Ver. 6.-Doing Gocl's 1oork unworthily. ''Thou didst not show them compassion." God had entrusted Babylon with the work of executing his Divine judgments on hie people. The work was done, but God could not approve of the way in which it was done. Compare, for illustrative purposes, the cases of Kino- Saul and of Jehu. Saul was n:ade executioner of the Divine judg_ment on Amalek, but God could not approve of l,1s work: he erred on the side of laxity. Jebu was made executioner of the Divine judgment on the house of Ahab, but God could not approve of bis work: he erred on the side of severity. The complaint God makes against Babylon is that it had" shown no mercy," and one specific instance is given-there had been no considerateness shown towards the aged among the captives; even "upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke." Even the old people were made to do the tasks of bond-slaves, "They respected not the persons of the priests, they favoured not the elders" (Lam. iv. 16) ; "Princes are hanged up by their hand: the faces of elders were not honoured" (Lam. v. 12); "I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction" (Zech. i. 15). "The writing5 of Jeremiah and Ezekiel do not suggest that the Jewish exiles were great sufferers. Perhaps the prophet may refer to the cruelties which disfigured the first days of the Babylonian triumph; or possibly the conduct of the Babylonians varied, according to the flexibility and submissiveness of the conquered" (Cheyne). TLe general topic suggested is that God's work entrusted to us becomes a Divine agency fur the searchmg and testing of our characters. God will be sure to take account, not only of the fact tLat we have done the work, but also of the spirit and the manner in which we have done it. No parent can be satisfied with obedience that is a mere act. God watches the character of our obedience. It may be shown that we do God's work umvorthily, and come under bis reproof, when we- L Do IT TO SERVE SELFISH ENDB. This spoils all obedience. The motive in it is wrong. But how searching it would be to us all to try and read our actions in the light of the motives that prompted them I Babylon served itself, so it can expect no approval or acceptance from God. IL Do IT OTHERWISE THAN AS Goo WIBHEB. For he who properly takes up a work for God keeps himself open to Divine leadings and te.i.cbings as to the way in which it should be carried out. We often err by taking up work, and then severing ourselves from any close and daily dependence on God in the doing of it. HI. Do IT WITHOUT DUE CONSIDERATIONS AND QUALIFIOATIONB. Here the reproach is tha.l no "mercy" was shown. God's judgments are always considerate in their applications; they are mercy-tempered ; they take due account of "remnants" and "Jaitliful few." ln this man almost always fails, and so he does not represent or honour God even in his work for him.-R. T. Ver. 7.-Due regard to consequences. "Neither didst remember the latter end of it." The experienCt-s of mankind have brought the conviction that moral Jaws are always and uniformly working, a.s surely a.s physical laws. Wrong universally leads on to ruin, Whatsoever a wan sows he reaps. "Sin, when it is finished, brings forth death." This is all so certain that, if any man proposes to take any particular course in life, he may duly cousirler the "latter end of it "-he may estimate it in the light of that "latter cud." He is foolish indeed if he does not take iuto account final issues and results. Aud yet this is precisely what men usually fail to do. The thief takes no account of the prison; the forger of penal servitude; or the murderer of the gallows. 'l'he proud will not see the certainty of life-humblings, or the violent the evil which the bitterness of the crushed and insulted will bring upon them. If wo asked ourselves, before entering on self-willed courses, Where shall we be, what shall we be, ten years hence? we should hesitate and step back. Babylon enjoyed pride, and refused to see any consequences resulting from high-handedness and defiance of God and cruelty to man. Bu~ if the N emeeia i:noves slowly, it i:noves surely ; its tread is fir~, its advance la 011. xtvm. 1-22.J THE BOOB.. OF THE PROPHE'r ISAIAH. 213
certain. The "la.dy for ever," in her own vain imaginations, sits down at last 11 desolate captive, 11 humbled, childless wirlow, the most helpless and miserable creature that Eastern imagination can conceive (vers. 8, 9). "The guilt of Babylon is intensified by her reckless arrogance. She presumed that the colossus of her power would neve1 be broken, forgetting the danger of provoking the God of gods." J. CONBEQUENOEB HELP UB TO UNDERSTAND THE CHARACTER 01!' THE COUBBEB WE CHOOSE. We may be hurried into acts and scenes of life by excitement and passions; we m11y be deluded by the mere appearances of things as they pass. We only know what things really are as we sit down quietly and count up their issues, see them working out their results. We know sensuality thus; for be that soweth to it reap~ corruption. We know frivolity thus; for it works out into a wretched unfitness for all the solemn scenes and responsibilities that must come to us all. ·we know pride thus, when we see it driving from us all who could render us service of love, and leaving us to suffer and die in the hands of the hireling. II. CONSEQUENCES SHOULD WARN us FnoM EVIL COURSES. The drnnkard should run from the cup, at the bottom of which lies the awful picture of the drunkard's body, the drunkard's mind, the drunkard's home, the drunkard's hell. And so of other deceitful sins and lusts. Alas! that men will not" consider their ways" in the light of their "latter end" !-R. T. Ver. 11.-Man's helplessness in presence of Divine calamities. The point impressed is that disaster takes unexpected and overwhelming forms, against which the wisest man fails to take precautions. Man can only affect the smallest of circumstances that a.re put into his control, and the few persons who are under his immediate influence. But each one of us belongs to a great whole, and is affected by great forces, which God alone controls. We a.re carried whither we would not. We are borne down by evils which we seem to have done nothing to create. We are helpless before the hurricanes and earthquakes and pestilences wiLh which God can smite. After illustrating and impressing this point, show how we ought to stand to the Divine order. We may so stand that no event arranged by the Divine wisdom can take shape for us as caJ.amity. J. WE MAY STRIVE TO BE FREE 01!' THE DIVINE ORDER. II. WE MAY RESIST THE DIVINE ORDER. III. WE MAY PUT OUIISELVES IN RAilMONY WITH THE DIVINE ORDER, That involves our fitting our will to the Divine will; and that self-seeking ma.n will never do until he is "humbled under God's mighty hand."-R. T.