Infliction of Divine wrnth on account or sin. Schemes of salvation only or man's devising nre of no value. Salvation, in its conception, inception, conduction, and per- fection, belongeth unto God (PH. iii. 8; xxxvii. 39; Isa. xii ii. 11; J er. iii. 23; 2 Cor. v. 18; 1 Tim. ii. 3). The soul that would be saved must apply to him (Isa.. xiv. 22; Amosv.4; Johniii.16; Rom.iii,2i3-30; lJohnv.11). (2) Huldahtheprophetess -a title given to Miriam (Exod. xv. 20) and Deborah (Ju<lg. iv. 4)-the wife of Sh.al- lum tho son of Tikvath, the son of Hasrath, keeper of the wardrobe, who dwelt in Jerusalem in the second quarter (ver. 22), i.e. of the city, probably the" other city" (Josephus, 'Ant.,' xv. 11. 5), situated on the hill Acra. That the king sent not to Jeremiah may be explained by suppoRing Jeremiah was not then in Jerusalem, but at Anathoth (Kimchi) ; that he sent to Huldah shows he recognized the necessity as well as propriety of consulting God through his appointed media of communication. Not even under the gospel can God be approached directly (John i. 18), but only through Christ (John xiv. 6), the Prophet like unto Moses (Deut. xviii. 15; Acts iii. 22), and yet greater than all prophets by so much as a son is greater than a servant (Heb. i. 1 ; iii. 6, 6). 3. The persons through whom this inquiry was made: The deputation sent by the king consisted of five individuals, most likely all high officials connected with his court. (1) Hilkiah the priest; (2) Ahikam the son of Shaphan (not the scribe), afterwards the friend and patron of Jeremiah (Jer. xxvt. 24; xxxix. 14), and father of Gedaliah, whom Nebuch~dnezzar appointed deputy-governor of the land after the destruction of Jerusalem (2 Kings xxv. 22; Jer. xl. 5); (3) Abdon the son of Micah -Acbbor (2 Kings xxii. 12), probably the correct reading (see Jer. xxvi. 22; xxxvi. 12)-whose son Elna than was afterwards one of J ehoiakim's and Zedekiah's courtiers; (4) Shaphan the scribe, or kiog's secretary; and (5) Asaiah the king's servant. The centurion of Capernaum sent a deputation to entreat the help of Christ, whom he regarded as a Prophet (Luke vii. 3). No intermediaries are required by snch as would consult him whom the Father hath appoioted the one Mediator between God and man (1 'l'im. ii. 5). 4. The answer returned to this inquiry. (1) Concerning the city and the temple a sentence of doom (ver. 24). The inhabitants of Judah and J crusalem bad provoked Jehovah to anger by their senseless and shameful idolatries, had turned a deaf ear to the warnings of Jehovah's prophets, had not even profited by the judgment already fallen on the northern kingdom, and bad terribly abused the privileges they had enjoyed and the patience that had been exercised towards them. '!.'heir day of grace was past. The night of doom was at hand (ver. 25). Had Josiah consulted Jeremiah, the reply would in all probability have been similar (Jer. v.). Of correspond- ing severity is the sentence pronounced by Christ upon them who love the darkness rather than the light, who adhere to sinful ways in spite of his calls to repentaace, who despise his offered mercy and trample on his laws (Matt. xxi. 41; xxiv. 51; John v. 29; Rom. i. 18; Eph. v. 6; 1 Pet. iii. 12; Jude 13). (2) Concerning the kinz, a rnessago of grace (ver. 27). The ground of it, Josiah's repentance; the substance of it, Josiah's deliveraoce. In the gospel repentance and salvation are always conjoined. Repentance a condition of salvation (Matt. iv. 17; Mark vi. 12; Lul,e xxiv. 37; Acts ii. 38); salvation a consequent of repentance (Luke xv. 7; xviii. 13, 14; 1 John i. 9). Learn: 1. The inspiration of Scriptures. 2. The profitableness of Scriptnre-reading. 3. The testimony of conscience to the Word of God. 4. The certainty of God"s anger agaiast sin. 5. The blessedness of sincere mourning on accouut of sin. 6. The merci- fulness of God in the providential preservation of his Word. 7. The certaiaty that God never loses sight of the Bible, though man often does.-W.
Ver. 30.-The value of tlie Bible. I. THE Brnr.E LOST. An unspeakable calamity. 1. To literature. Remark on the indebtedness of modern literature to the Bible. 2. To religion. Without the support and quickening derived from Scripture religion would speedily become languid. 3. To morality. Contrast in respect of morality countries possessing and countries lacking the Bible. II. 'l'HE BrnLE FOUND. A great mercy. More to be prized than the discovery of gold-miues, which can only contribute to man's material wealth, or even of rare manu- scripts by human authors, which enrich chiefly the intellect, the finding of the Bible by an individual or a nation for the first time, or the recovery of it after it bets been for some time lost, is: 1. .d.n occasion of great joy, and is usually felt to be such. Witness 426 THE SEOOND BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. [a11. ux1v. 1-33.