them in tho hour of greatest need. Ah I fortune, ee.y they, isfidle. Very tyrnnnical ond sclf-wilkcl is fate. But our God is a Rock in very deed, He ncYer forsakes his liege disciples. In the dnrkrst hour he is nearest-the "shadow· of a "l'cat rock in a wenry Janel." Their misnamed rock encouragr·s.them to enter the battlc-"'field. an,l then forsakes them. '!'hey are "solcl to tho enemy." , lll. NOTWl'l'IISTANDING THE CONTRAST JN THESE OBJECTS OF TRUST, THE FALSE JS A CT,EVER IMITATION OF THE TRUE. All through life, we find that the faiso counterfeits the true. 'l'ho thief puts on the pretence of honesty. The villain trains himself to use fair speech. The adulterer wear~ the garb of virtue. Beauty is the robe of God, but the devil fabricntes meretricious tinsel. He, too, hai1 his "promised land," but it is a fool's paradise. He has bis vine, but his vine is the vine of Sodom, which ~enerates drnnkennes8 and unchastity. He also has his fields, but they are fields of Gl)morrah. The fruits are pleasant to the eye, bnt they turn to ashes in the mouth. There is the appearance of grapes,· but lo I the juice is gall-the clusters are bitterness itself. And not only is tho experience disappointing, it is even disastrous and <leadly. This pretended wino is only poison, it is a gilded pill. Cruel deceit has provided this counterfeit banquet. Beneath the glamour of a fair ex:terior, there is the "serpent's venom." Thus. fares it with all who leave their God. They find out the bitter mist.llke at last. So sang Byron in his last days- " The worm, the canker, e.nd the grief Are mine alone." IV. Suen HUMAN EXl'EnIENOES OF THE FALSE, Gon USES IN 'l'l:IB uOVliliNMENT OF THE WORLD. "Is not this laid up in store "ith me, and sealed up among my treasures?" God knew well what the effects of an idolatrous course would be, what bitter vexation and disaster would come at last. But he foresaw that it was better for men that they should pass through this experience than that he shonltl remove the possibility of it. He might have prevented, by exercise of power, the stratagems of the tempter. He might have curtailed Satan's freedom, and put on him chains of dark- ness from the first. But his infinite wisdom has decided otherwise. He foresees more glorious results from this method, so he patiently waits; he calmly watches the stages of the process. "'!'heir foot," says he, "shall slide i-n due time." "The day of their calamity is at band." Now, it is difficult to discern between a grain of living seed and a grain of dead sand ; but put both into the furrowed field, aud give them time, so wbeu the day of harvest comes, the man who sowed the sand will be covered with Blrnme, while he who sowed good seecl will bear gladly his sheaves into the heavenly garner. Our business now is to discriminate between God's corn and the devil's chaff. "The de.y will declare it."-D. Vers. 36-43.-The final revelation of God's supremacy. In this inspired song-an epitome of the Bible-Moses looks adown the loog vista of history, and discerns what will be the outcome of the whole, viz. to establish on a safe basis the acknowledgecl supremacy of Jehovah. Truth shall eventually conquer, whatever be her present fortunes; and the supreme authority of Jehovnh is a fundamental truth, which must in due time effectually shine forth. l. HUMAN EXPERIENCE WILL ULTIMATELY CONFIRM THE VANITY AND FUTILITY OF IDOLATRY. Men will accept, at the close of a changeful and bitter experience, what they wonlcl not accept at the outset of their course, viz. that there is one God- invisiblo, supreme, eternal. In the conscious pride of self-will, men will sonncl all the possible problems of life. They will not o.t first accept, with the docility of a child-like nature, the ipse dixit even of God himself. But wheu o.ll trust in self and in created power has proved a failure; when all power is gone, and we lie ou the battle- field, wounded and helpless ;-then wo begin to give heed to the heavenly voice. Then tho gentle message of God corues, with the charm of evening music, upon the ear-yea, as an anodyne and a be.Im upon the bleeding heart. In a mood of self-despair, we clutch the hope of the gospel, viz. God. m11uifest to man. God invites us to earnest and profound inquiry. He asks us to give a mature deliverance touching the power o.nd helpfulness of the God whom we have long trusted; and the final experience of men, in all lands and ages, is uniform. "'l'he gods who have not created the heavens and the earth sbnll perish I " 531 THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY. [cu. XXXII, 1-52,
II. HUMAN EXPERIENCE ATTESTS THE SUPREMACY AND TRIUMPH 01' JEHOVAH, " ,'.-ee n0w, that I, even I am he, and there is no god with ml'I." The eye of man can clearJ.i discern the fact-the foundation-fact of all religion-so soon as the veil of prejudice and sin is removed. 'l'he i:evelation is clear enough, if only the organ of mental "rision be in healthful vigour. Without question, God is the sole Arbiter of life and death. No other deily has ever assumed an act of creation. 'l'he powers of evil have ifonrished the wand of II necromancer, and have pretended to ell'ect sudden changes in the conditions of nature; but not one has ever pretended to create a star or to produce a single human life. God ·is still left upon the throne, as sole and undis- puted M0narch. Eternal existence is another prerogative of Jehovah. Where are now the god~ of the heathen? ,vho now worships Jupiter, or Dagon, or Isis, or Moloch? 'l'heir names are historic only. '!'hey had II passing popularity, but it has long since vanished. Ilut with solemn form of adjuration, the Most High lift.s his hand and 8wears, "I Jim for ever!" As in a court of justice men accept the testimony of a frllow-man, when that testimony is given under tho sanction of a religious oath; so, in self-consistency, are we bound to accept the asseveration of the eterual God. In pity for hi~ creatures, he 11lso takes the form of oath, and since "he can. swear by none greater, he swears by himself." III. THE RO1'AL SUPREMACY OF JEHOVAH IS A GROUND FOR HUMAN JOY. Every perfection of God is suitable material for graterul praise. His power is a security for good men. All our interests are safe, being under the protection of such a Friend. His holiness also affords disti.:ict ground for gladness. Because he is holy, we can cherish a confident hope that we shall be holy too. Hence we" give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness." We rejoice to know that the sceptre of the universe is in the hands of a God who is absolutely and incorruptibly just. We know that "the right" will not long be trodden underfoot of the oppressor. We are assured that the malice and craft of Satan shall not triumph. We heartily rejoice that Jehovah is King of all the earth; for "all things must now work together for good to them that love him."