II. MANY A C'HRil'TIAN CauROH. Delivere,l from worldliness, from VBnity, from .-iC'll, in the first instanc11, many a Church hae cherishe<l tho cruel demon of persecution, or the evil domon of pride, or the dangerous demon of fom1Rlity, And it proves to be herder t-0 a\\·eken the sinful Church, living under its Lord's condemnation, to a new repentance and a revival of reli~inus eF1rn11atDAss, th:rn it wns at first to conduct it into his king<lom. Its last state is Iese hopeful than the first. III. MANY A BUMAN l'OUL. l. Men go a very long way in tho direction of heavenly wisdom. 'l'hcy listen, they understand, they feel, they purpose, they pray, they proft.es, they preach or teach Divine truth to others, they conform their conduct to the rcqnir0- ments of the Word of God. 2. In this good course t.hey are arrested, and they return on their way. Theirdcvote<lnese slack<'nB; their habits of worship become less regular; their habits of life b,•come less scrupulous; the "spirit of their mind" grows secular, and indeed profane; they fall out of the rnnke of the earn~st, and, at last, even of the reverent; pcrbnps they descend to the unworth~·, n,,d eveu to the criminal. Not literally, but met1Lpho1ically speaking, there are "evil spirits" in thein. 'l'hey "arc gone away backward." 3. Thus returning, they have almost hopelessly separated them- selves from Christ; tbe "last state ol that man is worse than the first" (see Heb. vi. -i--6). Not that renewal is absolutely" impossible," but it is so spiritually difficult and ao exceedingly rare that it mny be said to be morally impossible. You cannot restore elasticity t-0 the spring that has been overbent. You cannot make pungent again the aalt that has lost its savour. You cannot infuse new force iuto truths which an emasculating- familiarity bas deprived of their virtue and their interest. Far more hopeless is the condition of the human soul that has drifted away from Christ than the one that has never heard of his Name or never been impressed with his claims. 'l'here- fore whnt? (1) Let the Christian teacher see that his work is deep as well as broad; that the roots of sacred conviction are well plauted in the soil; let him not be satisfied with his "converts" when they only manifest feeling; let him be assiduous in his attention., earnest in his prayer, until he is well assured that the soul for whom he is watching (Heb. xiii. 17) has yielded himself, fully and whole-heartedly, to the Lord his Sa dour. (2) Let the Christian disciple be on bis guard; let him "watch and pray" lest he come un<ier the power of some insidious temptation, lest he "lose that whic_h he has wrought," lest the powers and principles that are from God and that have entered and touched his soul should depart from him, lest evil influences that are from beneath should take possession of him; for in that sad event he will be in a far worse spir1tua.l state, more hopeless and pitiable, than if he had uever heard the voice of Christ, and never risen at his calL-C.
V ers. 31, 82.-0hrist and Solomon. It is one of the strong arguments in favour of our Lord's Divinity that, while there was that about him which made him free to claim for himself the attribute of mc'ekness (Matt. xi. 29), and which saved him from the charge of immodesty, yet was there in him a wonderful and wholly exceptional conscioUBneBS of greatness. On appealing to his own consciousness, be found himself 1mterior in existence to Abraham (John viii. 58); greatP.r (of more consequence to the nation) than the very temple itself, that object of boun<lless veneration (Matt. xii. 6); living in heaven even while dwelling on the earth (John iii. 13) ; associated in the most intimate way possible and (to us) inconceivable with the Divine Father (John v. 19; vi 46; x. 30); wiser and worthier than the "wise man" himself (text). It may not be surprising that Oue claimin~ t-0 be a Propl,et should believe himse~f to be superior in worth and work to Jonah; tor there was nothrng remarkably great either in the moral character or in the professional course of that erratic prophet. Bnt in respect to Solomon? It may be said that only One who could claim to be b;ghes\. among the highest was entitled to say, "I am greater than he." But the actual superiority of Christ to Solomon is apparent enough if we consi<ler- L 'l'HE DIGNITY OF HIS PERSON. 'l'he Son of David was great, as such; bnt nothing in comparison with the Son of God. 'l'he King of Israel was great, as such ; but ,,otbing when compared with the Prince of peace, with him " who sitteth on the throne" of heaven. II. THE CBARAcn:n OF me w1sno111. SolomQn wae very learned in the know!Pdge of hie age (1 h ings iv_ 29-34); he was also very skilled in the intellectual cou0ic11 en. u. 1-5·1.) TIIE GOSPEL ACCOilDT~G TO ST. LUKE.
of his time (1 KinzA x.); he hail➔ moreover, 11 very keen diAcernment of the w11ys Rncl wnntM nnd weaknesses of human nature (Proverbs). And he had (what Je~us Christ hnd not) an acquaintance, gained hy his own experience, of the hollowness of earthly greatness, of the pitiful consequences of human folly. But the wisdom of Christ w11s the wi8dom of God. For such he had, and such indeed he was. He was " the Truth " (John xiv. 6); he was" the Wisdom of God" (1 Cor. i. 24, 30). H~ knew and tanght mankind, as Solomon could not do, tha nature and the will of God (eh. x. 22); the cnpacitics and the possibilities of mnn (John ii. 25); the way home to God (Jolm xiv. 6); the secret of spiritual triumph (Matt. x. 39); the glory and the sbame awaiting the faithful and the unfaitbl'ul in the future (Matt. xxv.). Ill. THE BEAUTY AND EXCELLENCY OF ms T.IFE. Beginning admirably (1 Kinus iii. 6), and continuing well for a season, Solomon gave way to dan·,erous luxury, to selfish and exacting legislation, 11nd at last to moral corruption (l Kings xi. 1-10). The surpassing beauty of the chA.racter of Jesus Christ became more m!lnifest as his hfe continuecl, and it culminated in a supreme act of self-sacrifice wl,ich is the crownin"' 0 glory of his life. IV. 'l'HE GLORY 01!1' 1118 CAREER. Solomon's career began in hrilfotnce, It remainc,l bright for many years; but its light wane,! as his character declined, and it was con- clude,! in sombre shndows. The career of Jesus Uhrist began iu lowliest obscurity, it continued in strur;gle and in sorrow for a while; but it hasrisen into the light, it becomes ever more blessed as his influence grows ever wider and deeper; it will nnt be complete until all the kingdoms of the earth are in su hjection to his holy will. 1. A re we wise in the wisdom of Christ? 2. Are we the subjects of his benignant rule ?-C.