his servant. This is no matter of wilful reticence or sullen silence on the part of the prophet. If God sends a message, he can also withhold one. Revelation is not extorted from heaven by cunning sorcery. It is freely vouchsafed by the will of God, and if he chooses to hide it, no skill or might of man can extract it. The lips of the prophet from whom God bas withheld a message are as surely sealed to all new Divine revelation as the lips of a corpse. The dead can tell no secrets, the uninspired prophet can make no revelation. 2. On account of man's sin. This is a judicial act. God does not work in caprice, But neither does he act with mechanical uniformity. He will not waste his gracious words for ever. Christ warned his disciples not to cast their pearls before swine. How many have heard the gospel so often and heeded it not, that they may well feel they deserve to be shut out from hearing it any more I Why should the sower cast his seed by the wayside again, only to be trodden under- foot or stolen by the wild birds ? III. THE PURPOSE, There must be an object in this cessation of prophecy, and that object must be more than the mere economy of effort. God has positive ends in view in all that he does, for he is ever advancing to larger good, and never simply with- drawing from fmitless fields as though frustrated and confined to a smaller area. At first the cessation of prophecy may be accepted as a relief from inconvenient admonition. It used to remind men of ugly facts-of sins committed and duties uegkcted. Now they are free from its annoying insistence. But presently other effects may be seen. 1. To show the value of what was neglected. Though we may not recognize the fact, the presence of a Divine voice is a great boon-it is Jig ht and counsel and help. Men may learn to value it when they have lost it. We do not know how precious our friends were till they are taken from us. Perhaps we were sometimes irritated by what they said. Oh that we could have them back now that we have learnt their value I But it is too late. 2. To speak by silence. Many words have failed. Silence itself may be eloquent. 'l'he very cessation of prophecy may provoke reflection on the old messages. 3. To spare the aggravation of !J11,i1t. 'l'he more words of warning are unheeded, the worse is the guilt of the rejection, Ver. 27.-Liberty of hearing, Jeremy Taylor wrote on 'Liberty of Prophesying,' when that right had been interfered with unjustly. In more lawless times liberty of hearing has also been put uuder restraint. Where it is unhampered it brings its own responsibility. Now we all have liberty of hearing. The use and abuse of this liberty call for some consideration. I. 'l'HE USE OF TIIE LIDERTY OF HEARING. 1 . .All men are free to hear God's Word. This is not a message for the priests; it is given to the people. It is not sent to the few elite; it belongs to the multitude. There is no esoteric doctrine in the Christian revelation. 2. Alt men can understand the Divine Word. Little children can grasp its most precious truths. Simple folk can receive what is vital and most valuable, 'l'he path is such that a wayfaring man, though a fool, may not err therein if he follows it with a true heart. 3. .All men have a right to receive God's Word. It is our duty to circulate the Bible throughout the world. If God has given utterances that are iutended for all peoples and nations and languages and tongues, it is the duty of those to whom these oracles of God have been committed to see that everything is done to put them within· the reach of those who have not yet received them. 4. All men to whom the Word of God has come are under a solemn obUgation to give heed to it. Liberty does not exonerate from duty; on the contrary, it is the essential condition of the performance of any duly as such. If God speaks, we can refuse to hearken, but we ought to listen; and ouly by thus listening can the Word of God be of any profit to us. II. THE ABUSE OF THE LIIIERTY OF HEARING. It is possible to forbear, if the hearing is within our own power. God forces no one to hear his Word, nor does he force any one to enter· his kingdom. The good Shepl erd seeks the wandering sheep, but when he finds it he does not drive it before him; he calls it to him, and eveu then, if the foolish creature is so madly incliued, it cnn turn a deaf ear to bis merciful voice. 1. It would be useless to compel a hearing. God does not desire unwilling service. The revelation that _is not welcome can bring little good. God blesses us through our own acqui- escence; in the reb~llious heart the blessing would be soured into a curse. 2. To be understood, the Word of God must ue received sympathetically. '!'his is not a statemen£ 58 'rIIE BOOK OF THE PROPHET EZBKIEL. (on. nt. 1-21.
of external facts so much as a light to •shine into the h"enrt. If, therefore, the language of it were dinned into our ears, syllable by syllable, the spirit, the truth it.self, would still remain outside. We should hear the sounds, not the message they contained. 3. To refuse to hear the Woi·d of God ,·s to incur a grave responsibility. As a word of command it requires obedience. 'l'o decline to receive the messa<re is to rebel and disobey. As a word of grace this Divine utterance offers a boon. T/I refuse it is to insult the gracious Speaker. It is also to run the risk of severe judament when we fail for lack of that which would have saved us if we had giveu attention to it. They who act thus are without excuse. It will be "more tolerable for Tyre ond Sidon" in the day of judgment than for such.