the just man payR no deference: he neither seeks their favour nor dreads their displea- sure; but he worships God alone. Our idols to-day are pursuits, possessions, pen;rms, to whom we are inordinately attached. Anything which we allow as a rival to God for the affection of our heart or the devotion of our life is an idol to us. 2. Scrup1JJous maintenance of chaBtity. "Neither hath defiled his neigh hour's wife, neither bath come near ton. menstruous woman." The just man controls bis carnal appetites by his reason and conscience, 3. Careful avoidance of oppression of any kind or degree. (1) Rob- bery by violence. "Rath spoiled none by violence." (2) Injustice by peaceful means. 11 And hath not oppressed any, but bath restored to the debtor his pled<:'.e," The pledge referred to is some of the necessaries of life, as in Exod. xxii. 26, "If thou at all take thy neighbour's garment to pledge, thou shalt restore it unto him by that the sun goeth. down: for that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin : wherein shall he sleep?" (3) Injustice by making a man's poverty the occasion of personal profit. "He bath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase." " Usury," says the 'Speaker's Commentary, "is the profit exacted for the loan of money, increase that which is taken for goods; both are alike forbidden (Lev. xxv. 36; Deut. :i,;xiii. 19). The placing out of capital at interest for commercial purposes is not taken into consideration at all. 'l'he case is that of money lent to a brother in distress, in which no advantage is to be taken, nor profit required." 4. Exercise of practical philanthropy. "Hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment." The just man as delineated by the prophet not only refrains from injuring any one, but also endeavours to help those who need his aid. In the Bible a high estimate is placed upon the exhibition of practical kindness to the poor and needy (cf. Job xxxi. 16-22; Isa. !viii. 7; Matt. xxv. 35, 36, 40). Our Lord reckons and will reward such actions as done unto him. 5. Righteous dealin,qs with men. "That bath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man." The last clause, perhaps, refers to the duties of a judge. But in every capacity and in all his conduct the truly just man endeavours to do what is right and true, and to promote the doing of the same by others. And as Matthew Henry expounds, "If at any time he has been drawn in through inadvertency to that which afterwards has appeared to him to be a wrong thing, he does not persist in it because he has begun it, but withdraws his hand from that which he now perceives to be iniquity." 6. Faithf~il obedience to God. "Bath walked in my statutes, and bath kept my judgments, to deal truly." The just man renders positive and active compliance with the holy will of God. That will is his rule of action; and he endeavours to be true to it and tme to the Author of it. The man whose conduct is thus sketched by the prophet is pronounced a just man, a righteous man. "He is just," not only in profession, but in fact; not only before man, but before God. III. THE DESTINY ASSERTED, "He shall surely live, saith the Lord Goel"-" live in the fullest and deepest sense of the word." This life is the antithe5is of the death predicated of the sinner : "The sonl that sinneth, it shall die." The "just ah!ill surely live;" "The just shall live by his faith." The life of truth and righteousness, of kindness towards man and reverence towards God, is already his. And its con- tinuance is promised by God. "He shall surely live," spiritually, progressively, eternal!y.-W. J.
Vere. 10-20.-Personal character and destiny. "If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood," etc. Most of the features of character mentioned in these verse1 came under our notice in our preceding homily. And other parts of these verses (e.g_ "the soul that sinneth, it shall die") have already engaged our attention. But tht paragraph suggests the following observations. I. THAT PERSONAL 0RARA0TEB IS NOT HEREDITARY. Ws have pointed out (on ·vers, 1-4) that moral tendencies are frequently hereditary; a child may inherit a strong bias towards good or towards evil from his pnrents, But a person's real character is not the product of the law of heredity. A just man may " beget a son that isa robber, a shedder of blood, and that doeth any one of these things," etc. (vers. 10-14). 'l'he character thus portrayed is the very opposite of the just man (vers. 5-9), yet it is suggested that this character may belong to the son of the just man. Personal principles and piety cannot be transmitted from father to sou as property is 34-0 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET EZEKIEL, [on. xvm. 1-32.