and cometh to a prophet to Inquire of him concerning Me; I the Lord will answer him by Myself:-Every church member and every one associated with him, who ceases to love God supremely, sets his heart upon other subjects of love or worship, clings to iniquitous practices, and then comes to the Truth people to find what God says, verily Jehovah Himself will answer him-with deeds, not with words merely.

14:8. And I will set My face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and will cut him off from the midst of My people; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.-God will thoroughly disfavor that man, and make him an example and a by-word; He will cut him off from a place among His people.

14:9. And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the Lord have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out My hand upon him and will destroy him from the midst of My people Israel.-And if any preachereven one of the Truth people-shall get so wrong in heart that he is deceived in what he says (Jer. 20:7), Jehovah will "send him a strong delusion that he should believe a lie," and will be against him and will destroy him from the midst of His people.

14:10. And they shall bear the punishment of their Iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him.-Both shall bear the same punishment for their iniquity—the preachers and the man that listens to him.

14:11. That the house of Israel may go no more astray from Me, neither be polluted any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be My people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord God,-Professed Christian people shall stray no longer from Him, nor become unclean spiritually through their wrongdoing, but may truly be God's people, and He their God.

GOD'S FOUR SORE JUDGMENTS

14:12, 13. The Word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, Son of man, when the land sinneth against Me by trespassing grievously then will I stretch out Mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it. When a whole country sins against God with grievous, willful sin, then will He exercise His power against it, and cut off the necessary supply of material (Lev. 26:26) and spiritual food-send a famine of food and of the Word of God upon it, and cut off all life from it.

14:14. Though these three men, Noah, Daniel and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord God.-Though in that country were the three most upright men of history, Noah, Daniel and Job-typing here the Little Flock, the Great Company, and the Household of Faith-they should by their righteousness save but their own lives.

14:15. If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts:-God has caused savage governments to overrun Christendom with military and naval forces, and to ruin and desolate it, so that no manly independent man can exist there.

14:16. Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate.-Though these three classes be in Christendom, they shall deliver no one but themselves; they only shall be delivered, but Christendom shall be desolated.

14:17. Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off man and beast from it:-God has brought upon Christendom destroying weapons (Lev. 26:25), and the Sword of the Spirit is to go through Christendom and cut off all that can be cut off, and no one shall save aught but himself.

14:18, 19. Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves. Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out My fury upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast.— God will permit a pestilence, both of literal disease and of pestilential errors in Christendom, in wrath to take away life.

14:20, 21. Though Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, as I live saith the Lord God, they shall deliever neither son nor daughters; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness. For thus saith the Lord God; How much more when I send My four sore judgments upon Jerusalem-the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence-to cut off from It man and beast.-Christendom is so corrupt that God is sending upon her His four dreadful punishments-the sword, the famine, the savage government and the pestilence-as His destroyers!

14:22. Yet behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings: and ye shall be comforted

concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it.-There shall be left from the anarchy a few who shall be brought through into the Kingdom as samples of Christendom's pollution. They will live among those who have suffered in_Christendom's trouble, and amid the blessed Kingdom influences by contrast the others shall see their continued evil ways and doings. And they will cause everyone to feel satisfied, content, over the trouble God is bringing upon Christendom.

14:23. And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings: and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord God. When the others see their evil ways and doings, they will be content as to the need of the Time of Trouble, for they shall realize that not without good cause shall God have done all that He will do to Christendom.

EZEKIEL 15

FIT FOR FUEL ONLY

15:1-8. And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the forest? Shall wood be taken thereof to do any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon? Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire devoureth both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burned. Is it meet for any work? Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work: how much less shall it be meet yet for any work, when the fire hath devoured it, and it is burned? There fore thus saith the Lord God, As the vine tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will set My face against them; they shall go out from one fire, and another fire shall devour them; and ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I set My face against them. And I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord God.-Ecclesiasticism, which imagines itself to be the true vine (John 15:1) with the sects as branches, is a wild vine (Rev. 14:18), unable to support itself and clinging like a parasite upon others for support. It brings forth no character fruitage, is unfit for any Divine purpose, is slender, half-charred by the assaults of Higher Criticism, and fit only to be destroyed.Psa. 80:8-16.

EZEKIEL 16

UNFAITHFULNESS OF GOD'S PEOPLE

16:1-5. Again the word of the Lord came unto me, say. ng, Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abomina tions, and say, Thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother a Hittite. And as for thy nativity, in the day thou was born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all. None eye pitied thee, tɔ do any of these unto thee, to have com. passion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the loathing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born.-Chapter 16 is an amplification of the symbolic description of Babylon the Great (Jerusalem), ecclesias ticism (Rev. 17), as a once virgin but now apostate woman (church). The peoples of whom the church was composed were originally heathen (16:3), in and of the world (field). 16:6-8. And when I passed by thee, and saw thee pol luted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast In thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live. I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare. Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and spread My skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becamest Mine.-God through Christ loved these people and espoused them, He caused the church to grow beautiful.

16:9-12. Then washed I thee with water; yea, I thor oughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badger's skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk. I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck. And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head. He anointed them with the Holy Spirit (16:9, oil), clothed them with the robe of Christ's

righteousness (Matt. 22:11) with the embroidery of char acter fruits (Psa. 45:14), and gave them precious ornament of Divine (golden) promises, put a jewel (pure, diamond-sparkling Truth-1 Cor. 3:12) on their forehead (minds-Rev. 7:3), golden earrings in their ears (ears to hear Divine things-Gen. 24:22), and a beautiful crown on their head (tentative kingship).—Rev. 2:10.

16:13. Thus was thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil; and thou wast exceedingly beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom. He gave them the purest and best food from the Word of God (Psa. 147:14); and they became beautiful in the beauty of holiness (Psa. 110:3), and prospered even unto inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven.-Col. 1:13.

16:14. And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty; for it was perfect through My comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord God.-They became renowned for their holy, kindly characters; obtainable through sacrificial suffering.-Heb. 2:10.

16:15. But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was. The spirit of fornication in a church is the desire to form a union with any world-government (Rev. 18:9); this spirit was manifested to every government.-Isa. 1:21. 16:16. And of thy garments thou didst take, and deck. edst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon; the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so.-The high places are the tops of mountains, the rulers of governments; there the church displayed her greatest attractions, and induced the spiritual fornication of governments, to an extent never to be witnessed again. 16:17. Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of My gold and of My silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them. She took the Divine treasures of Truth, and shaped and distorted them into the form of traditions of men.

16:18, 19. And tookest thy broidered garments, and cov. erdst them; and thou hast set Mine oil and Mine incense before them. My meat also, which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savour; and thus it was, Baith the Lord, God.-The spiritual food of the Word of God was spiced with human errors; such as Divine right of kings and clergy, immortality, Trinity and eternal tor ment, preached in a way to please the ruling powers and serve their unholy purposes.-Hos. 2:8.