Vere. 8, 9.-" The garden of God." "The garden of God," standing, as it does, fD'I the ideal region in which man in bis perfection was placed when God was" well pleased with "him, may be takeq RB a picture of human society itself as it once was for boweve1 brief a period, and as it shall be again when the purposes of the Redeemer are fulfilled. I. A REGION ABOUNDING IN FRUITFULNESS. In the first garden of God there grew every tree that was "good for food." The ideal state of human society is one in which all conceivable fruitfulness will be found; there will be ready for the hand of the Husbandman the fruits of faith, of devotion, of love, of sacred joy, of helpfulness, of calm contentment, of happy and unquestioning obedience. From all hearts and lives these fair fruits will spring. II. A SCENE OF EXQUISITE BEAUTY, " The garden of God" must be, quite independently of all reference to Eden, a place of perfect beauty. Its trees and shrubs, its herbs and flowers, its lawns and paths must together present the appearance of perfect pleasantness to the eye. Such should, such (one day) shall our human societies, our communities, and our Churches be; they will be scenes where there is every form of human loveliness. There must be no unnatw·al monotony. As in our gardens we like to have vegetation of every possible variety of size and shape and hue, so in " the garden of God" shall there be every manifestation of moral worth, of spiritual beauty. One will not say to another, "There is no need of your particular excellence;" but each will rejoice in the manifold graces which are to be seen on every hand. III. THE SPHERE OF HAPPY CULTURE. Our first parents were placed in Eden" to dress it and to keep H." Even "the garden of God" requires attention, planting, culture. So, certainly, does the most refined and Christianized human society. There may be much knowledge and there may be excellent habits within it, but it will always need careful and diligent culture-much seed-sowir:.g; some weeding; some pruning and occasional transplanting. We may leam: I. That it is better to be the humblest herb in the garden of God than the stateliest cedar outside it; better be utterly obscure in the right place than very prominent in the wrong one. 2. That each particular flower in the garden of God lends its own fragrance to the air; the garden would not be complete without it. 3. That not only does it behove us to be as a flower in the garden of God, but it also befits us to be as a gardener extending the grounds, or planting or tending within its bounds.-O. Vers. 10-18.-.The spectacle of fallen greatness. This very benutiful parable is suggestive of many things. The latter verses of the chapter bring the Divine meaning into full view. By the fact of the prophecy itself, we are reminded of- I. THE DELUSION TO WBIOll GREATNESS IS BUBJEOT; viz. that of imagining that it is invulnerable ancl irremovable. The strong kingdom snys, "What power will touch me to hurt me? " The strong man says, "What misfortune will overto.ke, what enemy will prevail against me?" (see Ps. xlix. 11 ). It is in the very nature of human exaltntion to become foolishly assured of its own security, and to defy the assaults of time and change. II. THE PREGNANT LESSON OF HISTORY. Egypt was now to learn of Assyria; to consider how surpnssingly great she hnd been in her prime (vers. 1-9), and to reflect upon the utter humiliation to which she had been condemned in tho retributive pro- vidonce of God. We may now learn of Egypt herself, to whom this lesson was addressed, nnd also of Macedonia, of Greece, of Rome, of Spain, etc., that n nation may tower high and far above the others, like this parabolic cedar (ver. 5) above the trees of the garden, and yet be discrowned, be levelled to the very dust. And not only the lofty nation, but the ancient family, the proud dynasty, the titled and wealthy individual. III. THE PENALTY OF UNRIGHTEOUSNESS, It is certain that no kingdom or" power" of any kind will very long outlive its purity, its virtue, its simplicity. Two things determine its doom. 1. God will punish its pride (see ve1·s. 10, 11, 18). 2. Iniquity begets strife, folly, inward corruption, weakness; and this must end, in time, in diswitor and ruin. The seeds of death are already sown when power, either in the aggregate or in the individual man, gives way to iniquity. Without any extraordinary means, by God letting his righteous laws do their constant work, such a one is" driven away for his wickedness" (ver. 11). And the end of evil is nakedness and desertion, emptiness and misery (vor, 12). Incidental truths are here portrayed, viz.- 166 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET EZEKIEL. [orr. xxxn.1-32.
; IV. THE Ul\'llELIABLENESS OF BUMAN PROPS, Ver. 12, "All the people of tho land have gone from his shade, and have left him." Thero are noble souls that will cleave to the sinking cause or to the failing man just because it is sinking, because he is failing. But their name is not legion ; these are not the rule, but the exception. When the day of decadence comes, and the hour when the house is likely to fall, then expect those who have lived in the shadow of it to leave it to its fate. Nay, there will be found many of those who in the day of its strength enjoyed its hospitality that on the night of its adversity wili find themselves comfortable seats upon its ruins (ver.13). We have another trace of- Y. THE DEPTH TO WHICH GREATNESS WILL DESCEND m BECOMING THE OBJECT OF GENERAL COM.PASSION. (Ver.15.) Once it was the province of the great power to pity the necessitous and to stretch forth its strong hand of help and healing; now it lies prostrate and is itself the object of universal commiseration. " And none so poor to do it reverence." 1. Let human greatness beware. It is high and uplifted in the sight of men; but beware lest its heart be lifted up in arrogance and in self-confidence; for, if that be so, or if it be allowing evil to creep into any cracks of its walls, it will call down the condemnation of Heaven, and, in time, it will meet its doom. Where other prostrate powers lie, where the humblest and commonest are stretched, " in the midst of the children of men," "delivered to death" (ver. 14), there shall it also be found, down and dishononred. 2. Let the holy humble-hearted be filled with a wise content- 'IIUnt. How much better than the greatness which is humiliated is the lowliness which is blessed and crowned !-blessed with the benediction of God and man, crowned with the glory to which righteousness conducts and in which it ends.-C.