contrived to prevent what wisdom had ordained. The wisdom of scribes and Pharisees wn, nrrnyod ngninst him who wns the "Wisdom of God." In the anta,gonism of mm to the gospel the apostle saw a cnse of the "wisdom of the world" strivino- arrainst the wisdom which wa9 so far above theirs that their wisdom was moro propP-rly folly (1 Cor. i. 18-26). Men who live in sin, who try to dispense with Christ, really set their wisdom against the great and blessed order which is founded on eternal wisdum. The attitude of the world to the Church may be expressed in the terms jnst stated. Oh that men were wise I II. 'l'HAT A GOOD MAN BELIEVES IN Goo's POWER TO COUNTERACT THE WISDOM OF MEN, '!'his was the intellectual basis of David's prayer for intervention against the devices of Ahithophel. Faith in God's appointment of prayer is associated with a per- ception of the fa.et that God can and does so control human action a.s to restrain it within definite lines, and to secure in spite of it certain issues that are for the good of the world. A theism tha.t renders God inactive, or bound in the unbreakable chains of n physical necessity, ha.cl better be frank a.nd renounce the sacred name, and say once for a.ll, "Force is in eternal motion along lines eternally fixed." God is a Spirit, and as such has free access to the spirits of men. His unseen and unconscious contact ma.y paralyze or divert thought, and render possible ideas which, when carried out, will prove to be subversive of the very ends which the wicked thinker once had set his heart upon. We don't know how much we owe to this silent action of God on evil men. He also, as a free Spirit, is in contact with the ultimate elements of things, and can act on them without dislocation of the order of nature, more perfectly than we can in the effort of our will. Many Christian people do not, it is feared, half believe in this great truth, and do not sufficiently see its ample bearing on the great stress of life. God not only looks into men and sees them through and through; he is an Actor, and brings his wisdom to put to nought the wisdom of the wise. JII. THAT A GOOD MAN IN EXTREMITY NATURALLY PUTS THIS BELIEF INTO PRACTICE. David felt tha.t he could not cope with the combination against him. His heart fainted at the tbought of the sagacity of the counsellor uniting with the daring and dash of the ambitious usurper. His prayer was true to nature. We do not in ordinary circum- stances allow our faith to ha.ve sufficient influence over our lives. Trouble brings us straight to God. Our vast resources are drawn upon when heart and flesh begin to fa.ii. All prayer is a cry for God's help, or it is nothing; but the earnestness and intensity of the cry are proportioned to the perception of peril. IV. 'l'HAT PRAYER FOR HELP, IN THE 0ABE OF A GOOD MAN, IS ATTENDED WITH A DISCREET USE OF MEANS TO SECURE THE END IN VIEW. '!'he practical character of David's religion is seen in this-that, as soon as he had committed his desperate case to God, he took steps, through Hushai, to counteract the wisdom of AhithopheL He knew that God worked on the minds of men partly by the agency of other men, to whom he secretly imparts wisdom and discretion. Not only would secret unconscious influences operate within Ahithophel to cause him to blunder in advice, but thoughts would be directed in the minds of Hushai and Zadok so that they would a.et at the right season and in the right way. 'l'his combination of trust in God and action among men is characteristic of all true religious life. " The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man availeth much," and his labour nlso "is not in vain in the Lord." GENERAL LESSONS. 1. In all our dealings with men, and efforts to get them to act, we should remember that we can get at them through God. 2. The Church, in its conflict with the world, should rest in the consolation that the wisdom of God can never fail. 3. Much of our success in Christian work depends on our assigning men to duties suited to their charncter, age, nnd position. 4. Good men who are compelled by force of circun1- stances to live nmong men of evil purpose may use their knowledge of the world and its ways so as to promote the best interests of the kingdom of God.
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. 1-12.-(JERUSALEM, HEDIION.) The rebellion of .Absalom. A.bout twelve years had elapsed since David's foll into sin. One of its effects was the rebellion of A.bsalom. '!'he history of this event-most critical for the theocratic monarchy, and 380 THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL. [ctt. X\I', 1-37.