Ver. 28.-The rainbow. The glory of God is here compared to a rninbow. Observe some of the points of resemblance. I. A HEAVENLY BPLE}[D0UR. There is beauty on earth in the flowers of the fielu, ici 12 TRE BOOK OF 'tltE l>ROPltET :EZEKIEt. tOH, I, 1-28, the plum&ge of birds, in the brightness of insect life, and in innumerable objects of tho great garden of nature. There is also beauty in heaven. The smile of God is henven's sunshine; his presence is the joy of the eternal summer of that perfect clime. 'l'o see God is to behold the highest beauty. Happy the soul to which it can be said, " 'l'hine eyes shall see the King in his beauty." Men who shrink from Divine things as though they were dull and unattractive are as yet blind to the true nature of them. The housu of God is a place of gladness for those who have learnt to worship in the beauty of holiness. II. A HARMOJ-.-Y OF VARIOUS ELEMENTS. ► All colours are present in the rainbow, ranged in perfect order and blending where they meet without any harshness of contrast. There is rich variety in the glory of God. Each may find there his favourite hues of the perfect character. Some may select the true blue of faithfulness, others may prefer the glowing red of love. To one the golden splendour of perfection is most entrancing, to a second the imperial purple appears as the supremely important colour, to a third the green that reminds him of sweet fields of nature and earthly beauty may seem most attractive. All are present in the rich pleroma of glory. And all are in harmony. There is no clashing of Divine attributes. "Mercy and truth are met together; righteous- ness and peace have kissed each other" (Ps. lxxxv. 10). IIL A CO:!\'TRAST WITH CLOUD AND STORM. The bow is "in the cloud. It is seen "in the day of rain." These facts give it the peculiar significance which we attach to it. All is not bright. Therefore the serene arc is the more welcome; and when it stands against an inky thunder-cloud its brightness is most apparent. There can be no rainbow on a cloudless day. The glory of God's goodness is seen in contrast with the thunders of wrath against sin. It is most visible in days of storm and terror if only men will look up for it. IV. A PROMISE OF ETERNAL MERCY. The rainbow recalls God's primitive promise to Noah (Gen. ix. 12-17). But each rainbow is a new appearance, and therefore a fresh pledge of the old-world promise. Apart from the special application of the bow to the Flood in the covenant with Noah, it is a natural token of mercy in the midst of jud~ent, and thus a natural sign of God's saving grace. The glory of God is like this rainbow. He is glorious, therefore, in his mercy. Love is the chief beauty of the character of God, as indeed it is its central fact. V. A BROAD nEVELATION. All can see the rainbow. It stretches wide from hill to plain, from frowning cliff to.far across the purple waves of the storm-lashed sea. The glory of God's grace is not a 'choice fact for a few rare souls to enjoy. It is the substance of a world-wide gospel All are invited to behold it. PRACTICAL CONCLUSIONS. This revelation of glory like a rainbow should have its influence on life. Note some of the rightful effects. 1. Glad trust. For spiritual faith there is more than natural joy in echoing the language of Wordsworth- " My heart leaps up when I behold A raiubow in the sky." 2. Reverence. Ezekiel says," When I saw it I fell upon my face." Love is not to be treated with liabt freedom. Such love and goodness as we see in God deserve the utmost veneration. 3. ..ittention. The prophet listened to the voice that spake out of the rainbow.
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Ver. 1.-Exile and captivity. It is not the soil whic~ a people _ti~l th~t make~ that people a. nation. The Jews have more than onc(l fur1;11shed a stnkn~g 1ll1;1strat1on of tuis principle; for no nation has suffe~ed mo:e from bamshment an~ d1spers1on, an_<l ~o nation has more tenaciously clung to its nat10nality, or mor(l effectively preserved 1t 1n circumstances the most unfavourable. It is its religion which makes a people a nation; even more than a common language, a common ancestry, and common traditions. It has ever been so conspicuously with th~ Jews. Th~ record of thei: capti_vi_ty i_n the East is a record of their religious expenence; the literature of their capt1v1ty 1s the literature of their prophets, amon_gst _wh?m Eze~iel occupies a place of_ prominence _and iDterest. His figure, as we see him Ill 1mag1nat1on, "among the captives by the river CR, I, 1-28,] THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET EZEKIEL. 18