ahip with 11uoh an enemy of God 1111 Ahab amounted to a tacit Intimation thRt he could ~hen be wish~ to do BO, be forgetful whose servant he wu ; he laid by that con~ldem! t1on to aerve b111 momentary purpose. There may be some one who is a very pro- D?UD~ enemy of Jeaua Christ who seeks our friendahiJ:?.. To be very Intimate with 1nm 1s to put a shp;ht upon our at~chment to our Lord; 1t 1s to put him In the second place. Then fidelity to Christ "·ill keep u11 at home; will lead ua to seek other inti- macies, to find oar friendships with those who do not "hate the Lord." 3. When we 8.li:p068 our own character to serious risk. For one who is of a weaker mind and will to be UBOCiated intimately and for any length of time with an enemy of the Lord can. ha_v? bnt 01;1e result.. It must issue in spiritual degcne~y ; it may, indeed, e;d In Rpmtual nun. Let those who con~mplate the formation of a lifelong friendship beware bow they trnst their son ls to any one who can be called "ungodly," how they .. love them that hat.e the Lord." A senaitive, yielding spirit had better be "drowned in the midst of the sea" than be immenied in an atmosphere of worldlinesa or of unbelief, where all true piety and all living faith are daily being weakened and are conatantly withering away.-C. Ver. 4.-..4. royal m ~ whicl, is a 1uiallmly one. Of the many things said in favour of Jehotdi&phat., perhaps nothing is more highly commendatory than this, that "he went out again through the people . . . and brought them back unto the Lord God of their fathers." He could not have douc anything worthier of himself, or more likely t.o result in permanent good to the people over whom he reigned. L Tmc BOHL J[Is.g:OX, P068ibly, u llatthew Henry 111ggests, the tie which bound the people to Jehovah had been somewhat relaxed by their observance of the familiarity between their BOVereign and the idolatrous court at Jezreel; if this were eo, Jeh06bapbat, aft.er Jehu's rebuke (ver. 2), would feel constrained to do everything in hu power t.o atrength.en the att.achment, or his BUbjects t.o the living God. But what- ever may have ;erompted him, he did well to (1) interest himself personally in this vital subject; (2) to tab vigoroUB practical measures t.o effect his purpose; and (3) to go throu;h his 11eJr-appoint.ed taak with the energy and the thoroughne■11 which com- mand succeas. He " brought back," etc. It was a royal miuion that reflected grea, honour on the later yeani of hia reign. II. TBE BUVEELY KISSIO• of which it may be said t.o be a hint. Jesus Christ "came t.o -=k and t.o ave that which wu lost." He saw Dl!lnkind separated by a sad spiritual distance from the heavenly Fat.her, from the living God; he laid upon himself the holy and heavenly tuk of " bringing him back unt.o the Lord." For thia noblest,, Divinst purJlOll8 be (1) llioaped t.o creaturtdom, t.o onr poor hnmanity, t.o poverty, t.o utmost humiliation; (2) "endured amazin~ lou," pain, sorrow, spiritual agony; (3) died upon the CI'OIIL By BO doing he (a) made the way open for man's return; (l,) provided the lpiritual force which is lifting a degraded nature t.o heights of boli11e88 and wiBdom. In this beaverily miseic,n is he JWW eng:tged. brindog back t.o God the race that baa left his Ii.de and loat his likeneu and forkited his favour. IIL A KI8IBlOll' WOJrrBY or .ilL IIUTATJOL This deliberate action of leading men back to Gc,d ... rc,yal; jt is ht:aver,ly, Dirine; it may be C01'm'/1b71,' to everv (Jh:ri,tian. _,,._ L Arc,nod 111 are tl:.oee who have left the God of their fathers. It may be that 1:bt,y are cA thciae wl:.c, have Leen long "9tranged and have dderminately refol(:() to hear hia fa.tl.t:r-ly it.Yitatloo to return; ur it may be that they have 10ught and found rooon- dliaili,i, with him &Dd hat'e wandc,red into baU-bearted ,ervice, or Into lndilforoll(:o, or iDU, ~ pc,aitl"• traugrflMWII. 2. That: &rfl within c,ur kno,rledge and our reach. • ~ ""'1 bi: het,eatb the rQ/,f uw.lt,r whlcb we dwell, ,,r wor1hlppor• tn tbo 11anctua'7 wt-it •• l,i,,r,d the klMle 11, sn1•, "' rwmlc,al worlwr1 In the fllild whcro wo ar• lal,w,ir,i; r.,r i.Lq u..y ~ w1.«• we, •J.1&l1 fli,d tlwru If •• llfMlk tbom, u ,Tuho1ha11lu&t '-'m,d the <,bjecu tJf W. ,,.,,-al eare u ),,; " ••nt tJUt tl,rouib the peit,_ple from 1Joor1fwt• 1,(, MtAWi tj..h,1,irA." But tbq a,c, wbere we can flod tti.m, and cau lay tlio kl111l, -,..u14 ha,.d ell 1,.(,11 lrA• apcci U,ca,, 3. 'f,, 1ucl, •• can 111111!.r &11 luo1tl11mbla .,.,... w. ,..,, hri111 "~ 1-r uyA1 tL0111 • ,viww'"', wluuh," follu111100, W11 tlln u,u;" ..,, ....,,,.t, l,r<M..,J, • ~ I w u.,,,o, Wo 1:a11 url&O thorn ~, rol,11ru 111 tl,o J,i,r,l O,,: ,,r tl,,," fatJ.-,1 ,,,, flt'Wf ,u•JU1"11 ,,,, l),,, "",uml (I) il,al 111,, l1111l1 1r,,Lli11r 1&1111 U111lr r, ... v., i. 111;.., .. .c1 whL u.c,1, 1,Ww111,y ,,, lL-.,, ,1',t,,,;tl,111,1.UJI I• IIJlljtlll" ,,,, 11,ulr r11Lurn1 on. :ru:. 1-11.] THE SECOND BOOK OF 'fBE CHRONICLES. 235
(2) that they are remaining where their life is a long disobedience, a continued sin and wrong; (8) that their return will iSBue in a peace and a joy, in a spiritual blessedness, the depth and duration or which they cannot measure or imagine; (4) that if they do thne return they will give boundleee eatiefaction to the fathers whose God they have forsaken or neglected, to all those human friends and kindred whoRe love is true e.nd deop, who will welcome them with fullest joy to the fold of Christ, to the kingdom or heaven.-C.