It dJes not appear that the Israelites, as a people, have ever displayed mechanical or constructive skill. Their bias has been towards agriculture and trade. It, is often somewhat anxiously questioned whether sanctuary help---aid in church-bnildin"', and maintenance of Christian worship and work--can properly be received from ,~orldly persons, who cannot be supposed to give themselves to God through their gifts in support of his service. \Vider and nobler views of God's relations with men and ,la.ims upon the service of all men, would make such questioning impossible. ' Exclusive fcelings------{¼ISte sentiments-grow upon us only too easily ; but they are always 111iscbievous; they need to be carefully watched and repressed; and Christians, above all men, should cultivate the most liberal and generous sentiments. It should be their joy in God, that "the God of the whole earth must he be called." Keeping in mind that the object of this homily is to correct the "narrowness" which is too often the marked feature of pious sentiments, we consider- !. ALL SOULS ABE GoD's. "All souls are mine." George Macdonald well writes, "\Ve are accustomed to say that we are bodies, and have souls, whereas we should rather say that we are souls, and have bodies." Paul pleads with the Gentile that we are all the" offspring of God.• And our Lord, in his teaching on the mount, revealed God as providing for and overshadowing all, "making his sun to rise on the evil and on the goo<l, and sending his rain on the just and on the unjust." All souls are to come under the Divine judgment, and that judgment must be based on Divine dealings with men, and men's response thereto. II. ALL LIVES SHOULD BE CONSECRATED TO Gon. By the claims of creation, relation, and providence, God urges upon every man the duty of surrenner to him. See the familiar answer to the question, "What is the chief duty of man?" When Paul urges the Romans to "present their bodies a living sacrifice," he does but express the demand ma.de by the God "in whose hand our breath is, and whose are all our ways." If this be established as a universal principle, then these two things follow. 1. All man's service he claims. Whatever a man can do, God has the right to ask him to do for him. Illustrate by the sentiments of earlier times in regard to a king's right to claim the service of any member of his kingdom, day or night. God has the infinite right to make such claim; and the godly man fully recognizes it, and says- ~ "Take my body, spirit, soul ; Only thou possess the whole.n 2. All man's possessions are for God's use as he may require them. Not merely what a man is he is for God, but what a man has he has for God. David fully recoguized this, and in presenting to God the gathered material for the temple, he said, "Of thine own have we given thee." So when a worldly man gives of his property or time to God's service, we should feel that he is imperfectly and incompletely doing a part of the duty which rests on every man. Ngthing of human service can be alien to Gou; and nothing should be alien to his people in working for him. We may encuurage every man to do something, or give something to God, in the hope that, by-and-by, they may come to love God's service, and God himself.-R. T. Vers. 2-5.- Willi11gness to do what we may when we are forbidden to do what we would. For reasons sufficiently defined, God did not allow David to build his temple; and David received the Divine refusal in a right spirit. It might have crushed him, and led him to feel that he could do nothing; but he nobly decided that if he might not actually buiid 1 he would gather the materials for building, and make nil necessary preparations. Too often, when a man's particular plans are bind_ered, he throws up Christian work altogether. We therefore commend the really beautiful example of the pious David. A man should be cheerfully willing to do what he can when he cannot do what he would. I. THE PLACE FOR MAN'S WILL IN RELIGIOUS wonK. He ought to purpose, devise, and plan great things, and expect that his enterprise and ener~y wi_ll _serve the ~rncious Divine purpose. Man's will is not broken down by a true piety; 1t 1s rather qmckenod and renewed, though toned with submission to the Divine will. II. THE PLACE FOB THE DIVINE WILL IN RELIGIOUS WORK. That will must be regarded as the final court of appeal, and reference must be made to it, The good 011, xxn. 1-19.] THE FIRST BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. 369
man's la~t word is, "If the Lord will, I shall live, and do this or that." Illustrate by the expression used in the Acts concernin~ Paul's travelling plans, "'l'he Spirit suffered us not." We recognize the place of the Divine will in personal experience; we should also recognize its place in relation to Christian work. God does not always permit us to do what our hearts desire to do. The blocks in our way are Divine hindrances. III. THE TRUE SUllMIBSION 18 ACTIVE OBEDIENCE WITHUl DIVDIE LIMITS. Most unworthy is the sullen refusal to do nothing because we cannot have our own way. True humility finds expression in cheerfully doing what God will let us do. Apply to Church life. God expresses his will often by putting disabilities in our way, but he at the same time opens up other ways for us. If we are willir.g to do what we may, we shall find it/Us in for the outworking of God's perfect plan.-R. T.