confidence of the house of Israel, bringing iniquity to remembrance" (Revised Version). For that misplaced hope in Egypt was iniquity in the sight of God (see Isa. xxx. 2, 3; xxxi. l; xxxvi. 4, 6). It was a sinful failure to trust in its one true Refuge, and it was a blind and sensuous confidence in mere numbers and military prowess. The" iniquity" to which Egypt would never again tempt the people of God, or even bring to their remembrance, was, as we thus see, an unwarrantable and God-forgetting trust. '\Ve ask-Where do our temptations to this same folly lie, and how are they to be shunned or to ·be defeated ? I. WHERE OUR TEMPTATIONS LIE. We are continually invited to look for our resources or for our refuge in other beings than in God, in other things than in his Word and in his service. 1. In man; in the human counsel which proves to be short-sighted and shallow folly, and not the profound wisdom which it purported to be (see Jer. xvii. 5). 2. In rooney; in that which commands many valuable things (Eccles. x. 19), but which conspicuously fails in the hour of darkest trouble and deepest need, which cannot enlighten the mind, or cleanse the conscience, or heal the heart, or amend the life : it is ill indeed to " trust in uncertain riches" (1 Tim. vi. 17). 3. In numbers; it is a very common delusion that we are right and safe if we have a great majority on our side. But what are all the hosts that man can gather when God is " against " us (ver. 3)? How ofteu in human history have great numbers proved to be utterly vain, and to have done nothing but stamp and signalize defeat? 4. In our own intelligence. The proud of heart say within themselves, "We shall discern the danger, we shall distinguish between the faithful and the false, we shall be able to defeat the enemy and to secure ourselves; others may have failed, but our sagacity will suffice." BL1t they go on their way of false confidence, and they are rudely awakened from their dream (see Prov. iii. 6; Jer. ix. 23, 24). All these false trusts are temptations to us. For they (1) lead us away from the one true source of strength and safety; and they (2) c0n- duct'us to defeat and to disaster. The hour comes when we recognize our folly, and see that we must suffer seriously for our fault. II. How THEY ABE TO BE MET AND MASTERED. 1. Not by attempting to avoid them altogether. 1'hose who have sought to shun all temptation to seek safety or sntisfactiou in lower objects by placing themselves wholly out of their range, have found thnt they have only put themselves within range of other evils, less apparent but more subtle and quite as serious. 2. By a studious and strenuous endeavour to moderate our trust in the human and the material according to iCs worth. But chiefly: 3. By careful and constant cultivation of our trust in the living God, by seeking bis fe.ce, by worshipping in his house, by consulting bis Word, by daily addressing ourselves to hilll in the still hour of private, personal communion.-C. Ver. 21.-Speech, silence, and prophecy. "I will give thee the opening of the mouth." We may be led up to the proper subject of the text by reference to- I. THE GIFT OF SPEECH. We wonder how animals succeed in communicating with one another; that they are supplied with some method of making known aud passing on is unquestionable. But whatever their means may be, they fall very short of the great gift of speech which it is our priceless advantage to possess, So common and so familiar has it become, that we little heed its value or the goodness of God in bestowing it. But when we dwell in thought upon all the difference it bas mnde to human life, and the extent to which it has enriched us, we may well bless God with fervent feeling that he hns given to our race "the opening of the mouth" in speech and in song. How has it multiplied our power to instruct aud enlighten, to warn and save, to comfort and to hen!, to cheer and to gladden, to pray and to praise and to exhort, to prepare for all tbo duty and the burden of life, to make ready for the brighter scenes and ampler si,heres of immortality I And as this is so, (1) bow carefully should we guard, how earnestly pray, how seriously admonish, against its abuse! (2) how studious should we be to make the best and wisest use of this inestimable gift of God I II. THE GRACE OF SILENCE, If there is a great value in "the opening of the mouth," so also is there much virtue in keeping it closed when "only silence suitcth best." To spare the stinging but severe rotort that risc8 to tho lips; to delay the accusation until more knowledge has been gnincd; lo bear without robuke the sound that tries our nerves, but is the delight of others; to rcfuije tu pass on the unproved default ; tu 140 THE BOOK OF TaE PROPHET EZEKIEL. [en. xxx. 1-26.
refrain from the commonplaces of comfort in presence of some fresh, acute, overwhelming sorrow ; to wait our time and our turn until others have spoken who should prece,lo us, or until we have earned the right to sprak; to" be dumb, to open not our mouth" under the chastening hand of God, and to retire into the sanctuary of the inner chamber that we may think and understand ;-this is a true" grace," which they who seek the best in human character and life will not fail to desire and to pursue. III. THE PRIVILEGE OF PROPITEOY, No nobler order of men ever rose and wroucrbt than the Hebrew prophets. 'l'hey were "men that spoke for God," as their na~e indicates they should have been. .And they" opened their mouth" fearlessly, faithfully, even heroically. They were to be found in the front when there was unpalatable truth to be spoken, uninviting duty to be done, serious danger to be dared. They did not shrink from speaking the straightforward truth to the people, the army, the sovereicrn, The Lord "before whom they stood,'' and in whose near presence they felt that they were safe, gave ihem the wisdom to speak and the courage to act. He "gave them the opening of the mouth;" and hence these strong, brave, searching, sometimes scathing, sometimes cheering words, which we still rend in our homes and in our sanctuaries, which still help to form our character and to shape our life. Their true successors are found in those Christian ministers, and in those who do not call them- selves by that name, who "speak for God," and who do speak for him because, like their prototypes, they (1) are enriched by him with knowledge and insight-under- standing of his will and insight into the nature and character of their fellowmen; (2) a.re endowed by him with the power of utterauce-such utterance as constrains attention and secures reflection and emotion ; (3) are impressed, if not oppressed, with an inextinguishable impulse to speak what they have learned of God (Jer. xx. 9; Ps. xx:xix. 3; .Acts iv. 20; 1 Cor, ix. 16).-C.