pollution that characterizes vast ma.eB0B of mankind, indeed the mass of mankind. And think of the corruption of Christianity: what a veneer of religion I what a counterfeit of godliness! what a hollow mockery eo great part of it is! And coming closer home, the saddened contemplator of the ravages of sin may turn his gaze inward into his own heart, and 88 he reflects on tha slender hold which Divine and holy principles have upon him- " What scanty triumphs grace ha.s won, The broken vow, the frequent fall;" and as he cries out at times almost in despa.ir at seeing the strength of the chains by which his soul is bound, "0 wretched mnn that I am I" etc.,-the words of our text fit in with his mournful mood. It seemed to him as if there were "no balm in Gilead, no," etc. (2) Of sorrow. To St. Paul, as he penned the eighth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, the whole creation seemed to "groan and travail together in pain." What is the progress of mankind but one long procession of mourners I Oh, the tears and sorrows of the broken-hearted, the helpless, the desolate and affiicted of all ages and of all lands! What a catalogue <lo they fill! The mind reels as it contemplates the dark mass of human woe. Its faith in the Divine Fatherhood staggers as if smitten with a. deadly blow, and is half forced to the conclusion, which to a sad and an in- creasing number seems self-evident, that there is no balm in Gilead, no physician there. (3) And the reign of death produces similar feelings. As men see how the king of terrors stalks triumphantly throngh the land, how ruthless is his tyranny, how crush- ing his power, how dark the grave into which we so soon descend, and how helpless we all are against his might, it does seem at times as if there were no deliverer and no deliverance. But note- III. 'l'BE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS. l. To those which inquire, " Is there no balm . . . physician there 1" some answer "No." Sia, they say, is a. mistake which education will rectify, and the operations of the great law of evolution will gradually elimiuate. In fact, there is no such thing as "sin" in the sense religious people think. Therefore, whilst for the race there is hope, for the present and past generations there is none. Sorrow, also, they teach, is the result of ignorance of natural laws or of disregard of them. The progress of knowledge will gradually lessen it; that is all that can be said. And as to death, that, of course, is the inevitable, and ends all. The only immortnlityis in the influence which a man exerts in those who come after him. As to "the Resurrection and the life "-credat Judreus. Such is the dismal gospel of this nineteenth century. But the Christian reply to these qnestions is unhesitatingly, "Yes; there is a Balm and a Physician for the sin-stricken soul, whether of the individu11l or of the whole human race. And for the heart riven with sorrow, broken with grief. And for all those, too, over whom Death has reigned with such cruel power. Because we believe in Christ anJ. in the Holy Ghost, we believe in the 'Balm' and in the 'Physician' humanity needs." But then comes: 2. 'l'he last and seemingly unanswe1·- able question. "Why then is not," etc.? What are we to reply to this? (1) For one large part of those whom it concerns, the sin, sorrow, and death rid,len multitudes, we deny that which tho question assumes. For the Ilalm anJ. the Physician have done or arc doing their blessed work on them. We appeal to the throng of the redeemed, the blessed dead, myriads of whom are now with God. "White-robed ea.ints in glory, Olennsed from every eta.in."
With the eye of faith we behold them, and we believe in their existence as we believe in our own, and the yearning of our hearts is to be with them. And they are a great cloud of witnesses to the Balm and to the Physician both. llut-as unuelicvcr; will demand clamorously that we should do-we come down to this world aud this life that now is. Well, then, we appeal to the fact that there are regenerated, renewed, saintly souls living here on earth to-day, walking in purity, integrity, and in the light and love of God. 'l'hey are God's witnesses to what the unbeliever denies. FmLhcr- more there are a vast numuer in whom this process of healing is going on. Slowly, it may be, e.nd with sad retrogrea»ions at times, but really, notwithstanding. 'l'ho tide is 282 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET JEREMIAH. [oH. vm. 1-22.