shares." Then shall happy families "sit every man under his vine, and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."

to be a scattering Judah would be a mocking voice,

Doubtless for their sin there was among all the nations of the earth. a laughing-stock, as they said, in "Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion." But even in the far off lands, the remnant of Jacob should prove a blessing. "Even as a dew from the Lord, as the showers upon the grass that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men." And in God's time His people would be brought back again to their own land; for they who had spoken so tauntingly of Judah, "know not the thoughts of the Lord, neither understand they His counsel, nor what He has in store for them." Oh, terrible retribution! "He shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor," to be threshed by the daughter of Zion. May the Lord hasten that time, for then shall the untold wealth of the Jews be consecrated to the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth.

(Read Micah iv., v.; Matt. ii. 3-6.)

4. THE LORD'S CONTROVERSY.

In the last part of Micah's prophecy, he calls upon the mountains to hear the Lord's controversy with His people. He condescends to plead with them thus: "O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? Testify against me." Then the Lord reminds them how he had redeemed them from their cruel bondage in Egypt; how he had

given them his three chosen servants-Moses, Aaron and Miriam-to lead and to teach them. He reminds them how He had guarded them while in Shittim from the power of Balak, the king of Moab, and from the curse of Balaam; and how He had led them step by step till they reached Gilgal, and there first tasted the corn of the promised land. Surely, as they remembered these things, they would learn to "know the righteousness (that is, the benefits) of the Lord."

The people of Israel and Judah did not need to ask, like the heathen around them, "Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before him with burntofferings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?" They knew this would be vain and useless. And the prophet adds, "He hath showed thee, O man, what is good (or rather the good One);" and, trusting in Him, the Lord requires of thee, "to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God."

Once more the Lord calls aloud to the city of Jerusalem, and what do you think were His words? "Hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it." Would they listen to His voice? Only the wise man, the man of wisdom, will see the name of the Lord written on His chastening rod.

When Micah saw the misery of his people, his heart was filled with sadness. He felt like Elijah when he said, "I only am left." Have you not sometimes seen an apple or a pear left on a high branch when the rest of the fruit has been gathered in? How

wretched and solitary it looked! Just so did Micah feel, and he cried out, "Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat : my soul desired the firstripe fruit. The good man is perished out of the earth." Only the wicked were left; they did "evil with both hands earnestly." Even the judge took a bribe. The very "best of them was like a brier or a thorn hedge” which tears and destroys all that pass by it. Perhaps the saddest picture of all is the account Micah gives of the families of Israel. No one dared trust a friend. Even the husband could not venture to consult his own wife. The son did not honour his father, and the daughter did not love her mother. And oh-terrible thought! "A man's enemies are the men of his own house."

From this dark picture Micah turns his sorrowful eyes to the true light, to the Lord Himself. He says, "Therefore will I look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me." Yes, his prayers would yet come up before God; and even in the land of their captivity his people would turn to the Lord, confessing their sins, thus: "I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against Him." And then would Zion sing, "Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy; when I fall I shall arise, when I sit in darkness the Lord will be a light unto me."

How astonished shall her enemies be! Those who had mocked her, saying, "Where is the Lord thy God," shall yet see her walls rebuilt. And into the city shall come men from Assyria, and from the fortified cities, from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain." The prophet's heart longed so much for the

fulfilling of that glorious promise, that he offers up his prayer once more to the Shepherd of Israel, saying, "Feed Thy people with Thy rod; the flock of Thy heritage which dwell solitarily in the wood." How quickly God's answer comes, "Let them feed in the midst of Carmel, in Bashan and Gilead (those rich pasture lands), as in the days of old." The Lord will again do marvellous things, as He did in the days of their coming out of the land of Egypt. Their proud enemies shall lie low in the dust, afraid to lift themselves up, timid as worms creeping out of their holes. When Micah saw in a vision these glorious days in store for Israel, can we wonder that he burst into these words of praise to his God: "Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retaineth not His anger for ever, because He delighteth in mercy. He will turn again; He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old."

Dear children, learn these precious words, and I pray that they may bring you the same comfort they once brought to a little child. She was in great trouble about her sins, when God's Spirit taught her the meaning of this promise; and so she ended her little prayer for forgiveness with these words: "I know Thou wilt pardon me, because Thou delightest in mercy."

(Read Micah vii.; Numb. xxiv. 10-13; Joshua v. 12; 1 Kings xix. 1-14.)

XI.

Nabum. (B.C. 713.)

1. INTRODUCTORY.

You have heard of several prophets who lived in the reign of Hezekiah, and who gave God's messages against Judah. I am now going to tell you of another who lived at the same time: his name was Nahum. He did not prophesy against God's people, but laid a heavy burden on one of their enemies, even on the mighty city Nineveh.

We know very little of this prophet's history. Some say he was born in the village of El-Kosh, in Galilee, and that that is why he is called the Elkoshite. They have also thought that afterwards he lived in another city in that part of the country, for the name Capernaum really means "the City of Nahum." Others say that he belonged to Elkosh, a village fifteen miles from the ruins of Nineveh. Here there is a tomb held in much reverence. It is called the Tomb of Nahum. If this tradition is correct, perhaps, like Jonah, Nahum delivered his prophecy in the very streets of the guilty city herself. When Jonah preached 100 years before, Nineveh repented and was saved. But she had returned to her wicked ways once more, and so Nahum, by the command of God, proclaims her ruin.

The prophet speaks of God's majesty and power.