mercy, and reduces to a nullity God's attribute of omnipotence? How can we, how dare we, presume to circumscribe the operation of the mercy of the Lord, as if He were a finite and dependent being? If there be one truth more than another in our Scriptures that is exhibited in all its majesty and glory, it is God's inexhaustible love, magnified by His mercy and benevolence.1 Here we are taught that the Divine justice is vindicated by the correction awarded to the evil doer, clearly showing that the Divine purpose is to reclaim, and not to destroy. True it is, as has already been remarked, that God will distinguish between the good and the bad; and this warning is of itself sufficient to make us all think seriously of the tribunal before which we shall have to appear. But in the whole volume of our Bible there is nothing to be found on which the supposition can be based, that the Divine justice will be glorified by the destruction of the sinner, or by dooming him to everlasting torture. There is nothing to show that God has only created to destroy.

2

1 See Jerem. iii. 1. Compare Jonah iv. 10, 11.

2 "What," asks the Rev. H. Giles, "is Divine justice? Is this Divine justice identical with vengeance? Is it Divine justice to make the everlasting torture of a race-for the saved are but the gleanings-a sacrifice to boundless self-glorification? Is it Divine justice to array all the force of infinite attributes against a limited, weak and erring creature? Is it Divine justice to meet the offence of ephemeral mortality with the agony of deathless torture and of resistless wrath ? If this be Divine justice, we have reason to rejoice that it is not human justice." ("Sermon on Retribution Hereafter.")

It does not follow, however, because the notion of hell and its economy finds no support from the Hebrew Scriptures, that there is nothing to be apprehended beyond the grave by the persistent and unrepentant transgressor. Though nothing be revealed touching the nature of the punishment that awaits those whose whole lives have been stained by iniquity, it is assuredly no slight retribution for them to know that sooner or later they will have to render an account unto Him who knoweth all the thoughts of mankind and "considereth all their deeds." 1

We can well conceive of dire punishments, other than those of an imaginary hell. We read in the book of Genesis of the act of fratricide committed by Cain, and of the punishment which that crime called down. Nothing is there said of a hell or of everlasting torture by fire. The sentence pronounced is banishment from the fatherly presence of God, and so grievously did the criminal deplore his doom that he

66

My punishment is » גדול עוני מנשא exclaimed

greater than I can support." "

2

There is something very suggestive in this Biblical record, and it might not unreasonably start the question whether those who are overladen with iniquity, for which no atonement is made, may not have to meet in another state of being a sentence akin to that pronounced on Cain, and be exiled from the benignant presence of the

1 Ps. xxxiii. 15.

2 Gen. iv. 13.

Heavenly Father until time, and it might be ages, should have purified their souls from the sinful state in which they had quitted their mortal tenements. There needs no apprehension of hell to heighten the sinner's sense of the awful consequences of a thoroughly perverted life. The withering thought that his spirit might be accounted unworthy "to abide under the shadow of the Almighty," might of itself be sufficient to admonish him of the solemn words of the text, that for all our actions here below, "God will bring us to judgment."

1

1 Ps. xci. I.

XVI.

ON FOLLOWING AFTER THE MULTITUDE

FOR EVIL.

לא תהיה אחרי רבים לרעת :

"Thou shalt not follow after the multitude for evil."-Exod. xxiii. 2.

VIEWING the text passage in relation to the general contents of the chapter in which it occurs, it would seem to point to erroneous opinions that might be arrived at in judicial matters. It has, however, a wide scope of significance, and may not unreasonably be construed to mean, that man, being endued with the faculties of reason and conscience, must not blindly move on with the throng, like the lower gregarious animals, but must think for himself, act for himself, and in all matters involving right and wrong, exert the dignity of his moral nature, and determine agreeably to his convictions.

Freedom of opinion and independence of action have been amongst the demands of every epoch, because they are of intrinsic value, and constitute the inalienable privileges of rational beings. Nevertheless, in the practice of these principles there be many who depart very widely from their theory. Some there are who are too much given

to subject their freedom of thought and action to human authority, whilst others are content to remain bond-slaves to custom and to precedent. The admonition of the text applies in a measure to us all, because it is our common failing to act for the most part from impulse and example rather than from the canons of reason and the promptings of principle. We are oftentimes betrayed into the weakness of sinking our independence of thought and action in order to do suit and service to some one whose favour we seek, or whose displeasure we might incur by a course of action antagonistic to that which he elects to pursue. Indeed, conduct like this is far too lightly censured by the qualified term of "weakness"; it is sinful in a high degree to be false to our own convictions, and to suffer private or personal influence to override our inner sense of right, or popular clamour to overbear that calm deliberation and loyalty to principle, which should mark the speech and the actions of a rational and morally responsible being.

This failing the Prophet Isaiah rebukes in words of stinging reproof, and denounces as the great sin of his times the tendency to suppress the divine inward monitor of conscience, and to conform to human precept and example. p

לנו Their » ממני ותהי יראתם אתי מצות אנשים מלמדה

heart is far removed from me, and their fear towards me is taught by the precepts of men." If God had willed that human example should be the sole guide for our conduct here, and for our

1 Isaiah xxix. 13.