"too much upon you," said they, speaking to Moses and Aaron, "seeing all the congrega"tion are holy, every one of them, and the "Lord is among them; wherefore, then lift ye

up yourselves above the congregation of the "Lord?" What was insisted upon here, was, you see, to outward appearance, only the assertion of an equality among all the members of the community. It was but that denial of a superiority of one man over the rest, which the Presbyterians to a certain degree, and the Independents in every respect refused to admit. The remarkable punishment which was inflicted upon these "sinners against their own soulst," as they are called, was of a nature to repress all such attempts in future. It was indeed more solemn and striking than any judgment which was afterwards, executed even upon idolaters. Perhaps it is not easy to conceive any sight more awful and tremendous, than that "new thing," that "the earth should open her mouth "and swallow up" such numbers of persons, and "all that appertained to them, and that "they should go down alive into the pit."

Of this attempt to intrude into the priesthood as made by individuals, we therefore find no

Numb. xvi. 30. &c. and observe what Austin says upon this in a passage before cited. Note 3 Sermon I.

repetition. The other instance of schism, which I purpose to notice, was of a more general nature, but so far resembled this, as it was also dictated by ambition, and originated in motives of worldly policy. You have probably already anticipated me in referring to that separation of the ten tribes which of the sons of Israel made two distinct people, as well in their religious as their civil economy. That those tribes should no longer serve Rehoboam as their king, was, you know, of divine appointment; but not so the change in their mode of worship. They still continued bound to go up to Jerusa lem with their offerings, and to appear before God in his temple, as he had commanded. From this they had no dispensation; and there is no doubt that he who stopped Rehoboam, when he was arming against his revolted subjects, by saying to him, "This thing is from me," would in like manner have extended his protection to them in this respect also, and ensured them the full exercise of their religious duties. But the mind of Jeroboam was occupied by other considerations. His whole and sole anxiety was, how he should most securely retain the kingdom which was thus cast upon him. He said in his heart, If this people go up to "do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jeru

1 Kings xii. 24.

"salem, then shall the heart of this people turn

again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam,

king of Judah, and they shall kill me and go "again to Rehoboam, king of Judah'." He therefore took counsel, and being the counsel of human wisdom, it is no wonder that it drew both him and his people farther into error. "He "took counsel," it is said, "and made two "calves, and said to his subjects, It is too "much for you to go up to Jerusalem, behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up

out of the land of Egypt*." Here we see the natural progress of schism; how almost of course it leads to that which is false doctrine: in other words how readily it becomes heretical; how in this particular case it degenerated into idolatry. And it is observable (an observation

* 1 Kings xii. 27. I shall, I hope, be allowed to observe without offence, that the first establishment of Presbyterianism, originated in motives not very dissimilar. Calvin found that episcopacy was unfavourable to republican forms of government. He devised therefore a system of greater parity to suit his political ideas. In the great rebellion it is evident that the adoption of a similar system was made instrumental to the overthrow of monarchy, and it is equally notorious that the preference which Cromwell afterwards gave to the Independents, had for its motive the strengthening of himself in his usurpation.

* 1 Kings xii. 28.

6 Perhaps nothing can be imagined more gross than the adoption of this idolatrous mode of worshipping God; for it thus became in all its circumstances the very offence committed by the ancestors of these men before Mount Sinai, and for which they were so

which it may be proper to recollect hereafter) that in this case the offence was not against the first, but against the second commandment; for there is every reason to conclude that the meaning of Jeroboam was that they should worship Jehovah himself under the likeness of these calves. He knew his people, and that they must have something sensible to attract their notice; so that he only debased, by the symbols which he adopted, he did not take away, or at least did not mean to take away, the worship of the true God. This however did not the less become a sin, and a deep one; for "the people

went up to worship before the one, even unto "Dan*." And indeed the sin did not stop here, for we learn in the next verse, that, in that natural course by which men proceed in evil, "He "made an house of high places†," which was another and a distinct innovation upon the established worship. Lastly, follows another circumstance which seems to go along, and to have gone along with every schism from that time to this: "He made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levit." The consequence of this was that God cursed this people with such a succession of wicked

severely reproved. Of these men at least we may say, without fear of being contradicted, that they knew that they were acting wrong that they wilfully erred in forsaking the established worship,

* 1 Kings xii. 30.

+ Ib. 31.

+ Ib.

kings, as I believe never has been seen in any other age or nation; that the people thus governed, went on deeper and deeper in wickedness; till, at last, the measure of their crimes being full, they were carried away into captivity, from whence they have never returned, nor is any trace or remembrance left of what became of them, or any certain knowledge whether they do or do not any where exist as a body. So signal and so severe was the vengeance which God took upon them for this their wilful and perverse separation from that religious communion which he had instituted for them; so signal, I say, was their punishment, that I know not if a parallel be to be found for it in all history.

7 True it is that even this state of corruption, and this establish ment of idolatry, by authority of the sovereign, did not hinder, but that individuals, though few in number and hardly to be discerned should retain their allegiance to the true God, and serve him with sincerity and uprightness. Nay, he had among them prophets, such as Elijah and Elisha, who were particularly distinguished by the wonders which they wrought, as well as the doctrine which they inculcated. It was to Elijah that the Almighty himself declared this: "Yet have I left me seven thousand in Israel all the "knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which "hath not kissed him," 1 Kings xix. 18. and see Rom. xi. 4. To such men undoubtedly it was not imputed as a crime that they did not go up at the stated times to Jerusalem, but this can only form a precedent for those who are under the same constraint, and who are hindered by an overbearing power, from joining in worship with that which is the true and proper church.