Part 5 (1/2)

PART III

It is alell for the Christian to be able to give a calm and decided answer to the objection which infidelity is sure to offer to the actings of divine governe of all the earth do right?” If the creature is to be allowed to judge the Creator, there is an end of all government in the vast universe of God Hence, e hearto decide what is or what is not fit for God to do, this grand prelie?” Is e man? If the former, there is no God at all; and if the latter, then man has to bow his head in reverent silence, and own his utter ignorance and folly

The fact is, if er be man, but God What contenorant, short-sighted mortal to attempt to pronounce an opinion upon the profound overnment! His opinion is not only utterly worthless, but, in the judgment of every truly piousinsult offered to the throne, to the nature and to the character of God, for which he will, h the blood of the cross

The foregoing line of thought has suggested itself in connection with the sole round of the apparent severity of the judgment; to institute a comparison between the offence and the punish involved in their father's sin

To all this we sie?” If any one thinks he is, it is tantaovern the world, but should give place to man This is the real root of the whole ether, and set up man in His place If God is to be God, then, overnment, the mysteries of His providence, His purposes, His counsels and His judgreatest huel, man nor devil can comprehend Deity Let norant and contee of Job when his eyes were opened: ”Then Job answered the Lord, and said, I know that Thou canst do everything, and that no thought can be withholden froe? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not Hear, I beseech Thee, and I will speak: I will demand of Thee, and declare Thou unto Me I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seeth Thee: wherefore I abhor ets into this attitude, there is an end of all infidel questions Till then there is little use in discussion

Let us now turn for a few moments to contemplate the solemn scene in the valley of Achor; and let us res ritten aforeti” May we learn to watch with holy jealousy the incipient workings of evil in our hearts

It is on these overnhty, and powerful: ”My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto Him; and tell me nohat thou hast done; hide it not frolory to Jehovah, God of Israel” All hinges upon this The Lord's glory is the one perfect standard by which all is to be judged--the perfect gauge by which everything is to be measured--the perfect touchstone by which all is to be tried The one great question for the people of God in all ages and in all dispensations is this: _What is suited to the glory of God?_ In comparison with this, all other questions are less than secondary It is not a question of what is suitable to us, or e can tolerate or agree with This is a very minor consideration indeed

What we have ever to look to, and think of, and provide for, is the glory of God We have to ask ourselves the question, in reference to everything that colory of God?” If not, let us, by His grace, fling it aside

Well would it have been for Achan had he thought of this when his eye rested on the cursed treasure! What misery it would have saved him!

What sorrow and trouble it would have saved his brethren! But, alas, alas, people forget all this when lust dims the eye and vanity and folly possess the heart! and onward they go until the heavy judg God overtakes thenorant presuination, one like theht of sin and tolerate all sorts of evil The God of the Bible, the God of Christianity, the God of the Cross, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, does not suit such infidel reasoners Their deep heart-utterance to Hie of Thy ways”

”And Achan said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: when I saw aarold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it”

Here the dark, defiling stream is traced up to its source in the heart of this unhappyon hiress of this , naratification of his covetousness He _saw_, he _coveted_, he _took_, he _hid_; and there, no doubt, he thought the matter would end He would have his treasure, and no one would be the wiser

But, ah, the eye of Jehovah, the God of Israel, was upon hi is hidden, which penetrates the depths of the hus of human action Yes, God saw it all, and He would make Israel see it, and Achan also Hence the lamentable defeat at Ai, and all that followed

How perfectly solemn!--the whole assembly involved in shameful defeat and disaster--Joshua and the elders of Israel, with rent garments and dust upon their heads, prostrate on their faces froe and rebuke! the solemn muster of the hosts of Israel, tribe by tribe, family by family, household by household, man by man!

And why all this? Just to trace the evil to its source, bring it out, and have it judged in the sight of every creature All created intelligence must be made to see and confess that the throne of God can have no fellowshi+p with evil The same power that had leveled the walls of Jericho, and executed judguilty inhabitants, was to befrom the very depths of his convicted heart the confession of his terrible guilt He, in coe, ”And ye, in any wise keep yourselves fro, lest ye , and make”--not merely any one individual's tent, but--”_the camp of Israel_ a curse, and trouble it But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the Lord: they shall come into the treasury of the Lord”

All this was plain enough No one could mistake it It only needed an attentive ear and an obedient heart It was as plain as the commandment delivered to Adam and Eve aressed the plain and positive coht not sin against God, he traratify his sinful desires

He fixed his covetous gaze upon the accursed thing, in itself nothing but a wretched pile of dust, but, through Satan's power and Achan's erring heart, turned into an occasion of sin, shame, and sorrow

O reader, how sad, how sorrowful, how terrible a thing it is to allow the poor heart to go after the wretched things of this world! What are they all worth? If we could have all the garold and silver that ever issued from the mines of Peru, California, and Australia; all the pearls and dias, princes and nobles of this world--could they give us one hour's true happiness? Could they send a single ray of heavenly light into the soul? Could they impart to us one moment's pure, spiritual enjoyment? Not they In themselves they are but perishable dust, and when used of Satan a positive curse, radation Not all the riches and material comforts which this world could offer are worth one hour's holy communion with our heavenly Father and our precious Saviour Why should we covet this world's wretched wealth? Our God will supply all our need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus Is not this enough? Why should we put ourselves within the range of Satan's power by setting our hearts upon the riches, honors, or pleasures, of a world which is ruled by the archenemy of God and of our souls? Hoell it would have been for Achan had he rested content hat the God of Israel had given hiht have been had he been satisfied with the furniture of his tent, the sood conscience!

But he was not; and hence the appalling scene in the valley of Achor, the record of which is enough to strike terror into the stoutest heart ”So Joshua sent ers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it And they took theht them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the Lord

And Joshua, and _all Israel_ with hiarhters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble thee this day And _all Israel_ stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned thereat heap of stones unto this day So the Lord turned froer Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor (that is, trouble), unto this day” (Josh vii 19-26)

How deeply sole note it sounds in our ears! Let us not atterace, to turn aside the holy edge of such a passage of Scripture Let us read with earnest attention the inscription on that awful reatly to be feared in the assembly of His saints, and to be had in reverence of all theain, ”If any man defile the temple of God, hi fire”

Weighty, sole words these!-- profession, when the doctrines of grace are so hteousness so little seen in our lives May we learn froent need of watchfulness over our hearts, and over our private life, that evilforth its sad, shaross dishonor of the Lord and the grievous sorrow of those e are linked in the bonds of fellowshi+p

PART IV

There is a very interesting allusion to ”the valley of Achor” in Hos