t give it yet without injustice. The land was in the
possession of the Amorites, a people on their trial, and till the day
of their probation was expired, their kingdom could not be taken from
them. "In the fourth generation," God said, "thy seed shall come
hither, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full." Now
actually it was not till four hundred and seventy years later that the
destruction of the Amorites was accomplished. Four generations after
Abraham, that is some two hundred and forty years after, the measure of
their iniquities was full, and yet they existed on till Joshua crossed
Jordan with the Israelites, and then they were all put to the sword.

In the New Testament we hear the Jews addressed as though they also had
a measure of sin they must fill up before God would forsake them. Our
Lord says to them, "Ye are the children of them which killed the
prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents,
ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of Hell?
Behold I send unto you prophets, and wise-men, and scribes: and some of
them ye shall kill and crucify: and persecute them from city to city:
that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth,
from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, son of
Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar." The Jewish
nation had done great wickedness, but the measure of their iniquities
was not full till they had rejected Christ, and had refused to listen
to His Apostles, and the Holy Ghost speaking through their mouths.
Till then He would not cast them off entirely.

II. David prays to God, "Lord, let me know the number of my days, that
I may be certified how long I have to live." No doubt, God has fixed
for all men a certain length of life. No doubt also He has set for
each a certain limit of forbearance; a line, an invisible line drawn
somewhere, and He says to man, Thus far mayest thou go, and I will
still be merciful and pardon, but no further. Transgress that line,
and I forgive no more. My Spirit will not always strive with man.

In those cases which I have quoted to you, God is dealing with nations,
but He deals with individuals in the same way. His laws are uniform;
as He deals with an assemblage of people, so He deals with single
individuals. If He fixes a bound to nations, beyond which they cannot
go without His forsaking them, it is because there is the law, which is