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ed him to forego all the honors and emoluments of the court, that he might superintend the building of Jerusalem's wall, and reform the then existing state of things.

Nehemiah was a contemporary with some of the most distinguished men, the records of whose works and lives are found on the page of history -among others were Eschylus and Herodotus, Hippocrates and Thucydides; but who are these when compared with men whom God delighted to honor, and whom he did honor by making them blessings to the world.

In claiming your attention to the words just read as a text, I would offer a passing observation or two on the narrative of which it forms a part, that we may the more clearly understand the principle it contains, and the force of its application to ourselves. For a long series of years, according to prophecy and fact, the Jews were held captive or in bondage in Babylon. At its close, Cyrus, in the first year of his reign, permitted them to return to their own country. Their first public act was to offer thanksgivings to God, (not in the form of words merely) but by presenting their offerings to the service of the temple, and by building a splendid superstructure in the which they might worship the Lord God of their fathers. This, and many other important things being accomplished, they resolved on the rebuilding the wall around their much-loved city Jerusalem. It is to this, the building of the wall, that our text refers. Of the persons engaged therein, it is said, " For the people had a mind to work.'

We might argue therefrom, the connexion between effort and success, the means and the end. It is, however, our intention this morning,

for our profit and encouragement in the work of God, to consider,

I. The work the Jews had to perform. II. The obstacles they had to encounter. III. The spirit in which it was continued. IV. The success with which it was attended, "for the people had a mind to work."

I. We shall consider the work the Jews had to perform.

The workmen engaged on the occasion were not merely artisans, but all classes among the heritage of God; they had sinned and they had been greatly afflicted. The work they had undertaken was one in which it was natural to suppose they felt the deepest possible interest; their wall which had formerly encompassed their City of Habitation, their Zion below, had been overthrown by its enemies, and it was therefore only natural that it should be rebuilt by its friends. Of Jerusalem, you know, glorious things had been spoken in the book of God. It was a city of uncommon excellence of surpassing splendour; the prophet and the priest lived there. The object which the Jews had in view in the erection of this wall was both for defence and security, they regarded the enclosure as sacred, and therefore resolved to leave no means unemployed, nor to spare expence, in order that the end anticipated might be realised.

It will be admitted that the work they had undertaken was a great work, which will appear when the magnitude of that mighty city is considered. But our object will be defeated if we only

dwell on the historical facts before us. Our design is, as we have intimated, to apply its principles to ourselves.

We would appeal to Christians-God's heritage now-and enquire if we have not a great work before us. Let us, then, contemplate the magnitude of the work itself, and who are fit agents to be employed therein.

1. We shall make reference to the work itself. Its nature and magnitude are the points to which our attention will be directed for a few moments. As to the nature of the work; it is a moral or religious work-a work in which the agency employed is mind, and of course, to mind it is directed; and be it remembered, to mind opposed to truth-to God's holy truth. "The carnal mind is enmity against God," is a truth universal in its application.

Then as to the magnitude of the work, it is indescribable-inconceivable-of boundless extent -it is in a word, to seek the present and eternal salvation of a guilty, ruined, and perishing world. Nor must good men lose sight of the fact, that this glorious work is to be accomplished, not by miracle, nor by a divine power or agency in the abstract, but by the feeble, and of itself powerless, instrumentality of Christian men, as accompanied with the sanctifying and saving influences of the Holy Spirit of God. We shall next, very briefly refer to the agents to be employed in the accomplishment of so vast a work, as the salvation of a world. The Jews were the persons engaged in the work of rebuilding the wall-none beside could be expected to feel a real and deep interest therein. -And who, we enquire, beside the Christian, can feel, or be expected to feel a genuine interest in

the salvation of the souls of men? The ungodly may and do feel for the bodies and the minds of their fellow-men so far as the present is concerned, but they can by no possibility, human or conceivable, feel for the spiritual and immortal welfare of precious never-dying souls. It is God's truth, that only truly godly converted men, are qualified for saving souls, (instrumentally of course we mean,) and for building up the church purchased with a Saviour's blood. The wall which we have to lend a hand in building up is not of matter, but of sanctified mind, and not of mind in the abstract, but so to speak, making all the instrumentality on foot to describe a circle, the enclosure of which, is the church, and which instrumentality we would refer to in the order following:First and foremost, is the preaching of the "glorious gospel of the blessed God;" hence, our temples for worship, occupy by far the greatest and most prominent portions of that circle. Then, next, our various religious institutions, which have for their object the same end, as publishing to the world, "God's plan of salvation;" these include our noble Missionary Institutions, our Sabbathschools, with our Bible, Tract, and other Christian Societies; each of which, forms but a fragment of the one great whole.

This and other subordinate agency, describe the circle which at present presents to the eye of the natural man, but an imperfect and ineffectual agency, but to the eye of the believer, of the devout disciple of Jesus, it presents the only lever which is to move and elevate the moral world. I speak, as says the Apostle, "after the manner of men," but I do not forget the divine hand which controuls the whole, and which renders the united

agency of the church-v

-we refer to its every section of every namee—both at home and abroad, the power of God to salvation.

Surely all will admit, that the work before us is great, whilst at present the means for its full accomplishment are very-very limited. But let us have minds to work.

II. We shall next speak of the obstacles, which in the prosecution of their work, the Jews had to encounter.

We think the language of the text, apart from the historical facts on the subject, implies opposition from some unfriendly hand; the very difficulties the Jews were placed in, and the adverse powers they had to encounter, summoned them to the conflict, and made them more determined to accomplish the task they had undertaken. There was the combined force, or concentrated power of their own and their God's enemies. They had heaped upon them, the reproaches and jeers of time-serving, persecuting men. They were designated by that restless adversary Sanballat, and his Samaritan army, of which he was governor, THE FEEBLE JEWS." Then one Tobiah, who filled a similar post to that of his wicked contemporary, manifested not less scorn towards both the Jews and their work. Mark his characteristic declaration, as found in the third verse of the chapter before us. "Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall." This was the way, and is still the way in which the adversaries of God, and his church look upon all efforts to do good.

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The church, then, must never forget that her

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