ceased to listen to the voice of conscience, they proceeded from one wickedness to another, " till there was no remedy '\" And how often is this seen amongst ourselves ! Many are deeply affected on some particular occasion : they will weep, and pray, and think of the Saviour ; but in process of time they lose all their good impressions, and "go back with the dog to his vomit, and the sow that was washed to the wallow- ing in the mire." The Lord grant that it may not prove thus with us ! May our " goodness not be as the dew, or as the morning cloud that passeth away;" but rather as the sun, which shines brighter and brighter unto the perfect day.]
h 2 Cliron. xxxvi. 15 — 17.
Judg. iii. 20. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat.
GOD frequently is pleased to make use of his enemies for the correction of his own people : but when he has accomplished by them the purposes of his grace, he then calls them also into judgment for the acts which they have performed. In executing his will they have no respect to him, but follow only the wicked inclinations of their own hearts ; and therefore he recompenses them, not as obedient servants, but according to the real quality of their actions. Thus he dealt with Sennacherib, who was only gratifying his own ambition, whilst, as a sword in Jehovah's hand, he was inflicting punishment on Israel : and thus he dealt with Eglon also, whom he had raised up to power for the purpose of chas- tising his offending people. Yet there is something- very remarkable in the way in which God requited the wickedness of Eglon, and in which he delivered his people out of his hand. The man whom God raised up as his instrument, was Ehud ; who, by a stratagem, effected the death of Eglon.
We will briefly set before you,
I. The conduct of Ehud —
2G3.] EltUD AND EGLON. 13
Eglon, king of Moab, having subdued Israel, him- self resided in Canaan, in the city of Palm-trees : and Ehud was sent, as the representative of Israel, to offer to him their accustomed tribute. But Ehud, hoping for an opportunity to assassinate Eglon, took a dagger with him : and, after having presented the tribute and left the city with his attendants, went back alone to Eglon, pretending to have a secret errand to him. Eglon ordered all other persons to depart from his presence, and thus gave Ehud a good opportunity of accomplishing his design. Ehud availed himself of it with great success : being left-handed, he drew forth the dagger without any suspicion, and plunged it, even the haft together with the blade, into the belly of Eglon, who instantly fell down dead. Ehud then retired from the secret chamber where the transaction had taken place, and locked the doors after him, and went composedly away, as though nothing particular had happened ; and thus effected his escape ; and instantly stirred up Israel to cast off the yoke of Moab, before their enemies should have had time to concert their measures under another head.
Now to form a correct estimate of this action, we must consider it in two different points of view ;
1. As voluntarily undertaken —
[In this view it was altogether indefensible. Treachery and murder can never be justified. Though Eglon was an usurper and a cruel oppressor, still the Israelites professed sub- jection to him ; and Ehud went as their messenger, to present to Eglon their acknowledgments of that subjection. If he had chosen to cast off the yoke of Moab, he was at liberty to do so in a way of open warfare : but to become an assassin he had no right : nor could the end which he proposed, sanctify the means he used: the means were wrong; and he had "no right to do evil that good might come."]