the ~ourcc of all success, and that the rill may be tracked to some nearer source. HC'ncc new e:ods, novelties of man's imaginntion, or demons from the wRsle, grateful for even a false faith, are worshipped; and the ever-living and true Goel forgotten, Apostasy nnd scepticism, we would repent, are born of luxury and success, Men think, h<>cn11sc they nre rich, that they can do bravely without God. 1. IT IS WELL TO 0ONSIDER THE DANGER OF WORLDLY BUCOESS, Many a man was more religious when poor than after he became rich. Increase of l'iches needs increase of grace: and, if men arc not watchful, riches only minister to backsliding. It is 11ndC'sirablc independence which proves independence of God. Better to trust God in the absence of wealth than to defy him or ignore him with it. Many a successful worldling would ha"re had more success in a poor station, through increase of faith and of heart.. The success wns at the price of leanness being sent into his soul. II. THOSE WIIO WILL NOT SACnIFICE TO GOD ARE ALWAYS FOUND SACRIFICING TO TrrEm FEARS. The credulity of unbelief is one of the most curious questions of the time. When ~en deny God his due reverence and ignore his existence, their fancy haunts them with new gods, and powers whom they must propitiate-the luck and chance that they advance to the throne. The man alone is free from vain fears who trusts in the Ji,,ing God; all others sooner or later prove adepts at new reli,,ions, 0 and are devotees at fancy shrines. III. 'l'HE DIVI!sE JEALOUSY IS JUSTLY PROVOKED BY BUCH FORGETFULNESS. Jealousy is the anger of ill-requited love. It is what has been called, as already observed, " Jo,·e-pain," and is eminently worthy of him who is love itself. God cannot but feel he desen'CS man's ·1ove; he cannot but desire it; he longs for it more intensely than ever Jove-sick one among the children of men has longed; and when he sees the love he <lcser"res made over to anothe.r, when he sees his life of love and death of love ignored, -is it not eminently reasonable that he should be jealous and have his holy anger stirred? Herein lies the danger, then, of success. It may decoy the unguarded soul to mean fears and fancy shrines, and lead at len~th to the encountering of that jealousy which a God of lo"rc most justly entertains. Hence the prayer of souls should be that with success may come watchfulness; that with fatness may come faith ; that out of goodness n::ay come repentance. Then success may help and not hinder. Successful saints become a blessing to their kind, and make success a stewardship. "It takes a. steady hand to carry a full cup;" so Eays the proverb. Blessed be God, amid many shaky hands, unequal to the task, there is a select few that carry their success in a. cool, conscientious fashion l-R. M. E.
Vere. 19-47.- Vengeance and recompense. The reasonableness of the Di vine jealousy being shown already, we can have little difficulty in recognizing the further reasonableness of the Divine vengeance. Paul's treatment of the question is concise and conclusive. "ls God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a. man), God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?" (Rom. iii. 6, 6). Vengeance is reco!!Ilized, therefore, as belonging to God's justice, which shall be called into play as ven;'eance through the ingratitude and folly of many of mankind. Let us briefly indicate the course of the Divine vengeance as presented in the remainder of this song. J. GOD PROPOSES TO MOVE HIS UNGRATEFUL PEOPLE BY INTRODUCING GENTILES TO THEIR PRIVILEGES. This is the first experiment of the holy jealousy, to see what effect the ingathering of the Gentiles will have. And to a Jewish mind there must. be something striking and convincing in the history of Christianity. Surely the elev~t!on and civilization of the heathen world must be due in large measure to that Dmne favour which, as Jews, they despised and forfeited. Such a. spectacle is calculated to .l.ead them to earnest thought and deep contrition. Were their hearts not dull and gross, they would humble themselves before God, and acknowledge that they deserve other heirs to be put into their room. • IL THE ACTUALITIES OF THE DIVl~E VENGEANCE HAVE BEEN TERRIBLE, The Lotd represeots his anger as burning to the lowest hell (n'f11;11'.1 ,··,Nr), reaching manifestly~ that "under world," as Kahle would call it, where_the spirits of the faithless are confined. 1 See his ' Escha.tologie,' ut aupra, pp. 87, 58. ou. xxxn. 1-52.] THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY. 52S