Bod 11 7wima /acie objection of undue self-assertion most decidedly lies against him. Ho cnn only meet this objection by disclaiming all personal merit, and declaring himself a mere mouthpiece of One infinitely above him, whose doctrine ho le commissioned to spread. The objectors will then have to question either the fact of his commission or the authority of the Person who gave it. Another line or argument, and a very common one, is to turn tho doctrine itsulf into ridicule. Has the teacher nothing more to say than what ha.s been heard so often ?-nothing but little rules, petty precepts, minute directions for conduct, a. touch here, a. touch there, tiresome trivialities? Hae he no new grand scheme to propound, no fresh way of salvation, no interesting "Church of the Future" ? Surely it is idle to repeat, over and over a.gain, the same stale maxims, tbe same well-worn rules I Who will listen to a harper who harps always on one string? Something new, something lively, somethiog out of the common, is wanted, if the preacher is to secure attention; still more, if he is to affect conduct. Unfortunately, what is new is seldom true; and though, no doubt, novelty in treatment is to a certain extent desirable, since the "instructed scribe" should know how "to bring out of his treasure things old and new" (Matt. xiii. 52), yet it is the old truths which a.lone have power, which alone can save; and these need to be perpetually impressed on men, "in sea.Bon and out of season," dinned into their ears, forced on their attention, cut into their hearts by stroke after stroke, even at the risk of its wearying them. •Vere. 14-22.-Thejudgment prepared for scorners. "Scorners," in the language of Scripture, are those who set at nought God's prophets, or his messages, or his Holy Word, or his Church, or his ministers. Men delight in such scorn because it seems to them so fine a thing, so grand a thing, so bold, so brave, so heroic. It is a poor thing, comparatively, to exalt one's self against man; it is magnificent to measure one's strength with God's, and enter tbe lists against him. 'l'his may, no doubt, be so in one point of view, and for a time, while God chooses to endure the contradiction of sinners against himself. But nothing can be really grand or heroic which is irrational, absurd, doomed to end in failure, shame, and ruin. There is nothing admirable in a child kicl.ing against the commands of a wise father; or in a schoolboy setting at nought the rules of grammar or of conduct given him by a good schoolmaster. It is the true wisdom of those who know themselves to be weak,and ignorant, and short-sighted, and imperfect, anJ liable to error, to accept loyally the rule of an authority stronger and wiser and better than themselves. The" 11corners" find in a little time that their resistance of God is folly. I. THEIR EARTHLY RELIANCE FAILS THEM. This reliance may be (1) physical force-- the fact they have at their beck and call vast armies, a numerous police, a well-filleu. treasury, important allies, and the like; or (2) intellectual power, a consciousness of a reserve ·or mental strength in themselves, an indomitable will, a keen intellect, a fertile imagination, great logical acumen, etc. But their hold on all such things is uncertain. Armies revolt, melt away by sickness and desertion, suffer defeat, become demoralized, surrender themselves; a police fails and fraternizes with revolution; n treasury becomes exhausted ; allies draw back in the hour of danger, as the Egyptians did in Israel's greatest need; and the mighty potentate who has scorned God aud his laws finds himself, together with bis advisers, brought to shame, defeated, ruined. So with the "scorners" whose mental pride has puffed them up. God can abase them in a moment by mental disease, brain-softening, paralysis, sense of depression, disgust with life. How the bold atheist trembles, and wishes that he could retract his daring speeches, when he is struck down by sickness, crippled, bed-ridden, palsied perhaps. God does not nlways launch his bolts in this life; but he can at any time do so, and he does it with sufficient frequency to leave men without excuse if they do not note, and profit, by his warnings. II. AN EXTERNAL DANGER THREATENS. No one is safe from the worst forms of human suffering. Temporal ruin may come upon the rich, disfavour and unpopularity upon the long-applauded statesman, domestic woe, severe illness, excruciating pllin, upon e.ny one. In every case there is always denth threatening men. Some "overflowing scourge" or other is almost sum, sooner or later, to "pass through," and press upon \,S, and threaten to bring us down to the ground. The scorner trcmblc5 wheu such au hour arrives, and inwardly confesses his impotency, even if outwardly he wear a front of brass, and professes to fear neither God nor man. III. CALAMITY t!WOOPS DOWN AT LAST. Even if no special jutlgment is sent to 434 THE BOOK OF 'l'IiE PROl?HET lSAIAl:t, (cu. xxvut. 1-2~.
punish the scorner, there arrives at last of necessity the time of old iure weaknesg ";eariness; there arrives at last death; and, some time before death, the f~a~ or death: '1 he scorner ~ust go to that God whose message he has scor,ned,, whose messengers ho I,:15 treated w1t.h contempt and contumely. "A consummat1on 1s decreed." He muet " fall into the hands of the living God" I Then the folly of that "brave" conduct on which he prided himself becomes apparent., and he would fain retract his old speeches 1111d sul,mit himself, and make his peRce. But the words addressed to scorners (Prov. i: 22) sound in his cars and hold him back: "Because I have called, and ye refused; l ha,e stretched out my hand, and no man regard_ed.; but ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also w1ll l~ugh at your calamity; I will mock wh('ll your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction. eometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall' not find· me: for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: they would none _of my _counsel: they despised a)l .my _reproof. '.l'herefore shall they_ eat of the fru1t of the1r own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools sha11 destroy. them" (Prov. i. 2i-32).