IV. S OUND T HE TRUMP ET. 1. Sound it now. teacher, a t ' this o p p o r t u n i t y. "Warn the wicked from his evil w ay TO S AVE HIS LIFE" (3:18). T h a t - i s, save his soul f r o m hell. T h is c a n n ot be limited to physical d e a t h. Good a n d b ad a l i ke go to t he grave;, B u t t he w i c k ed w ho does not "turn from his evil way," he shall die "the second death" (Rev. 20:14, 15). R e ad it to him, w a t c h m a n. 2. Sound the Gospel trumpet. (1) Tell t he wicked t h a t "God so loved (him) the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son" (Jno. 3:16); t h a t; "Whosoever will may c ome" (Rev. 22:17); t h a t if he "shall confess with his mouth the Lord Jesus he S HA LL be saved" (Rom. 10:9). T h at it is "not of works lest any man should boast" ( E p h. 2:9) t h a t "to him that worketh not b ut believeth on H i m t h a t J US T I F I ETH T HE UNGODLY HIS FAITH IS COUNT ED FOR RIGHT- EOU S NE S S" (Rom. 4:5). P e r s u a de h im to a g r ee to this, "Being justified by faith w e have peace with God" (Rom. 5:1). If he h e s i t a t e s, a dd t h is n o te to it all, "Today if ye will hear his voice harden not your heart" (Heb. 3:15). 2. Tell the righteous man (3:20, 21), t he m o r al m a n, w ho claims to be r i g h t e o us (Liuke 5:32) t h a t if h e t u r ns f r o m his r i g h t e o u s n e ss a h a i r 's b r e a d th he shall surely die (Jas. 2:10); that' he c a n n ot m a i n t a in his r i g h t e o u s n e ss a p a rt f r om C h r i st (Jno. 15:5); t h a t all his r i g h t e o u s n e s s- es a re "filthy r a g s " (Isa. 64:6) a n y w a y, a n d t h a t, in fact, in t he fullest Old a n d N e w T e s t a m e nt sense, "There is none r i g h t e o u s; no, not o n e" ( P s a. 14:1-3; R o m. 3:10-12). 3. "Warn the righteous" (3:21), the. truly right- eous, the justified man . . . that the right- eous sin not" (3:20), f or "How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein" (Rom. 6:2). Deliver y o ur house, where our fathers praised Thee, is burned up with fire: and ali o u r pleasant things are laid waste"; "How doth the city sit solitary that w as full of people! how Is she become as a widow!" (Isa.' 64:10, 11; D a m. 1:1). N o t h i ng in l i t e r a t u re equals t he s o r r o w f ul p a t h os of L a m e n t a t i o n s, in w h i ch I s r a el u t t e rs her» grief. B ut t he b i t t e r e st l a m e n t s, c a n n ot m e nd t he c o n s e q u e n c es of evil doing. T h e re is b ut one w a y t o avoid sin's h a r v e s t; it is, n ot to s ow sin's seed (Gal. 6:7). F e w s t op to t h i nk of this. Moses h a d long a go a n t i c i p a t ed it all, w h en he said, "Oh that they were wise, that they would consider their latter end" ( D e u t. 32:29). W h y did t h ey n ot heed t h e w a t c h- m a n ' s w a r n i ng (Ezek. 3:17)? W h y did n ot t h e rich m a n p i ty t he b e g g ar ( L u ke 16:24, 25)? W h y do you n ot heed t h e "Preacher" (Ecc. 12:10)'? "While the evil days come not nor the hours draw nigh when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them7" II. CONSOLATIONS IN CAPTIVITY. 1. In the earlier part of Ezeklel's prophe- sying J e r u s a l em still stood; t h e re w a s y et hope. T h e r e f o re his w o r ds w e re of reproof, w a r n i n g s, t h r e a t s, all intended to m o ve to repentence. A nd so long a s m en s h ow no soul;'
B u t a "portion of the Spirit is given to every man" (1 Cor. 12:7); a nd all a re w a t c h m e n, t h e ir "brother's keepers" (Gen. 4:9). N ot e v e ry soldier in t he c a m p is a sentinel: n ot e v e ry citizen of t he t o wn a, w a t c h m a n; b u t all a ré responsible to s o u nd t h e a l a rm if t h e y s ee t he d a n g e r. T h e re is no e s c a pe f r o m this -responsibility to "warn the wick- ed" (3:18). His Message. It is to be f o u nd in "the roll of a book" (2:9). I t is God's "word" —more, it is H is "words," a p a r- ticular m e s s a ge in definite "words" (3:4; 1 Cor.- 2:13). All ^eür "thinks" , a n d "don't thinks" a r e rule THE LIVING RIVER. Lesson II—October 8. Ez. 7:1-12.
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