The Pulpit Commentary — Ezekiel — Volume 2 — Section 91

where the sea is running high. It is no fault of the waters that the ship is thus thrnst into danger. Men rush headlong into trouble by folly and sin. They have no right to set down the consequences to the inscrutable mystery of Providence. IV. Goo 18 THE ONE REFUGE FROM THE GREAT WATERS OF AFFLICTION. 1. He may still the waters. As Christ quieted the storm on Genneaaret, so will he still tumults of trouble. Our course is to pray for help, and trust him where we can do nothing for ourselves. 2. He may draw us out of the waters. Thus David says, "He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters" (Ps. xviii. 16). Christ put forth hie hand and saved Peter from perishing (Matt. xiv. 31). When circum- stances cannot be altered, we may be uplifted and saved from sinking in them. 3. He may be with us on the waters. It may not be possible to alter circumstances nor to remove ue from them. Then we may be strengthened to withstand them, as St. Paul's ship was strengthened when the sailors undergirded it. "With Obrist in the vessel, I smile at the storm." Ver. 32.-An incomparable doom. The dreadful doom of Tyre is regarded as without parallel. Consider why this is so. I. THE GREATEST SIN BRINGS THE GREATEST DOOM. All men do not sin equally, and all will not be punished to the ea.me extent-,....some with few stripes, others with many stripes. 'l'yre sinned grievously, therefore Tyre was to be punished grievously. It is not the man who thinks himself the lightest sinner who will certainly be let off with the smallest amount of punishment. We are not to be our own judges and the assessors of our own guilt. There will be many great surprises in the day of judgment. 'l'he heaviest doom will be for those who knew the right way and yet did not walk in it (Luke xii. 47, 48). Therefore there will be heavier penalties even than those earned by Tyre. Christ says it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judg- ment than for Bethsaida and Chorazin, for the heathen Phcenician cities had not the opportunities that were afforded to the Galilrean towns in which Christ had laboured (Luke x. 13). If London sins like Tyre, London's doom must be greater than Tyre's, for a city of Christendom has privileges which the pagans never enjoyed. II. THE GREATEST DOOM WILL IIE FELT IN CONTRAST TO THE HIGHEST PBOSPEnITY. The fall of Tyre was most appalling because her previous splendour had been most imposing. Dives writhing in agony in Hades arrests attention because he was proviously enjoying the greatest luxury. The contrast is not merely a striking drama.tic effect for the outside observer. It produces the most intense results in the feelings of tho sufferer. We feel by contrast, and the greater the contrast the keener are our feelings. Thus a millionaire brought down to destitution feels the hardships of the poor-house far more acutely than the beggar who has never been accustomed to more sumptuous fare. Souls that have tasted of Christ's grace must suffer more agonies, if they become cast- aways nt last, than souls that have never experienced its blessedness. JU. THE GREATEST DOOM MAY BE AVERTED. These things are written for our instruction-to warn us to flee from the approaching wrath, not to pare.lyze us with hopeless dismay. Tyre was overthrown, and its foundations became drying-grounds for the fisherman's nets exactly ae Ezekiel had predicted (eh. xxvi. 6). The threats of future punishment are equally certain so long as the sin that rouses them remains. But Christ has come to destroy the curse of sin and to free the soul from its doom. It is foolish to seek some faint encouragement from risky nttempte to minimize tho prospect of future punishment, and eo to lull the soul to sleep in its peril. There can be no use in exaggerating the statements of Scripture, nor can there be any wisdom in making the least of them. True wisdom lies in recognizing the unspeakable horror of sin and its doom to the full, and then turning to Christ for deliverance from the sin as much as from its penalties. - Ver. 35.-A great surpriae. All the neighbouring inhabitants are astonished at the terrible and unexpected fate of strong, proud Tyre. The dramatic event sends a shock of amazement through all the region round about. This great surprise is instructive. I. MEN EXPECT THE CUSTOMARY TO CONTINUE. The intellect is conservative. Novelty ie unlooked for. We believe that the future will be like the past for no other re~son than that, o~ the whole, things seem to b11 stable and the course of the world 9i THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET EZEKIEL. [oH, nm. 1-38.