called Egypt. But this is but an evident instance of what is true in less conspicuous ways. All great things, all new things, all things that exist, come from God. They spring from God, and they depend on him. 1. In nature. God is the Creator and l'reserver of nature. He not only made the stone that the sculptor chisels; he mado the laws of matter and the fundamental principles of art along which the sculptor must work. National greatness largely depends on geographical and otherphysical conditions of Divine creation, 2, In providence, God is still in the world, ruling it according to his own thought for his own great purposes. He overrules the government of kings. In private life he helps one on to prosperity, and sends another needful adversity through those turns of events, those conjunctions of circumstances, which the wisest cannot foresee and which the ablest cannot modify. a. In grace. For the higher good of life spiritual attainments are necessary. Without these attainments Fra Angelico could not have painted his beautiful angels, Milton could not have written his grand epics, Luther could not have wrought his Titanic revolution. God's inward grace makes souls and characters good and great. IIT. .Avorn THE BIN OF THE PRIDE OF CREATION. This pride is positively wicked. It robs God of his rightful honour. It is distinctly ungrateful. Indeed, it is atheistic; and practical atheism of this character is far worse morally than the intellectual atheism that denies the being of God as a proposition in academic diicussions. Such a sinful pride destroys a man's sense of dependence, his remembrance of obligations, his consciousness of responsibility, that admission of his own littleness which is necessary for humility as well as that feeling of God's greatness and goodness which is at the root of religion. Vers. 14-16.-The meag1·e restoration of Egypt. I. GoD BAB MEROY ON THE HEATHEN. Egypt is to be conquered by Nebuchadnezzar; but in course of time the Chaldean yoke shall be broken off its neck and Egypt shall be restored to national existence. There is here a promise somewhat similar to that which the prophets repeatedly gave in God's name to the Jews. Now, this promise is offered to a heathen people. God is not only the Judge of the heathen; he is also their Saviour. He does not deal only in one way with any people. He cannot confine his relations with any to one side of his nature. He must be ever himself, his true and whole self. But the judicial, and that only in condemning to punishment, by no means includes the whole nature of God. God is essentially love. Therefore whenever God is dealing with any of his creatures, since he is always true to his nature and approaches them in the totality of bis character, he must come in love, though at :first this love may be hidden behind the clouds of wrath and judgment. In the gospel God shows his mercy to the heathen. Christ came because of God's love for the whole world. It is now the desire of Christ that his gospel should be preached to every creature. II. THERE ARE IRREPARABLE LOSSES WHICH ABE BROUGHT ABOUT BY SIN. The proud pre-eminence of the empire of the Pharaohs was never recovered, The restored Pharaohs were feeble shadows of their awful predecessors. Cambyses the Persian king asked and received the daughter of one of them, not as a wife, but in the lower rank of a concubine. To the present day Egypt has been a weak and dependent nation. Ezekiel predicts that it shall be the "basest of the kingdoms." 1. The temporal consequences of sin are unavoidable. Repentance does not bring back the spendthrift's squandered fortune. A shattered constitution cannot be restored to sound health. 2. Without a return to God the worst consequences of sin must continue, There is a striking differ- ence between the predictions of the glorious restoration of Israel and this prophecy of the meagre and uninviting restoration of Egypt. The conditions of the two peoples were very different. Israel humbled herself and returned in faith and devotion to God. Egypt remained a heathen nation, and as far ns we know underwent no moral reforma- tion. God was still merciful to her, but she could not reap the full blessings of restoration. We must believe that the heathen will be ju<lged according to their light, and certainly not be punished for being heathen when they have no opportunity of knowing the truth. But the fact remains that while they lie sunken in morn.I corruption they cannot be also enjoying the heavenly blessedness of the pure in heart. Ill. IT IS WELL THAT FALSE GROUNDS OF CONFIDENCE SHOULD B!l EXPOSED. In EZEKIEL-II. B: 130 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET EZEKIEL. [en. xx1x. 1-21.
the past the Jews continually hankered arter the Egyptian alliance. 'l'hey will do so no longer. "Egypt shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel." 1. When the nature of false hopetJ is exposed we are driven to the tn.ahfor our refuge. No longer going down to Egypt for help, restored Israel will know that God is the Lord, and learn to t.rust him better. God wins us by disillusioning us. 2. The ruin of false hopes is a perpetual warning. Egypt is not to be swept to permanent destruction like Tyre, on whose rocks the fishermen are to hani;: their nets. She is to continue in existence, but no longer as a rulir.g nation. Thus Israel will have the spectacle of her neighbour's humiliation perpeLually bringing her own iniquity to remembrance. Ruins are a melancholy sight ; but they are an instructive one. It is well to study the sadder lessons of history.