HOMILETICS . . Ver. 1.-Tlie value of t'/1£ Divine Word. The prophet gives us no intimation of the time when he wrote, nor of the tribe to which he belonged, nor of the family of which h~ ~a.s _a mem~r; he merely mentions the name of his father, probably for sake of d1stmgu1sh1ng himself from others of the eame name. 1. He is mainly occupied with the solemnity of the message which he had received, and the source whence it ea.me; nor yet does be inform us of the mode in which the mesea.ge reached him-whether by an audible voice, or vision by day or dream by night, Information of thie kind might gratify curiosity, but would not tend to edification. -Certain he was that the word came from God, and he hastens to assure those whom he addressed of the same. 2. God speaks to us in many ways. Ven.. 2---4_-,A retro,pect and a prospect. The former was sufficiently gloomy, the latter might prove ealutary in its tendency. The oldest are challenged to look back on the past and recall all the years that had been, and then say if they could find any parallel for the disast.ers of the calamitous time through which they had just passed or were passing. The prophet did not need to name or specify the calamity; somewhat indefinitely or abruptly he asks," Bath tM, been in your days, or even in the days of your fathen?" He knew well that the thought then uppermost in every heart. was the calamity that had pressed so sorely, or was probably still pressing upon them. L THE DUTY OF OOJiUlEKOBATION IB TAUGHT us HERE. Why should a tale so doleful be put upon record and transmitted to children and children's children, that is, grand- children (for which there ill DO corresponding word in Hebrew), and onward still to great-grandchildren, and from them yet forward to another generation? We can easily understand why the memory of God's mercies should be kept up ; but why keep a record of miseries so crushing and cruel? Obviously not for the p □ rposo of distressing posterity. The object, there ca.n be no reason to doubt, was to perpetuate a standing memorial of those great and grievous calamities, in order by such memorial to eet up a solemn warning againBt the great and heinous sins that had entailed those calamities. II. THE DESPICABLE TJIINGB THAT PBOVIDENCE HAY MAKE THE MEANS OJI' DEBTRUO- TION. These locusts-" gnawer," "licker," "devourer "-whether different speoies of locusts, or different stages of their development, or merely poetical epithets rhetorically to characterize the destructive procell888 or modes of operation, were weak and mean in.Btrument&lities by themselves and in their individual capacity. Vere. 6-8.-Tlie le,,om taught by thi,1 calamity. The lessons which God intended to teach hiB people by the calamitoWI events here recorded are solemn as salutary. Among them may be reckoned the ends for which they were sent, the alarming extent of them, and the effects produced. L THE DDS OF THE CBUBWNG OALAKITY THEN PBE88ING ON THE PEOPLE OJI' JUDAH, 1. It was designed to rouse them out of their 11inful slumber. Previou11 intimation11 of Divine diaplt,811UJ'e had failed. Now God speaks to them in a way whlch they oould 110 longer mi.stake or withstand. 2. He bad spoken to them by the word of his (m, I. 1-20.J TBE BOOK OF ,JOEL.
prophets, now he apeake to them by the rod of hie wrath. 3. The nn.ture or their aulTeringe remind them of the nature of their eine, filling them with remorse, not eo much, If at all, becall88 of their sine, but because they ere debarred the indulgence of thoBe sins. Their r~gretfulneee arises from their beaetting sine becoming impoeeible to them. II. THE EXTENT OF THE CALAMITY. 111. 'l'm~ BIJ'l!'EOTB ABE PARTICULARIZED. The effects 311 here detailed prove the extremity of the dietreee. Every green thing perished before this terrible locust army of invasion; every succulent herb wae devoured by them; then the trees were attacked -their fruitage, their sheltering leafage, their branchee, their bark. No wonder they are again called on, both in their individual and national capacity, to mourn, and lamen- tation behoved to be of the most sincere and sorrowful kind. When God's judgments are abroad in the earth men learn righteonsne811. Vere. 9-l8.-1Vu! calamity ha, fal'len upon all, and therefore the wai1 of woe pro- ceeds from all. All claeeee are summoned to this sorrowful work; no office in the state ie exempt; things animate and inanimate; priests and people-the Lord's prieste who ministered at the altar, and the people to whom they minietereil ; the whole land and the fields into which it wae partitioned; the tillers of the soil and the dressers of the vine. L POVERTY TENDS TO THE DECAY OF PIETY. As a rule neither the depth of penury nor the height of prosperity is favourable to religion; in the one case corroding carett, in the other worldly pleasures, interpose between the soul and God. II. THE BLIGHT 1s BROUGHT BY SIN. The blessing of God makes rich, the smile of God makes all things joyful. III. 'fHE UNCERTAINTY OIJ' WORLDLY PLEASURES SHOULD LEAD HEN TO BEEK SPIRITUAL ENJOYMENT. On the kindly fruits of the earth rich and poor were, as they still are, alike dependent. While the rich could afford the finest of the wheat, and the poor had to content themselves with such bread as barley yielded, both alike derived their support from the bounteous earth. They had looked forward for their supply from the harvest of the earth as usual without any dread or apprehension. 1. The pleasantest period of the year became the most painful. 2. The joy of harvest may be withheld, and all joy of an earthly kind or from an earthly source may be withered from the sons of men; but there are spiritual joys which no accidents, as men call them, can touch. a. The children of God are independent of worldly pleasures. IV. DuTms ENJOINED. In times of emergency the duties of humiliation, fasting, and prayer are properly enjoined, and should be rightly observed. 1. The persowi that are called on to lead the we.y in discharging such duties are the ministers of religion; as sharers in the common calamity, as having ha.d a share iu the sins tha.t occasioned it, above all because of their prominent position ae teachers and guides of the people in sacred things, they are bound to take a principal and prominent part in public humilia- tion, penitence, and prayer. 2. The first duty at such times is confession of sin; to this duty they are to address themselves at once, girding themselves for it. 3. With this full confession of sin with the lips, there must be real contrition of heart; of this the outward sign and symbol, as usual, in the East was clothing the body in Backcloth. While contrition without confession is defective, confeseion without contrition is hypocritical. 4. Nor is this grief for sin confined to the daytime; it extends into the night-watches.