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Can you find a solitary instance in which God approved iniquity? Was ever His sword sheathed in presence of evil? This constancy of judgment upon corrupt ways is itself an argument. One act of moral hesitation would have destroyed God! Time cannot modify Divine judgments. What was wrong in Babylon is wrong here: what was right in the most ancient time will be right on the world's last day. We should remind ourselves of these elementary principles; for their very simplicity may cause us to neglect their claims. We shall regard the solemn denunciations as if spoken to our own city.

I. LOOK AT THIS PICTURE OF UTTER AND MOST PAINFUL BEWILDERMENT. "Evil shall come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know." There are times when the wind seems to be blowing from all quarters at once. There are times when all things seem to have a controversy with us. We set down our feet, and, lo, they are fastened to the ground: we put forth our hand, and an invisible weapon smites it: we look round, and behold the path is ploughed up, so that there is no way of retreat. We lose our own sagacity. Our wit fails us. Once our mind was quick, now it is dead or helpless. We lose confidence in ourselves; substances become shadows; the strongest of our fortresses melt away; and in our friend's face there are discovered lines of suspicion or of mortal hate. This is the necessary and inevitable result of sin.

1. We have been warned of it.

2. A way of escape has been made.

II. HEAR THE DIVINE CHALLENGE ADDRESSED TO THE FALSE POWERS IN WHICH WE HAVE TRUSTED. "Stand now with thine enchantments," &c. (ver. 12). Think that we are now called upon to set out in order the false securities in which we have trusted! There is one, — Money; there is two, — Chance; there is three, — Self-confidence; there is four — Atheistic speculation. Now let them do for us all they can. God has challenged them!

1. They ought to be most useful when most needed.

2. They should show their sufficiency by their fearlessness. It is a challenge. I hear the whirlwind coming, — get out your money. You thought something would happen — something is happening, — God's judgment is descending; where is your God Chance? You have confidence in yourself; be it so; make bare your arm, — see, it is but lightning, — it is but flood upon flood, — it is but world dashing against world, &c. "Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee." There is to be a great collision. In that collision only the true can stand.

III. SEE THE DOOM OF FALSE SECURITIES. "Behold, they shall be as stubble," &c. (ver. 14).

1. Let no man complain of want of opportunity of observing the value of his moral securities.

2. Let no man complain of having been allowed to live unwarned.

3. Think of so living that at last a man shall be left without a coal at which to warm himself! This is the end of sin, — this is the worthlessness of false gods! So far as we have had experience of life, we have seen the terrible failure of all false things. We have seen the judgment of God in parts. It is not all left to be revealed. We are entitled to reason from the past to the future; and when our own experience has, as a matter of fact, confirmed the revelation of God, we may know that future to be a terrible one to the servants of unrighteousness. What is the duty of man as dictated by mere common sense? It is to seek and trust that which is true.

(1)  We cannot escape the trial of our securities.

(2)  If we set ourselves against God, we challenge all the forces of His creation, fire, wind, flood, pestilence, &c. "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

(J. Parker, D. D.)

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KJV: Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know.

WEB: Therefore evil will come on you; you won't know when it dawns: and mischief will fall on you; you will not be able to put it away: and desolation shall come on you suddenly, which you don't know.