that requires the punishment of the unrighteous (Exod. xxxiv. 7). So long as men perei!!t in sin, they must remain under the wrath of God. Sinniug and punishment. an, inseparable, Till sinners "see God's Name" by recognizing its meaning and. learning that they can honour it by nothing but a renunciation of sin, the voice of the rod must be heard even through the ages of eternity.-E. S. P. Vers. 6-8.-Man'B yearning for his Maker, The prophet supposes that his earnesl appeals have had some effect-that the people are stirred from their senselessness, and I\I'e beginning to feel after God. Overwhelmed with a consciousness of sin, they dare not approach him as they are. Their hesitation and their self-communing are like those of the prodigal in the far country when he came to himself, The sense of distance between the finite and the infinite, between the sin-stained and the holy, is oppressive and painful, and it finds expression in the words of our text. I. THE Airxrous INQUIBY. "Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God?" Whether men wish to do so or not, they are boUild by the inexorable laws of God to appear before him. They may come as sinners, casting themselves upon his mercy, as David and the publican came; but they must come, on. the last great day, as responsible creatures, to give an accollllt of the deeds done in the, body, whether they are good or bad. It is not as a race, or oven as families, that; judgment will be received by men, but by each in his individual capacity. Hence the- wise man asks himself," Wherewith shall I come before the Lord? " 1. This impliea belie/ in a personal God. There is no conception here or elsewhere in Scripture of the world being ruled by an impersonal Power, by a tendency which makes for righteousness. Such theories are in the long run destructive of the sense of personal accountability, and therefore fatal to the basis on which moral law rests. 2. This implies conviction. of sin. Else why this nameless dread, and this notion of sin offering? It matters not how it is aroused, whether by tender touches of Divine love or by fervid appeals by inspired messengers; nor is it of consequence whether the sins were those of omission or of commission ; but in some form, and by some means, a sense of sin is aroused in most men by the power of the Holy Spirit, whose office it is to •• convince the world 0f sin, of righteousne.ss, and of a judgment to come." 3. This implies willingness to make. some ,acrifice. Even the heathen have had the innate consciousness that without. the shedding of blood there is no remission. The Jews had a divinely ordained and. most elaborate system of sacrifice, which kept this idea before their minds, in all th& changeful conditions of life. But they were taught that it was not these outward and visible offerings which atoned for sin. "Thou desirest not sacrifice, else would I give it," etc. "Lebanon is not sufficient to burn," etc. " The sacrifices of God aro a.. broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, 0 God, thou wilt not despise." IL TBE SATISFACTORY ANSWER. With ever-increasing fulness it came, until at last the voice of the Lord Jesus was heard saying," I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." 1. Ohrist Jesw has offered an atonement. for us. " Once, in the end of the world, he hath appeared to put away sin by the sacri- fice of himself." He has not repealed the moral law; he has not abolished the neces- sity for means of moral culture; he has not quenched the Divine wrath; but he has. revealed (not created) the Divine purpose, and has commended (not purchased) the Divine love. "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners,. Christ died for us." 2. (Jhrist JU'UB h<u brought God near to w. In him God is manifest in the flesh. "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father." (1) By 11eeing him we can Uilderstaud what God is. The unseen power which pulsates through this boundless universe is too vast for our appreciation; but revealed in the Lord Jesus, we know him to be a Person, speaking to us in wisdom and love. (2) Through Jesus. we know that God is love. He inspires hope and trust in those who are alienated and afraid. A display of Divine glory would terrify us ; but we are encouraged to draw· near ey One who appeared as the Babe of Bethlehem, as the patient Teacher of the· disciples, as the gracious Friend of the sinful and distressed. 3. Ohrist Jesus attracts us to God. Arousing gratitude and confidence, he is the great magnet of human hearts. " And I, U I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me." Ill. THE Drvn.'E REQUIREMENT. "He hath showed thee, 0 man, what is good; &nd what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and·, Oil, VI, 1-16.] THE BOOK OF MICAH. 101
to walk humbly with thy God." This is not required as a means of our justifica- tion, but ae an evidence of it. It does not exclude the work of Christ, but presup. poses it. But, on the other hand, it effectually refutes the notion that the ele<'t can live as they list. They are only " predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son." 1. "To do justly" involves the discharge of fairly demanded duties both towards God and towards man. We are unjust in our dealings with God when we withhold time and wealth and influence which we are able to devote to him. We are unjust as servants when we render mere eye-service; unjust a.a employers when we look only "on our own things." Buyers and sellers, statesmen and diplomatists, need all hearken to this law. 2. " To love mercy" is to go beyond the strict rights which others may clnim of us in the exercise of generosity and pity. "Blessed is he that considereth the poor,n etc.; "If thine enrmy hunger, feed him." 3. "To walk humbly with God," implies fellowship, constant and real. Reverence and seriousness in the treatment of the Divine revelation; consciousness of the infinitude of truth, and our incapacity to grasp it; lowly submission to our Father's will, when it is contrary to our own wishes; snd steadfast progress in the Christian life, as we walk hand-in-hand with him, are all involved iD walking humbly with our God. •• Walking in reverence Humbly with thee, Yet from all abject fear Lovingly free ; E'en as a friend with friend, Cheered to the journey's end, Walking with thee."