upon the foundo.tion of the old structure of cedo.r wood o.nd gold, o.nd to glorify the old which seventy yeo.rs before had perished in the going down of their no.tion before the might of Bo.bylon, so does it seem to be o. tendency in humo.n nature to exalt the past 11.nd to depress the present, to extol the men o.nd institutions, the characteristics and occurrences of other days at the expense of the present, even when there is as little ground for doing so as there wo.s for the depreciatory remarks of the builders. It is not difficult to o.ccount for either this laudation of the past or this disparagement of the present. On the one hand, lapse of years allows the memory of past discomforts, irrita- tions, deficiencies, imperfections, blemishes, to fade away, while present evils obtrude themselves upon the notice and press upon the hearts of the passing generation ; on the other hand, the present is too near for its peculiar excellences to be rightly gauged, while the glories of the past, like distant mountains, shine out with augmented splendour. Yet the verdict which prefers the past to the present is incorrect (Eccles. vii. 10). Unless the world is a hopelessly bad world, which it is not (Rom. viii. 20), and the grace of God that bringeth salvation is effete, which is not the mind of Scripture (Titus ii. 11); unless the predictions of the Word of God are to be falsified (Isa. xi. 9; Ho.b. ii. 14; Rev. xi. 15), which cannot be (Isa. Iv. 11; Matt. xxiv. 35), and the aspirations of .good men's hearts are to be disappointed, which would be clean contrary to what God has led them to expect (Ps. cxlv. 19) ;-there can be little doubt tho.t the world is o.nd must be surely but slowly becoming better. "For I doubt not through the ages one increasing purpose nms; And the thoughts of men are widened by the process of the suns." (Tennyson.) To the widening of the thoughts add the purifying of the hearts a.nd the elevation of the lives of men. Ill AN EXHORTATION-to earnest diligence in discharge of present duty. "Yet now be strong, 0 Zerubbabel, saith the Lord," etc. The duty of the builders was to prosecute the work in which they were engaged, the erection of the temple, even though the temple should be inferior to its predecessor, and the circumstances for its erection less favourable than had been those for the construction of the former- perhaps all the more their duty on that account. So were the present age inferior to the ages which had gone before, the same duty would be incumbent on all ranks and classes-the duty, viz. of working with eo.rnest diligence at one's daily calling, "the trivial round, the common task," if assigned by God, and more especially at the upbuilding of God's spiritual temple in the individual soul and in the world at large. Without this the present age cannot grow better than the past,and is certain to grow worse. IV. A CONSOLATION-in the guaranteed fellowship of God. Jehovah would be with them-always, of course, conditionally if they continued with him (2 Chron. xv. 2). 1. Not merely externally, as through his immanent presence he is with all, but internally, by his Spirit o.biding amongst them as o. community, and in their hearts as individuals, as he still does in the midst of his Church and in the sonls of believers, when these remain true to him, no matter how degenerate the age may be in which their lot is co.at. 2. Not now for the first time, but as he had ever been since the day when they came forth from Egypt ; without which, indeed, they had never become a no.tion having access to Jehovah through their priests and sacrifices, and receiving from him revelations and spirituo.l quickenings through the medium of their prophets (Heb. i. 1); and without which they could not now be prospered in their undertaking. God's Spirit is the secret source and ultimo.ta cause of all good in either Church or nation. 3. Not of constraint, but willingly, according to his own covenant engage- mentR, which are never imposed on him by any of his creatures, but always freely proposed and executed by himself-whence they are rightly styled covenants of grace. It is the existence of such a covenant that guarantees the indestructibility and perpetuity of tho Christian Church. 4. Not as an unseen presence only, but as an actively co-operating power, imparting to them strength for their work as well as bold- ness in it (see homily on eh. i. 13, 14), both of which would be theirs in proportion M they realized the cheering truth that they were fellow-labourers with God. In It!te manner also, and for similar ends o.nd purposes, is Christ, by his Spirit, present with )lia Church (Matt. uviil. 20; John xiv. 6). 26 THE BOOK OF BAGGn, [oR. n. l--23.
L_Eesoi-.-s. l. The inheri~noe -of the past a cauee of th~kf1.1lnesa. 2. The imper- fect10ns of the present a st1rnulue to duty. 3. The glorious times of the future e. reason for cheerfulness and hope.