booome e. "stopping-stone to higher things." ministrations, There was a time to kcop If, through the prophet's 11egligence, he silenco, as well e.s e. time to speo.k (Eccles. oomes unwe.rned, and stumbles and falls, iii. 7), nnd fo1· the immediate futuro silonco 110, as in the case of the wicked, bears the wns the more effective of the two. It would, penalty of his guilt, but the propilct has at least, make them eager to hear what the here also the guilt of blood upon his soul. silence meo.nt. The " righteousuesses" of the man (here, as Ver. 25.-They shall put be.nds upon thee, before, we have the plural), his individual etc. Did the wa.ming mean that tho acts of righteousness, shall not be remem bored, prophet's hearers would treat him e.s the because he was tried, and found wanting in men of Jerusalem treated Jeremiah (xxxii. the esscntinl element of all righteousness. 3; xxxiii. 1; xxxviii. 6)? Of this, at all The highest development of the thought is events, we have no record, and so far we found in the fact tilat Christ himself is e.re led to the other alternntive of taking reprcsentP.rl. as a "stumbling-stone" (Isa. the words (e.s inoh. iv. S)in a figurative sense. viii. 14; Rom. ix. 32, 33; 1 Cor. i. 23). St. The prophet would feel, as he stood in the Paul's solution of the problem is found in presence of the rebellious house, as tongue. the question, " Have they stumbled that tied, bound hand and foot by their barduese they should fall?" (Rom. xi. 11). Was that of heart, teaching by strange and startling the end contemplated in the Divine purpose? signs only, and, it may be, writing his Will it reallY be tbe end? prophecies. In eh. xxiv. 27, four years later, Yer. 22.--And the hand of the Lord was and a.gain in eh. xxix. 21, we have a. distinct there upon me, etc. There is obviously an reference to a. long period of such protracted inter.al between the fact thus stated and silence. We may compare, as in some sense the close of the message borne in on the parallel, the silence of Zacharias (Luke i. prophet's soul. Psychologically, it seems 22). That silence unbroken for nine mouths probable that the effect of the message was was a sign to those who "were lookiug for to fill him with an overwhelming, crushing redemption in Jerusw.em," more eloquent sense of the burden of his responsibility. than speech. How was he to begin so terrible a. work ? Ver. 27.-When I speak with thee, etc. What were to be the nearer, and the remoter, This then, as ever, was the condition of the issues of such a work"/ Apparently, at least, prophet's work. He was to speak out of hie he does not then begin it by a spoken warn- own bee.rt. When tbe "time to speak" ea.me ing. He passes, at the Divine command words would be given him (Matt. x. 19). borne in on bis soul, from the crowd that And those he would then speak would be as had watched him during the seven days' the echo of those in ver. 11. In our Lord's silence, and betakes himself to the solitude words (Matt. xi. 15; xiii. 9) we bo.ve, it mal_ of the "plain," as distinct from the "mound" be, e. deliberate 1·eproduction of Ezekiel s where the exiles dwelt, and tilcre the vision formula.. The LXX., in this instance, it e.ppea.rs a.gain in all points as he had seen may be noted, translates the second clause it when he stood on the river's bank. by" He who is disobedient (,bmBwv), lot him Ver. 24.-Go, shut thyself within thy be disobedient," which in itH turn iindH an house, etc. The command implied that he echo in Rev. xi.ii. 11. we.s to cease for a time from all public
HOMILETICS. Vers. I-3.-Eating a book. I. THE FOOD PROVIDED. 1. Tlti.~ is in theform of literature. Ezekiel receives a written roll. All good literature is mental food-not merely a plaything or a sweetmeat, but soul-~tuff for sustaining intel!ectual life an_d promoting mental growth. God feeds our highest nature through literature. His Spirit comes through his T_ruth, his ~r?th is revealed in ~is. Word! and his W:ord _is contained in a book-the Dible. 2. 'lhLS must be taken as it is provided. Ezekiel did not write the roll. He found it.· The word of God was sent to him. He did not invent or imagine it. We do not create Divi~e truth. We find it in the Bible. If we would be honest we must take what we discover there, and not feed on our own notions to the necrlect 0 of the Divine revelation. 3. The Divine provision is full and ampk. The roll was inscribed_ on_ both sides-:" written wit~in a_nd wit?o':t" (eh. ii. 10). The Bible has far more m 1t than Ezek1cl's roll. It 1s a hbmry m itself, both utensive and closely filled. '!'here is no verbo~ity in it. Its !Dany wo;ds are rich and deep. No acre will ever consume the whole of its vast and varied teacbmgs. II, '£.aE UA.i, OONBO"lrlED, Ezekiel must uot only read the roll; he Illust eat it, All on. ut.1-27.J THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET EZEKIEL. 51