of "the defort of historical notices concerning the state of the exiles." Some idea of them may, perhaps, be gathered from the words," Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord God" (cf. Exoil. x.xxii. 25-29; Numb. xiv. 21-23; xvi. 31-35, 41-49; xxi. 4-6). It is well observed by Greenhill, "'!'hat God's punishments are his pleadings; when ho visits men for their sins he pleads with them. Every rod of his bath a voice, and pleads for God. Isa. lxvi. 16, 'By fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh.' His punishments are arguments he uses to couvince or confound sinners." If men violate God's righteous laws, and set at nought his supreme authority, they must bear the inevitable penalties of their transgressions, and thus realize their subjection to his sovereignty. III. THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD OVER MEN MANIFESTED IN THE PUNISHMENT OF THEIB SINS IN ORDER TO LEAD THEM LOYALLY TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT SOVEREIGNTY. (Vere. 37, 38.) The Divine chastisement was designed to exercise a purifying influence upon the people of Israel, and to lead them back to hearty allegiance to the Lord their God. Two results are here represented as effected by means of it. I. Divine discrimination of human characters. "And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant." The metaphor of passing under the rod is drawn from pastoral life, and the custom of the sheep passing under the staff of the shepherd to be numbered and examined (cf. Lev. x.xvii. 32; Jer. xxxiii. 12, 13; Micah vii. H). 'l'hey who thus pass under the rod are the people of God purified by chastisements, known of him, restored to covenant relationship with him, enjoying the privileges and acknowledging the obligations of that covenant. "The Lord knoweth them that are his ; " and distinguisheth them from those who are not his. 2. Divine separation ef human persons. " And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and those that transgress against me," etc. (ver. 38). A separation of persons according to their respective characters is here set forth. The sheep will be divided from the goats, the loyal snbjects from the hardened rebels. This verse perhaps points, as Scott suggests, a to the whole of the Lord's dealings with Israel, from the time when this prophecy was delivered, to the establishment of a small remnant of them in their own land, after the Captivity; from among whom the idolaters and idolatry itself were completely destroyed, by their manifold desolations, and the terrible havoc made among them." 'l'his separa- tion foreshadows that great separation which will be effected at the close of the present economy (cf. Matt. xxv. 31-46; Rev. x:tl 27). Blessed unspeakably will be the lot of those who shall then be found amongst the loyal subjects of the Lord Jehovah. And as for the rebels, they shall know by dread experience that he is the_sovereign Lord ofalL-W. J.
Vera. 39-44.-The gracioua restoration of the people. "As for you, 0 house of Israel. thus saith the Lord God; Go ye, serve ye every one his idols," etc. It is here distinctly recognized that not at once would this reformation an~ r~storatio~ be accom- plished. The house of Israel is told to "go, serve ye every one his idols." 'Ihese words are spoken of as an "ironical. conversion" ( cf. ~ Kings x~il. 16; Amos iv. 4; Matt. x.xiiL 32). They are also described as" the holy irony of him who knows that mercy is laid up for the future." It is important to bear in mind that the words were addressed to the dissimulating elders of Israel. 'l'hey had come to Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord through him while in their heart they were resolved to "be as the heathen . . . to serve wood a~d stone." They received such an answer as they were fitted for : "Go ye, serve ye every one his idols." Not quickly are men of such character separated from their sins. Not quickly are the stern lessons of chastisement truly and thoroughly _learned by them. Moreover, this ironical concession of their idolatr~ ~?uld perhaps .u~press them more deeply with the evil thereof than a renewed proh1b1t1on or denunc1at1on of it might have done. Then follows the assured declaration of their restoration through the mercy of the Lord God. Of this restoration the more prominent features are these. . J. THEIR RENUNCIA'.l'ION OF IDOLATRY AND CONSEORATION TO THE LORD JEHOVAH. 1. '17w renunciation of their idolatry. (Ver. 39.) 'l'he rendering of the margin of the Tievised Version seems to us preferable: "Go ye, serve every one hie idols, but here- &fter surely ye shall hearken unto me, and my holy Name shall ye no more profane on. xx. 1-49.] 'l'HE BOOK OF THE PROPHET EZEK[EL. 381