"The Lord made the host of the Syrians," which lay encamped before the famishing city," to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even a noise of a great host, and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the king of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us. Wherefore, they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life."

It is not within the scope of these lectures to enter minutely into the singular and providential accident by which this desertion was discovered; my chief object throughout them is, to induce you carefully to search the Word of God for yourselves, while I can do little more than glance at it.

It is sufficent, therefore, for out present purpose to record, that intelligence having been brought to the king, that the Syrians had fled, he immediately despatched messengers to ascertain its truth. "And they went after them unto Jordan; and lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels which the Syrians had cast away in

their haste; and the messengers returned and told the king. And the people went out and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour," adds the historian, "was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the Lord:" and thus, as our text declares, "It came to pass as the man of God had spoken." Most certainly it did, and who that knows any thing of the power and faithfulness of our God, could for a moment doubt it. A sudden panic in the enemy's army, a sudden flight when no man pursued, and all the voluptuous plenty of an Eastern camp is at the disposal of the famished Israelites. How easy are man's impossibilities with God.

May we not then truly ask, If God so feed the natural man, who to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the grave, shall he not much rather feed you, the spiritual children of his love, who are to live for ever?

Repose in simple trust upon the declarations of our heavenly Father; believe that He who hath provided an all-sufficient Saviour, and

an all-inviting heaven, hath not provided them in vain. The promise shall be sure to all the seed; He who hath given us His Son, shall with Him also, freely give us all things. All things needful to the fulfilment of Christ's purchase, the completion of God's covenant, and the salvation of each individual soul, that is led to cast itself unreservedly upon the Lord Jesus. Therefore, let the most timid believer, provided he be a believer, one who for the sake of Christ is willing to renounce sin, to follow after holiness, and to rely simply upon the Saviour as his all in all, thank God and take courage. Though your enemies be mighty, He who supports and strengthens you is almighty; though your trials bodily, mentally, or spiritually, be great, God's grace is infinitely greater; though the completion of God's promises to you appears almost impossible, when you consider your own absolute unworthiness, your utter sinfulness and helplessness; yet, when you consider God's faithfulness and truth, the Saviour's infinite merits, the Holy Spirit's abounding grace and consolations, you

cannot but take courage, and remember, that the same voice which said, "I give unto them eternal life," added in the self-same sentence, "and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."

We may not, however, suffer ourselves, while dwelling thus upon the certainty of the encouraging promises of our God, so engaging and lovely a theme, to be led too far away from the narrative we are considering. Doubtless there are some among you who would desire to hear the conclusion of that man's story, upon whose infidelity and scorn, we have already commented; some who would desire to know what became of the unbelieving lord.

Continuing the history, therefore, at the 17th verse, we read, "And the king appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate." No doubt, highly gratifying to his ambition and self-importance, was so distinguished an honour. But, now mark the allpresent providence of God, and observe how it directs and overrules every, the minutest incident of our lives.

If we had been asked, how it would be possible most effectually to traverse the designs of the Almighty respecting this unbeliever, and to counteract the fulfilment of the prophecy, we should, perhaps have selected the very means for its overthrow, which God appointed for its fulfilment. We should have said, "Place the unbeliever at the gate, his rank and office will secure respect, and he shall not only see, but he shall partake of the very first load of provisions which arrives." The Almighty also says, "Place him at the gate where he shall see the plenty in which he disbelieved, but no grain of which shall ever pass his lips." And thus it happened; for as the famishing multitude pressed forward in one dense mass out of the perishing city, to avail themselves of the cheap and unexpected market, which the mercy of God has opened for them, the people trampled the unbeliever to death beneath their feet; "and," continues the historian,

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so it fell out unto him," as the man of God had said, "Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof," "for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died."