Second advent library

I5Qner-vu xvm.says, Dent. viii. 16, 17, "Who fed thee in the wildernesswith manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he mighthumble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do theeod at thy latter end, lest you should say in your hearts,gy power, and the might of mine hand, hath gotten methis wealth."Surely, my brethren, if we would read this passand apply it home, we must see, unless we arewilhiligblind, that il' we are in the wildemess at this time, theobject of God is lost upon us. We are not humbleenough to believe that God is the Author and Finisher-of our faith, or that salvation is of God. Are we not saing, not only in our hearts, but also in doctrine, wong,and action, that we can do great things; our might, ourwisdom, our hands, have gotten us this great wealth ?Do we not see our benevolence trumpeted ibrth inevery publication of the day, and our contributionsspread far and wide gresent. For what? To feed the hungryand clothe the naked ? No, not literally, but mentally.es, and do we not see that instead of feeding the publicmind with wholesome food, with the sincere milk ofthe word, we have almost surfeited them with our tartsand spices, until the public mind has become so heated,nothingsatisties unless it has been highly spiced withsomeagitated question to more intlame the public pulse.More than three quarters of all our contributions are usedto bloat each other up in self-righteousnes and pride; orto pull each other down, with our excited questions ofright. and wrong. 'l`he moral code which God ave toman for his happiness here and hereaher is dem5ished;and Judge Lynch is the order ofthe day,as well in moralsas in our civil afairs. Where in the word of Godare we commanded to have ourgihs for charitable purposespublished, either before or behind us, by a publicgazette or a brazen-mouthed trumpet? Yet at the presentday, we glory in our pride, and excuse ourselves inthe manner uf doing it; for the end, say we,'justifies themeans. Why, then, did not our Savior justi y the Phariseesin the same means for the very sameobject-tcmake proeelytes?The wilderness then, under existing circumstances, is _.av-