have tnken strange wives ; " that ie tho main point of your treepaee. Also once more, he etntee it fully," To increase the trespass of Israel;" to add to that whidh was already too gre11t, 11nd which once beforo, in fart, except for God'e wonderful merey would have ruined Israel beyond recovery. That being the case, what ought to b~ done? First of 1111, let the truth be acknowledged. The sin has been public. Avow it, 11 therefore," publicly. Make open II confession" of it before "Jehovah ; " before "Jehovah the God of your fathers," against whom ye have sinned. Next, let the sin be forsaken. You have greatly displeased God hythis conduct. Now, therefore, seek the opposite, 11nd be re11dy to "do his ple11eure," and not your own. Also do it voluntarily. 11 Separate yourselves" from these evil associations; nnd that, more- over, at whatever sacrifice, and with however much pain-" from the people of the land, and from the strange wives." To all this observe - 2. lf(YIJJ hearly their resf,onse. Observe its purport, as direct as an echo: "As thou hast said, so must we do. ' Its unanimity, from " all" those present, however many, however diverse. Its manner, with outspoken clearness, and therefore without hesitation, or reluctance, or false shame, or indifference-all these, as we know, being things which restrnin the utterance and prevent it from being "loud." Very grave, very brave, very distinct, and very determined, in the midst of the descending rain-storm, was this their response-a truly national, a truly faithful pledge of amendment of life. Hence we may see, in conclusion-I. How national affairs are determined, viz., so far as men are concerned, rather by the supplication of God's servants than by the proclamations of rulers. Not cabinet councils so much as closet prayers shape the history of the world. The will of Ezra in Johanan's chamber was in communication, by the way of God's throne, with all the wills in the land ( comp. Gen. xviii. 23---33 ; xix. 29; xx. 7; 1 Sam. vii. 5; Job xiii. 8; 1 Tim. ii. 1, 2; and, in a certain sense, 1 Kings xix. 16; Ps. cxlix. 5-9; Jer. i. 10). 2. How national judgments may be averted, viz., by that which amounts, however expressed, to a really national con- fession and subsequent forsaking of sin. The exact mode of making this confession is of minor importance, and may perhaps be a subject admitting of considerable diversity of opinion, provided only that there is no real room for uncertainty as to its meaning and scope. The voice that said what w11s forbidden, must be the voice, it is clear, to unsay it, so far as lies in its power. This applies not only to nations, but to cities, to Churches, to families, to all associations, in fact, of human beings. Where\rer. there is association in evil, there must be like association in its repudiation. The fact, also, that such repudiation of evil is the only step that we can take on our part towards its ultimate forgiveness, only makes the duty of taking it, if that be possible, more imperative still (see Jer. iii. 12, 13). The less God asks, the less excuse for our refusing to e:ive it (see 2 Kings v. 13).
Vera. 13--44.-A satisfactoriJ close. When a nation has openly resolved on the reformation of a nationaf sin, there is still one thing remaining to be accomplished, viz., that reformation itself. This, accordingly, is that which we read of iJ1 the remaining part of this chapter. "As thou hast said, so must we do." Such was the resolve of all as expressed in ver. 12. In vers. 13--44, which come before us now, we see that resolve carried out. We shall find that it was so carried out, first, with very great zoal ; and secondly, with very great care. I. VERY. GREAT ZEAL. When the people had spoken, as just noted, they did not stop short. Neither did they wait for Ezra or the rulers to arrange proceedings for them. They themselves, on the contrary, made proposals for so doing. We may suppose that they all, as a body, joined in the resolve of ver. 12. Afterwards, probably, some one or two of them spoke in the name of the rest, suggesting the method of action described to us in vers. 13, 14. This spontaneous promptness in euch n direction was itself a proof of much zeal. It is true of all men in earnest that they show their desire of success by the plans which they form for securing it (see Ps. xxxvi. 4; Isa. xxxii. 8). In the present instance, moreover, it is to be noticed that the people formed such pillns (1) in the/ace of great difficulties. It w11s no light task which hnd been resolved on by them. With all the good will in the world they could not do it where and as they were then-their numbers so great, their circum8tauces so trying, the operation reriuired so cumbrous, tho transgres~i•m 180 THE BOOK OF EZRA. [CH. X. 1-44,