ehipp<>rs in lying delusions, in entire oontraet question expressing astonishment. Vul• to Jehovah wbo is Truth. From some varia- gate, Numquid ip86 docern pote1-it 1 The tion in reading the LXX. gives, </)a.v'l'<1<Tl11v LXX. paraphrases, 1<11l 4/,.,.J ,,,..,., ,p11vT11<Tia. ,j,£u5ij, and Jerome, " imaginem fa.Isam" "and itself is a phantasy." It is le.id, (oomp. Jer. x. 14). Trusteth therein. The over. ''It" is again emphatic, as if pointed prophet derides the folly which supposes at with the finger. Hence tho Vulgate, that the irlol hll!I powers deniL>d to the man Ec,-,e istc coopertuB est; and Henclerson, whn made it (Isa. xxix. 16). Dumb idols; "There it is, overlaid," eto. The wooden literally, dumb nothings. So 1 Cor. xii. 2, figure was encased in gold or silver plntee •16wi\a -ra l'upwva ( comp. I Cor. x. 19; Ps. (see Isa. xl. 19; Dan. iii. 1). oxv. 5, etc.). There is a paronomasia in the Ver. 20.-The prophet contre.ste the Hebrew, elilim illemim. majesty of Jehovah with these dumb e.nd Yer. 19.-The prophet now denounces lifeless idols. B:is holy temple. Not the the folly of the maker and worshipper of shrine at Jerusalem, but hee.ven itself (see idols. With this and the following verses Pe. xi. 4, and note on Micah i. 2). Let e.11 compare the taunts in Isa. xliv. 9-20. the earth keep silenoe before him. Like The wood. From which he carves the image. subjects in the presence of their king, Awake! Come to my help, as good men awaiting hie judgment e.nd the issue to pray t,o the living God (oomp. Ps. xxxv. 23; which e.11 these things tend (comp. ver. 14; xliv. 23; Isa. Ii. 9). Arise, it shlill teaoh ! Ps. lxxvi. 8, elo.; Zeph. i. 7; Zech. ii. 13). The Hebrew is better rendered, Arise! it Septuagint, E/JJ\11{J£i<T6"' d1rd 1rpo<Td,1rou 11,J.,.ov, lead,! i.e. shall this teach ?-an emphatic .,,.,.,J\., "Let e.11 the ee.rth fee.r before him."
HOMILETICS. Vera. 1--3.-The prophet upon his watch-tower. I. THE OUT-LOOKING PROPHET. (Ver. 1.) Having spread out before Jehovah his complaint, Habakkuk, determined to stand upon his watch-tower or station himself upon his fortress, and to look forth to see what Jehovah would speak within him, and what reply in consequence he should give to his own complaint. The words indicate the frame of mind to be cherished and the course of conduct to be pursued by him who would hold communion with and obtain communications from God. There must be: 1. Holy resolution. No soul can come to speaking terms with God without personal effort. Certe.inly God may speak to men who make no efforts to obtain from him either e. hearing or an a.newer, but in general those only find God who seek him with the whole heart (Ps. cxix. 2). Prophets frequently received revelations which they had not sought (Gen. xii. 7; Exod. iii. 2; xxiv. 1; Isa. vi. 1; Ezek. i. 1; Dan. vii. 1), but as often the Divine co=unications were imparted in answer to specific seeking (Gen. xv. 13 ; Exod. :xxxiii.18; Dan. ix. 2; Acts x. 9) In the same way may God discover himself, disclose his truth, and di&- pense hie grace to individuals, as he did to Saul of Tarsus (Acts ix. 1-6), without their previous exertions to procure such distinguished favours ; but in religion, as in other matters, it is the hand of the diligent that maketh rich (2 Pet. i. 10). 2. Spiri- tual elevation. He who would commune with God must, ·like Habakkuk, "stand upon his watch-tower, and station himself upon bis fortress," not literally and bodily, but fi<Turatively and spiritually. It is not necessary to suppose that Habakknk went up to "any st.eep and lofty place in order the better to withdraw himself from the noise and bustle of the world, and the more easily to fix his mind on heavenly things and direct his soul's eye Godward. Abraham certainly was on the summit of Moriah when Jehovah appeared to him; Moses was called up to the top of Sinai to meet with God (Exod. xxiv. 1; x.xxiv. 2); Jehovah revealed himself to Elijah upon the mount of Horeb (1 Kings xiL 11); Balaam went to "an high place" to look out for a revelation from God (Numb. xxiii. 3); the disciples were on the crest of Hermon when Christ we.s transfigured before them (Matt. xvii. 1); and even Christ himself spent whole nights in pray~r with God among the hills (~ohn vi. 16~. Local ~lev~tion and corporeal isolation may be usefully employed to aid the heart m abstractmg itself from mundane things ; yet this only is the elevation and isolation that brings the soul in contact with God (Matt. vi. 6). When David prayed he retired into the inner chamber of Lis heart (Ps. xix. 14; xlix. 3) and lifted up his soul to God (Ps. xxv. 1). 3. Con- fident expectation. Habakkuk believed that his prayers and complaints would not. on. u. 1-20.J THE BOOK OF :IABAKKUK. 29