Designed to assist the Labour of Missionaries and other Instructors of the Ignorant.
* BY THE LATE REV. JOHN LOVE, D.D.
(Continued from page 151.)
SIXTH ADDRESS.
MEN and women of Otaheite, hearken to our words. The multitude of people stood below the burning mountain, and they trembled greatly when they heard the voice of Jehovah declaring His laws to them out of the midst of the dreadful fire. Then Jehovah had compassion on them, and He took away the terrible blackness, and the mountain no longer trembled. Only, there remained on the top of the mountain a bright cloud, which shone like devouring fire. Then Jehovah took up Moses into the midst of that bright cloud, the inner side of which shone upon his eyes with a sweet, reviving lustre. There Jehovah kept him more than a whole moon, day and night, without eating any food or drinking any water. And there Jehovah taught Moses how to comfort the people by representing to them the glories of the Man whom He had promised to send to save men from the dreadful punishment of their wickedness.
Beloved friends, we observe your earnest looks, which show us that you desire to learn the way of being happy, through the Man whom Jehovah hath sent. We hope He is going to send marvellous light into your minds, and to show you the wonders of His love. Therefore fear not. Though the things we tell you of seem at first to be dark, our God will make you to know them.
First of all Jehovah took two tables of stone and wrote on them—that it might last a long time—those very words which He spake out of the dreadful fire. These two stones He gave to Moses, and commanded him to put them in a broad chest, covered all over with gold. Then He commanded Moses to make a covering for this chest, laid over with gold, called the Throne of Mercy, and to place a figure at each end, which represented two of God’s heavenly ministers, looking towards this throne. These things were to be set up in the innermost part of the beautiful building, and a fair curtain was to be hung up to hide them from the view of the people, and above the golden Throne of Mercy that sweet, reviving, glorious light which Moses saw in the mount was to shine brightly.
You say, What did these things mean? We will tell you what the meaning was. This innermost part of the beautiful building—called the most holy dwelling-place of Jehovah—and its furniture represented to the people the wonderful beauty and excellency of the Man whom Jehovah promised to send into the world. It represented that this great Man would have all the words which
Jehovah spake out of the dreadful fire written in His heart. It represented that He would be wonderfully pure and bright, like gold. It represented that the glory, love, and mercy of Jehovah would be displayed in Him. It represented that God’s heavenly ministers would look down from the skies, wondering at this glorious Man. It represented that His beauty and sweetness would be far above what any one can imagine or fully behold; that the wicked would see nothing of His beauty, but that they whom God loves would behold it.
Brethren and sisters, you have seen many beautiful things. You see the fair light of the heavens, you see the flowers and trees of the ground, you see beautiful men and women walking on the ground, but never did your eyes see anything so fair, so amiable, so gloriously sweet as that Man is whom Jehovah raised up to save sinful men. He is the desire of all nations. Do you not long to see Him, ye people of the South Sea? Do you not desire to be acquainted with Him, and to feel the sweetness of His salvation? Be not afraid. Harken attentively to our words. Jehovah will make you to know in your minds the great Saviour of the world.
The people of Israel who stood before the burning mountain, and heard the voice of Jehovah speaking to them out of the dreadful fire, were greatly afraid. They knew that they had been wicked, and they durst not come near to Jehovah. They were afraid even to speak to Him. And they said, “Miserable creatures! if we attempt to bring any offering, Jehovah will make the heavens black over our heads; His fire will devour us.” Therefore Jehovah commanded Moses to appoint Aaron—a aged, holy man—and his sons to be the priests of the people of Israel. This aged, holy man was clothed in fair, shining garments. A fair crown was set on his head, and on its front this inscription—”Holiness to Jehovah.” On his shoulders and on his breast there were a number of beautiful, bright, sparkling stones, such as you have not yet seen in Otaheite. On these stones were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. Thus adorned, this holy man was to come near to Jehovah, to enter that beautiful building, to pray to Jehovah for the people; and then he was to come forth and bless the people in the name of Jehovah.
Having received instructions concerning these and many other things, Moses descended from the mountain. At length the beautiful tent of Jehovah was erected near the bottom of the mountain. Then the pillar of the great cloud moved towards that beautiful building and hung over it. And the shining brightness of Jehovah blazed through the whole building, so that Moses himself durst not enter.
But still the representation was not complete. Ye men and women of Otaheite, stand still and behold the majesty of Jehovah. Know and consider in your minds that Jehovah is infinitely bright
and pure, and that His wrath and anger against wickedness is infinitely strong and terrible. Men are foolish and blind. They laugh and sport when they do wickedness. They drink up iniquity like water, and when they have done it they say it is but a little evil. But Jehovah looks at them when they see Him not. He remembers their wickedness a long time after, when they have forgotten it. The eyes of Jehovah are exceedingly clear, pure, and piercing. The smallest spot of wickedness appears black and hateful before Him. Jehovah knows Himself to be infinitely great, good, glorious, and worthy to be loved with the strongest, sweetest love. He will not therefore endure that men should turn about their backs to Him with disdain; He will not endure a single proud thought or look; He will not endure a single bad word; He will not suffer any man or woman to do wrong to another man or woman who bears the image of Jehovah; He will not suffer even a beast which He hath made to be treated with unnecessary cruelty. He saith, Let there be no wickedness in my dominions in my world. The sentence of Jehovah against all that do wickedness is death. All men do some wickedness, therefore all men die. And what comes after death? Another death—a death of the soul; a strange and terrible death, wherein the soul is always dying and never ceases to die. This—this is the just recompence of wickedness. This is true, ye people of Otaheite, though it is very awful.
Now you say, Miserable creatures, what shall become of us all? Must our souls die after our bodies are dead; must they be always dying and never be done with it? Dear brethren and sisters, we pity you, we love you. Jehovah loves and pities you, and He bids us say to you, “Lift up your heads and rejoice, for the Great Man hath come, sent from Jehovah to save men from the second death—this endless dying of the soul for its wickedness.”
You say to us, How does He save them? We will tell you plainly by and by. But that you may better understand it, we will inform you further how Moses represented this wonderful mystery to the people of Israel.
When the beautiful building of Jehovah was finished, the great cloud, towering to the skies, stood close upon its top, and within, the shining, glorious light of Jehovah sparkled and blazed all through that building. Then the awful voice of Jehovah began to sound again in the ears of Moses. That voice, which he had been accustomed to hear on the top of the mountain, now sounded from the midst of the shining light in the beautiful building. The voice of Jehovah sounded many times, and uttered a great many words. It would be long to tell you all these words, and we wish to comfort your minds as soon as we can.
These words of Jehovah were to this amount: “Moses, Moses, the people of Israel have been wicked. Let bloody sacrifices be set before me in this building; let Aaron, my priest, present their
blood with sweet perfumes; let bloody sacrifices be offered every morning and every evening, and whenever any wickedness is committed. Thus let the people of Israel learn to look to the sufferings and death and blood of my Great Man, whom I will send into the world to save the children of men. Then I will give them light and comfort in their minds.”
Moses and Aaron obeyed the voice of Jehovah. And when the first sacrifices were offered, the fire of Jehovah came forth and consumed the sacrifices in a moment. Then the people shouted, and fell on their faces.
But you say to us, What were the sacrifices? Did Jehovah command men or women to be killed and offered up? No, no. Ye people of Otaheite, observe what we say. Jehovah would not have any man or woman killed as a sacrifice; none but the Great Man, whom He had often promised to send. The sacrifices which Jehovah commanded, were beasts only. But you say, What beasts were they? Not hogs, or dogs, because they sometimes eat filthy things. They were other animals of different kinds, which we see not in this island, and sometimes winged fowls, which mount into the sky. The daily offering was a beautiful, clean, gentle, harmless animal, called a lamb, which represented the sweet gentleness of the great Saviour of the world.
Men and women, inhabitants of Otaheite, hear the voice of the glorious, mighty, and merciful, Jehovah. Consider Him in your minds. He is now looking at you all; and by us, His servants, who fear and love Him, Jehovah declares to you His will, as though you heard a voice from the clouds, thus addressing you, “From this day let no human blood ever stain the shores or mountains of Otaheite. Let no man be offered in sacrifice. I hate these cruel offerings. One of my words which I spake from the dreadful fire was, “Thou shalt not kill.” He who kills his neighbour in sacrifice commits wickedness; I will punish him for it. No: let the people of Otaheite live; let none of them be killed. Let them all consider in their minds the Man whom I have sent to be killed for them; let them look with their minds to my beloved Man; let them all look to Him, and be saved; let them behold my Lamb, who taketh away the sin of the world; let them all look to Him, and then let them all, when they die, come up to be with Him in my heaven, there to sing and rejoice for ever and ever!”
(To be Continued.)
“The Pilgrim’s Progress.”—The Pilgrim’s Progress has been translated into at least 107 different languages and dialects, and the Religious Tract Society has in a bookcase in its London office a copy of each of these so many translations. The Religious Tract Society has sold 145,000 copies, in English alone, in four years.—Bulwark.