I\ third of the population of the earth. If out of the number of these were taken the aotual Ohristians, the true believers in Christ, the saintly company would a.ssume smaller dimensions still. This state of matters will no doubt be reversed before the dispensntion ends. Christ "in all things shall have the pre-eminence," and the minority which his followers compose will, during the millennial era, be converted into a vast majority (Isa. xi. 9). Meantime God looks on a small circle of transfigured souls, and says, "You only have I known." 2. It does not follow hu= probabilities. If any single nation was to be made the repository of revealed truth, and the teacher of the other nations, we should have expected one or other of the four universal empires to be chosen for the purpose, rather than a second or third rate power, located in a. circumscribed and excentric spot. Then the typical Jew was, like his ancestor Jacob, a sordid fellow, deficient in the more heroic qualities, and, from the standpoint or the natural, decidedly inferior to his brother the Edomite, or almost any neighbour you would select. The greater readiness with which the Gentiles received the gospel, when it came to them, would seem, moreover, to indicate that they would have responded more worthily to the Divine Old Testament culture than Israel did, if it had pleased God to bring it to bear, It is the same with individuals. Not only does God pass by the rich and great for the humble poor (Jas. ii. 5; 1 Cor. i. 26-28), but he passes by the wise and prudent, and gives the light of his salvation to babes (Matt. xi. 25). It is not the great geniuses of society, but the commonplace average men, who form the circle of the saints. The reasons for this are adequate, but God keeps them to himself. Obvious to reason in many cases, they are not revealed, because in many others they would be above it, and God acts without reasons given, that "no flesh may glory in hie presence." III. IT DOES NOT INEVITABLY PBEVENT BIN IN THE OBJECT 01!' IT. The life of the Hebrews was as a whole above the moral level of the heathen life around them. But still it was far from pure. If we subtracted from Jewish history nil that arises out of sin, and the punishment of it, comparatively little would remain. So little congenial to human natnre is God's service, and so congenial the service of sin, that Israel was perpetually turning aside after the idols of the heathen, whilst in no instance did the heathen ever turn from their idols to God (Jer. ii. 11). And not only does outward religio\18 privilege fail to put an end to the sinful life, it is to some extent the same with inward religious principle. The saint remains a sinner all his days. Grace, like the house of David, is getting stronger with him, and corruption, like the house of Saul, is getting weaker through life. But it is still with him as with the apostle, striving after perfection, yet burdened with a feeling of the surviving power of sin (Phil. iii. 12 ; Rom. vii. 24). IV. IT DOES MAKE THE PUNISHMENT 01!' BIN ON EARTH CERTAIN. " Therefore will I punish you." Sin inside the kingdom necessitates punishment, and will be visited with it promptly. 1. Became it is guiltiest as against God. More has been done to prevent it than in other cases. It is sin against light (Jas. iv. 17; Luke xii 47, 48), against love (2 Cor. v. 14), against favours (Ps. ciii. 2), against restraining grace (1 John iii. 9). In proportion to the strength and number of deterrent influences against which sin is committed must be the strength of our sinful bent, and so the guilt of our wrong-doing. 2. Became it is most hurtful as against his came. The sin of the wicked is natural. It is to be expected from one who consults lust, and serve, the devil. It is done, moreover, from the standpoint of opposition to God, and respon- sibility for it is thus kept outside the spiritual circle. God and his cause are not dishonoured in the eyes of men by what is formally done against them. It is sin by the professedly righteous that brings righteousness into disrepute. Religion is charged with all the evil that is done in its name. The more closely identified wrong-doing ls with the Chiistian name, the more hurtful is it to the Christian cause. Therefore Ohristian sin, in addition to the general reasons, involves punishment for reasons peculiar to itself. If God would have his Churoh a tree for the healing of the nations, he must lop off every unsouad and rotten branch. 3. Became it is most incompatible with tM destiny of the person sinn~n!J, 'l'he ~in of the wicked nee~ not n~essar(ly ~ punis~ed here. It will be amply v1B1ted on him throughout eternity. It 1s qwte m the lme of the man's Iife-oouree that he should suffer the vengeance of etern,J fire. But the 11in of the righteous presents a different aspect. Its commission is the contradiction of 46 THE BOOK OF AMOS. [OH, Ilt, 1-16,
his gracious nature, and its future punishment would bo the oontradiotion of his exalted destiny. It is vital to his well-being that the judgment, inevitable somewhere, should fall here (Ps. lxxxix. 30-83). Only thus can his happy immortality be sofe- guurded. The present destruction of his flesh conditions the saving of his spirit in the day of the Lord Jesus (1 Cor. v. 5).