HOMILETICS. Vera. 1-1.-lnquiry of God. Three lessons stand out from the above section which we shall do well to consider in the order in which they present themselves. I. The first i~, THAT BEFORE TAKING IN HAND ANY WPORTANT BUSINESS WE OUGHT TO BEEK Goo's DIRECTION. Distrust of our own wisdom, misgivings as to our motives, and the feeling that the issues of all events are in the hands of God's unerring providence, should always prompt us to look to God for guidance. Even when we do so no little care is needed to be sure that our interpretations of God's will are not biassed by our inclinations. We read in Jer. xlii. that the captains of the forces of the remnant of the Jews went to Jeremiah after the deportation of their countrymen to Babylon, and said to him, "Pray for us unto the Lord thy God, that he may show us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do," and even bound themselves by a solemn oath to obey the voice of the Lord, and do whatsoever he should command them by the mouth of Jeremiah. But when, after ten days, God"s answer came, bidding them abide in the land of Judah, and condemning in distin"* JUDUES. B 2 THE BOOK OF JUDGES. [cR. I. 1-i.
t.c>rms the course on ~hich their hearts were set, viz., to go down to Egypt, they bold))· accused Jeremiah ~f falsehood,_ and went down to Egypt in spite of his pro• phetic me_l!lsnge: And so it to? o:Cie~ 1s. M_en ~sk _God's direction, J,oping that the answer will be m accordance with their own mchnations, and do their best to twist it into such accordance. But if this is impossible they act in bold defiance of it. In ee€'king God's guidance, therefore, especial care should be taken so to mortify our self-will thnt we ~ay be ready to act upon the a_nswer of God, however contrary it may }:ie to the dictate~ of our own hearts. Tins may be applied to cases where pecumar~· loss, or sacrifice of worldly advantages or pleasures or self-humiliation and self-de_ninl, or mortificati?n ·of en!llities, r~sentmei:it, jeal~usy, pride, vanity, lore of praise, and so on, are mvolved m an entire obedience to the dictates of the word and Spirit of God given in answer to prayer. As regards the ways in which a Chri~tian now c~n " ask the Lord " con?erning the course he 01;1ght_ t? pursue on any particular occas10n, we may say, followmg the analogy of the mqumes to which our text r~fers, that-I. He may inquire or ask counsel of Holy Scripture. He may seek light and truth from that word which is the expression of the mind and will of Go~. There is. no staU: of darkness, or per~lexity as to th_e true path of duty, to whwh Holy Scripture, wisely and prayerfully mterrogated, will not bring satisfactory light: no question of morality or conduct on which it will not shed the ray of truth. The old superstition of the sortes Virgilianre applied to the Bible, so that the page opened at random should supply the answer required, had this much of truth in it, that the Bible has an answer for every question of an inquiring soul. But this answer must be sought in intelligent, prayerful study, and not as a matter of blind chance, or in the presumptuous expectation of a miraculous answer. The answer may be obtained either from the example of some eminent saint under similar circumstances, as of A.brabam giving up his right in order to avoid strife with Lot (Gen. xiii. 8, 9), Elisha refusing Naaman's gifts, Job blessing God in the extremity of his affliction, and the numerous examples in Luke vi. 3; Heh. xi.; James v. 17, &c.; or by impreg- nating the mind with the teaching of the word of God, such as Deut. vi. 5, or the Sermon on the Mount, or the precepts in Rom. xii., xiii.; Gal. v. 22, 23; Ephes. iv. 22, sqq., and 1 Pet. throughout. And either way the answer will be sure if it is sought faithfully. 2. A Christian may inquire of the Lord by seeking the counsel of a wue and.honest friend, who will give him impartial advice. The prophets were dis- ting,rished for their faithful boldness in speaking unwelcome truths as much as for their inspired knowledge. Nathan speaking to David, Isaiah counselling Hezekiah, Daniel reproving Nebuchadnezzar or Belsbazzar, Jeremiah advising Zedekiah, are instances of such faithfulness. Let the Christian then who is in doubt or perplexity as to the conrse which he ought to take seek the counsel of a wise and faithful friend, whose mind will not be biassed by passion or prejudice, and let him act according to it. 3. God;s guidance may be sought by sim'f_le prayer. Just as Hezekiah in his great perplexity and distress spread Sennachenb's letter before the Lord, and betook himself to earnest prayer, so may a Christian man spread out before God all the par- ticular circumstances of his case, and all the doubts and difficulties by which he is harassed, and in simple-minded earne~tness ask God to di~e!lt and gu!de him. ari~ht. And the answer will doubtless come, either by the Holy Spmt suggestmg to his I:tl!nd the considerations which ought chiefly to influence him, or strengthening feeble con- \-ictions and confirming uncertain opinions and hesitating reasonings, or clearing away th~ clouds which obscured his pat~, or in some providential inte:ference harri~g, ab it were the wrong course, and throwmg open the gates of the nght one for him to pass through. The opportune arrival of R~bekah at the :well while Abmham's servant was in the very act of prayer (Gen. XXJV. 15)_;. the ari:ival of the messen~ers of Cornelius while Peter was in doubt what the v1s10n which he had seen might mean (Acts x. 17); the dream which Gideon heard the Midianite ~el_l t? his fellow, just when be was hesitating w~ether he ought to att~ck t~e ll:fid1amte host, are examples, to which many more might be _added, ho~ providential cir?umst~nces come in to give to the servant of God the gmdance which he asks. It 1s obvious to add that these three modes of inquiry may be combined. II. ThP- second lesson is THE ADVANTAGE IN ALL IMPORTANT UNDERTAKINGS OF co- OPEBATION AND THE MUTUAL ASSISTANCE OF FRIENDS. The answer from God to the on. 1. 1-7.) THE BOOK OF JUDGES. 3