nppoaled to reason. The maker of anything must of necessity be greater than that which he fBSWone with hie own hunds and as the result of his own skill; hence what greater absurdity could there be than for the maker of a dumb idol to be reposing his trust in the thing he hae formed (ver. 18)? 3. He denounced the idol priests, who, by using dumb idols ns their instrument, made these "teachers of lies" (ver. 18). 4. He declared the hopeledeness resulting from reposing trust in these. "Woe unto him I" etc. (ver. 19). 6. He indulged in scornful satire (ver. 19). 'l'his verse may be fittingly compared with Elijah's irony of speech addressed on Carmel to the prophets of Baal (1 Kings xviii. 27). The verse is more effectively rendered in the Revised Version- "Woe unto him that eaith to the wood, Awake! To tho dumb stone, Arise I Shall thie teach I Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver: And there is no breath at all in the midst of it." The weakness and folly of idolatry as practised in heathen lands is readily admitted by us; yet we are prone to forget that the idolatrous spirit may prevail even amongst those who are encompassed by influences eminently spiritual. Love of the resthetical may lead us to become sensuous rather than spiritual in worship. Attachment to science may cause us to slight the supernatural and to deify nature. Desire for worldly success may result in our bowing down in the temple of Mammon; so that the counsel is still needed, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols" (1 John v. 21). II. HIS PRESENTATION OF JEHOVAH AS BEING SUPREME A!,!D AS ALONE ENTITLED TO THE REVERENT HOMAGE OF HUMAN HEARTS. "But the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him." 1. The contrast presented here is truly sublime. From impotent idols the seer raises his thoughts and directs attention to the living God. 2. The temple in Jerusalem was the recognized dwelliog-place of God. The prophet saw looming in the distance the invasion of his country by the idolatrous Chaldeans, followed by the destruction of the temple and the desecration of all he held so sacred in association with it. Still he was assured that through all the coming changes Jehovah would remain the Supreme Ruler and Controller. U neon fined to temples made with hands, their overthrow could not affect his rule. "His throno is in the heavens;" he reigns there ; and fills heaven and earth, dominating the universe, and guiding and overruling all to the accomplishment of his all-wise and loving purposes. "The Lord is in his holy temple." 3. Our true position as his servants is that of reverentially waiting before him, acquiescing in his will, trusting in his Word, assured that, despite the prevailing mysteries, the end shall reveal his wisdom and his love. He says to us, "Be still, and know that I am God." Then let no murmuring word be spoken, even when clouds and darkness seem to be round about him; tho processes of his working are hidden from our weak view, but the issue is sure to vindicate the unerring wisdom and infinite graciousness of his rule. Happy the man who is led from doubt to faith, wbo, like this seer, beginning with the complaint, "0 Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear!" etc. (eh. i. 2), is led through calm reflection and hallowed communion to cherish the conviction that "the Lord is in his holy temple, and that all the earth should keep silence before him."-S. D. H.
Vers. 1-3.-Man's moral mission to the world. "I will stand upon my watch, and Rot me upon the tower, and' will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I 11hall answer when I am reproved. And the Lord answered me, and said, Write th~ vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie : though it tarry, wait. for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry." The prophet, after his eupplicatory cry, receives a Divine command to write the oracle in plain characters, because it was certain, although it would not be immediately fulfilled. The first verse is a kind of monologue. The prophet holds conversation with himself; and he resolves to ascend his watch-tower, and look out for a Divine revelation. It is thought by many critics that the watch-tower is not to be regarded as something external, some lofty place commanding an extensive view and profound silence, but the recesses of his own mind, into which he would withdraw himself by devout contemplation. I shall 42 THE BOOK OF HABAKKUK. [oH. II. 1-20,