HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. 1-5.-Idolatry. It certainly seems strange that, at this period of their national history, the Israelites should be chargeable with the folly and sin of idolatry. The admonitions against this offence had been so numerou11, and the chastisements following its commission had been so severe, that the reader of Old Testament history is surprised to find that at so late a period the temptation had not been outgrown. I. THE MULTITUDE AND VARIETY OF THE IDOLATRIES OF ISRAEL. The chosen people were exposed to corruption from neighbouring peoples-from the Phceniciuns upon the north, the Syrians and Chaldeans upon the east, and the Egyptians upon the south. Each of these idolatries had its own characteristics, and in some way sprang from, and ministered to, the evil passions of human nature. It would almost seem as if the kings, the great men of the land, and the common people generally, chose such iJ.ols as harmonized with their own tastes or suited their own conveni- ence. At all events, the prophet speaks of idols, in the plural, of the multitude of the idols, and of every idolater's own special and peculiar divinities. II. THE BEAT OF THESE IDOLATRIES. The people are said to bave set them up "in their heart." Hills, valleys, groves, high places, and altars and temples, were indeed consecrated, or rather desecrated, by idol-worship. But all this was external. There was something much worse; the idols were set up in the inner nature of the wor- shippers, and there were honomed and served. That is to say, the belief in the govern- ment of a righteous and holy God having been abandoned, many of the Israelites exalted the vices and crimes which the deities of the heathen embodied, sanctioned, and encouraged, and came in their hearts to love the evils against which, as a nation, they were called to witness. Ill. THE ESTRANGEMENT FROM GoD WHICH IDOLATRY PRODUCED. In setting ue the idols in their hearts the people had been putting" a stumbling-block of iniquity 254, THE IlOOK OF THE PHOPHET EZEKIEL. [cH. xiv. 1-23.
before their face. Tbe idols came between them and their God. The house of Israel, Jebonih exclaims, "are all estranged from me through their idols." '!'here cnn be no rirnlry between the false gods and the true, 'l'be choice bas ever to be made. To exalt an idol, a passion, a taste, a habit, an association, to a position above that occu- pied by the supreme Lord of all, is to dethrone him from his rightful place, to forfeit his regard, to ensure his displeasure. IY. 'l'nE INDIGNANT RESPONSE OF Gov TO THE DISHONOUR DONE TO HIM. It was presumed that, with wicked inconsistency, some of the Israelites who had been seduced into idolatrous practices would nevertheless in some time of perplexity or afiliction resort to the prophets of Jehovah to seek counsel, guidance, and comfort. In such circumstances, how would their conduct be regarded by the Lord? 'l'he word of the Lord t,o the prophet should be attentively considered, "Should I be inquired of at all by them? ... I the Lord will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his iclols." We are not to believe that any sincere, lowly, penitent, and believing suppliant would be rejected. Ilut those who in their hearts cherished the idolatry which was their shame, and yet for some selfish purposes had the effrontery to approach the Lord for counsel and for help, were assured that their application should meet with no favourable response. They were double-hearted and insincere; and for such there is no blessing, and indeed no tolerance. ArPLICATION. It is the same to-day. If with all your hearts ye truly seek him, the request shall not be offered in vain. But it is useless to draw near to God with the lips while the heart is far from him.-T.
Ver. 6.-Repent! This was the admonition of every herald of God, whether under the old covenant or the new. It was the burden of Isaiah and Ezekiel, and it was also the burden of John the forerunner and of Jesus the Messiah. From this it may be inferred that human nature and life, on the one hand, and the character and g~ern- ment of God on the other hand, are such that repentance is an indispensable condition of the establishment of right relations between God and man. 1 THE !."'EED OF REPENTANCE. If we are upon Divine authority summoned to change, this must be because there is something wrong and reprehensible and dangerous in man's heart and condition; if called upon to turn, we must be going the wrong way. The admonition of the text follows upon a picture of Israel's idolatry and rebellion against a righteous God. The form of the sin may vary, but the principle of sin is ever the same. Whether in ancient or in modern times, in barbarous or in civilized states of society, men are universally prone to sin and guilty of sin. Where there is no sin, repentance is needless. It is in the departure of the heart's affection and the life's loyalty from the righteous God that man's error lies. Israel's idolatry 1ymbolizes human iniquity. II. THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. As more fully explained in New Testament Scripture, this is a change of heart, of disposition, leading to a change of character and of life. Mere sorrow for sin is not repentance, inasmuch ·as emotion of every kind is to some extent matter of temperament, and sorrow does not always lead to reformation. True repentance goes much deeper, and prepares the way for every spiritual blessing. He who repeuts looks at thicgs otherwise than before, turns his thoughts into another channel, his steps iato another path. III. TrrE CALL To REPENTANCE. 1. It is a gracious call. The justly offended rovereign may leave the rebel to the consequences of his acts. It is not thus that God deals with us. It is not his wish that any should perish. He sends his messengers to the offending race, with a summons to submission, with proffers of mercy. 2. It is an authoritative call. He commandeth men everywhere to repent. It is true that our Creator and Judge does not interfere with our liberty. Yet he publishes his will as bii,diug ur,un every moral agent. He has a right to our repentance. It is our place to ubcv Lis summons, tu offer the repentance which he demands and requires at our hands. lY. Tm: DlFF'ICULTY OF REPENTANCE. This lies in the very character itself of the change. ]f verbal suumission or outward conformity only were required, this would Le comparatively easy. But God, who searcheth the heart, will not be satisfied save with the heart's subjection and conversion. Old habits of unspiritua!Hy, worldli- ness, and selfishness are not readily abandoned. Especially in advanced lift, a radical en. xiv. 1-23.] THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET EZEKlEL.