And when he humbled himself, the wrath of the Lord turned from him.
Prosperity
I. The place in which there was this prosperity.
1. Things will go on well in our own country--
(1) When the intelligence of its inhabitants shall keep pace with their means of information.
(2) When their conduct shall keep pace with their increasing knowledge.
(3) When the Christian Church shall employ all those means for the salvation of the world which are placed within her power.
2. Things may be said to go on well in a Church when there is a unanimous desire to--
(1) Understand;
(2) practise;
(3) and spread the gospel.
II. The time when there was this prosperity in Judah. “And when he humbled himself,” etc. When the Church shall humble herself for her sins, she will realise an amount of prosperity hitherto unknown.
1. Some of the sins which should induce this humiliation.
(1) Ignorance.
(2) Persecution.
(3) The profanation of the Sabbath.
(4) Drunkenness.
(5) Covetousness.
(6) Infidelity.
2. The character of that repentance which is necessary. It must be--
(1) Deep.
(2) Universal.
(3) Daily. (Zec_12:10-14).
III. The ackowledgment of this prosperity. Lessons: We may learn--
1. That one individual may be the source of incalculable good, or incalculable evil.
2. The importance of a knowledge of history, which illustrates the dealings of God with men.
3. The gratitude we owe to God for having given us the means of prosperity. (H. Hollis.)
