The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 95

the miBtake of those who persecuted the Reformers of England, Scotland Frnnce 1md Switzerland. It was the mistake which Pharaoh made when he refused to let th; children of Israel go. It was the mistake which Herod made when he thought to crush the new kingdom that was yet to arise, by slaughtering the helpless b!lbes in Bethlehem and its neighbourhood. It was the mistake whioh Nero made in his perse- cutions of the Christians at Rome. It was the mistake which Louis XIV. of France made when he revoked the famous Edict of Nantes. It is the mistake which the Roman Curia has made in all ages, in thinking to crush out civil and religious liberty by the tortures of the Inquisition, by the martyrdoms of the scaffold and the stake, by the m&SB&Cres in the Waldensian Vlllley, by the aut.os-da-fe of Spain. The same t!ting may be said of the unbeliever and the sceptic. They have not realized that the presence of the living God is with bis Church and in the midst of her, and that be, in bis own way and in his own time, can vindicate his own truth. How often, during these eighteen hundred years, has the unbeliever exulted in what he has called the overthrow of Christianity I and yet how vain and foolish the boast has proved to be I Voltaire boasted that with one hand he would overthrow the Christ.ianity which it had required twelve apostles to build up. "At this day, the press which he employed at Ferney to print hie blasphemies is actually employed at Geneva in printing the Holy Scriptures." May we not still say, as we think of the enemies of the truth, the enemies of virtue, the eI?.emies of religion, and as we listen to their audacious boasts, "He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall have them in derision"? II. GoD'B PRESENCE WITH HIS PEOPLE IS NOT REALIZED BY MANY AMONGST THEM• SELVES. Elisha's servant, no doubt, believed in God. If any one had denied God's presence with his people, he would doubtless have firmly asserted it as his belief. Yet when the time came to put his belief to a practical test, we see how slight a bold it had taken of him. When he went forth in the morning and saw the horses and chariots and the mighty host encompassing the city round about, he said to Elisha, "Alas, my master! how shall we do?" Do !fO'II, never feel a sensation like Elisha's servant? Yon believe you are a child oi God, you believe that God takes care of his people, yet perhaps there are times when you are unduly anxious about your business, and allow yourself to be weighed down by foolish and causeless fears. How many are alarmed by the thought of sickness in themselves or in their families, and nervously ask, " What shall we do?" Oh that we would learn to realize God's presence with us I " My times are in thy hand." In the same way, how many professing Christians are there who do not sufficiently realize God's presence in his CJhurchl How much more active we should be, how much more earnest in Christian work, if we realized that God is working with us! With what power a minister ought to preach if he could only remember to say with John the Baptist, "There cometh One mightier than I after me" I Then how many are easily discouraged by difficulties. Some are always saying when they see a difficulty in the way, "What shall we do?" "Who will roll us away the stone?" Some are always imagining difficulties and foreseeing them at the very beginning of a work. This spirit of timidity, of fear, is a great hindrance in Christian work. Half-belief is almost as bad as no belief, in this respect. Half-hearted- ness in religious work is one of the greatest hindrances to its success. In this, as in everything else, the maxim holds good, "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might." The half-hearted ten out of the twelve spies sent to view the promised land frightened the Israelites from going up, and nearly caused God, in his righteous ane;er at their unbelief, to disinherit them altogether. The half-hearted inhabitants of Galilee prevented the blessing of the Saviour of men resting upon them, for we read that "be did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief." The half-hearted f o!lou:ers of Cliristopher Columbus nearly prevented him from dis- covering America. 'l'here fa no room for half-heartedness in religion. 'l'here is a loud call for decision and firmnrss both in belief and in conduct. III. Goo's PRESENCE WITH HIS PEOPLE 18 ALWAYS REALIZED BY HIB TRUE SERVANTS. The King of Syria did not realize that God's presence was with his people, and he was at his wit11' end to know bow to circumvent them. Elisha's servant did not realize t.hat God's presence was with himself and his master; and how panic-stricken he was at the danl~gthat seemed to threaten them I But there was one man for whom the armies .,f the • of Syria bad no terror. to whom difficulties brought no dismay, and that was Clt. vt. 1-33.] THE BEOOND BOOK OF THE KINGS. 138