ite Go<l, It hos done so in millions of inetancee, it is doing so and will continue to do eo until the present abominations shall be unknown amongst the race. II. THA'l' WHATEVER ENORMITIES THEY PERPETRATE, THEY ARE EVERMORE INBTRU- :MENTB IN THE HANDS OF THE WORLD'S GREAT RUT.ER, The period in which these abominations wero enacted is in the text called the "day of the Lord," and he is represented ae calling the Gentile armies to the work. "I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the honses rifled, and the women ravished." If we are to particularize the predicted destruction, and are not sotisfied with figurative explanation, we may look to the conquest under Titus, as in some sort fulfilling the announcement. Rome at this time was the mistress of the world, and the army of Titus, who besieged and sacked the holy city, was composed of soldiers of all the ,nations. These all moved freely, unconscious of any Divine restraint; still they were but the "sword" of justice in his hand-mere instruments. God in his retributive procedure punishes the bad by the bad. In this case: 1. No injustice is done. The men of Jerusalem deserved their fate. They" filled np the measure of their iniquity." So it was of old with the Canaanites, who were exter- minated by Joshua and bis triumphant hosts-the aborigines deserved what they received. Joshua was but the sword of justice. No injustice therefore is done. 2. There is no infringement of free agency. Good men might revolt from inflicting euch enormities upon their fellow-creatures, but it is according to the wish of bad men. They go to it freely. It is the gratification of their malign nature. This is God's retributive method, to punish the bad by the bad. Thus he makes the very wrath of bad men to praise him. Ill. THAT ALTHOUGH.._THEY ARE BUT INSTRUMENTS IN THE HANDS OF THE WORLD'S RULER, HE WILL PUNISH THEM FOR ALL TREIB DEEDS OF ENORUITY. "Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle." That is, for example, be will fight against Rome, the instrument with which he inflicted just punishment upon the sinners at Jerusalem. By successive irruptions of the barbarous tribes of the north, the glory of Rome was extinguished, and its end hastened. Where is the justice of punishing men whom he employs to execute his own will? Two facts will answer this question. 1. What they did was ess1J11tiaUy bad. Murder, plunder, rapine, etc., were all violations of his great moral laws, and repugnant to his holy nature. 2. What they did was in accord with their OW'n wills. He never inspired them nor constrained them. They were free, and because they committed crimes of their own free accord, eternal justico required their punishment. Of the Divine government, the justice cried, "Awake, 0 sword I " ; CoNCLUSION, Do not let the abominations of war and the outrages on jnstice, tru•.iJ, and humanity, which are rife in this country of ours, shake our faith in God. "The Lord reigneth ; let the earth rejoice;" "The Lord sitteth upon the flood."-D. T.
Vers. 4, 6.-God in relation to a suffering world. "And his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall cleavi, in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley," etc. The men in Jerusalem were in great suffering and imminent peril, and here is a figurative representation of the Almighty in relation to them. I. HE OBSERVES THEIR TERRIBLE CONDITION. " And his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east." On this Mount of Olives Jesus often stood, and from it he commanded a view of the holy city; ou one occasion, from its brow, he beheld the city, and wept over it on account of its approaching doom. But the idea suggested here is that God observes men in all their calamities and dangers. His eye is on them. Re watches them with the interest of a Father. 'l'liis is especial,ly the case with his people. We are assured that bis eye is ever upon the righteous. Job said, "He knoweth the way that I take." Let us remember, in tlur greatest trials and sufferings, that he stands on the Mount of Olives. In stand- ing there : 1. He sees what we have to endure. 2. He sees how we behave O'ltrselues i"n our condition, whether under our afflictions we are trustful, patient, and submissive, or otherwise; whether in our perils we are ma.king an effort to escape. How comforting it is to feel that the eye of a tender, compassionate Father is ever on us, iu a.11 ot,r 168 THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH. to1t Xl:V. 1-21.