Vers. 4-15.-C!turch restoration a good work, acceptable to God. David's desire to build God a house is often mentioned to his honour (2 Sam. vii. 2; 1 Chron. xvii. 1, 2; 2 Cbron. vi. 7; .Acts vii. 46). Solomon's reputation for piety 11nd zeal rests mainly upon the pains ""hich he took to erect for God's worship a noble and suitable edifioe (Wisd. ix. 8; Ecclus. xlvii. 13; .Acts vii. 47). The" repairing of the house of God" (2 Cbron. xxiv. 27) by Joash obtained him his place among the good kings (eh. xii. 2). Josiah's restoration (eh. xxii. 3-7) helped to put him in the higher category of those who were in no way defective (Ecclus. xlix. 4). Zerubbabel and Jeshua were long held in honour, because they "bnilded the house, and set up an holy temple to the Lord" (Ecclus. xli.x. 12). It was the great glory of Judas Maccabreus that he cleansed and " renewed the sanctuary " (1 Mace. v. 1). If God is to have any outward worship at all, if nations are to honour him openly, if men are to join in common prayer for mutual encouragement and edification, there must be buildings for the purpose; and natural reverence requires that they shall be kept solely for the purpose. Be who pro- vides such buildings does a good work; he who repairs them when they need it, or restores them when they have gone to decay, shows the same spirit as the original builder, and deserves scarcely less praise. Of course, we assume that both builders and repairers and restorers do their work in a proper frame of mind, and from proper motives; otherwise church-building, like almsgiving or any other good work, may cease to be pleasing to God, or may even become an "offence" to him. Church-builders and church-restorers should see- L THAT TREY DO NOT TREIB WORK OUT OF OSTENTATION OB FOR THEIR OWN GLORY. This their conscience will readily tell them if they honestly consult it. II. THAT THEY DO IT NOT IN A SPIDIT OF MERE .IESTBETICISM, OUT OF A LOVE OF ABT. Considering the person:i.l character of those who built St. Peter's at Rome, and the dominant spirit of t:O.e age, it is difficult to suppose that the main motive at work awong the promoters was not the iesthetic one. And there may be a danger of the same kind at the present day, when art is in such high estimation. III. '!'HAT THEY DO IT NOT OUT OF STRIFE, OR JEALOUSY, OR EMULATION, BUT, II' POSSIBLE, WITH A SINGLE EYE TO GoD's HONOUR, OR, AT ANY BATE, WITH GoD's HONOUR AS THEIR HAIN OBJECT. .As some preached the gospel out of strife (Phil. i. 15) in_ the apostles' time, so it may be that occasionally nowadays the desire of surpassing a ~e1~h- bour, or outshining a rival, may be at the root of men's munificence in church-bu1ldmg and chapel-building. As "dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to ~tink" (Eccles. x. 1), so a wrong motive takes away all its sweet savour from a good action.
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. 1-3.-The influenr,e of a wise CO'Unsellor. "Joash did that which was right in the s;ght of the Lord all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him." l. Muou DEPEl\'118 UPON THE CHARACTER OF THE SOVEREIGN. Compare Englanci under the Stuarts with England under Cromwell or Queen Victoria. .An impure and licentious court demoralizes a whole nation. A. pure court is a standing rebuke to iniquity in high places. We have much need to pray" for kings, and for al~ that are in authority." We have much need to be thankful for the character and life of our pr011e11t aovereigD.. 011. Xll. 1-21.J THE SECOND nooK OF 'l'HE KINGS. 261
II. Tam NATIONAL Lil!'E LARGELY DEPENDS UPON THE CJRARAOTER OF THE NATION'l!I OOUNSELLOns. In our limited monarchy the "ministers of the Crown" are virtually tho rulers of the nation. How important that a Christian nation should have ChriRtian rulers, Christian legislators I The time has surely come when the voice of the Christian people of the British empire should be much more heard in Parliament. It is not so much the politics of party we need, as the politics of Christianity. We want rulers who will remember that "righteousness exalteth a nation." We want our laws to be based upon the eternal law of God. We want legislators who have the fear of God before their eyes. Christian people need to be aroused to their duty in this matter. They should see to it that, so fo.r as they can secure it, Christian men are chosen to represent them in the legislature of the nation.-C. H. I.