from him, only rendering to him what is his own. If we would measure Christ's claim upon llll, we must be able to tell how great was his condescension in coming to this world, how tremendous was his sacrifice in his death on the cross, and how glorious are the blessings which he bestowa on his people. Ver. 10.-'' Just balances." The princes of Israel are exhorted to govern justly and to be fair in their exaction of taxes. 'fhe older prophets often had occasion to denounce the oppression and robbery of the people by the princes. After the chastisement of the Captivity, the restored people should be well treated by a better order of princes. But when the rulers set an example of using just balances, the people may be required to follow. I. COMMERCIAL HONESTY IS A PRIMARY CHRISTIAN DUTY, It is possible to represent the spirituality of religipn as so extremely ethereal that it has no contact with ,the commonplace facts of daily life. There is a subtle temptation to antinomian ism in the highest pretensions of holiness. But the scriptural view of religion keeps it in close relations with plain every-day morality. The saintliness that is too refined to condescend to questions of truth and honesty is pure hypocrisy. The Christian should be first just and true; let him then add whatever other graces he may attain to. Bnt to neglect these duties is to leave the most fundamental parts of morality unestablished_ The airy pinnacles of rapturous devotion that shoot up so high in the heavens rest on an. insecure foundation when these essential duties are neglected. JI. THIS DUTY 1B SIIAMEFULLY NEGLECTED BY PROFESSEDLY CHRISTIAN PEOPLE, In some quarters there seems to be a tacit understanding that it is impossible to be quite true and straightforward. A certain amount of laxity is said to be permitted by " the custom of the trade." This evil is glaringly apparent in regard to those goods that are exported to foreign nations. The worthless shoddy and the sized calico that wealthy English firms send abroad advertise to the world the hypocrisy of English Christianity. It is hard for the missionary to urge the heathen to embrace the gospel when the merchant offers to them these things as specimens of its products. It is vain to urge that competition is so fierce as to make an honest course ruiuous to those who would pursue it. It is better to be a bankrupt than to be a thief. But experience shows that dishonest trading does not pay in the long run. Its character is certain to be dis- covered, and then confidence is destroyed and the trade checked. On the other hand, there R.re well-known houses that have grown rich and prosperous on their ~ertained fairness in supplying good wares by honest measures. III. DISHONESTY MINGLED WITH FALSEHOOD 1B DOUBLY WI0KED, This is the case where incorrect measures are used. The measures are intended to represent a certain standard, of which they come short. 'fhere is the pretence of giving good measure. 'l'his is worse than the offering of a short quantity without the show of testing it. 'l'he highwayman who meets a man openly and demands his purse is no hypocrite. But the business man who uses false measures is passing himself off as honest while he is acting as a thief. The shame of lying is added to the crimo of stealing. There is an abuse of confidence, for the well-known measure is supposed to represent a certain. quantity. The deceitfulness of this conduct utterly degrades the miserable man who fattens for a while on its ill-gotten gains, only to reap in the end certain ruin in. the next world, if not in this.
Vere. 18-15.-Systematic giving. Very elaborate regulations were drawn up to determine the several proportionate gifts of various kinds which were to be made by the Ismelites. These regulations were after the manner of the times, and in accordance with the spirit of the Jewish Law. A larger f•~d.u..u. appertains to the Christian era, and we are not now required to make our offerings according to any definite proportion fixed for us by authority. But we are not therefore to conclude that there is to be no system or method in our giving for Christian or charitable objects. We are left to make our own system. No one is to say what his brother should do. But each is responsible to his Mnster to do what he feels to be right. 'fhus St. Paul says, "Let evory one of you lay by him iu store ns God bath prospered him" (1 Cor. xvi. 2). I. SYSTEM.A.TIO GIVING IS LESS DIFFICULT THAN IRREGULAR GIVING. People who live up to if not beyond their incomes find it impossible to spare any considemble amount 420 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET EZEKIEL. [ou. XL\r, 1-26.