to more spiritual atrnira. The spiritual nature, once arotteed, feels cramped and oppreRsed by the very fulness of earthly sufficiency. 3. This sh<iuld drive us eo the wells of living water. We are tempted to neglect those sources of spiritual life when the streams of earthly blessings How in fulness, Yet nothing but the water of life can nourish the soul. Without this we are thirsty still. We are straitened that we may turn to Christ for the water which he gives, and for his bread oflife.-W. F. A. Ver. 21.-Iniquity revealed. I. IT IB HIDDEN. Otherwise, of course, it would not need to ho revealed. How is it hidden? 1. By secrecy. The sin is not committed in the light of day and before the eyes of a crowd. The wicked deed is done in the dark:. 2. By circumstances. Events are such that the evil does not come out to the light. Snow falls and conceals the footprints of the thief. 3. By falsehood. Charged with his crime, the sinner denies it. For a while his lie is accepted, if there is no proof against him. 4. By negligence. It is not the business of everybody to be an amateur detective. The world lets much wickedness pass from sheer indifference. II. IT WILL DE REVEALED. 1. 0ffrtainly in the future judgment. Then the secrets of all hearts shall be made known. God knows the wickedness that is hidden from man, for nothing can be concealed from his all-searching gaze. We are not only to expect that God will then punish sin. Further than this, there will be a general unveiling of character. The hypocrite will be unmasked. Everybody will be seen in his true nature. 2. Possibly on earth. Even here Heaven may reveal the iniquity. A pro- vidential tum of events may bring it all to light. Without any handwriting on the wall or any trumpet-toned annunciation, the ~low and awful unrolling of providence may make the ugly story known. III. ITS BEVELATION WILL BE FOLLOWED BY ITS PUNlSHMENT. This follows naturally: no avenging angel needs to be sent from heaven. "The earth shall rise up against him." · It is as though the earth itself were horror-stricken at the sight of such enormity. She cannot bear the presence of the wicked man. Her silence would be like acquiescence, or even complicity, in his guilt. Nature itself works for the punish- ment of sin. The laws of nature are on the side of righteousness. They are God's la.ws, and all the laws of God are in harmony. All that is needed is sufficient time and scope, and the course of nature itself will produce the punishment. We see this already in regard to sins of the flesh, which bring disease, misery, death. It will take longer time, and the free opportunities of another world, to bring about the same result with all other sine. IV. ITS EABLIER CONFESSION WILL PREVENT ITS LATER REVELATION. All this dark and direful doom is not inevitable. We are warned of it in order that we may avoid it. There is no necessity for us to wait for the Divine unveiling of our sin. Though that is certain to come if we do we.it long enough for it ; we may yet anticipate it by confession. God does not desire to expose the most guilty man to shame and suffering. His great wish is to conquer sin in the heart of the sinner. If the wickedness is owned and repented of, that is what God most wishes, and greatly prefers to the punishment of the impenitent. Not only does love yearn to save the sinner, but righteousness also desires to cast out the sin, as a more effectual conquest of it than merely punishing it while it is still retained in the heart of a man. Still, the thought of the impending revelation of sin shows how necessary an unreserved and complete confession is, if the sinner is to be forgiven. This is the first condition of pardon. While we hold to our llll, God cannot ,et us free from it and its consequences.-W. F. A.
EX:POSITION. up the challenge which Zophar had thrown OHAPTER XXI. out, respecting the certain punishment, in Vere. 1-34.-Job answers Zophe.r, as he this life, of the wicked (oh. u. 4-29), and had answered Bilde.d, in a single not very maintains," in language of unparalleled bold- lengihy chapter. After e. few oaustio in- ness" (Cook), the converse of the proposi- ~oduotory remarks (vers. 2-4), he takes tion. The wicked, he says, live, grow old. .JOB. 2 4 IN T~ BOOK OF J9B. [OH, XXI, l-8,l.