not be repaid an hundred-fold even in this life, and with ever- lasting life in the world to come. And, if we engage heartily in the Lord's service, we shall find, that the more we are em- ployed in it, the more delightful it will be : it is wearisome only to those who are formal and hypocritical in their duties. Doubtless " the flesh will often evince its weakness, even when the spirit is most willing :" but the more we seek to rejoice in God, the more we shall rejoice in God. Let us be on our guard against those worldly cares or pleasures that are apt to divert the mind from its proper duties. St. Paul particularly tells us, that " he would have us without carefulness ;" and re- commends us so to order our matters, that we may " attend upon the Lord without distraction k." These tilings then are our duty : duty, do I say ? they are our privilege, our highest pri- vilege. So David thought, when he said, " Blessed are the peo- ple that know the joyful sound ; they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance : in thy name shall they rejoice all the day ; and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted1."]
k 1 Cor. vii. 35. l Ps. lxxxix. 15, 16.
Lev. xxiii. 39 — 43. Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a Sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a Sabbath. And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm-trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year : it shall be a statute for ever in your generations ; ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. Ye shall dwell in booths seven days ; all that are Israelites born shall divell in booths; that your genera- tions may know, that I made the children of Israel to divell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
CHRISTIANS in general are deterred from the study of the ceremonial law, by the consideration that there is not sufficient light thrown upon some parts to determine their spiritual import, whilst in other parts we are distracted through the diversity of senses which the New Testament appears to affix to them. Certainly these are difficulties in our way; nor can