worship of the Lord Jehovah. We have some account of these abominations in eh. viii. and 2 Kings xvi. 10-18; xxiii. 4-14. The favoured Israelites had corrupted their highest and holiest things. 3. Their exceeding even the heathen in wickedness, "She quarrelled with my jndgments more wickedly than the (heathen) nations," etc. (ver. 6); "Ye raged more than the (heathen) nations which a.re round a.bout you" (ver. 7). In two ways the house of Israel had exceeded the bee.then in wickedness, (1) Because they sinned against greater e.nd clearer light. The heathen he.d the Jiaht of conscience, " the law written in their hearts" (Rom, ii. 14, 16) ; but Israel had the Law in statutes and ordinances. The will of God had been made known to them by lawgiver and seer, by poet and prophet. They sinned against the Law of God, both as spoken within themselves and as proclaimed by inspired men. (2) Because their standard of moral attainment was lower than that of the heathen. "Neither have ye done according to the judgments of the nations that are round a.bout you." The charge conveyed in these words seems to be "that the Israelites have not even been as faithful to their one true God as the nations have been to their false gods." The heathen clung to their worthless idols, while Israel forsook the living God, who had so mightily wrought for them and so richly blessed them (cf. Jer. ii. 11-13), Thus mournfully had the exalted people fallen ; thus wickedly had the highly favoured people rebelled against their gracious Lord God. HI. PuNrsHMENT OF PRE-EMINENT SEVERITY, "Therefore thus sa.ith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, am against thee, and will execute judgments in the midst of thee in the sight of the nations," etc. 1. The great Agent in this punishment. Jehovah represents himself as inflicting every form of the dread judgment upon hie sinful people. From ver. 8 unto the end of the chapter, every verse contains a distinct statement showing that the punishments were to proceed from him. He is the great Agent throughout. The Chaldeans were but instruments unconsciously worki.ng out his purposes. How inexpressibly terrible is it when the Lord God declares, "l, even I, am against thee"! When he is against any one, what can profit such a one? When he makes bare his arm for judgment, who can stand against its strokes? 2. The nature of this punishment. It takes three chief forms. (1) Famine. "A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in Lhe midst of thee" (vers. 12. 16, 17). And the famine was to be of dread severity, bringing in pestilence and leading to the most horrible cannibalism (ver. 10). It is to l,e feared that such revolting acuons were not infrequent in the sieges of antiquity (cf. Let'. :xxvi 29; Deut. xxviii. 53; 2 Kings vi. 28, 29; Jer. xi.x. 9; Lam. ii. 20). (2) Sword. "A third pa.rt shall fall by the sword round about thee" (cf. ver, 2; Jer. xv. 2, 3). (3) Dispersion. "And I will scatter a third part into all the winds." The majority were carried captives into Chaldea; some were "scattered abroad and dis- persed among the people in all the provinces of" the Persian empire (Esth. iii. 8; ix. 2); and others went down into Egypt (Jer, xliii. 4-7). And even when thus scatten:d, it is said of them, "And I will draw out a sword after them," indicating that even in the country of their exile the Divine judgments would stiil afflict them. 3. The retributionary character of this punishment. We have seen (in vers. 6, 7) how res·,lutely the Israelites had set themselves against the Lord God: "Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, am againijt thee." He had set them "in the midst of the nations," to be an example unto them of his righteousness and kindness; they had utterly failed in this respect; therefore he "will execute judgments in the midst of them in the sight of the nations," and they shall be an example of his righteous retiibutione. Again, they had exceeded the heathen in wickedness, and he would bring upon them judgments exceeding in their severity anything before or after (cf. ver. 9; Matt. xxiv. 21). 'l'his retributionary character of the Divine dealings is affirmed by the prophets (Isa. iii. 10, 11), by our Lord (Matt. x. 32, 33), and by St. Paul (Gal. vi. 7, 8; 2 Tim. ii. 12). 4. The exemplary aspect of this punishment. " I will make thee waste, and a reproach among the nations that are round about thee, in the sight of all that pass by," etc. (vers. 14, 15). The design or the Lord in placin~ his people in the land which he gave unto them was that they should bo patterns of excellence to the neighbouring nations; too often they had been the opposite of this; for tliis reason he would make them, as the bearers of his wrath, a warning (Authorized V ersiun, " instruction") to those nations. They would not be patterns, therefore they err. vr. 1-H.J THE BOOK OF THE PMPB:ET EZEKIEL. 101
shall be beacons. Jr they who have extraordinary privileges fail to walk in a manner worthy of them, God will probably make them a warning to less-favoured peoples, by reason of the just judgments which overtake them. The punishment which some suffer because of their sins should powerfully admonish others that they sin not. 5. The awful certainty of the punishment. This is stated with great impressiveness. "As I live, saith the Lord God; Surely, because thou hast defiled my sanctuary," etc. (ver. 11). And at the close of the dread announcements of this chapter, we have the solemn asseveration, "I the Lord have spoken it." Thus "God subscribes the threatening with the royal monogram of his Name." By his own existence, and his own Word, the Lord binds himself to fulfil the awful declarations of this chapter. Nothing is more certain than this, that the sinner, unless he forsake his sins, must receive the righteous retribution of them. God's Word declares this ; his holiness necessitates it, and human experience confirms it. CoNOLUBION. Our subject is charged with solemn admonition to those who have great privileg~a. Our advantag~s involve correapond!ng obligat!ons; and unless thef are faithfully improved, they will be to us the occasion of terrible condemnation (cl, Matt. xi. 20-24; Luke xii. 47, 48),-W. J.