The Pulpit Commentary — Ezekiel — Volume 2 — Section 236

secutions. Then followed the great apostasy. The dark ages marked the triumph of ignorance and cruelty. To-do.y the powers of evil are mighty and exultant. II. Tme TRIUMPH WILL BE REVERRED. It is premature. We have not yet reached the end of the story. The battle is still raging; it is too early for the foe to sing his paians of victory. All along the dark recital of victories of evil there has been th8 alternative picture of Divine deliverance. We make a mistake when we dwell only on the gloomy side of history. God has bPen revealing himself in history. Not only did he save the eight in the ark. He ddivered all Israel from E~ypt. He gav8 Canaan, and he gave restoration from the Captivity. He sent his l:>on to save th8 world. In the darkest hour when Christ hung dying on the cross while evil seemed to be most triumphant, victory was really being won by that very death of the world'a :Saviour. ·we have not seen the end yet. Perhaps we are on the fringe of a great. oontest between the servants of Christ and his foes. But never was the work of Christ more manifest than it is t<rday in Christian activity at home and in the harvest of the mission-field abroad. While the unbeliever exults in what he thinks is the demon- .stration of the falsehood of Christianity and tha.,tJure prospect of its speedy downfall, -there are more earnest active Christians at work than ever there were. lly the grace of God we may trust that, thouih the battle is still fierce, we are moving on to victory under the Captain of our salvllt1on. Vera. 8, 9.-Returning prosperity. L RESTORATION OP CBARACTEB BRINGS A. RETURN OF PBOSl'EBITY. During the absence of the captives in Babylon their land fell into decay. The mountains which had been carefully terraced for vines were neglected, just as they are to-day on the hills about Jerusalem, where rows of stones mark the site of the ancient terraces. Sin ultimately ruins the outer as well as the .inner man, for the prosperity of the wicked is but temporary, and though it may -extend through an indivi,lual lifetime, it must break down during the course of the longer life of a nation. But on the other hand, restoration to God undoes the ruin of the outer life. This too mo.y be a slow process. 'l'he individual man who Las beggared himself with sinful extravagance may never become rich; but the nation that has returned to better ways of living will in time reap the good results of its renovation of character even on earth. When we think not only of external prosperity, but of inward blessedness, the result is seen sooner, and it is found in every indiviuual soul that is pardoned and renewed. No one need despair of his present desolation. llepentance renews the face of the penitent's whole life. II. Tel8 RETURN OF PBOBPEBITY 18 CAUSED BY A RETURN OF Goo. "For beliold I am with you, and I will turn unto you." God had abandoned the guilty land. Therefore a blight had fallen upon it. If God deserts a man, nothiug co.n really prosper with him. He may still coin gold in his business, but it will be a curse to him. When God smiles upon a man's life he brings, not necessarily wealth, but certainly welfare. It would be well for everybody to ask himself-Is my business such that I dare ask God into it? Can I regard my workshop as a temple, or my work as a sacrifice? .For these are the conditions on which true prosperity depends, because they are the ·-0011ditions of God's gracious help. III. THE RETURN OF Gon 18 ACCOMPANIED DY A REVIVAL OF HUMAN ACTIVITY. .,, ,!-,,-n~ ye shall be l~llod and sown." That work will not be done directly by God, nor 'Will it be accomplished by the unseen hands of augel-husbandmen. Men must till -and sow. God's blessing does not dispense with man's labour. Assuredly it is not an excuse for human idleness. On the contrary, it is the inspiration of the highest activity. God blesses by stirring men up to wise and earnest work. St. Paul te.'\ches us th~t God gives the increase arter man's sowing and watering (1 Cor. iii. 6). But ;Ezekiel shows tbo.t God's great work does not only follow man's smo.llor toil; it pre- cedes that toil, ar,d is the spring from which the energy for it proceeds. We are first told that God will turn unto his people, and not till after this is it said, "And ye shall be tilled and sown." This is the happiest way of giving prosperity. If all the glory is God's, still the joy of service is man's. The same is true of spiritual prosperity. U we would reap a harvest in Christian work, we must not only bring it to God and ask his blessing upon it; we must first of all seek his presence in it, that it may be his work from the first. Then he will ho the Inspiratioc of his servo.nt~• o.ctivity, 244 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET EZEKIEL. [c11. xxxv1. 1-38;.