to rise above the multitude, like a mountain in the midst of a vast plain, so high, that, at the distance of thirty-five hundred years, he stands out still in bold relief against the horizon? What magic was there in his name, that Oblivion swallowed it not with the millions that have disappeared in his never-to-be-satisfied maw? Snapping the fetters with which the priests of Egypt sought to bind his soul, he listened to the promptings of his heart as it taught him a better religion than he had ever before heard; and he hesitated not to obey its requirements. Leaving behind him the enchantments of Egypt, and the pleasure of Pharaoh's court, he became a wanderer in the desert, an excellent place for a man to commune with himself. Thence he came, and stamped his soul upon the Jewish nation.

He dared to think for himself on religious matters, to face the great universe and question it; and with a rare originality he taught his countrymen a religion the answer, as he believed, to his questions- far in advance of its predecessors. But every Jew had just as much right to question for himself and cherish the answer as he; but this Moses would by no means allow the answer to him must be the answer for all. Hear him! "If thou wilt obey the statutes and commandments that I command thee this day, then blessed shalt thou be in the city and in the field; blessed in thy going-out, and blessed in thy coming-in; blessed in thy basket and in thy store. But, if thou wilt not obey them, cursed shalt thou be in the city and in the field; cursed in thy going-out and coming-in, in thy basket and in thy store." Liberty, spontaneity, selfhood, all must be sacrificed to rigid conformity. The

Jew must be a Mosean, or destruction awaited him. Moses regards the seventh day as holier than all others, and consecrates it to rest for all generations; and the independent Israelite, who gathered sticks upon that day, is stoned to death. Moses thought an angry God could be appeased by burning sheep, oxen, and doves; and the man who has advanced beyond this, who does not believe that God can be pleased with the smell of roasting beasts, must kill and roast his cattle notwith standing; for Moses speaks, and will be obeyed.

You tell me that Moses received his commandments from God; yes, from the God that is in you and me, and in the same way that we receive ours. He talked with him as we talk with him when we converse with our brother; and he saw him as we see him in the starry sky, or the grassy spear at our feet pointing heavenward. Man three thousand years ago was no nearer to God than we are to day; and the New-Eng land thinker can see God on Mount Katahdin as well as Moses did on Sinai.

Moses thus became the model man for the whole Jewish nation. Every child was taught, that just in proportion as he became like Moses, was he a true man, and sure of God's blessing; as far as he fell short of this, so far had he departed from the right, and was subject to a curse.

After the death of Moses, he was elevated by priest and Levite, sabbath after sabbath, and feast after feast; his holy law unrolled, and weekly read to the assembled multitude. Moses was king, the children of Israel his subjects. Moses was the die, and the Jews the coin, stamped by the repeated blows of their priests with his image and superscription. To be like Moses

was the highest ambition of the noblest and best; greater than he could no man be; to be wiser was impossible, and to dream of being better was blasphemous. Thus crept the nation snail-like through the dull centuries; an oppressive ritual upon their backs like a mountain of lead, and Moses before them, a dark cloud shutting out the blue sky from their wistful gaze.

But Nazareth produced a man who refused to bow any longer to the God, Moses, that had been set up. "One man dared to be true to what is in you and me.” In an age of slaves he was free; in an age of cowards he was a hero. While the whole nation was crawling in the dust, Jesus stood upon his feet, and allowed his manhood to speak. "Ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time (that is, by Moses and the Moseans), An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, Resist not evil; but whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." "Again: ye have heard it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths; but I say unto you, Swear not at all. Let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil." We find him saying, in opposition to old Jewdom, "Why judge ye not of yourselves what is right?" He proclaimed himself Lord of the sabbath, as every sensible man is, and boldly set at defiance all who attempted to fetter his soul. What a consternation was there among the scribes and Pharisees, the soul-mongers of Judæa! "Have you heard that mechanic of Galilee, who is traveling about the country preaching heresy? He addressed a rabble the other day, when he made him

self superior to Moses, and set at naught the law given by God himself on Mount Sinai. I understand that he has been saying, Why judge ye not what is right your selves? thus making men their own lawgivers, and taking away the necessity for our services. He is a bold blasphemer, whose mouth must be stopped; away with him, away with him, crucify him, crucify him, he is not fit to live!" The multitude echo the cry, "Away with him, crucify him!" and so they did; and doubtless thought there was an end of his doctrine, and their craft was forever safe. Never did men make a greater mistake. Bury a truth and it is a seed; it springs up, grows, and bears fruit a thousand-fold. Kill a reformer, and his ghost does a hundred times. more than the man could ever have done if alive. The doctrine of Jesus could not be killed, and his death seemed to give it life; it spread far and wide; mounted the hills, crossed the valleys, was wafted over the seas; it mounted the throne of the Cæsars, and conquered the conquerors of the world. Now the despised Nazarene, the young reformer of Galilee, has become the esteemed Saviour. While he lived, he was no better than the publicans and sinners with whom he associated; he had a devil, and was mad; he was a pestilent fellow, whom no Jewish aristocrat would be seen in company with for the world. But now he is a good man, a great man, a prophet; nay, a greater prophet than Elias himself, then the greatest and best man that ever lived; the Son of God, yea, the only-begotten Son of God; and lastly, God Almighty from heaven! Men were not satisfied until they had unseated the Omnipotent, and set the man Jesus upon his throne. This is the way the world serves reform

ers; there is nothing too vile to say about them while they are alive, and nothing too good when they are dead, and the world has accepted their doctrine.

Moses was now dethroned, and Jesus made king; henceforth all must be his obedient subjects. Moses was knocked unceremoniously off the pedestal, Jesus placed thereon, and made the model for the whole human race. "Looking unto Jesus" now becomes the duty of all. The path of life bears the impressions of his feet, and it is our duty, not to make our own impressions, but walk implicitly in his; for "he has left us an example, that we should tread in his steps."

Thus have men destroyed one idol and set up anoth er; and the business of our modern scribes and pharisees is to induce people to worship it. In the name of Jesus the freeman, souls are robbed of their birthright, and the most terrible threatenings denounced against those who, like him, dare to be themselves. In the name of humanity, I protest against this. Jesus our helper, our friend, our teacher, but never our master or tyrant, who holds the lash of future torment over the trembling captive.

Supposing the Jesus of the New Testament to be the veritable God-man, who lived and died that we might live, his example is not such as it would be well for mankind generally to follow. Could each man be a Jesus, it would still be infinitely better to be himself. Looking at his character, as drawn by his four biographers, let us see what would be the consequence of a universal attempt to imitate the example of Jesus.

He lived to be above thirty years of age, yet never was married, never had a wife to call him husband,