by merely bringing the stones and tinibers together and placing them in archtteotural order. It required further the spirit of consecration. The prophet sought to impress this upon the mind of his fellow-countrymen engaged in this work by propounding two questions referring to points in the ceremonial law. The first had reference ,to the communication of the holiness of holy obfects to other obfects brooght into contact with them. "If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy ? " In other words, whether, if e. person carry holy flesh in e. lappet of his garment, and touched any food with the lappet, it 11hould become holy in consequence? The priests said, "No;" and rightly. Mere ceremonial holiness cannot impart virtue to our actions in daily life; cannot render our efforts in the service of God acceptable to him. Ritualism without righteousness is morally worthless. The second question was this: "If one that is unclean by e. dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean?" 'l'he priests ans~er~d and sa.id, " It she.II be unclean." " The sum," says an old writer, " of tbese. two rules is that pollution is more easily communicated than sanctification; that.is, there are many ways of vice, but only one of virtue, and a difficult one. Bonum oritur ea; inte.gru; malum ea; quolibet defectu, 'Good implies perfection; evil commences with the slightest defect.' Let not men think that living among go_od people will recom- mend them to God, if t-hey are not good themselves; but let them fear that touching the unclean thing will defile them, and therefore let them keep at a distance from it." CoNCLUSION. Mark : 1. The transcendent importance of the spirit of obedience. 'What are ceremonial observances, and what are all intellectual or bodily efforts, in connection with religion, ape.rt from the spirit of obedience? Nothing, and worse. " Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice; " "What have I to do with the multitude of thine oblations," etc. ? 2. That man can more easily communicate evil to another. than good. As a legally unclean person could impart his uncleanness to anything, and a le~ally holy person could not impart his sanctity to anything, so it is suggested that evil is more easily communicated by man to man than good. '!'his is a sad truth, and proved by universal observation and experience. Briars will grow without cultivation, but not roses. A man can give his fever to another easier than he can give his health.-D. T.
Vers. 15-19.-Man's temporalities. "And now, I pray you, consider from this day and upward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the Lord," etc. The subject of these verses is man's temporalities; or, in other words, his earthly circumstances, his secular condition. And the passage suggests three ideas in relation to this subject. I. THAT MAN'S TEMPORALITIES ARE AT THE ABSOLUTE DISPOSAL OF GoD. Here the Almighty is represented as at one time, namely, the period during their neglect of rebuilding the temple, withholding from the Jewish people temporal prosperity. But after they had commenced the work in earnest, the, stream of prosperity would beo-in to flow. Here a.re the words: "Before a stone was laid upon a stone in the te~ple of the Lord: since those days were, when one came to an heap of twenty measures, there were but ten: wheu one came to the press-fat for to draw out fifty vessel~ out of the press, there were but twenty." "It was I that gave you only ten instead of twenty measures, only twenty instead of fifty vessels in the vat. It was I that smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail." So it ever is. Man's temporal circumstances are at the disposal of God. Out of the earth cometh all rua.n's temporal good; but he can make the earth barren or fruitful as he pleases. He can bind it with frosts, inundate it with floods, or scorch it with heat, Man,' cease to pride thyself in thy temporal prosperity ! JJ. THAT GoD SOMETIMES REGULATES THE TEMPORAT.ITIEB OF MAN A00ORDING TO MA:!'-"'s MORAL CH.ABACTER. The Almighty here tells the Jewish people that in conse- q uence of their neglect of his commaud to rebuild the temple, temporal distress wou_ld Lcfall them. He smote them with "blasting" and with "mildew" and with "hail" in all the " labours of their hands." But as soon as they commenced in earnest he ,:,i,i, "From this day will I bless you." 'fhe fact that Go,I sooetimes and not always 1 ,-~•dates man's temporali ties according to his moral obet!ience or disobedience 1uggt:sls ; 1. TJv.1,t the cultivation of a M,gh moral cl,aracter is important to man even 011, II, 1-23,) THE BOOK OF HAGGAL 43