-vork will thus be bett.er done, if done in the spirit of prayer. And so with the n,,h)est. Milton speaks of his great epic as a work "not to be raised from the herit of y,,11th, or the vapours of wine, like that which flows at waste from the pen "f s011111 v11l~."r nmourist or the trencher-fury of a rhyming pamsite--nor to be obtainer\ hy invor:a.tir,n of Dame Memory and her siren daughter, but by devout prnyer to that Eternal Spirit who can enrich with all utterance and knowledge, and sends out his seraphim, with the hallowed fire of his altar, to touch and purify the lips of whom he pleBRe~." III. RELIGION SANCTIFIES LABOUR. The Bible is a text-book of instruction on the dignity of labour. it has no sympathy with the contemptible foppishnPs~ which loob on labour e.s degrading. It includes labour in religion. It sees in the occupation of the humblest handicraftsman the exercise of a Divine gift. The good man who, whether he eats or drinks, or whatsoever he does, does all to the glory of God (1 Car. x. 31) does not domean himself by an honest calling, but transfigures his calling into part of his service to his Maker. In his ca.se, laborare est orare. The shewbread on the table in the sanctuary was a recognition of the sacredness of labour. It had as one of its meanings the dedication to God of the exercise of the calling by which Israel won its daily bread. So manual labour was sanctified to God in the making of the tabernacle. But it was reserved for Christianity to give the crowning proof of the dignity of labour by showing it ennobled and glorified in the person of its Founder. The fathers of the Christian Church, in contrast with the Greeks and Romans, who looked on artisans and barbarians with contemptuous disgust, preached in their noblest tones the duty and dignity of honourable toil. "Tbe proudest bishops were not ashamed to dig; a Benedict worked six hours a day with hoe and spade; a Becket helped regularly to reap the fields. The monks at once practised labour, and ennobled and protected it. The towns and the middle classes grew up under their shelter. Lrihorare est orare became the motto of Christian life" (Farrar; cf. Lecky, "History of Rationalism," vol. ii. p. 261 ). IV. THE mGHEST UBE OF GIFTS IS TO DEDICATE THEM TO THE SERVICE OF Gou IN THE WORK OF ms CHURCH. Transformed by grace, and employed in the service of religion, gifts become graces-" Charismata." All labour, all gifts, admit of being thus devoted. The handicrafts can still bring their tribute to God, if in no higher way, ii the erection of places for his worship. Art can labour in the adornment of the sanc- tuary ( cf. Is. Ix. 13), The service of praise affords scope for the utilisation of gifts of music, vocal and instrumental There is need for care lest art, ministering to the worship of God, should overpower devotion ; but, considered in itself, there need be no jealousy of the introduction of the tasteful and beautiful into God's service. It is meet that the Giver of gifts should be served with the best our gifts can yield. Earthly callings may minister to God's kingdom in another way, by brin,,,oing of their lawful gains and laying them at Christ's feet. There is, besides, the private consecration of gifts to God, as in the case of Dorcas, making coats and garments for the poor (Acts ix. 39), or as in the case of a Miss Havergal, or an Ira D. Sankey, consecrating to God a gift of song. Minor lessons taught are-(1) Gifts are not all alike, yet God can use all. (2) Some are made to lead, others to serve and follow, in the work of God's kingdom. We glorify God most when unambitiously content to fill our QW1I, place; when not envious of the greater gifts of others. The humblest is needed. Bezaleel could ill have dispensed with the artificers ; Aholiab, with the needle-workers. They in turn needed the master minds to direct them. There should be no jealousy among those engaged in the same work (cf. 1 Cor, xii.), (3) Diversity of gifts gives rise to division of labour. (4) Bezaleel and Aholiab, though of different tribes (Judah aml Dan), ·wrought together as friends, were not opposed as rivals. What kept out the spirit of rivalry was the consciousness that both were working in a sacred cause, and for God's glory, not their own. The feeling that we are working for Christ should keep down dissensions among Christians.-J. 0.
EXPOSITION. Vers. 12-17.-THl!J PENALTY FOR NOT OBSERVING THE SABBATH. Ve.rious reasons I sanctity of the eabbath. Kurtz connects it with the giving of the two tables, in which" the h11ve been given for this recurrence to the law of thesabbath held a particul11rly prominent 318 THE BOOK OF EXODUS. [on. XXXT. 1,1-17.