God had fallen from heaven, But the messenger did not know that; all he knew was that some extraordinary flame had destroyed the sheep. He went beyond the actual fact of bis experience, &nd from it made such an inference as his superstitious mind naturally led him to make. Thus, then, we may take it this dismay at the signs of heaven was produced; and once it became thoroughly fixed in the mind that every eclipse, comet, storm, death by lightning, was an expression of Divine wrath, the next thing would be an instant attempt to make propitiation and avert further misch icf. And it is easy to see that, as priestcraft grew in power, all would be clone that could be done to make tho people believe that the signs of heaven needed constant remem• brance in order to keep them acting favourably towards the inhabitants of earth. Such, then, was the way of the heathen; but ihe way of Jehovah's people was to be quite different. These signs of heaven were no sufficient cause of terror, and indeed were to be quite differently regarded. God says to his people," Be not dismayed;" but the command cannot directly produce obedience. There must be a showing, a clear showing, that there is no cause for terror. Terror because of the signs of heaven can only come from ignorance. The moment tho mind takes in the great general drift of Gen. i., that same moment dismay will yield to an intelligent veneration towards God. A savage, seeing the express train rush past him, with its thunder and mystery, at tho rate of fifty miles an hour, is as a matter of course utterly terrified and bewildered. But there would be no terror and bewilderment if he only really knew all the wisdom, patience, and controlling power which have made that express what it is. Further- more, who would think of denying the immense utility of railways to the world because every now and then there is some hideous disaster to a train? Aud, similarly, through all the mysterious destructions which from time to time come in the natural world, we must look at something beyond aud above them. Jesus Christ, who came into the world to make manifest aud explicit the love of Goel as a great reality, is higher than any of these causes of temporal pain and loss. ,ve are not permitted to get any satisfactory view of suffering as a whole, and we do well to refrain from putting any speculation of our own in the place of such a view. Our wisdom is to get morn and more of a practical knowledge of God. Only so can it become possible for us to say that "we shall not fear, though the earth ba removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea."-Y. Ver, 23.-The way of man not in himself. I. MAN IB NOT TO BE THE CIIOOSER OF ms WAY. "I know thnt the way of man is not in himself." It is surely not without significance that DJ!$ is here used for" man." To the Hebrew there must always have been the opportunity of peculiar suggestions upon the occurrence of this word. Adam would rise to mind, the first man, with God's purposes for him, and his speedy calamitous departure from those purposes. God made Ado.m tho.t he might go in God's way, When the two accounts of the creation of man o.re to.ken together, it will be seen how abundant is the evidence that the way of Adam was not in himself. His only condition of safety, peace, o.nd happiness was in strict compliance with the Divine injunctions. And with regard to the descendant of Adam, he who can read the account of Adam and see the essential correspondence between ancestor and posterity, is there not everything to teach him that his way also is not in himself? Why, he is some little distance advanced in the way before he is conscious that it is II way at nll. 'rhe preservation of his life and the direction of it have been at the dispcsition of others. And when life-as far as individual responsibility is concerned-really begins, how wise he proves to be who looks for the pointing of God's finger, and feels that he must follow it I 'l'he man who insists that he can make his own way only finds it perish at last. - Because no way can be considered just as a way; whether it is pleasant or painful, easy or difficult, is not the great matter, but whither it leads, what lies at the end ofit. As it would bo foolish for a man to take charge of a ship, ignorant of his deslination and how to reach it, so it Is equally foolish for a man to suppose that any wo.y will do so long ns it is as comfortablu and easy as he can make it. Man's right way must bo according to God's clear will; and it is the way of trust in Jesus who is the Son an,l Christ of Goel. Note, further, the strong expression of indivilhml 11Hsura11ce here given. "I !mow," says Jeremiah. He knew it indeed from hi~ own experience. The way in which he now was, of prophet nml witness for Jclwvah, was 21)2 'l'HE BOOK OF 'l'HE PROPHET JEREMIAH. [cu. x.1-25.
not of his choosing. He did not think himself fit for it. And yet so far was he from bei?g right in ~is own impressions. as a_ young man, that it appears God had chosen him for a special purpose or ever Ins existence had begun. It is a areat bless- ing to a man when, either from experience of his own wnnderings or prudo~t observe.- tion of. the wand~rings of others, ho C?an say in this matter, "~ know." He spares himscll much anxiety and shame who 1s humble enough to put himself under Divine guidance. IT. Gon MUST ESTADLISII MAN WHEN HE IS IN THE RIGHT WAY, "It is not in man that walketh to make sure of his steps." In other words, though he may have beaun the journey rightly, that is no proof that be will go on without hindrance or disa~ter to the end. In days when the journeys of most people, even long journeys, would have to be undertaken on foot, this expression with regard to the walking man would be very significant. The perils of such a journey were well known-perils from robbers, perils of losing one's way in the dark and sometimes probably in the daylight, perils through trusting to strangers who may deceive or insufficiently inform him, perils through sickness far from home and friends. And so in the great spiritual way there is needed humility all through. The way is made up of little steps, and a false step may not be possible to retrieve. Divine knowledge· and Divine intimations must stand in the place of our experience. Faith in God's wisdom which cn.nnot fail, e.nd in God's Word which cannot lie, must be our resource in all perplexity. There are times when com- mon sense and right feeling are enough to guide our conduct, yet even these are more the gift of God than may at first appear. We cannot, then, be too minutely observant as to our need of Divine light and truth and assurance. Thus, being found in the right wa.y and enduring to the end, we shall be safe.-Y.