ther it be kingdoms or commonwealths, in the old world or in the new, if they become corrupt, emptied of piety towards God and righteousness towards man, they have in their hands "the cup of trembling," which will in the end become to them the cup of death. With every nation that turns away from truth and from right the future is plain to our eyes as the past. : My hearers it then requires no "hand-writing on the walls" of this Capitol to announce what lies before our now privileged nation. It is revealed in letters of light, and so plainly that "he who runs may read." And what, let me ask, are "the signs of the times' which are to be seen in the skies that overspread our land? Are they portentous of evil, or do they promise good? That clouds are visible, many will admit. But clouds are not always the harbingers of harm. Do the clouds we see rising, threaten a coming tempest that will spread desolation; or do they bear in their bosom the refreshing shower, and when passing away are they to be followed by a new bow of promise? It all centers here. We can hope to be a happy nation, a free nation, only so long as we are a Christian nation. Let this Bible be abandoned by our people; especially let it be shut out from the hearts and counsels of our rulers; and if these noble halls are not profaned by the ruthless hand of some Vandal conqueror, they may be stained by the blood of civil strife, in which the hand of brother is turned against brother. But so long as the Holy Book shall be held in high honor in our Houses of Legislation, our Cabinet Councils, and our Courts of Justice, the nation, with all that forms her real glory, is safe; the ark of the covenant is still with her, and she stands strong against every foe, for she stands in the strength of God. In every crisis which marks her history, she will be found to possess a sustaining and redeeming power, that will carry her triumphantly through; and whether the storms that beat upon the towers of her strength may arise from dissensions within or invasions from without, she will find protection and peace "under the shadow of his wings," who alike "stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people." THIRD LECTURE. "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain; and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." The spirit and beauty of the language well befit the importance of the truth it was designed to convey. Its primary reference is to the advent of the Redeemer, and to the preparation which was made for his coming and for his work, under the ministry of his forerunner John the Baptist. But "to prepare his way" so that his wisdom and goodness might be clearly revealed in the preparation he makes, has been a uniform rule of his procedure in all the great revolutions which he produces in the affairs of men. In the various works of his hands, he is a careful observer of his own laws. He acts through means adequate to their end. He does everything in its season, calls it forth in its due order and connexion. He gives "first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear." Thus growth, as he produces it, is healthful and enduring; whether it be growth in man or in the mind of man; whether growth in nations, or in any of those attainments which add to their strength and prosperity. With him, a wise preparation is the first step leading to a happy consummation. How widely different from this do we often find the designs and efforts of men! They would have the ripe corn, when they should scarcely expect the blade. They demand the vigor and maturity of manhood when there has not been time for a healthful growth from infancy to youth. Many an excellent object of benevolence has been defeated and lost by bringing it forward out of season, and urging it beyond measure. New wine has been put into old bottles, and the bottles have burst, and both have been destroyed. This inconsiderate haste, this 65 plucking at the pear before it is ripe" is one of the prevailing evils of our age, and involves inquiries which ought to be well examined both by "the leaders of thought and the rulers of men." Unless correct and rational views are entertained on the subject, every device for the amelioration of our race, and especially for their political advantage or advancement, must be perpetually at fault. A nation, like an individual, needs education and time to prepare them for self-government. Many old associations must be broken up, and new associations formed; the popular mind must be trained to new conceptions, new channels of thought, and new standards of right, before men can appreciate the value, understand the responsibilities or discharge the duties of civil freedom. If they grasp after it without such a preparation for it, they are grasping after a shadow, or what may be worse. Their freedom "falsely so called," will degenerate into anarchy and profligacy, from which they will perhaps seek refuge by again submitting to a hardened despotism, as the least of two evils. Accordingly, when God gave the Hebrews a revelation of his will, which established a new platform for the action of rulers and ruled, he prepared the nation for enjoying and preserving the privileges he bestowed on them, by means to which we will now invite your attention. The first of these preparatory steps was to order their migration to another country, their departure from Egypt and their settlement in Palestine. Let us look with some care at the importance which the word and the providence of God assign to this point, migration, or change of abode, when he is about to elevate the moral and intellectual condition of a peo |