The Pulpit Commentary — Ezekiel — Volume 2 — Section 193

is the birth of right and honest feeling towards God. Whether our past feelings and actions have been wrong by way of omission or by way of guilty commission, the whole sin, greater or less, will be candidly confessed. Repentance does not consist in exoessive grief, but in genuine turning-a complete change of mind. The repentant man opens his mind to the light. He allows the light of truth to enter every part of his nature. He yields to the light. He follows the light. He submits his thought, his choice, his will, his life, to God his King. He welcomes the indwelling and the inworking of the Holy Spirit. Righteousness is gradually wrought into the warp and woof of his nature, and so he becomes the righteousness of God through his Spirit. VI. Go»'s COUNSELS ADVOCATING REPENTANCE ABE PROOFS OF HIS COMPASSION. Full well God knows that the possession of perfect righteousness is the noblest possession any man can acquire, and that this righteousness must begin in sincere and thoroue;h repentance. We have a thousand proofs of God's compassion towards the erring children of men. We have them especially in the gift of his only Son, and in the gift of his Divine Spirit. But the crowning proof of his compassion is in stooping to plead with men's prejudices and pride. He remonstrates and entreats as if he were the party about to be benefited. Such self-forgetful love was never seen before on earth. It is distinctive of our redeeming God. And when he succeeds, and the human heart relents, then a new wave of joy rolls through the realm of heaven. "There is joy in the presence of the angels of God."-D. Vere. 21-29.-Right, not might, the foundation of stable t:mpire. The shortest path to gaining empire over men seems to be might, or might conjoined with cunning. But "things are not what they seem." The throne whose foundations have been well and slowly laid will attain to greater permanence. The oak that has been rooting itself for a hundreu years will resist many a howling tempest. Things unseen are ,the things that endure. I. WE RAVE AN INSTANCE OF DIVINE CHASTISEMENT UNHEEDED. "The city 'lS smitten." The city of which they had been so proud, the city which had seemed aa impregnable stronghold, was captured by the invader. Their honoured sanctuary was levelled to the ground. Precious lives were sacrificed. Their honour was trampled in the dust. Judah's sceptre was broken. It had been long time announced thnt this would be the outcome of Jehovah's anger, and now the warning had been completely verified. If this painful event did not afflict their souls as an unmistakable chastise- ment for sin, then nothing would. The tree that remains fruitless, after skilful and severe pruning, is hopelessly barren. Affliction not converted into blessing becomes a great disaster. Black clouds that dissolve not in rain become magazines of thunder- bolts. II. AN INSTANCE OF FALLACIOUS REASONING. Although their numbers were deci- mated by war, they discovered that they were yet more in number than when Abraham dwelt in the lcmd. He was in a minority of one, yet his posterity attained possession. These, his degenerate progeny, were still a strong body compared with solitnry Abraham. Therefore their case was not utterly forlorn. True, they had been defeated, driven back, pressed into the barren hills and wastes of the land, yet they could still muster a thousand or two. 'l'his was enough to regain a conquest. Their confidence was in numbers-in themselves. "We are mnny; the IRnd is given ns." III. THE IMPORTANT ELEMENT OMITTED. The vital omission was this, that Abrah11111 had God at his back, and all the resources of heaven ror his defence; they had set God against them as their foe, and all the forces of righteousness were leagued for their overthrow. Their banners were stained with vice and crime. They had forsaken God, and had sought unto idols. No marvel, then, that God hod forsaken them. Violence, adultery, sensuality, and murder cried to Heaven:for vengeance, and did not cry in vain. The pleasures of sin had blinded their eyes to the real facts of the case. 'l'hey had forgotten that God had declared himself the Arbiter in the field of war, and a moment's reflection would have convinced them that God was with their adversary. The white escutcheon of their father Abraham had been by them basely defiled; and the worst feature was this-they perceived it not. IV. .AN INSTANCE OF JUDICIAi, VISI'l'ATIO::S-. The great Judge of men had pronounced his verdict, and all their boastful expectations were reversed. Over against their boast,  200 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET EZEKIEL. [oH, XXXIII, 1-33.