Vers. 14-16.-0ne man's work for God fits into, and follows on, another man's. David was the preparer for Solomon the builder, and it is not for us to say which part of the work was the more important. Both together went to the execution of the Divine purpose. So, in every age," one aoweth and another reapeth," but the sower ever prepares for the reaper. Every man may cherish the conviction that his work has its place, and, if he faithfully does it, it will be sure to fit, and help towards the realization of the good Divine thought for the race. This may be illustrated in science: the inventions and discoveries of one age prepare the way for the advances made in a later age. Franklin would be as much amazed as any of us with the modern mysteries of telegraph and telephone and electric light, and yet, by his discovery, he distinctly prepared the way for all these developments. The same may be seen in relation to our Lord's life-mission. It could not have been all that we know it was, if it had been a sudden and unconnected thing. Patriarch, and lawgiver, and psalmist, and poet, and prophet, and Baptist, may fairly and truly say that they took part in the redemption of the world, since each one, in his sphere, helped to prepare the way for Christ. I. ISOLATE ANY MAN'S LIFE, AND IT MAY SEEM TO BE A FAILURE. Do this with any of the world's great men, in Scripture or in history, and nothing can be made of their careers. In their connections only can their meaning and purpose be unfolded. This reveals the reason for the imperfection in our estimate of the life-work of any man who lives and dies among us. His personnel fills our vision. We see him. He is isolated; and we cannot well see how he fits into his place. Men have to die, their stories must become history, before we can cease to isolate them. No man can hope to be fairly judged by his own generation. And no man can efficiently judge his own work. Even our Lord's life-mission cannot be apprehended if we venture to separate him from his historical associations. Apply these considerations to the distress into which good people sometimes get respecting the value of their work. It seems to be brief, worthless, cut off while incomplete. So we may think when our ayes are fixed only on it; but the view is incomplete and therefore unworthy. It may well be cor- rected by a larger vision. II. CONNECT ANY MAN'"S LIFE WITH THE PAST AND THE FUTURE, AND IT WILL BECOME PLAIN HOIV HE FITS INTO THE DIVINE PURPOSE, AND AIDS THE HUMAN PRO- GRESS. This we may, indeed, be only able to do in part, but we can do it sufficiently to assure our hearts that he who has the perfect vision sees the fittings and relations of ea.eh man and each man's service. We can see some of the ways in which men at once serve their generations, and prepare for the gcmm,tion that is coming. 1. Some men have to drag and hold back a. too hurried and perilous advance. This is the work given of God to the conservative-toned men a.mung us. 2. Some men have to keep up the standards, in morals and opinion. These may be men of battle, who are keen to discern and quick to resist evils; or they may be men of contemplation, who lift up seemingly unattainable ideals. 3. And some men have to advance the standards. These a.re the men whom we regard as "before their time," who, a.t some peril to their own reputation, and much to their own comfort, bring us foresho.dowings of the truths which are to be the commonplaces of the next generations. God always has other men ready to take up our work when we drop it. A beautiful and effective i!lu8tration may be drawn from the struggle for the stanJard at tho Ilattle of Lutzen, where Zwingle fell, a.s described by D'Aubigna in hi8 'llistory of the Reformation.'-R. T. Ver. 19.- Work for God musl be done with heart and soul. "Now set your ilearf and your soul to seek the Lor0. your God." Scripture uses several terms for the com- posite being, man, but i~ m~y be questi?n?d whe~oer,_without un<luo f~rcin~, we can form, on a Scripture basis, either a duahst1c or tnpart1to theory of man s bemg. \Ve find the term body, as indicating the physical being, set in relations with au external 3i4 THE FIRST D<'i 1K OF 'l'HE CHRONICLES. [on. x.xm. 1--32.
world by its five ~enses; the term 'hhlrt, as inclusive of the min.J. a.nd the affections, set in relations with the world of thought, and the world of follow human beings; and the term soul, as the equivalent of that spiritual being which is set in relation with God, and has its life only in him. But, though these may be the stricter meanings and uses of these terms, they are often used in Scripture as figures of speech; and a man is said to work with bis heart when be likes to do what he is undertaking, and a man is said to do a thing with his soul when he does it with a will, with energy and perseverance. It will afford some effective contrasts to consider conceivable ways of working for God, and the illustrations of ea.eh will be at once suggested, so that they will need no more than statement. I. WoRK FOR GoD MAY BE BY ACCIDENT; either of place, or circumstance, or association. II. WoRK FOR GoD ll.AY BE BY COMPULSION; as may be illustrated in the case of Cyrus, of whom God says, "I girded thee, though thou hast not known me." God makes even the " wrath of man praise him; " and bad men have, unwillingly, done his sovereign will. III. WORK FOR GoD MAY BE DONE THROUGH WORKING FOR SELF; one who seeks only his own ends may find that, without credit or blessing to himself, he has really served God. IV. WoRK FOR Go» MAY BE DONE HALF-HEARTEDLY. We may" fee.r the Lord, and serve other gods." V. WORK FOR GoD MAY BE DONE, AND SHOULD BE DONE, WITH OULTURED BODILY POWERS ; WITH HEART-JOY IN GoD ; and WITH THE INSPIRATION OF THE SOUL'S DEVOTION. Of such work for God the Lord Jesus Christ presents the highest type; but the example is-as a human example, within human reach.-R. T.
EXPOSITION.