to ncqniesce in the rest.ol'ation of what he had stolen. And those who, in our days, hope tlrnt they may he held blameless because they confess to God, which means to themsch·es, sins the shame o_f which ~hey ought to endure, and the profit of which they are hound to _restore, will ~ertan~ly undergo the punishment which Achan, ewn when <'Onfo_ss~ng and restormg, did not escape. The duty of confession to the person offended 1s mcumbent on those who have slandered, or insulted, or wounded the feelings of another. That of restitution is due from those who have ,uongecl God or man, either by withholding from the former what was due to Him or b~- taking undue adYantage of the ignorance or necessity of the latter. Thos~ who _defraud the widow_ and the ~atherless, or "oppress the hireling in his wages," o!· d1we_ a corrnpt c:ir _unJust harg~m, who use "the bag of deceitful weights," must either ,hsgorge then· ill-gotten gallls, or suffer the vengeance of a just God. So the Scriptures tell us throughout. IY. THE GRAVITY OF SIN DEPENDS ON ITS CIRCUMSTANCES. The taking of a piece of gold or siker and a garment is not in itself an offence that deserves death, nor was it eYer so regarded under the law. ,vhat constituted the gravity of Achan's offence we haYe already seen. We may gather hence that in estimating sin, the position of the offender, his opportunities of enlightenment, the nature and strength of the temptation, his means of resisting it, must he taken into·account. A sin is infinitely worse when committed by a man who has made a high profession of religion, and must have known the gravity of the offence when committing it. A sin is infinitely worse when an utter indifference to the existence of God or His justice is ostentatiously shown. It may possibly be that one weak in faith and holy resolution, and exposed to overwhelming temptation, may plead the intensity of the temptation, as well as his own ignorance and inexperience, as some palliation of bis error. " The publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you," said our Lord to the scribes and Pharisees. And so the sin-stained multitudes in our large cil;ies may be nearer to God than many decent professors of religion who combine with their comfort and decency the colnest and most cynical selfishness.
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Yer. 19.-Sin confessed. A notable scene. The people of Israel assembled in sole= conclaYe. In silent excitement the national offender has been detected, and waits to bear his doom from the lips of the great commander. Whilst every eye is hent upon Achan, Joshua addresses him in the language of the text. Note how guilty Joshua speaks, grieving over the offence rather than severely censuring it, calling the criminal " my son," and inviting a full disclosure from bis own lips. Out of bis own mouth was Achan to be condemned. Yet not with delight did Joshua await the confession. His fatherly heart was sorely pained at such a revelation of iniquity in his erring child. 0
I. Co~FESSION IS DUE TO THE HONOUR OF GOD, All sin is committ~d against Goel, inflicts a wrong upon His Divine Majesty. To acknowledge this is the least reparation the sinner can make, is a sign of a right disposition, indicates that the basis of God's government remains firm within the sinner's bosom, though trans- gression had clouded it for a time. Confession magnifies the broken law and makes it honourable. Its omission from the Pharisee's pra,yer was a fatal defect ; whilst the publican went down "justified" because of his proper attitude with reference to a holy God. The penitence of the thief upon the cross was evinced by his utterance, "\Ve indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds." To confess is, in truth, to "give glory unto Goel," and hence is required, though not for His information, yet as essential to His character and law. II. CONFESSION RELIEVES THE BURDENED BREAST. One of the clearest proofs that man was designed for companionship is to be seen in the tendency of any strong emotion to create an eager desire to communicate the same feeling unto others. In our joys we long for the congratulations of ow· friends, and we seek t\.leir sympathy ill our sorrows. A,nd though the conscioueness of sin is natqra!ly on. vu. lG-26.) THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 129