ISRAEL.

"And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, What is the vine-tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the forest? Shall wood be taken thereof to do any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon? Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire devoureth both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burnt. Is it

meet for any work? Behold,

when it was whole, it was meet for no work: how much less shall it be meet yet for any work, when the fire hath devoured it, and it is burned? Therefore thus saith the Lord God, As the vine-tree among the trees of the forest, which have given to the fire for fuel, so will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will set my face against them; they shall go out from one fire, and another fire shall devour them: and ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I set my face against them. And I will make the land desolate, be

cause they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord God."-Ezek. xv. 1-8.

THE subject of this chapter is the incorrigible depravity of the Hebrew people, including both the men of Israel and of Judah. They had defeated the ends of their high calling, and exposed themselves to the righteous judgments of Heaven. The following chapter exhibits the same subject at greater length, and in more minute detail. This chapter, which is our text, is a parabolic representation of the Jewish people. From it we infer three general truths.

I. THAT GOD HAS PLACED SOME SECTIONS OF THE HUMAN RACE UNDER SPECIAL CULTURE. Their conditionis analogous to that of the "vine" planted in a suitable soil, well-guarded

and seduously trained. First: This was the case with the Jews. They are frequently compared to the vine. (Deut. xxxii. 32; Isa. i.; Psa. lxxx.; Jer. ii. 21.) Secondly: This is the case with Christendom. Thirdly: This is especially the case with Great Britain.

We infer

II. That those sections of the race under special culture ARE, WHETHER FRUITFUL OR UNFRUITFUL, WIDELY DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL OTHERS.

Whether they prove fruitful or unfruitful they are distinguished. First: If fruitful, they are distinguished by valuableness. They are a "vine"-a tree producing rich clusters of choicest and most delicious fruit,-fruit which yieldeth wine to "cheer the heart of God and man." What on earth is of higher value than a godly life? "The price of religion is above rubies," &c. Secondly: If unfruitful, they are distinguished by worthlessness. "What is the vine-tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the forest? Shall wood be taken thereof to do any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon? Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire devoureth both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burned. Is it

meet for any work?" The description here given of the "vine" as being burnt at two ends, and its middle on flame, represents the state of the Jewish people at this moment. Ten of their tribes had been carried away into Syria, and the other two were in distress, and exposed to danger. Unless the "vine" produce grapes it is more worthless than most other trees of the forest. You cannot manufacture furniture out of it, construct ships, or build houses; unless it grows grapes it is fit for nothing but the fire. If the Jews were not religious, they were contemptible as compared with other nations. In antiquity of origin, extent of territory, abundance of resources, attainments in arts and sciences, they were not to be compared with Egypt, Ethiopia, and Babylon. Babylon. If professors of religion are not fruitful in good works, they are the most worthless men in society. We infer

III. That the distinction between those under special culture and those who are not IS RECOGNISED AND RETRI

BUTED BY GOD. God sees the difference between the fruitful and unfruitful vine, and between the unfruitful vine and the other trees of the forest. And God marks the difference in his

judgment. "Therefore, thus saith the Lord God; As the vine-tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will set my face against them; they shall go out from one fire, and another fire shall devour them; and ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I set my face against them. And I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord God." This menace had a terrible fulfilment in the history of the Jews. The doom, however, that befell them is but a faint picture of the doom that awaits a godless professor. "Every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand," &c.-Matt. vii. 26-27.

GOD THE HABITATION OF

SOULS.

"Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort."-Psa. lxxi. 3.

THIS is a very brief but very significant prayer. It implies two things:

I. A SENSE OF THE SOUL'S NEED. The soul needs a "habitation." It is a homeless wanderer. First, it wants a

home for protection. It requires a protector from the scorching of the sun, from the fury of the storm, from the assaults of the enemy. How exposed is a guilty soul! Secondly, it wants a home for comfort. Home is the scene of comfort. But the guilty soul is comfortless. It lacks the comforts of nourishment, shelter, society, &c. Thirdly, it wants a home for settledness. It is a restless wanderer. It is wearied of its pilgrimage. It craves for a settlement. The prayer implies,

II. A FAITH IN GOD'S SUFFICIENCY. God is just the "habitation" which the soul wants, affording security, comfort, and permanent residence. First, God is an accessible habitation. The doors of infinite love are ever open to welcome all who come. This habitation is ever near to us. Secondly, God is a secure habitation. Those who are in Him are safe from all dangers and all foes. "God is our refuge and strength." Thirdly, God is a blessed habitution. In Him is found infinitely more than all we want to perfect us in everlasting bliss. Fourthly, God is an enduring habitation. "The eternal God is our refuge," &c. Return, O prodigal, to thy Father's house.

TWO ASTOUNDING EVILS.

"Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the Lord. For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. Jer. ii. 12, 13.

In this chapter, Jeremiah is charged to remind the Jews of their metropolis, of the consecration with which they had served Jehovah in the early part of their history, and the consequent protection which they enjoyed. Jehovah then appeals to them in a most forcible way, as to whether any reason for dissatisfaction in his service had been found in Him, and whether, on the contrary, He had not loaded them with his benefits. He then describes their base ingratitude, and denounces punishment. The text implies that their conduct was so unexampled in wickedness that it was fitted to fill the universe with absolute consternation. "Be astonished, O ye heavens," &c. The two astounding evils at which the heavens are to be "amazed and horrified," are a departure from the true source of blessedness and a fruitless toil for worthless enjoyments. The former involves the latter-for to forsake God is to plunge into futile endeavours after happiness. To forsake God does not,

of course, mean departure from his presence, that is, utterly impossible; nor an exit from his rule, that is equally impossible; but it means an apostacy of heart, a moral alienation of soul. Now, these two evils in men are most astounding. They are enough to fill the universe with consternation. "Be astonished, O ye heavens," &c. This is a noble instance of bold and impassioned prosopopeia similar expressions. we have elsewhere. (Isa. i 2; also Deut. xxxii. 1.) It is language that expresses feelings of immeasurable

depth and burning intensity. There are three things in the perpetration of these two evils that may well fill the universe with amazement.

I. THE FORCE OF HUMAN FREEDOM. Is not man's power to break away from the eternal Fountain of his being truly wonderful? The mightiest rivers cannot break away from their source, nor the greatest planets from their centre, but man has the power to break away from the Centre and Fountain of his being. God deals with his moral creatures according to the principles of freedom with which He has endowed them. He does not bind them by force to Himself. They are left free to stand or fall.