by fir trees and cedar trees; yet we do not properly read and understand those allusions unless, in our study of the Scripture, we think also of the head and the heart. All through the Prophets those two trees are mentioned, and we find that they become intelligible to us just in the degree that we think of head and of heart when reading them. The intellect, the intelligence, everything by which we obtain knowledge, think, and ponder, and reflect, and consider, and meditate, and learn, and become wise, and so on, is meant when fir trees are spoken of. On the other hand, whenever in such connection the Bible refers to love, or hope, or pity, reverence, charity, or to any other kind and good affection, there we always find the cedar tree intended to be expressive of some one or other of those emotions or feelings.

Now you will see why the Temple of Solomon was built of cedar and fir, the cedar tree representing whatever belongs to the heart; and the fir tree whatever belongs to the head. For everything in the Temple of Solomon, we are expressly told, was intended to be a kind of foretelling or prophecy of that great and everlasting temple not made with hands, which we read of in the New Testament. When Jesus calls his body the Temple, he is referring to Solomon's Temple. Everything in Solomon's Temple, and in any way connected with it, was intended to be a kind of prophecy of some element of the Christian Church as brought out in the New Testament, and as it is endeavoured to be constructed in our own country. By "Church," we must not think of a building; the best part of the church is altogether independent of a building, and is in no way identified with it; we merely use the building to protect ourselves from the weather; the real church is that which we build up for ourselves in our own hearts, by doing unto others as we would be done by, and keeping God's commandments, and this is what was prefigured by this Temple of Solomon. And if

we would have such a church built, how are we to build it? what are we to build it of? We must build it, each one of us, of cedar wood and fir wood. In the first place, we must use fir wood, or intelligence; that is, we must learn what is right; we must learn first what we have to do in order that we may know what it is we have to practice; get intelligence in order that we may bring our hearts on to an intelligible plane of action. We cannot do what is right unless we first know what is right. Intelligence is the very foundation of the Christian religion. We cannot set about being virtuous unless we have some idea of what is the beau ideal, what is the rationale of virtue. We must have these fir trees, in the first place; and we get them by addressing our intellects to the Word of God, reading, learning, studying, acquiring the knowledge of truth. Having got that, we then collect our cedar trees; those are hewn down from the mountains, brought home, and built up along with the fir trees. We learn, in the first place, what we ought to do, we then superadd to that knowledge, the exercise of our affections, or the doing it. The two things must always go together; there cannot be any religion that is only known in the head, that is merely an intellectual idea of what is good; you must have also charity, faith and love, the two things go together. We cannot have charity either by itself, because these two great portions of our nature,-the intellectual, or the head, and the emotional, or the heart-are just like man and woman in society. What would a world be that consisted only of men? Like some of those wretched settlements far inland in Australia, where for want of female influence to temper their rude hearts, the settlers are the most degraded of men. On the other hand, what would be the condition of society consisting entirely of females? Both sexes may live and be happy together for a brief time without the presence and assistance of the other sex,

but were they to cease to spiritually act upon oné another, they would in a short time find that those whom God hath joined together cannot be put asunder, without bringing ruin to both. They are indeed to each other what we term "complementary,” just as rain and sunshine make up summer, and flowers and grass make up the fields, and leaves and fruit make up the tree. Everything is a half, and we can have nothing apart from its complement, without a sense of deficiency and want. We must have then this intellect and emotion; this cedar and fir; the two together make up the temple; the knowing first, and the loving and living the truth superinduced upon it.

Such then is the true Natural History of those two trees. Doubtless the botanist will find a vast deal to interest him in the structure of the stems, the leaves, and the flowers, but that is merely external and superficial natural history. When the Bible was written for our use and instruction, it was not merely to tell us that timber was used in the construction of the building we have referred to, but to instruct us in these higher kinds of religious truths. That a certain temple two thousand years ago had a large quantity of timber used in its construction is a very poor idea. Any joiner could tell us that. It is merest commonplace to be told that squared stones and timber were used by the Jews in building; and to be told, as we are in other parts, of snuffer-trays, and snuffers, and candlesticks, and so on; none of these things are specified merely for their own sake, but to convey this higher kind of knowledge, this beautiful knowledge, that if we would build up a true temple of Christianity in our own selves, then we must seek about for these fir trees and cedar trees by God's aid-prayed for as He invites us, and as He promises to give.

Take another class of trees-three trees that are very often mentioned together, the fig tree, the vine

tree, and the olive tree. These three we often find named together, and in very remarkable connection. I shall only refer particularly to the olive. Not only in the Bible, but in other ancient writings, the authors of which had more or less knowledge of what was contained in the Scripture, occur similar allusions to this interesting tree. The dowry of a Greek virgin when she was married was paid in olive plants. In the Bible, not to look further to secular sources, we find that all the most sacred, and amiable, and heavenly things are associated with olives and olive trees. In the Sermon on the Mount, it is said, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy;" that is only another way of saying what in the original language is, "Blessed are the olive-givers, for to them shall olives be given;" the same word in Greek means olive trees and mercy, or olive oil and mercy. The name for the olive tree in the Greek language is elaion, and for mercy, charity, elaia, the same term, only a little differently sounded at the end. The olive accordingly, like the other trees, is cited in the Bible not so much for the sake of the tree itself, as to denote to our minds the highest and most beautiful of Christian feelings, that is, the love which shows itself in charity, in mercy, and in all that is kindest and best. If any of you will take a Concordance, and refer to the places where the olive is mentioned, you will find that it conveys that kind of idea, something referring to Christian love, charity, and benevolence of the very highest kind, that kind of love which a man has to his neighbour when he says he will lay down his life for him.

One other class of trees I must briefly advert to-a class of trees often mentioned in the prophets, especially in the prophet Isaiah. There we read of trees which are evergreen. The fir tree and the cedar are mentioned over again, along with the olive; and in addition to these, the box tree, the myrtle tree, and the acacia. Our Lord tells us there that if we

are obedient and seek to plant those trees in us. trees in the natural sense are here intended, or are certain things signified by those trees intended? That is the real truth of it. What we are promised in the Bible is that the qualities, virtues, powers and faculties which those trees denote shall all be communicated, if we ask for and seek to possess them. The beauty of the promise consists in this ;-those trees are all of them evergreens, keeping their foliage all the year through. Now what may we learn from that? What every Christian experiences in his own lifetime, that the gifts of God that are once bestowed are given always; not given to day and taken away to-morrow, or furnished to us in any capricious and uncertain manner, but that whatever is once communicated, from that time forward flows on in one unbroken stream; and wherever we find a promise of this kind, it is always in association and connection with something that is perennial and verdurous. David expressly says of the good man, that "his leaf shall not wither," and "his leaf shall be green."

do his will, that he will Can it be supposed that

The box tree and the myrtle tree have the same kind of meaning. The myrtle tree, with its fragrant leaves, and pure white flowers, is correspondent with what is most delicate and pure in our feelings; it is made by the poets the emblem of love. So with the box tree. In many parts of the country there is a great fondness for clipping and cutting box trees into all kinds of curious shapes, but they take it all patiently. You may cut and clip the box tree as much as you will, still, unlike other trees, it does not decay or die down, or seem to suffer under this treatment; next spring it puts out new twigs and shoots, always looks cheerful and contented, if I may use such terms of an inanimate object like a tree. The box tree thus

represents fortitude and patience.

What then is the grand principle or result to be drawn from all this? I have been obliged to treat the