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SERMON XXXIV.

THE SIN, AFFLICTION, AND RESTORATION OF MANASSEH.

2 CHRON. Xxiii. 12, 13.

And when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed unto him; and he was entreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem, into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God.

THE narratives of the Old Testament are not to be read as mere matters of history, but as records of the providential dispensations of God in the concerns of mankind, and as fraught with lessons of the most valuable moral and religious instruction. In this light we are to consider the account handed down to us of Manasseh king of Judah. An uninspired historian could only have informed us of his evil life, his affliction, his repentance, his restoration to prosperity, and his subsequent good conduct; but the sacred writer exhibits to us the manner in which the hand of God was visible

throughout these events. It was not a matter of chance that Manasseh fell into adversity; for it was a scourge expressly sent upon him. for his transgressions: nor was it by chance that he was restored to his kingdom, but by the unseen interposition of the all-wise Disposer of events, and in consequence of his deep humiliation and humble prayer. It is thus that the Scriptures teach us maxims of heavenly wisdom, not only in their direct exhortations and promises, but in the narratives which they record, all being written so as to display the conduct of God towards his creatures; his wisdom and righteousness, his justice and his mercy, his anger against the transgressor, his favour to the humble penitent, his infinite patience and forbearance towards all. We see embodied in actual facts our own circumstances; our sins and our mercies; what we have to hope or to fear; what our Creator requires of us; how he will act towards us. He is represented as ever present with us, about "our path and our bed;" that is, by day and by night, "searching out all our ways," recording all our actions, comforting his servants in their afflictions, making a way for their escape, and proving himself "a very present help in time of trouble."

The chief particulars which the narrative under our consideration suggests, are the aggravated transgressions of Manasseh; the con

sequent affliction which befel him; his repentance in his affliction; his deliverance from it; and his future obedience to God. And may we, while we reflect upon this short but affecting history apply to our own hearts, and may the Holy Spirit apply to us, the instruction which it affords, that we may learn the awful guilt of forsaking God; the punishment which, sooner or later, and if not in this world certainly in another, it must bring upon us; the necessity of repentance and turning to our offended Creator, who is willing notwithstanding our offences to become to us a reconciled God and Father in Christ Jesus, not imputing to us our offences, but pardoning us by his free mercy, through the obedience unto death of his blessed Son, our only Mediator and Advocate, and renewing our hearts by his Holy Spirit, that we may henceforth obey his commands and live to his glory.

First, then, the chapter before us details the transgressions of Manasseh. His sins were of a very heinous character, and were committed under circumstances which greatly aggravated their enormity. The narrative mentions several particulars, which shew the fearful extent of his offences.

1. He sinned immediately against God. Every sin is indeed a transgression of the commands

of our Creator; but some sins seem as it were to shew a more than ordinary contempt for his Infinite Majesty: they imply a direct denial of his presence; they urge him to vindicate the honour of his name; they practically speak the language of the fool who says in his heart, "There is no God." Of this kind was the sin of idolatry which Manasseh so flagrantly committed; for he reared up altars for an idol or false god, called Baalim; and made groves for the cruel and licentious rites of heathen superstition he worshipped the host of heaven, the sun, the moon, and the stars, and served them; instead of serving Him who made them, and rules them in their courses. He even carried his profaneness and provocation against God to so great an extent, that he built altars for these pagan idols in the courts of the house of the Lord, and set up for worship a carved image in the temple itself, of "which God had said to David, and to Solomon his son, In this house will I put my name for ever."

2. But not only did Manasseh "work much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger," but his sins against God were followed by sins against his neighbour. Having cast off the fear of his Creator, he became dangerous to all around him. His heart was so greatly hardened by the deceitfulness of sin, that it is said, "he shed innocent blood very much, till he

had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; and he even caused his own children to pass through the fire, in the valley of the son of Hinnom.

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3. To aggravate still more his offences, he not only sinned himself, but he delighted in causing others to sin also; for it is said that he made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do worse than the heathen." The ungodly add fearfully to their own offences, by seducing others to offend. "If a ruler hearken to lies," says Solomon, "all his servants are wicked;" and even in the most humble sphere of life "evil communications" in like manner "corrupt good manners ;" and this not only by the natural effect of bad example, but by the positive efforts which sinners employ to lead others into temptation. This was the case in regard to the first transgression which was committed in the Garden of Eden; for satan, having himself sinned against God, tempted Eve to sin also; and Eve, having sinned, drew Adam with her into the transgression has continued to be the case ever since; for which reason the Scriptures frequently warn us, as we value our immortal souls, against the society of the wicked. "Their word will eat as doth a canker:" "The companion of fools shall be destroyed."

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4. Another aggravation of the sinful conduct