sacrifice, and he was beheaded, 2 Tim. 4. 6. We are to offer the meat-offering of charitable distributions, the drink-offering of penitent tears, the hen-offering of prayer, the peace-offering of praise, and the whole burnt-offering of worldly desire. The priests before offering sacrifices must be washed, annointed, and put on white garments; they must have clean hands, Is. 52. II, so must we spiritually. The sacrifice was not to be offered with strange fire; Nadab and Abihu were killed for doing so ; neither were the blind to be offered, Lev. 22. 22. The sacrifices of the wicked are an abomination, Prov. 21. 27; so Absalom found, 2 Sam. 15. 7-13; Jeroboam in his worship, 1 Kings 12. 26-33; Jezebel's fast, in order to murder Naboth, 1 Kings 21. 9-12; the Pharisee in his prayer, Mat. 23. 14. Tamul.-Flowers beyond reach are sacred to God; those within reach are for themselves. The Troubled Sea of Evil Passion.-Is. 57. 20. Passions, like the sea, are generally considered as terrible, yet they have their use. Men do not reflect on the wonders and blessings which the sea presents to us in so visible a manner; it conveys ships, cools the air, yields plenty of fish, supplies water to the clouds, and salt; the saltness of the sea is such that a pound of its water contains two ounces of salt. The sea salt appears to be lighter than that which we use in common; yet it is not drawn into the air by evaporation, nor does the salt diminish by the continual pouring in of fresh water from all the rivers flowing into it, yet not filling it; this saltness is necessary for certain purposes; it prevents the water from corrupting, and contributes to make it so heavy that the greatest ships may be transported from one place to another. The creatures of which the sea is full ought also to excite our wonder and admiration, as well as its depth, in some places as much as five miles. Evil passions like the troubled sea in seven points :— Such were The wicked Our wicked The quiet spirit of a good man is like the clear water of the fountain; but the restless mind of the wicked is like the dirty waves of the sea, when the mire of the bottom is stirred up by their motions. Samson Judg. 16. 16, Saul, I Sam. 16. 14. are devoured by foolish lusts, I Tim. 6. 9. passions, such as pride, wrath, and envy, disturb our hearts, like the winds which blow upon the sea, and nothing can quiet them but the word and grace of Jesus Christ, who spoke to the raging waves, and commanded them to be still; so can He now command our restless spirits, and restore them to peace; so that there shall be a calm within us. The wicked and their passions are like the sea, (1) a collection of many waters (the sea in scripture sometimes means numerous armies); so the passions various, Jer. 5I. 42. 2. Sometimes roars and swells, the waves rise in great storms 60 feet; such are persecut ors swollen with pride, Ps. 65.7. 3. Bounds set by God. The sea shut up by doors; hitherto shall thou come, Job 38. 8. God set the sand as the ocean's boundary, Jer. 5. 22, the clouds as its garment, Job 38. 9, and darkness as its swaddling bands, Job 38. 9. Still at God's commands; so God quiets the wicked. The winds and seas obeyed Jesus, Mat. 8. 26; so God stilleth the tumult of the people, Ps. 65, Jer. 5. 22. 4. Monsters in it, Job 41. 31, some are 80 feet in length; so Daniel's four beasts of the sea or monarchs, Dan. 7. 3 the Roman beast had great teeth; such was the emperor Nero, who killed his own mother. : 5. Restless tides, currents, winds always agitate it M such was Haman against Mordecai-i.e., the sea is always in motion even in a calm; hence the peace of heaven is represented as there being no more sea, Rev. 21. I—i.e., no more trouble. The Bible compares the tranquillity of heaven to a sea of glass-i.e., still without storms, no separation. Mud and dust are cast out, so from the wicked heart arise envy, malice, and the filthy waves of passion. Ahasuerus turns So men change from restlessness. off Vashti his queen, and entertains Esther, a Jewish maiden. Reuben is unstable as water, Gen. 49. 4. Pharaoh now on the throne, anon in the bottom of the sea. Hezekiah healthy, now anon hears, set thy house in order for thou shalt die. Jerusalem besieged and freed in one night. In youth we are for pleasure, in manhood for fame, in age for riches, as if thick clay must be a provision for heaven. There is no constancy in health or wealth. Sechem's lust 6. Deceitful; the sea allures by its calmness, then heavy storms arise; so the world promises content, but that cluster never grew on the world's thorns; it gives an hour's pleasure and violent torture. Dives' dainties now bite like a serpent. Achan's wedge of gold purchased the stones that beat out his brains. Judas's thirty pieces bought the halter that hanged him. brought the sword upon himself and the city; like a man in the sea with his pockets full of gold, which hastens his drowning. Job presented kindness to Amasa, but it is cruelty, he kissed and killed him, 2 Sam. 20. Agag is hewn in pieces, and Jezebel was eaten by dogs like a piece of carrion. Jael began with milk and butter, but ended with a hammer; so Adonijah, 1 Kings 1. 50. 7. The sea-water is unsatisfying. A Persian proverb states: "He who covets this world's goods, is like one who drinks sea-water; the more he drinks, the more he increases thirst, nor does he cease to drink until he dies." We all have to pass over this worldly sea, but we have -we the Bible as our chart. Christ is the Pilot, and the winds from heaven waft us on; hope is our anchorcan thus escape the hidden rocks and whirlpools which abound in this sea. Tamul.-Will the headache be cured by changing the pillow ? Lalita Vistara.-Men consumed by desire can gain as little repose as fire can be extracted from rubbing two pieces of green wood under the water. Mahabharat.-Passions, when uncontrolled, are sufficient to destroy a man, as unbroken and unchecked horses can destroy an unskilful charioteer on the road. Telugu.-Like flies that, longing for honey, approach it, enter, are intoxicated, and unable to extricate themselves,-so, plunged in a multitude of passions, a sinner perishes without escape. Talmud.-Passions are like iron thrown into the furnace, as long as it is in the fire you can make no vessels out of it. Telugu.-If thy heart become calm as the breezeless firmament and the unruffled waveless deep, changeless and unfluctuating-this is denominated freedom. Persian.-What fear need he have of the waves of the sea Syriac.-Be not as water which takes the tint of all colours. Turk.-Trust not the promise of the great, the calm of the sea, the evening twilight, the word of a woman, or the courage of the horse. Afghan. Neither does a libertine's eye rest nor a thief's hand. Veman.-Cupidity makes a man as restless as a dog. Mat. 21. 5. Bhagavatgita-As a lamp, standing in a windless place, moves not—that is the likeness of the devotee, whose mind is subdued, who is collected in selfdevotion. Hebrew. Were there no passions no one would build a house, marry, bring up children, or drive any trade. Buddhaghosa.-No fire like passion; no spark like hatred ; no snare like folly; and no tyrant like greed. Bhagavatgita.-The heart which follows the dictates of the moving passions, carries away his reason, as the storm the bark in the raging ocean. Prov. 25. 28. Conscience seared as with a Hot Iron.—1 TIM. 4. 2. Men's conscience is compared to a candle, Prov. 20. 27, to lighten us in the darkness of this world, to a judge, John 3, 20; a witness, Rom. 9. I; a worm, Mat. 10. 44. The Telegus, referring to a conscience dead to all moral restraint, say "it is a tongue without nerves moving all ways." Reason is compared by Plato to a charioteer driving his two horses, concupiscence and anger. Conscience called God's vicegerent; named, Luke 11. 35, the light within, as a law also enlightens and directs; a blind man sees not evil coming, neither do sinners good and evil, life and death. Sin blackens and darkens the light of conscience; dirt obstructs the sun's rays; so David's soul was darkened when his eye was dimmed by adultery. Nathan awoke him, 2 Sam. 12. 7. Holiness compared to white, shines as crystal, or is transparent, but only when the sun is on it. Conscience is called by Christ the eye of the soul, which, if single, the body is full of light; the affections are apt to go to excess; like a balance when one side moves up, and the other moves down, so with the flesh and spirit, Gal. 5. 7; thus-(a) Sensuality blinded Samson and Herod. (b) Intemperance others, Hos. 4. II; fumes of meat and drink obscure the upper regions, hence Paul's watching and fasting, 2 Cor. II. 27; he who comes to make his belly his business will quickly come to have a conscience of as large |