satisfy our feeling that we ought to feel. 3. They honour our departed friends. 4. 'l'hey e.ro silent prayers which God heeds. II. 'l'HE MIBBION OF THE TEARS OF CONCERN FOR OTHERS. Illustrated by our Lord's concern for Jesusa.lem. Observe that tears are not becoming while there is any hope of their yielding to gracious inAuence. The tears come when those we would bless seem determined to "resist the Holy Ghost." As long as Jesus could hope to se.ve Jerusalem, there was no room for tear~. They came when Jesus was compelled to say," Now they a.re hid from thine eyes. Your house is left unto you desolate." We weep when we a.re forced, in hopelessness, to let alone those whom, from our very hearts, we desire to bless. Ill. THE MISSION OF THE TEARS FORCED OUT BY MENTAL STRAIN. Illustrated by our Lord's tears in Gethsemane. Times when we want to understand, and cannot; when we want to believe, and cannot; when we want to obey, and cannot; when we want to see our way, and cannot; when we want to submit, and cannot. Such was the condition of the exiles.-R. 'f. Ver. 8.-The vine-figure of God's people. A favourite figure with the prophets. The metaphor is applied to Israel in Isa. v. 1-7; Jer. ii. 21; Ezek. xv. 6; xvii. 6-8. There was a golden vine representing the nation, sculptured on the gate of the temple. The association of the vine with Egypt has been disputed; but the mural paintings at Thebes, at Beni-Hassan, and in the pyramids contain representations of vineyards. Boys are seen frightening away the birds from the ripe clusters; men gather them e.nd deposit them in baskets, and carry them to the winepress. Two things are suggested- I. 'l'HE VINE AS A FIGURE FOR Goo's PEOPLE. 1. The vine is a foreign plant, not really belonging to Canaan. Quite possibly it had actually been introduced from Egypt; but its proper home seems to be the hilly region on the southern shcres of the Caspian Sea. Israel, like the vine, was transplanted, not a native of Palestine--trans- planted in order to accomplish a Divine purpose, remaining ouly so long as the Divine Husbandman may think right. 2. The vine itself is a worthless plant; its value lies wholly in the fruit that it bears. Vine-wood is altogether useless, too porous and light to serve any good purpose. It only carries the sap that is to appear as luscious fruit. So Israel was reminded that it had no merit as a nation ; it could only convey the Divine life to men e.s it brought forth the fruits of righteousness. 3. The vine repre- sented Israel because it is a plant which is so dependent, needs so much care, and has such splendid possibilities. It must be held up; it must be vigorously pruneJ and thinned; it must be richly nourished. And so Israel needed Divine upholding, discipline, and encouragement; and that Divine care had been fully and freely given. II. MAN'S TREATMENT OF HIS VINES .A FIGURE o~· Goo's TREATMENT OF HIS PEOPLE. See the details given in Isa.. v., and compare the description of planting a viney11rd, given by Van Lennep, in' Bible Lands and Customs,' vol. i. p. 112. Note: 1. Careful selection of ground-soil and aspect are most important. So God selects Palestine for the nation of Israel. Show the singulo.r e.ppropriateness of its situation, and its characteristic features. 2. Fencing it in. This necessary because of the enemies of the vine-little foxes that are cunning, wild boars and bears that are strong. See the fencing in of Isrnel-on the west, by sea; on the north, by mountains; on the east. and south, by deserts. 3. Gathering out the stones. Because richness and depth of earth are needed, and there should be no hindrance to the spreading of the root~. So God dispossessed the nations that were occupying the soil. 4. Building a tower. For e. watchman to see approaching foes in time of the ripening. So God's guiding eye and hand were ever on his people. 5. Making a wine-vat. Implying full expectation of fruitage. So God looks that his people bring forth "much fruit."-R. 'l'.
Vers. 12, 13.-BiUer experiences as Divine chastisements. The wild boar is a croaturo which abounds in e.11 pBrts of Asia. Minor, and it is the farmer's greatest ple.gue. It is specially mischievous in vineyards-what with eating Bud trampling underfoot, it will destroy a vast quantity of grapes in a single night. Homer writes or "A monstrous boar, That levoll'd h1uvests and whole forests tore." lGG '1 HE BOOK OF PSALMS. [rs. LXXX. 1-10.
The bitter experiences of tba vineyard are of three kinds. 1. The vineyard loses its fence (ver. 12). 2. The beaiits make it a ruin (ver. 13). 3. Found in hopeless con- dition, it is at last cut down and burnt. So Israel began its national woes when it lost the Divine Guard and Defence. Its enemies then gained their power and opportunity. Illustrate from the supreme anxiety of Moses, because ,Jehovah threatened no lonaer to lead and guide the people; also, from Joshua's trouble, when Israel lost its Divine fence before Ai. See the consequences of the withdrawal of God's protection from the first king, Saul. It may be said that circumstances sufficiently account for the national calamities that befell Israel; but it is of supreme importance that we see deeper than the movement of circumstances, and trace the working of him who moves the circum- i;tances. Withdrawing bis special defence, and leaving a man to himself and to bis circumstances, is the severest form of Divine chastisement, because it implies that God is ~ed. The man or the nation has not only done wrong, he bas done wrong in such a way as to offend or insult God. There is no chastisement so hard as being "left to our own devices." It involves our supreme humiliation. We then find ourselves out, and lea.rn that "it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps;" and we find our perils out. The child that loses its mother has to learn from what varied forms of danger its mother preserved it; and we find out what God's "compassing our path and lying down " mean:;:, when God, grieved with us, withdraws into a cloud. When God held aloof from Israel, Assyria came iu on the vineyard, like a wild boar, and Babylon like a bear, trampling and destroying. In this, however, we are but to see God's sternest form of chastisement, not vindictiveness, not mere punishing for the sake of upholding authority, but chastisement with a view to correction. Grace withdrawn that grace may come to be sought and valued.-R. T.