When the children of Ammon (Judges 11:) made war against Israel, and laid claim to a portion of their inheritance, the question of the title was three hundred years old. And Jephthah, in his answer to their insolent demand for the cession of this territory, went back over the circumstances occurring three hundred years before. He does not say, " Possession is nine points of the law," but goes back to the time when Israel passed around the country of Edom and of Moab, and did not molest them; but when Sihon came out and attacked them, they fought, and were victors, the Lord giving the enemy into their hand. He shows that it was by actual conquest that they gained possession, and this by the direct help of God. True, times had changed since then, and in degenerate days, when every man did that which was right in his own eyes," the Ammonites, instead of being slaves, were apparently masters, and in a position to dictate to once victorious Israel; but to faith, which rests on the unchanging God, all is unchanged ; Ammon is the same proud foe of God, the land is still Israel's by right, and in the power that bestowed it they will keep it. " The times change, and we change with them," says the Latin proverb; but faith does not speak so; it never does.

The Jews as a nation are still under judicial blindness for their rejection of Christ-a blindness, blessed be God, that is removed the moment the sin is judged and the soul turns to the Lord. These eighteen hundred years have made no change in the moral character of that awful sin in rejecting the Lord of glory, nor in the present responsibility of those now identified with the Jews. In days to come, in the time of Jacob's trouble, the controversy will be as to " our brother Joseph," and "we were verily guilty" will be the confession of those who had not been born when the act was committed. The prophetic confessions of such scriptures as the fifty-first psalm and the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah show how real and how fresh the sense of sin in the rejection of Christ will be.

With Daniel (chap. 9:) the lapse of seventy years, and the prophecy of the return, only increases the humiliation, the heartfelt confession of sin-sin in which he had no actual part.

Is not the whole world under the heavy hand of God's government because of Adam's sin ? We are under the blight of that disobedience still, as much so as was Adam the day he fell. Thanks to infinite grace, the awful consequences have been more than removed for those who by faith are linked with the second Adam. But who would dare to say the moral character of that act had changed in the lapse of six thousand years ?

But there is no need to multiply instances. We are persuaded that all Christians will admit the truth of what we have presented. It is in the application of a principle that there is too often glaring inconsistency. Sin is sin whether committed one hour or one century ago ; its moral character does not change with age.

On the other hand, how simple and blessed is the path of recovery! '' We have sinned." The moment there is sincere confession and departure from the evil, it is forgiven-communion is restored. We all know this way. Shall we not follow it ? Does anything but pride prevent our walking in it ? Other ways may seem to afford an easier way; this is the only true one. Sweet and precious names may be invoked in other interests-the names of our Lord, of the Spirit, of love-but they cannot do away with the need of which we have been speaking. Sin remains the same, and the only way to be free from it is by judging it and departing from evil. The Lord in mercy lead His own dear people into this path of lowliness, but of blessing – preserving them from every false way!