IJ. EVEN IN BEING PUNISHED FOR TIIE SAKE OF ISRAEL, THEIR DESTINY WAS LINKED WITI!- HERS. If at first their lot would _appear to be hard and inconceivably hopeless, yet m the end there can be no question that they were gainers by the association. In common life, with tho~e whom they subdued they received manifold advantaaes especially of a spiritual kind, and the choice was set before them of good as well a~ cYil. On the principle, therefore, that it is better for one to suffer even severely at first if ~ft.erwards he may retrieve his position and attain to a higher and more desirable one through the initial discipline, it was better for these nations to be brouaht to book in this way for Israel's sake. Enemies to begin with, they might, and in ~any cases did become friends and fellow-heirs of the promise. ' Ill. APPARENT LENIENCY TOWARDS ISRAEL lB JUSTIPIED BY ULTERIOR PURPOSES OP UNIVERSAL BLESSING. As compared with her neighbours, it might appear as if one measure were meted out to her and another to them. But this is only contemporary and relative. 'l'he punishment inflicted has to be estimated by the spiritual deprivations which accompanied it. The deferring of Israel's hope must have been a keener sorrow than any mere temporal reverse. It must be remembered that through Israel, the seed of Abraham, all nations were to be blessed. To avert froill her utter ex:ti.nction was indirectly to ensure the greater benefit to the future. But .that to be made to cease as a nation from the face of the earth would have been relatively less oainful than many of the dispensations through which she had to pass, cannot but be allowed. IV. L>, THE MIDST OF DESERVED JUDGMENT THE FREE MERCY OF Goo IS THE MORE coNSPicuous. How unlooked for this promise concerning the future of Israel's enemies I The silver thread of hope traverses the dark labyrinth of judgment. It is only the wisdom of infinite Love that could so disentangle spiritual possibilities from such stupendous and widespread. ruin. How glorious the mercy which can so assert itself! The only phrase that can describe the phenomenon is "grace has reigned." The individual sinner, in the midst of his deserved miseries, may take comfort from this. However great the wretchedness and ruin which he bas brought upon himself, and however long continued bis alienation from God, if he but turn now from hts wicked- ness, a way of escape will be opened up for him through the sacrifice of Christ.-M. Ver. 1.-Perplezingquestions. "Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper?" etc. Unquestionably they very often do. Some of the reasons are-- L THEY ARE MORE SHREWD. "The children of this generation are wiser than the children of light." They give more heed to the laws of success, are more alert to seize opportunities and to guard against those men and things which would work them harm. No amount of piety will compensate for inattention to the laws of success. II. 'IREY ARE LEBB SCRUl'ULOUB. Where success is thus won by some seemin~ly short cut which a godly man hesitates to take, it will not.seldom be found, after a while, that the apparently long way round of the righteous was yet the nearest because the truest road. But meanwhile the ungodly appear to have the beat of it. III. THEIR ATTENTION IS MORE CONCENTRATED AND UNDIVIDED. The godly man cannot say in regard to the pursuit of this wodd's goods, " This one thing I do; " but the ungodly can. Whilst "not slothful in business," the Christian has also to "serve the Lord." Whilst a citizen of this world, he is also a citizen of another country, even a heavenly one, and by his faith he has avowed that he seeks that country. His attention must therefore be divided, as his who sows only to the flesh is not, IV. TliE LONG-BUFFERING OF Goo. The ungodly are his children, though ungrateful ones, and the heavenly Father would woo and win them back. Therefore in all gentle- ness he deals with them, ma.king his sun to shine and his rain to descend on them as un bis faithful children. The long-suffering of God is to lead to repentance. V. To TEST, IMPROVE, AND DECLARE THE FAITH OF TIIE GODLY. If righteousness were a royal road to riches, and faith infallibly led to fortune, where would be the room for trust in God? bow would such trust be tested and deepened, and how would it ever be made ma.nifost? The devil would have had reason for his taunt concerning Job, "Doth Job serve God for nought?" But that there may be such men as Job, heroGs of the faith, pure, noble, God-fearing souls, saints indeed, God does at times let such men serve him for n~ught so far as this world is concerned, and hands over this world's wag~s to the devil, that he may with them bribe, as he in vain sought to bribe our c11. xu. 1-17.J THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET JEREMIAH. 323
Lord, thoso who will "fall down and worship him." But that these questions may not perplex us, lot us live day by day in view of the unseen and eternal, walking with God holding communion wHh him; so shall our estimates of this world's prosperity ~ corrected, and we shall be able to behold with calmness the allotment of that prosperity to the ungodly rather than to ourselves.-C.