delusion. God cast off hie own people the Jews when they were faithless. God will cast off a faithless Church. Christians who break away from Christ will merit and will receive the "wrath of the Lamb." Those in highest positions in the Church will find no immunity. No excuses will be available for real guilt. III. Goo WILL NOT SPARE ANY BIN. He means to destroy sin. If the sinner hold to it and identify his fate with it he must come under the destruction. If be cast it off as an alien, hateful, deadly thing-a viper that he has plucked from his bosom- God will destroy the sin. In the discipline of the Christian life God is always fighting against sin. He will not cease till he has killed the last of the vile brood of the serpent. Christ has come as the friend of the sinner, and therefOTe as the enemy of his sin. "He will throughly purge his floor," etc. (Matt. iii. 12). IV. Go» WILL NOT BP.ABE ANY NEEDFUL CHASTISEMENT. It hurts the kind parent to have to chastise his son. Yet it would be an unkindness and a selfishness to spare himself the pain of inflicting wholesome punishment. The surgeon has a steadier hand than the soldier. His knife is more inexorable than the sword of war. The very fact that it cuts to heal makes it the more strong and certain. "Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth" (Heh. xii. 6). Therefore the chastisement which love inspires is the more certain to fall. V. Go» DID NOT SPARE HIS OWN SoN. (Rom. viii. 32.) In the sacrifice of Christ God showed the firmness and. strength of his love to us. A weak and soft love would not have gone to so great a cost. Even the tears of Gethsemane did not move the inexorable God, though, of course, this was really with the consent of Christ, who freely gave himself for us, and to whom therefore no wrong was done. Ver.11.-The completed task. A man with an ink-horn had been sent round Jerusalem to set a cross on the foreheads of all penitent persons, and so to mark them for protec- tion against the terrible coming slaughter. This pleasant task had been performed. and the messenger now returned, saying, "I have done as thou hast commanded me." These words are a suitable motto for a completed task. I. THE SERVANT OF Go» 18 REQUIRED 'IO DO AS ms MASTER COMMANDS HIM. He is not only required to serve, he is also required t6 obey; i.e. he is not merely to work for the benefit of his Master, he is to do what his Master wishes. Thus obedience is more than service; and it is harder of performance. 1. He should have a single eye to his Master's will. .l'ossibly this may be contrary to his own inclinations, and even opposed to what he imagines would be most serviceable towards the end in view. Men may criticize, advise, mock, threaten. The servant of God must be ready to reply with St. Peter, "Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye," etc. (Acts iv. 19). The will of God-in the revelation of the Bible, the example of Christ, and a man's own conscience-is the one sole authority. With the enlightened liberty of Christianity this does not come as a blind law, but appealing to conviction. Yet still, when thus we know the right, there is an end of the matter. The servant of God is then like the famous Six Hundred. 2. He has only to accomplish his Master's will. The man with the ink-horn has simply to mark the penitent-not to rescue them, build a castle in which to hide thelD, fight on their behalf. The Christian soldier is to preach the gospel to every creature. The results he must leave with God. Moreover, each is just to do his own part, and not to distress himself because he cannot also do his neighbour's work. The terrible burden of the world would seem less if we realized our responsibility as lying just in obedience. II. THE JOY OF THE SERVANT OF GOD IS IN ACCOMPLIBHING THE TASK HIS MASTER LAYS UPON HIM. God does not put upon his servants harder work than they can per- form by his aid. Now we have to fe.ce our tasks, and perhaps they appear toilsome and formidable. It will be a most happy thing to be able to look back upon them as accomplished. Not, indeed, that any one perfectly fulfils the Master's Gommands. Christ alone could cry, in the fullest sense of the words, "It is finished! " (John xix. 30). Yet St. Paul could say," I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith" (2 Tim. iv. 7). And Christ will welcome his true steward with the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Matt. xxv. 23). I. There is the J°oy of accomplishment. 'rhe task of a Sisyphus is one of the tortures of Tartaru,. The aimlessness of the walk of the treadmill gives the sting to the convict's punishment. 168 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET EZEKIEL. [oil'., IX, 1-11·
There is a joy in accomplishment. Each stage passed, eaoh height climbed, each task done, brings its own joy-a joy of which the indolent can have no conception. 'fhe trne servant will say- "And I will ask for no reward, Except to serve thee still." 2. There is theJ°oy Qf the Master's approval. Christ makes obedience the condition of hia friendship (John xv. 14).