7. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

8. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire for strong is the Lord God Who judgeth her.

Because this type of transcendent wickedness is presented under the feminine aspect, doubtless we women may elicit thence our own appropriate lesson. When we behold gauds and frivolities go up toward heaven in smoke of hell, they become a beacon fire to warn us from making shipwreck be it on a mudbank of vileness or on a curious reef of luxury. Scant comfort would it be to perish, though on a very miracle of beauty.

"Moreover the Lord saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet. . . . The Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon, the chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers, the bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings, the rings, and nose jewels, the changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins, the glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails. And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty."

"How much she hath glorified herself. . . ."-On the other hand, who would choose to live and die inglorious? and who shall glorify us, if we ourselves achieve not glory. No mere surface glory though it stream down from heaven can abide : were Coniah the signet upon God's right hand, yet would wickedness pluck him thence. Moses in his sanctity illustrates the difference between outward albeit genuine glory, and glory everlasting, assimilated, inalienable: he comes forth from the earthly Tabernacle of the Divine Presence, and the glory of his countenance fades away; he reappears from the unseen world "in glory" on the Mount of the Transfiguration, changed from glory to glory, clothed upon with glory. The all glorious

within can afford to wait patiently for clothing of wrought gold.

O Soul insatiable of glory, covet earnestly the best gifts, pursue them along the more excellent way. Barter not for Cleopatra's dissolving pearl the pearls which are entrance-gates to New Jerusalem; for Dives's sumptuous daily fare the marriage-supper of eternity; for black tents of Kedar the curtains of Solomon; for Nabal to-day, David to-morrow; for what hath been told us, that whereof the half hath not been told us; for sight of eye, and hearing of ear, and heart's present desire, that which eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man.

Crouch lowest to spring highest. Disperse abroad and give to the poor, so shall thy riches make themselves wings and fly away as eagles toward heaven. Strip off thine ornaments now, that they may become chains about thy neck hereafter. Tonight turn from the west in its fading purple, and set thy face steadfastly toward the east, where out of darkness golden glory and roses of a dawn that sets not will be revealed.

Dear Brother, dear Sister, God grant thee such grace, and deny it not to me. For Jesus' sake. Amen.

"In one day, death, and mourning, and famine."—At once corpse and mourner: a famishing corpse. It recalls Zechariah's awful prediction: "And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth."

:

"I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow
Yea, scarlet woman, to-day but not yea at all to-morrow.
Scarlet queen on a scarlet throne all to-day without sorrow,
Bethink thee: to-day must end; there is no end of to-morrow.

O Strong Lord God, Who judgest her and wilt judge all mankind, grant to the exalted humility, to the desolate thankfulness, to the happy sympathy with sorrow; that so earthly eminence may become a stepping-stone to heavenly heights, and loneliness may introduce to the full communion of saints, and joy blossoming in time may bear eternal fruit. Be we high or low, prosperous or depressed, wheresoever, whatsoever we be, make us and evermore keep us well pleasing in Thy sight. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

9. And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her,

D D

and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,

10. Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

"It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence

man.

in princes."

"Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help." Least of all in wicked men can there be any help.

Adam seems not to have found one word to plead for Eve in the terrible hour of judgment.

To-day is the day of helpfulness: the Day of Doom will be a day of helplessness. Moreover, the relative attitude of the righteous and the wicked as now it exists will then be reversed.

Now they are the wicked who stand callous amidst the fears, torments, miseries of others; not investigating human claims, not mourning with them that mourn, not moving burdens with one of their fingers, not heeding the burning questions of their day, neighbourhood, nay sometimes of their own hearths. Now they are the righteous who quake in horrible fear for the ungodly, and all but enter within the vortex of evil in rescue work, and cry out, Alas the pity of it! over perishing souls, and with Christ-like tears bewail the impenitent; saying, How often would I, and ye would not.

Then it will be the obdurate wicked who weep and lament, having reached the end of softness and sweetness, beholding the lap of their luxury set on fire, foretasting in that perdition their own perdition. Then it will be the righteous who of one mind, will, desire, with God All-Holy, at the execution of His sentence become as it were "Yea and Amen" to His Glory: of old all His promises have been unto His glory and unto them "Yea and Amen" in Christ; and now they themselves shine forth and glow as reflections of the Just Judge, renewed in His image, perfected in His likeness.

STANDING AFAR OFF FOR THE FEAR OF HER TORMENT.

Is this the end? is there no end but this?

Yea, none beside:

No other end for pride

And foulness and besottedness.

Hath she no friend? hath she no clinging friend?
Nay, none at all:

Who stare upon her fall,

Quake for themselves with hair on end.

Will she be done away? vanish away?
Yea, like a dream;

Yea, like the shades that seem

Somewhat, and lo! are nought by day.
Alas for her amid man's helpless moan,
Alas for her!

She hath no comforter:

In solitude of fire she sits alone.

"In one hour is thy judgment come."-"Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called, The lady of kingdoms. . . . And thou saidst, I shall be a lady for ever: so that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end of it. Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children: but these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundanc of thine enchantments."-" Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the Lord's vengeance; He will render unto her a recompence. Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord's hand, that made all the earth drunken the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad. Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed. We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country: for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies." 11. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any

more.

Those kings did at least bewail Babylon for herself: these merchants bewail her because of their own impoverishment. They all alike are "of the earth," yet is there a finer and a coarser clay.

Only I must beware of reckoning that sympathy with evil in itself is nobler than sympathy with evil in its effects. Neither is nobler one may be baser. From both, O Lord, deliver us.

12. The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,

13. And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

"A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth." We know that it is so now: we shall see that it is so then. If either, his death rather than his life consisteth in such.

"Brethren, the time is short: it remaineth," that they that buy be "as though they possessed not; and they that use this world, as not abusing it for the fashion of this world passeth away."

Yet on the same principle that we are bidden redeem the time because the days are evil, Christians find ways to redeem these other creatures despite their evil tendency. Gold and silver they lend unto the Lord: He will pay them again. Precious stones and pearls they dedicate to the service of His Altar. With fine linen, purple, silk, scarlet, they invest His Sanctuary; and fragrant "thyine" wood they carve delicately for its further adornment. Vessels of ivory, of most precious wood, of brass, iron, marble, are refined to serve as lavers, ennobled to become alms coffers or alms dishes. They burn cinnamon, odours (the Revised Version for "odours" gives "spice and incense "), frankincense, for a sweet savour in the Divine Presence. Wine, fine flour, wheat, constitute their most pure Oblation. With ointments and oil they comfort Christ in His beloved sick members. With beasts and sheep they spread a feast for His poor. On horses and in chariots they carry His Gospel afar. And ministering rather than being ministered unto, they tend bodies and travail for souls. (For "slaves" the margin gives as literal "bodies.")

"The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever: the Lord shall rejoice in His works."

Whoso has the spirit of Elijah, though his horse and chariot have come up out of Egypt, yet shall they receive virtue as "of fire" to forward him on his heavenward course. And this despite a horse being but a vain thing to save a man.

14. And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed