these poor, unproductive, infected fruits can only be ripened by exposure to the light and air of heaven, and the rough usage of the world and its temptations. The prophet's description of his humble calling has therefore greater force than appears at first sight: "No prophet, neither a prophet's son;" not even a shepherd or a vinedresser; "but an herdman (or a ploughman with oxen) and a cutter open of sycamore fruit: " as if he had said, as the expressive words of the original seem to imply, "I was no opener of Divine things; but only of the ground and of sycamore fruit."* Isaiah says, "The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars."+ Who cannot see that the firm, branching, mountain cedar, although bearing no edible fruit, figures a higher degree or condition, than the lightwooded sycamore of the vale? Hence, in the golden days of Solomon, "the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycamore trees that are in the vale, for abundance." Would these particulars be recorded in the Volume of Eternal Truth, if they had no other meaning, more "profitable for doctrine and instruction in righteousness," than to describe the outward splendour of Solomon's reign? Or would the New Testament of the same Eternal Truth, which relates but a small portion of the "things which Jesus did,"§ contain the trifling incident of Zaccheus climbing the Sycamore tree, if nothing more than that trivial occurrence were involved? Would that every one who, like Zaccheus, may not be well versed in the law of spiritual order, and may therefore be despised as a Publican by the better informed Scribes, were like him charitable and just; "little of stature," and humble enough to mount the Sycamore tree! to use the knowledge at his command, in order to gain a better view of the blessed Saviour, who never lets an honest effort be slighted! Assuredly, he will receive the gracious invitation, "Zaccheus, * See the Hebrew text. The radical idea in all the words is, to lay open. Consult Dr. Lee's Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon. § John xxi. 25. + Chap. ix. 10. 1 Kings x. 27. make haste and come down; for to-day I must abide at thy house!" The door of his heart will be knocked by Him whose promise extends to every human being: "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." " 66 When the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith," He replied, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you." This is commonly supposed to be nothing more than a casual illustration, because a sycamore tree happened to be near. But is that a safe construction to put upon words which the Lord himself declares to be spirit and life, and which, coming from Him, must needs be the very truth? Admitting that a sycamore was nigh, and that the apostles' request at that moment was accidental, is it not reasonable to suppose that the Lord named the tree in its typical character, representing the very obstacle to the desired increase of faith? Unless something more than the obvious sense is contained in His words, they are no answer to the apostles' request. Taking the Sycamore tree as an emblem of that inferior form of truth, or of those views of truth, which the natural man receives, and from which the charitable Publican was called to a more intimate acquaintance with his Saviour; it will represent, in the case under notice, the same external views, when confirmed and set up in opposition to more spiritual perceptions: in which case, what was useful in its proper place, as apparent truth, becomes an obstacle to the reception of the truth itself. This is a matter of common experience. That the sun rises and sets; that "God is angry with the wicked," are truths to the natural man, who is led by appearances; but if he insist that those appearances are real facts, he makes them no longer truth, but falsehood. That the apostles entertained such external views, and were "slow of heart to believe" the "wondrous *Luke xix. 2-6. Luke xvii. 5. Luke xxiv. 25. things "* their Divine Master afterwards expounded,† is plain from the gospel history; and if He pointed to this impediment to their faith, under the figure of the thick shading Sycamore, the harmony of the application with both the Scriptural and natural characters of the tree, is equally striking and instructive. LXXI. TEMPTATION.-No. 1. One of the delusions of the Adversary, in exciting the evil propensities of men, is to insinuate the suggestion that selfish and sensual passions are too strong to be overcome. Indulgence, he will doubtless admit, may be wrong; but human nature is frail and fallible, selfishness is natural, and nature's cravings must be satisfied. There is reason to fear that even those who speak much of the power of faith, are not always proof against such suggestions that they are apt to trust to faith to save them from the effects of their evils, rather than to save them from the evils themselves; and after having fallen into actual sin, attempt to excuse themselves by pleading natural infirmity and irresistible temptation. A modern poet and divine teaches a wiser lesson :— No evil influences can touch the soul, The words of the Apostle are sufficiently plain, "There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it."S The error seems to consist in supposing the whole guilt to lie in the act, and in overlooking the lust which produces Psalm cxix. 18. T. H. Lowe, Dean of Exeter, 1840. + Luke xxiv 27. it. The actual sin is deplored; but the hidden disease of which it is the symptom, is too often neglected. When the Lord predicted Peter's denial, he well knew Peter's heart. The weakness concealed by self-confidence was as great in the boast, "I am ready to go with thee, both into prison and to death," as in the denial, “Woman, I know him not." Were the heart faithfully examined, and the train of thought preceding any transgression, carefully traced, the fall would be found to be no sudden thing; no effect of mere surprise; but the final development of some lust suffered to remain unrejected, if not secretly cherished. The "accursed thing" has been taken, as at the siege of Ai, before the enemy could prevail. Hence the infinite importance of the Lord's injunction to his drowsy disciples, "Watch, and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Hence the necessity of the Psalmist's prayer, "Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer." That is the only, but sure protection against the power of temptation. Evil lies in the affections of the heart, and must be rejected thence. Selfishness unsubdued will show itself in selfish actions; passions uncontrolled will result in criminal indulgences; and the plea of temptation, while it may account for the act, will not excuse the evil which produces it. Admirably has the great dramatist described this selfdeception in the person of King John: : How oft the sight of means to do ill deeds Makes deeds ill done! for hadst thou not been by, A fellow by the hand of Nature mark'd, Noted and signed to do a deed of shame, This murder had not come into my head. But that the evil wish, the "father to the thought,” was already there, is shown immediately after : But thou didst understand me by my signs, And consequently thy rude hand to act The deed which both our tongues held vile to name. King John attempts to fix upon Herbert, what more religious people impute to the devil. That the powers of darkness are suffered to excite man's evil passions, is plain from Scripture, and confirmed by experience. It is the permission of Providence for man's salvation, and will be a blessing, or a curse, according to his own deliberate acts. If he allow himself to be "drawn away of his own lust, and enticed," the end must be "death;" but if, "through the Spirit," he "mortify the deeds of the body," he "shall live." Be it his part, in every time of temptation, to learn the humbling lessons thus mercifully taught him; to acknowledge and abhor the corruptions thus exposed to his view; and to keep firmer hold of that Divine Arm of Omnipotence, which can alone deliver him; but which, in his direst conflicts, is unfailingly stretched forth for his rescue and salvation. LXXII. MILTON.- No. 4. MR. EDITOR,-Falstaff's vow, "I'll come no more i' th' basket," no longer applies to what is here offered you. I have therefore again brought my basket of fare in the usual way, and shall proceed to unpack it for your inspection, without further ceremony. The Heavenly visitor, you will observe, does not make a mere call of compliment or form. He communicates what is of the utmost importance to be known: That thou art happy, owe to God; B. v. l. 520. |