the Old Testament as the lesson of this evening's service. We may shrink, indeed, from the form in which that lesson is conveyed; as we may from the details of the steward's dishonesty: historically speaking, I quite allow that the event recorded in the twenty-fifth chapter of Numbers, is altogether extremely painful. But then that which forms its substance, taken as history, is just its mere perishable form, when it is taken as Scripture. The wilderness of Arabia, the foreign manners and language, the licentiousness, the bloody punishment, all that is national and individual, Midian, Israel, Phinehas the priest of the seed of Israel,— we may drop all these from our consideration. There still remains the true and eternal Scriptural lesson. Temptation assailing God's people, and God's people yielding to it; evil example spreading fearlessly; God's servant not only escaping the contagion himself, but coming forward boldly and unhesitatingly to stop it in others; and God's blessing pronounced upon him, because he had stayed his brethren from their sin. What is there here that does not apply to us? and how many are there amongst the great multitude of the lessons of Scripture which we can consider in our own particular case more needful?

The lesson turns particularly on this point, not merely on the keeping of ourselves pure from fol

lowing evil, but on the making efforts to put it down in others. The one is innocence, but the other alone is deserving of the name of zeal. And innocence is a great deal more common than zeal. There are a great many persons who stand aloof from evil, whom none accuse of taking pleasure in it, nor yet of joining it; but neither do they take any active part against it. They say, it is not my business to meddle with the conduct of others; they must themselves look to that. This they say, because they have no zeal; because they are not interested either for God's glory or the salvation of their brethren; because they forget their vows in baptism, when they were pledged not only to be Christ's faithful servants, but His soldiers also; to fight manfully under His banner against sin, the world, and the devil; to do their best to spread their Master's kingdom, and not merely to offer Him the worship of their own hearts, caring little if He receives the worship of none besides. Zeal would look upon life differently; it would not rest contented with worshipping alone and in secret; it would desire to see the society in which it is placed worshipping God with one accord; that His name might be glorified, and that His salvation might be enjoyed by all.

And what is true in large societies of men, holds good also in smaller ones. The zeal which leads

the missionary to go to the ends of the earth to convert a people sitting in darkness, may be exerted no less usefully, and no less acceptably within the very camp of the people of God, within that immediate neighbourhood in which we are each placed to live. Zeal may work its proper work without crossing the ocean; without passing the boundaries of our own town or parish; without, as in our case, going beyond our own walls. Here is the camp of God's professed servants, in which temptation is busy, and many are yielding to it. Shall we then be content merely with not being of those who yield to it? Shall we stand aloof, passing by as it were on the other side,

I am sure that

while our aid is loudly called for? some deceive themselves in this; that the very spirit which they most need is that of zeal; that they are standing almost neutral in the great contest around them, content if they can be but themselves in safety. But this is not the part of Christians; we are members one of another; we make up together Christ's body; we are pledged to one another as well as to Him in our solemn communion. Surely there is utterly a fault in that person who thinks that the conduct of his brethren does not concern him; that all that can be expected of him is to keep himself from evil; that to struggle against it belongs to others.

It does certainly belong to others also, but not

to others only. It is not my work only, nor your work only, but it is our work; not that we have all the same part of the work to do, or the same proportion of it; but we are all concerned in it; and all are neglecting their duty who take no hand in it. We cannot be in a state of salvation ourselves, if we are wholly without zeal for the salvation of others.

But now, supposing that you allow the truth of this in theory, yet, practically, you may ask, how does it apply to us? The path of duty here, must necessarily be difficult to find and to keep: how can we be zealous without violence and without folly? Would that there might be the zeal in the first place; for it would be, according to all human probability, far easier to direct it than to create it. It is a most true proverb, "Where there is a will there is a way." Nor can it be needful to say much to those among you whose regular duty and business it is to put down and prevent evil: where power and authority are given for a particular purpose, there surely cannot be so much difficulty in fulfilling it; there cannot be in this case any thing like stepping out of your own line, even in the narrowest interpretation of the term. So far, then, the zeal may seem all that is wanted; the opportunity, the power, the knowledge how to act, may appear to follow naturally. But yet, no doubt, there are difficulties in this case, as in the case of others; it may not be always clear how you ought

to act, nor easy to act, when the path is clear. And how is the path to be made clear or easy? It does not appear possible to give minute rules that shall always make it either the one or the other; but one thing may be said, that here, more than in most places, the standing aloof from evil, the never encouraging it by deed, by word, or by laughter, would do more than it would do elsewhere towards actually discouraging it; because nowhere are fashion and numbers more apt to be followed than here. And again, zeal may always be shown judiciously, and very effectually, in giving countenance and support to all who show marks of goodness, more especially if they are exposed to any annoyance, either on this very account or because they are wanting in some popular or amiable qualities. Kindness to such is real zeal; it is like the giving the cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, which shall in no wise lose its reward. For the rest, as I said before, no minute rules can be given to say how far you should go, and where you should not interfere; but remember that the desire to do something must be right, and must be necessary; and that of all the dangers which can beset you, none, I suppose, is less to be dreaded than that you should run into excesses from an over desire to forward the cause of Christ and of God.

Thus, although I feel entirely that no such guide