countenance sad?' And if there were hints in the king's voice, Nehemiah doubtless felt them all, and knew just what they meant. Then I was very sore afraid. : -Afraid of the king's displeasure, which might ruin all of anger instead of favour. I suppose that was the first thought; for faith is at times a little slow-footed, and unbelief gets ahead. And truly, if Artaxerxes grew suspicious of his cupbearer's grave looks, the Persian method in such cases was sharp and sure; and though the broken walls might indeed be sometime built up, yet Nehemiah would not see it. Such thoughts no doubt came crowding in; but when his heart gave that great throb, it was most of all, I think, over the magnitude of the crisis. For this was the very moment he had sought and prayed for, and on which everything depended. Now or never, everything must be done-and done at the moment, for despotic majesty could not be kept waiting. Nehemiah had no time to dress up his plan-no time for more than a breath-before the whole came out. 'Then was I very sore afraid;' and you can see it in his words. For in the momentary scare he ran past the circumlocution office, and tumbled out his reply somewhat bluntly. Why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with re?-NEH. ii. 3. -He gave the proper preamble indeed, but then rushed. into the matter with all the impetus of unmistakeable truth. And the king was mildly interested (as inveterate party-going people are, if you ask them out to tea) in the novelty of the thing. The real grain of the wood was quite refreshing in that age of varnish; it stirred the royal curiosity. What would come next? For what dost thou make request?' he asked; and never guessed-poor Persian monarch !—that before answering him, the cupbearer had swift audience at another court, and got his instructions. Nehemiah's plan had been all marked out and studied long ago; he knew just what he wanted and again he had but a spare second of time; yet before submitting the plan to Artaxerxes, he held it up once more before the Lord, that the thoughts of his heart and the words of his mouth might be guided and sealed and blessed. So I prayed to the God of heaven. -Then went straight to his point, and boldly asked to be let go into Judea, to build up Jerusalem's broken walls. I think the king was amused, and the queen too; ('the queen also sitting by him.') I fancy her softly suggesting the next question Ask him how long he wants to stay.' For the king said: : For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? And Nehemiah, perfectly quiet now, answered, and arranged, and requested, as if it had been the commonest thing in the world for a tyrant's high officers to get ticketof-leave. 'So I set him a time,' he says, with faith well at her post; and then went on and asked letters, and timber, and escort, and all he could think of that might help on the work. And what followed, do you think? The king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.NEH. ii. 8. —There is in military affairs a certain movement which is ordered thus: 'Rally on the reserve!' Ah, what reserve force there is in prayer! and how easy and straight is the road to any point, which goes via the mercy-seat! You see now the quickest way, when there is not a moment to lose: you see now the only way to deal with unmanageable people. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God.-JAS. i. 5. I will be with thy mouth,' said the Lord to Moses. Nehemiah made his short prayer, which could not have been much longer than the upward lifting of an eye,' and then took the promise in his hand, and went straight into action. Those are fruitful tears that lead on to faith and prayer and work; and that is the right sort of boldness, which, claiming the promise, venturing on it, yet finds in its utmost fulfilment 'not a myself, but Christ.' It is still 'the good hand of our God upon us,' when we have reached our highest aim. How lovely the two things are together! First the grand outline : One man of you shall chase a thousand.-JOSH. xxiii. 10. And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight.-LEV. xxvi. 8. -But then in its sweet, humble fulfilment, only: Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.-LUKE xix. 16. -Not mine, but thine. XXXVII. Before the Water-Gate. All the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. - THIS is not a law-loving age. To say that it is not lawabiding, might perhaps confuse it with other times of this lawless world's history; but people do often have an appreciation of rules which yet they will not follow; and the right of a king to reign may be recognised by the wildest rebels in his dominions. Looking back to the days of Samuel, when certainly there was disobedience enough, we find this said: The word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision.-1 SAM. iii. 1. That is, the occasional, spoken word: but the same thing should make our perpetual written word very precious. Who counts it so? How many among your friends? Does your minister? Do you yourself? Understand me, I do not mean how many of them love the Bible, or love to read it, but the law in the Bible. The law as law. Can you say that to you— The law of the Lord is perfect. -Ps. xix. 7, 8. The statutes of the Lord are right. -No, maybe you think them hard, and that they press unduly. Do you ever pray : Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.-Ps. cxix. 18. -Instead of that, you turn over to the gospel; thinking to escape the stern schoolmaster appointed 'to bring us to Christ' (Gal. iii. 24). -Is the cry of your heart: I will run the way of thy commandments.-Ps. cxix. 32. -Alas, how often you walk (though trying at first to walk slowly) in just the other direction! The Psalmist said: Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law.-Ps. cxix. 34. -But you use what you call your understanding to prove the law of no account. You deem it slavery,-yet one who had vowed to keep the law 'continually, for ever and ever,' felt himself thenceforth set free. I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts.-Ps. cxix. 45. -No more Satanic shackles for those clean hands; no more sin-forged fetters for those glad feet. The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver. O how I love thy law! it is my meditation day and night. I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right.-Ps. cxix. 72, 97, 128. -You like the gospel,-the good news which seems to make things so easy; but how you are saved, and from what you are saved, you will never half understand, until you knowand acknowledge-the majesty, the splendour, the authority Y |