Homilist Ezekiel 8:12 Then said he to me, Son of man, have you seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark… I. MAN HAS A WONDERFUL POWER OF VISION BEYOND THAT OF THE SENSES. Man's power of mental vision is seen not only in the creation of dreams and the production of poetry, but also in the sorrows of the apprehensive, the joys of the hopeful, the wealth of the avaricious, and power of the ambitious, which live only in the imagination. "The dullest plodder," says Dr. Thomas Brown, "over the obscurest desk, who sums up in the evening his daily tables of profit and loss, and who rises in the morning with the sole object of adding a few ciphers to that book of pounds and pence which contains the whole annual history of his life, — even he, while he half lays down his quill to think of future prices or future demands or future possibilities of loss, has his visions and inspiration like the sublimest poet; visions of a very different kind, indeed, from those to which poets are accustomed, but involving as truly the inspiration of fancy!" 1. Through this power God frequently reveals the greatest truths. All sciences start from hypotheses. The poet catches by intuition that which philosophers organise into systems. This material universe is but spirit in costume, — "a vesture"; its myriads of objects are but eternal thoughts run into palpable forms. Imagination with her keen eyes looks through the garb, sees the Divine ideas, moulds them into shapes of her own, and clothes them in an airy fabric of her own weaving. 2. Through this power man will derive much of his happiness or misery forever. One of our bards has sung in lofty and touching strains of "The Pleasures of the Imagination." Blessed power this! By it the sightless bard of England made for himself a sunny paradise, amidst whose enchanted scenes he struck from his lyre those supernatural strains that shall thrill the ages yet to come. The greatest misery, too, comes out of this. Let the imagination become the creature of a guilty conscience, and it shall create a hell as dark and deep as that which Dante made. II. THE DEGENERATING TENDENCY IN THE MOST ADVANCED PEOPLE HAS EVER BEEN STRONG. This tendency is sufficient — 1. To repudiate the atheistic notion that the original state of man was that of savagism; and to confirm the Biblical doctrine that "God made man upright, but that he sought out many inventions." 2. To show that it behoves the most advanced people to be humble. III. THE GREATEST SINS OF HUMANITY ARE GENERALLY THE HIDDEN ONES. Could we open the door of England's soul, as the prophet opened the door of "the chamber of imagery," our opinion of its character, I presume, would be greatly modified if not reversed. We should see selfishness in the benevolent, blood guiltiness in the humane, despotism in the outwardly liberal, lasciviousness in the chaste, arrogance in the humble, infidelity in the pious, idolatry in temples built for God. It is not the hand, nor the tongue, nor any member of the body that performs the act; — the volition is the act. 1. Man has the power to conceal sins. 2. Man as a sinner has the strongest temptations to concealment. The more wicked a man is, the more temptation he has to be a hypocrite. The depraved tradesman, lawyer, physician, and statesman must build a thick wall around their "chamber of imagery," or they could not live. IV. AN INSIGHT OF THE HIDDEN INIQUITY OF A POPULATION IS A NECESSARY QUALIFICATION FOR A TRUE REFORMER. 1. It serves to impress him with the justice of human suffering. 2. It serves to impress him with the greatness of God's love in redemption. 3. It serves to impress him with the sublime mission of Christianity.It is to go into its most secret chambers, tear down every idol god, carry in the ark, and enthrone the Shekinah, and consecrate the soul a Temple for the Holy Ghost to dwell in. V. THE MOST HIDDEN SINS ARE DESTINED TO BE EXPOSED. 1. There are certain ways in which hidden sins are exposed, even now. (1) There is temptation. The virtue of some men is but vice sleeping, for the want of something to call it out. (2) There is affliction. One man is thought a model of patience, his temper is never ruffled, there is always a beautiful equanimity about him; but his circumstances change, trials thicken upon him. And now what a change, how restless — how impatient! Another is very benevolent; in comparative poverty he gives his mite readily, and often says if he had so much property how delighted he would be to lay it out in the cause of benevolence: Providence places him in this position, — and the man is a miser. (3) There is moral conviction. When this seizes the soul, all the concealing walls are broken down, and the moral character leaps into light. Job, David, Zaccheus, Peter, the Publican, are examples. 2. There are two kinds of exposure — (1) Unconscious. There are some men, perhaps, around you who have had an insight to your hearts, who, from outer acts, have had a glimpse of your "chamber of imagery"; and have pronounced their judgment, but you know it not. There are angels to whom your spirits are bare: and certain it is that God sees you. (2) Conscious. The eye of a man has a wonderful influence upon the doer of wrong. In the prosecution of his crime let him feel the glance of another upon him, and how will it affect him! In the judgment. day we shall feel all eyes upon us. VI. A PRACTICAL DISREGARD OF THE CONSTANT PRESENCE AND INSPECTION OF GOD IS AN EXPLANATION OF ALL SIN. 1. Because the realising of God's presence implies supreme love to Him. The being we love supremely we keep close to our hearts. Friends separated by continents, oceans, and even death, love brings near. It is not logic, but love that makes us feel the Infinite near. 2. If they love Him supremely they will have no room in their hearts for idols. Supreme love is a soul-filling power. Where God is loved there is no room for other deities. When the sun is on the eye the stars are not. (Homilist.) Parallel Verses KJV: Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth. |
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