utterly unbeautiful must it, then, seem in the sight of him who is Love itself! Surely it is one oft.hose things which be is " of purer eyes than to behold," which he re cannot look upon" save with profound aversion. II. ITS HEARTLESSNESS AND DEMORALIZING EFFECT Ul'ON THE AGENTS OF IT. It argues a pitiful inconsiderateness of other people's need, a guilty indifference to the wants and sufferings of other souls. And such cruel carelessness as this is not only a great and. sad evil in itself, a sin and a wrong in itself; it is a hardening, mischief-working course. It indurates the soul, and leads down to such an immoral condition that at last a man's own personal comfort and enlargement are everything to him, and the wants and woes of his brethren and sisters nothing. III. ITS UTTER UN-CHRISTLlKENESS. Can anything be more painfully and com• pletely unlike the spirit and the conduct of Jesus Christ than a selfish struggle for the first place, let who will g0 hungry and thirsty and be driven away? Anything more diametrically opposed to the spirit and contrary to the will of that "Son of man who came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many," it would be difficult to discover. IV. lTs CONDEMNATION AND ITS DOOM. "I will judge between the fat cattle and the lean" (ver. 20). The day will come when we· shall give account of the use we have made of our power. And if then it be found that we have used our horns (ver. 21) to thrust aside our brother from the good he was seeking, in order that we might enjoy it; that we have not used our power to help the needy, to strengthen the weak, to give drink unto the thirsty, to raise them that are bowed down, we may expect the language of condemnation from the Judge of quick and dead (see Matt. xxv. 41- 46).-C. Vers. 23, 24.-0ne greater than 1>avid. Certainly this prophecy finds its fulfilment in the coming of the Messiah. He was to be the "great Shepherd," the "chief Shepherd," the "good Shepherd" of the sheep. He was to be to the people of God all, and very much more than all, that David had been in his time. We have thus before us the persons and the work of David and of his "greater Son." The Son of David excelled his human prototype in- I. THE GOOD PLEASURE HE GAVE TO THE FATHER. David was a man of God's own choice, was "the man after his own heart." But there were times when God's pleasure in him was withdrawn; one time when "the thing that David had done displeased the Lord," and that in no slight degree. But there never was an hour in the life of Jesus Christ when he was not the "beloved Son, in whom the Father was well pleased." IL THE COMPLETENESS OF EIB CHABAOTEB. David's character, all things considered, waB a very fine one; he was a man we can admire. He was brave, generous, affec- tionate, devout; he loved the people over whom he reigned, and strove to serve them well But there were grave defects in his character, showing themselves occasionally in serious mistakes or positive transgreRsions. But the David of Ezckiel's prophecy was One whose character lacked nothing whatever. Each one of his attributes was complemented and completed by its opposite-gentleness by holiness, sensitiveneBB by :firmness, piety by activity, etc. Once, as it has been well said, and only once, the plant of our humanity bore a perfect flower, and that was when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. In him all the elements that go to make up an absolutely perfect human character met and blended. He was the Son of man, "perfect and entire, wanting nothing." "He was holy, harmless, undefiled;" "and in him was no sin;" "in his mouth no guile was found." III. THE GREAT WORK HE WROUGHT. David did a very good work. He welded the twelve tribes of Israel into one strong nation; he defeated and drove away hie country's enemies; he extended the borders of the land and made Jerusalem a praise and Judah a power in the earth; he bound the people in strong bonds to the worship and service of Jehovah; he wrought for the inte!ligence and the morality of the people. That was much; but a large part of it was soon undone by unwise or unworthy succeRsors; the kingdom he formed and strengthened was soon cleft in twain, and before very long it was dissolved. How incomparably great.er is the work that Jesus wrought! 1. He spoke that truth concerning God and mnn and human lif• oa. :u.xv. 1-16.] THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET EZEKIEL. 225
and character which the world will always want to learn. 2. He lived that life of love and purity, of blamelessness and beauty, of piety and sweetness, in which the world will always find its one faultless instance. 3. He endured those sorrows and died that death which constitute the world's redemption. 4. He left behind him a message of mercy, an invitation to eternal life which is the world's great hope and heritage. It is in his gospel that the real fulfilment of the prophet's promises are to be found (vers. 25-30). IV. llis PERSONAL RELATION TO llA.NXIND, David is a very interesting historical character, whose life we like to study; and we are thankful for the privilege of reading and singing his imperishable psalms. But Jesus Christ, apart from the truth he spoke and the example he left us, is himsdf the Divine Saviour in whom we trust, the Divine Friend we love, the Divine Lord we live to serve.-0.