Writ I Act well your part in Jehovah's sight; seek the honour that cometh from him only ;-how common e.nd Divine wisdom effect a juncture once more I 4. Eternal antipathies. (Ver. 27.) What experience teaches us in one form, that fellowship must be founded on sympathy, that tastes must be respected, that deep, undefinable feelings attract us to or repel us from others, God's Word again confirms: " Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness." Acquaintance is mere collocation of persons; friendship and Christian communism a.re the eternal affinity of souls iu God.-J. Ver. 1.-The doom of o'bd1Vacy. There are four stages which conduct to spiritual ruin. I. Hmi1AN DISLOYALTY. Man is found (or finds himself) at enmity with God; he does not reverence, love, honour, serve, him. He owes everything to bis Maker and Preserver and generous Benefactor; but he has not paid bis great debt, and now he is estranged in spirit, and his life is one of disloyalty and rebellion. II. DIVINE BUllilMONS TO RETURN. God is saying, "Return unto me, and I will return unto you; '' " Let the wicked forsake bis way . . . and let him return unto the Lord." By many messengers, in many voices, God calls us to repentance and reconciliation. III. HUllilAN BECUSAN0Y. God calls, but men will not hearken or they will not heed. They either (1) deliberately decline to listen; or they (2) do listen without being seriously impressed; or they (3) are impressed without coming to any right and wise decision; they linger and delay ; they continually postpone; and every new procrastination makes indecision easier and delay more dangerous. IV. D1vINE PATIENCE. God "bears long" with men. We see his merciful and wonderful patience when we look at: 1. The time during which he continues to them preservation and privilege. 'l'hrough childhood and youth, through manhood and the days of decline, up to extreme old age, God continues to men his sustaining and preserving power, and all the fulness of Christian privilege; though all the while they are abusing his girt of life by retaining it for their own personal enjoyment, aod his gift of opportunity by slighting, or despairing, or misusing it. 2, The various means he employs in order to reach and restore us. (1) God invites men, through bis Word, and through the Christian ministry, and by the voices of the home and or human friendship. (2) He commands; he requires that all men should repent and believe. (3) He warns. (4) He reproves; he often reproves. "He that is often reproved;" e.nd very commonly a disloyal heart is often rebuked of God. 'l'ime after time he receives the admonition or his fellows, or he suffers the penalty of bis guilt. God makes him to understand that "the way of transgressors is hard;" the merciful hand of the Divine Father interposes many obstacles in the way of his children's ruia, that they may be stopped and may be led to return on their way. But sin does its fatal work of induruting the heart, of paralyzing the conscience, of bliad iag the eyes of the children of men; and the man who is "often rebuked" only" hardens his neck," and then comes the end- V. SuDDEN AND IRREMEDIA'ILE RUIN. 1. Sometimes (perhaps frequently, in the case of those who are guilty of flagrant sin) the day of probatioa ends with startling suddenness: "They are brought into desolation in a moment." Death comes down upon them without any warning. In the full flow of iniquity their soul is that very night required of them, and they pass from guilt to judgment. 2. Commonly, the end comes without expectation, and so without preparation. Men are going on with the engagements and the indulgences or life; and they nre expecting to go on inde- finitely. Then comes the serious illness, the sick-chnmber, the medical attendant, the anxious inquiry, the unfavourable response, the solemn communication, rmd Lho dis- tressed and agitated soul ha.s to say, "My hour is come, and I am not ready for its coming."-C. Ver. 2.-(See homily on eh. xi. 10.)-C.
Ver. 5.-(See homily on eh. xxvii. 5, 6.)-C.
Ver. 7.-(See homily on eh. xix. 17.)-C. 5GB THE PROVERBS. [OH. XXIX, 1-27.