No fragrance breathes around; But with thee even grief is gladness, The heart its home he.th fonnd." Ver. 8.-17.e Divine response to the cry of humanity. "He hath showed thee, O man, what is good." "Who will show us any good?" (Ps. iv. 6) is the cry of humanitv, and bas been its reiterated inquiry all through the ages of the world's history. • And not only has mau ceaselessly raised the question, but he has sought its solution, and has thus fa.lien into errors, which are corrected by the response God has given to this aspiration of the human spirit. We turn, in our darkness, to hie unerring Word, and we find light shed upon this otherwise dark problem. L ]T COB.BECTS THE NOTION THAT "GOOD ,,_18 TO BE SOtJGBT AND FOtJND m MATERIAL TllINGS BY BBOWillG THAT IT 18 TO BE OBTAmED ALONE BY THE SPIRIT RESTING IN Goo. Il. IT COBBECTS THE NOTION THAT "GOOD" lllAY BE OBTAINED BY EXTERNAL OBSEBVA.NCEll A.ND 6ACBIFICES, BY SHOWING THAT IT DEPENDS tJPON THE STATE OF THE BEABT, .AND LIEB m OBEDIENCE AND BELF-StJBBENDEB TO THE DIVINE WILL. III. IT CORRECTS THE NOTION THAT "GOOD" 18 THE MONOPOLY OF ANY OLA.SB OB NATION, BY Al'PEALING TO llAB AS JUN. "He bath showed thee, 0 man, what is good." Ver. 8.-True piety: its dear delineaticn. "And what doth the Lord require of thee" etc.? L' To "oo JtJSTLY," He requires that recUtude and uprightness should characterize us in all our relationships. We are not to oppress or defraud. We are not to seek to -damage the reputation of another, or by word or deed to endeavour to lessen the good -opinion which bas been formed respecting him. 'l'he golden rule is to be acted upon, and we "do unto others as we would that they should do unto us." IT. To "LOVE MEBOY." There are two ideas here-that of forgiveness, and that of compassion. Mercy is forgiveness towards the erring and benevolence towards the tried; over both the sinful and the suffering she spreads her wing. 'Ibis quality is truly royal in its character, "Sweet mercy is nobility's true badge," It ill indeed flH. VI, 1-!6.] THE BOOK OF MICAH. 93-
God-lilrn and Divine, and cannot be exercised without securing to us real happiness. "It is twice blessed," etc. It is well for men to be upright towa1ds their fellow-men, to "do jusUy;" but let this be joined to "loving mercy," we seeking thus to smooth each other's path through life. We respect the man whose conduct is regulated in· accordance with strict justice; but we can love the man who rises higher than this, and who, whilst doing that which is just, is also large-hearted and generous. III. To "WALK HUMBLY WITH THY Goo." To walk with God is to make it our :fixed purpose and determination to live to him; to devote ourselves to his service. To walk with God is to acknowledge him as our Sovereign and our Father; to set him over before us; to live a life of hallowed communion with him; to make his glory the great object and end of life; to seek to do only those things which are well- pleasing in his sight. To walk with God is to have our mind and will brought into subjection to his; to strive to do all he would have us do and to be all he would have us be; to endeavour more and more to resemble him,and to have taken from us what- ever in us is contrary unto him. To walk with God is to love him; to rejoice in hi:1 presence; to feel ourselves attracted tow:irds him; to value nothing more than his favour; to deprecate nothing more than his displeasure. To wallt with God is to have him dwelling continually in our hearts; ever to seek his approval; ever to make it the great business of life to glorify and to honour him. And in all this true humility is to mark us as we think of his greatn~ss and our own littleness and unworthiness. True piety thus covers the whole range of human duty; it embraces our duty towards God and towards our fellow-men. 'l'he fulfilment of this is "required" of us, and in such obedience lies the evidence that we are the possessors of sincere and vital godliness. Ver. 8.-7roe piety: its ezalted character. "And what doth the Lord require of thee," etc.? The standard God has set up for human conduct is very high. His law covers the whole range of man's relationships, and demands lofty attainments. Note-- I. PIETY AS DEFINED IN THE TEXT IS VERY EXALTED IN ITS NATURE. See this : 1. In its eminently practical character. It is to enter into all the concerns of our daily life. It does not ignore the emotional in man, but it insists upon holy feeling being transmuted into holy service to God and to man. 2. In its 'being synonymous with morality. The distinction often drawn between "a religious man" and "a moral man" has no recognition here. God's Law has two tables-the one having reference to our obligations to God, anrl the other to our duties to man ; and, correctly speaking, the term "morality " can only be applied to those who are endeavouring to heed both these requirements, and he has no claim to it who regards only one of thee tables, and that the lesser, and who virtually excludes God from his own Law. And the converse is also true. Aa there can be no true morality apart from piety, so also there can be no true piety apart from morality; in other words, that these cannot practically be separated. Profession and life m•1st go together, and be in harmony; it is the union of religion and morality that constitutes the life of true and vital godliness. II. THE CONTElll.PLATION OF THIS EXALTED NATURE OF TRUE PIETY IS CALCULATEI> TO EXERT A DEPRESSING INFLUENCE UPON OUB HEARTS. When we reflect upon the Divine requirement in the light of our own actions and conduct, we feel how infinitely and painfully short we have fallen below what we ought to have been. The standard set up is so lofty that we fear we shall never reach it. "It is high, we cannot attaia unto it," we cry, and almost feel despairing and hopeless. Ill. BUT WITHAL THERE ABE GLORIOUS ENCOURAGEMENTS. 1. ThB Divine purpose. What encouragement ·lies in the thought that he who has revealed this- perfect Law for human conduct, and who has the hearts of nll men at his own disposal,. will not rest until by the power of his grace and Spirit he has so touched and elevated the life of man as th:it the ideal shall become actual, and the race be delivered, fully and for ever, from guilt and sin. 2. The obedienc1J of Christ. In accordance with- this Divine purpose, God gave his own Son, and the Christ appeared amongst men. Think of the life he live<l, and how complete a transcript of the Divine Law it was! And whilst he exemplified that Law in his life, in bis voluntary surrender to the stroke of death as a sacrifice for human guilt he put lasting honour upon it. By that memorable death he declared silently the purity of the Divine Law, and attested the .righteousness of the penalty attached to its violation. It has been truly said that.. TllE BOOK OF MICAH. [OH. VI. 1-llJ.,