HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vere. 1-3.-Moab's brutality avenged. It is natural for the mind to lay hold upon and to retain in memory some one out of many characteristics of a nation, some one out of many incidents of a war. The one thing that is remembered is representative of many things that are forgotten. So is it with Amos's treatment of the sins of the surrounding nations, Several of these are characterized by some special quality. In the case before us in this passage an incident of malignant brutality is mentioned, not as standing alone, but evidently as a sample of the conduct of which the children of Lot bad been guilty, and which was about to bring down upon them the wrath of Heaven. I. IBBEVERENOE AND INSULT OFFERED TO THE DEAD INDIOATE A BABE AND ABANDONED DISPOSITION. We know nothing of the circumstance here referred to. The Moo.bites had made war upon the Edomites; had conquered them, had captured their king, and had slain him, and then consumed hie bones with fire. This last action must be judged by the standard of the habits and feelings of the time. In some nations and at some periods cremation bas been regarded as an honourable mode of disposing of dead bodies. In the time of the prophet, and among the Hebrews and their neighbours, it was held in detestation. No greater insult, no more horrible evidence of brutality, was possible, The dead are always considered, by civilized and religious communities, as entitled to tender and reverential treatment. Especially those who believe in a future life are bound to support their creed by treating a dead body as something better than a carcase. The instnnce of irreverence here recorded was aggravated by the fact that it was a. king whose body was thus treated. War is in itself bad enough; but savage brutality renders war still worse. II. DIVINE 'PROVIDENOE VISITS BBUTALITY WITH APPROPRIATE RETBIBUTION. L War, with all its accompanying horrors, is the doom of the savage slaughterers. They that take the sword perish by the sword. The measure they mete is measured to them again. Z. In this retribution the great suffer equally with the multitude. They who insult their neighbours' kings may suffer in the person of their own mighty ones. Fire devours the palaces as well as the cottages, and the judges and princes are cut off and slain along with the meanest of the subjects. The Lord is King and Judge, and be will not allow those nations always to prosper which violate hie Law and defy his autbority.-T.
Ver. 4.-The privileged but faithless. The vreceding denunciations refer to the Idolatrous nations by whom the chosen people were surrounded. But the impartiality of the prophet is apparent from bis condemnation of his own kindred. .Amos came from Tekoah, a city of Judah, and, inijtructed by the righteous Ruler of all, he did not; spare bis own tribe. !. 'l'HE TRANSGRESSION OF JUDAH WAS AGGRAVATED BY THEll POSSESSION AND THEIR NEGLECT OF THE DIVINE LAW, From the days of the desert wanderings the Jewish people had enjoyed the unspeakable privilege of possessing the laws of Moses, which were the laws of Jehovah. .A treasure of incomparable value should have been highly esteemed and diligently used. That there were those to whom the Law was as 11 fine gold," as II honey and the hwi.eycomb,'' cannot be questioned, But the people as 86 THE BOOK OF AMOS. [on. n. 1-18.