first law-that gradations of rank and station are necessary to the existence of human society; and that that wisdom which would subvert this order, and disturb these mutual relations and dependencies, "descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish." And, perhaps, they would consider that it was not a very fraternal act for the French people to expel fifteen thousand English workmen from their soil without any warning given, without a moment's notice, without paying them their wages, without allowing

them time to collect their small earnings, or even to provide the commonest necessaries for their journey; and these poor creatures must, many of them, have perished of starvation and destitution, had it not been for the timely succour afforded them by the voluntary offerings of charitable Englishmen and Englishwomen, but not of those people who brawl out for "Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity" in the corners of the streets and in the public thoroughfares.

My brethren-There are those who maintain that all these things, which are now taking place, are a fulfilment of the prophecies of holy writ, a token of a general apostacy from the truth, and a prelude to the coming of Antichrist. I have not time to examine the truth of this opinion; but I may observe, in conclusion, that it is scarcely possible to witness such a confederacy of evil as is now organising itself, and marshalling its hosts from all parts of the world, without suspecting that there is a higher power behind the scenes. And who can that power be but "the prince of this world that worketh in the children of disobedience?" Far be it from any of us to be of those simple ones who are taken in his net-far be it from us to be seduced with the fair promises in which Satan

is sure to hide his poison! Do you think he is so unskilful in his craft as to ask you openly and plainly to join him in his warfare against the truth? No: he offers you baits to tempt you; he promises you civil liberty-he promises you equality-he promises you trade and wealth-he promises you a remission of taxes-he promises you the maximum of wages and the minimum of work. "This is the way in which he conceals from you the kind of work to which he is putting you : he tempts you to rail against your rulers and superiors he does so himself and induces you to imitate him. Or he promises you illumination: he offers you knowledge, science, philosophy, enlargement of mind he scoffs at times gone by-he scoffs at every institution which reveres them: he prompts you what to say, and then listens to you, and praises you, and encourages you: he bids you mount aloft he shows you how to become as gods. Then he laughs and jokes with you, and gets intimate with you-he takes your hand, and gets his fingers between yours and grasps them, and then you are his."

Shall we-Christians, sons of God, brethren of Christ, heirs of glory-shall we allow ourselves to have lot or part in this matter? Shall we, even

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