(•,·en while be punishes (ver. 36).Re would fain, through judgment, break a way for rncrcy. Illustrntc this use of judgments from Israel in time of the judges, or from caao of l\fanasseb (2 Chron. xxxiii. 11-14). This one use of the present exilo. May we hope that the day of God's "repenting himself" toward Inracl is drawing near I IV. THE REconmy OF ISRAEL THE INAUGURATION OF A TIME OF RLESSING TO THE wonLD. The nations are to share in the joy (,·er. 43), God is to be merciful to hie lnnd and people. 'l'he latter-day glory includes the conversion of the Gentiles (Rom, X i.).-J. 0.
Ver. 47.-Your life. The doing or not doing of God's will, the obeying or not obeying of God's Word, is a matter of life and death to us. This is the simple and i<olemn and uniform testimony of Scripture from its finlt page to its last. The gospel, with its revelation of" life and immortality," only heightens the solemnity of the alternative. Instead of bare" lifo," it is now" eternal life" which is proposed for our accept.ance, and which i8 lost or forfeited by sin. If" life" is the promise, the counter- alternative is dc:ith, and "death'' accordingly is denounced against the sinner in gospel, as in Law. "The wages of sin are death" (Holll. vi. 23). Eternity is a factor to be taken into account here, as well as in the case of" life." Death, indeed, is not non- existcnce, but it is the loss of all that makes existence n boon; the extinction in the Roul of holiness, happiness, and lo,·e. \Vbatever the final state of the lost may be, whether one of active torment or not, it will be true death. The man loses his "soul" -bis "life"-" himself" (Matt xvi. 26; Luke ix. 25). Oh that men were wise, that they understood these things, and acted on their choice as wise men should 1-J. O. Vers. 48-52.-Moses' end (see eh. :xxxiv.).--J. 0.
Yers. l-14.-T11efatl1erhood of God. In this first section of the Divine song, the predominating idea is God's fatherhood. It comes out in ver. 6 in express terms; it is implied in the care that is attributed to him for his children of Israel; it passes into the still tenderer idea of motht:rhood in the illustration of the eagle (ver. 11); and may fairly be taken as the idea dominating the whole. It bas been tbougbtthat the father- hood of God is almost altogether a New Testament idea; but we have it here expressly stated, and it underlies many portions of the Old Testament. 'l'bis whole song is, in fact, a paternal expostulation with children that have been wayward in the wilderness, and will be more wayward still in the land of promise. We shall notice in order the ideas suggested by this section. I. FERTILIZING DOCTRINE. Divine doctrine, even in its severest forms, has a gracious and fertilizing influence like rain or dew.- It comes down upon the wilderness of human nature, and makes it a fruitful field. It comes down upon the tender herb of implanted graces, upon the grass of humble and useful piety, and makes all to grow more luxu- riantly. N otbiug is so import.ant as "good doctrine." II. THE ROCK-STAllILITY OF Gon. This is the first inquiry. Can God be trusted as truly stable? The answer is that he is a l:{ock, and that upon his veracity and justice and helpfulness we can constantly rely. Moses and the Israelites had ex- perienced this ; as they wandered amid the rocky fastnesses of the desert, they bad found him as firm and as reliable as the rocks. Up to this time, the figure had not been applied to God. The Israelites have, indeed, from the hard and flinty rock, had refreshing streams; the rock was to them a fountain of waters; and doubtless when here the figure is for the first time applied to God, they would find it delightful to associate refreshment and shelter with him. '!'hen in course of time it became a favourite figure, as the Psalms in many passages show (cf. }'.s, xxviii. 1; xxxi. 2, 3; xlii. 9; !xii. 2, 7; 1.xxviii. 20, 35; xcv. 1, etc.). And we rejoice to call our Redeemer "Rock of Ages," in the clefts of which, according to Toplady's idea, taken from Exod. xx.x.iii. 22, we can take shelter and feel safe.1 Ill. PATERNAL APPEAL. Although God is so worthy of trust, the Israelites have corrupted themsehes; they are unwilling to have upon them the mark or spot of 1 Of. Gerok'a • Pilgerbrod,' p. 895; and his • Evangelien-Predigten,• p. 720, for suggestive