complacency. But instead of doing so, he manifests !he utmost concern, urgently expostulating with the self-willed sinners, and entreating them to save themseb·es. Nay, has he not gone further, in sending his Son to save the world before his guilty children began to repent and to call for deliverance? In like manner, Christ, lamenting the coming ruin of Jerusalem, exclaimed, "0 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets1 and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, e.nd ye would not!" (Matt. niii. 37). n. THE DEATH OF SINNERS IB IN TREIB OWN HANDS. "Why will ye die?" It is not written by God. It is not fated by destiny. It does not fall out by chance. It is not a consequence of circumstances. Secondary and external events may appear to be traceable to one or other of these causes. But utter soul-ruin depends on the soul itself. If the soul <lies it is because it will die. The reasons for this position a.re two. I. We have free-will. If we sin, therefore, we do it ofour own accord. We cannot lay the blame on our tempters. There is always a way of escape from temptation (1 Cor. 1. 13). The deed that is done under compulsion is no longer a sin. Every sin is the :o;oul's free a.et. 2. The death qf the soul comes directly from sin. It is not an extraneous event; it is just the natural fruit of the soul's own evil-doing. Therefore we cannot accuse God, or Satan, or nature, or circumstances. The blame rests with ourselves. ill. THE REASONS WHICH LEAD SINNERS TO COURT DEATH SHOULD BE CONSIDERED• ., W7iy will ye die?" 1. Because of indiiference. Many are heedless. They do not will to die, but they will the way to death. But he who chooses the path chooses its end. 2. Because of obstinacy. The appeal of the text is made against a stubborn spirit of self-will. God brings up the battering-rams of grace against the thick walls of the town of Man-soul. Pride makes men hold to their own ways. But pride will be humbled in the day of ruin. There is no pride in death. 3. Because of the love of sin. This love blinds men. They see the attractive wickedness ; they should learn to see also the snake that lurks among the flowers. 4. Because of unbelief. This is not merely a wrong intellectual conclusion. There is a dangerous unbelief that comes from closing the eyes to unpleasant facts. Yet they are not the less true. 5. Because of the rejection qf grace. If we will not to have Christ, we do in fact will to die. IV. THE WAY OF ESCAPE FROM DEATH IS OPEN TO ALL. 1. By casti,,ng out sin. Sin is the viper in the bosom, whose bite is mortal. Any cherished sin brings death. The :first step must be not merely to grieve over sin, but to tear it away and fling it off. 2. By receiving a new heart. We need to have a better nature. Nothing less than a new heart will suffice. Only God can give that (Ps. Ii. 10). Only the Holy Spirit can regenerate (John iii. 5). But the change depends on our seeking and accepting it.
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. VeIL 2-4.-Heredity and individ'Uality. The proverb here quoted embodied a popular sentiment. Those who 6uffered from the troubles and calamities of the time were not willing to admit that their sufferings were only their deserts ; they endea- voured to thrust the blame upon others than themselves; and accordingly they com- plained that they had to endure the consequences of the evil deeds of their ancestors. One generation-so they put it--ate the sour grapes, and escaped the consequences; a succeeding generation endured these consequences, their tP.eth were set on edge. There was_a half-truth in such representations; for society is linked together by bonds of suc- cess1un and inheritance which constitute solidarity and unity; yet at the same time, so far as responsibility ia concerned, God deals with men as rndividuals. . I. Tm, INFLUENCE OF HEREDITY UPON CHARACTER. Physically, the power of heredity is Va8t.. _Every individual, we are told by men of science, is the product of parents, with tLe add1t10n of such peculiarity as they attribute to the other principle, viz. variation. A llian's birth, breeding, and training count for very much ; they determine the locality of bis. early days, the climate, the political and social circumstances, the religious tclucat100, the asso~iat!ons, of childhood and of youth. 'fhe bodily constitution, including LLt: nervous orgamzat1on, the km1-crament and the inclinations springing from it, are on. xvm.1-32.] THE BOOK OF THE PROPHF.T EZEKmL.