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ture is generated, and rills, fed by marshes and quiet pools, unite to form running rivers. But let the trees be cut down, and the ground be laid open to the sun, and the swamps will dry up, and the rivers run no more. So is it with the Brahmins, and all the effete teachers

of heathenism. As long as the dense shadows of ignorance brood over the people, they will possess some little trickling power; but let the light of knowledge shine in upon the masses, and the channels of their influence will dry up and be forgotten.-Beecher.

THE LIGHT OF THE LORD.

ii. 5. O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord.

"The light of the Lord" streams upon us from His Word (Ps. cxix. 105). The knowledge of God and of His holy will which the Bible imparts to us is the meridian sun which casts his rays on the cold scenes of our earthly career. L. The religion of the Bible illumines. Into how many errors did unaided human reason fall, when the nature of God and of His operations was the subject of its inquiries! (a) Did not the wisest grope in darkness ? Did they not conceive absurdities, even when man and his fate were the subject of their inquiries? (8) How full, clear, and steady is the light which the Scriptures cast upon these and other great subjects of human thought! II. The religion of the Bible warms. That God is great and all-powerful some philosophers imagined before the divine light of inspired truth shone forth; but the human heart remained cold, and felt in itself no point of contact and union with so exalted a Being. Until God said, "I am your Father," we were as orphans in a strange land; but then at once the world became to us as a parent's dwelling, and our heart began to warm with love towards God and man. III. The religion of the Bible vivifies. It animates and restores the weary, the dying! IV. The religion of the Bible blesses -now (y), and for ever (1 Tim. iv. 8). -G. Salomon, Twelve Sermons, pp. 1-24.

(a) Men who seek God by reason and natural strength (though we do not deny common notions and general impressions of a sovereign power) are like mariners who voyaged before the invention of the compass, who were but coasters, and unwillingly left the sight of the land. Such are they who would arrive at God by this world, and contemplate Him only in His creatures and seeming demonstration. Certainly every creature shows God, as a glass; but glimmeringly and transitorily, by the frailty

both of the receiver and beholder; ourselves have His image, as medals, permanently and preciously delivered. But by these meditations we get no further than to know what He doth, not what He is.-Donne, 1573-1631.

None but the true God can discover [make known] what the true worship of God is. As that glorious eye of heaven is not to be seen but by its own proper light,-a million of torches cannot show us the sun: so it is not all the natural reason in the world that can either discover what God is, or what worship He expects, without Divine and supernatural revelation from Himself.-Arrowsmith, 16021659.

(B) Reason sees that man is ignorant, guilty, mortal, miserable, transported with vain passions, tormented with accusations of conscience, but it could not redress those evils. Corrupt nature is like an imperfect building that lies in rubbish: the imperfection is visible but not the way to finish it; for through ignorance of the first design every one follows his own fancy, whereas, when the Architect comes to finish His own project, it appears regular and beautiful. Thus the various directions of philosophers to recover fallen man out of his ruins, and to raise him to his first state, were vain. Some glimmerings they had that the happiness of a reasonable nature consisted in its union with God, but in order to this they propounded such means as were not only ineffectual, but opposite. Such is the pride and folly of carnal wisdom, that to bring God and man together, it advances man, but depresses God.-Bates, 1625-1699.

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All the days of sinful nature are dark night, in which there is no right discerning of spiritual things some light there is, of reason, to direct natural and civil actions, but no daylight Till the sun rise it is night still, for all the stars, and the moon to help them.-Leighton, 1611– 1684.

(7) It is a peculiar advantage of piety, that it furnisheth employment fit for us, worthy of us, hugely grateful, and highly beneficial to us. Man is a very busy and active creature, which cannot live and do nothing, whose thoughts are in restless motion, whose desires are ever stretching at somewhat, who perpetu. ally will be working either good or evil to himself: wherefore greatly profitable must that

thing be which determineth him to act well,
to spend his care and pain on that which is
truly advantageous to him; and that is religion
only. It alone fasteneth our thoughts, affec-
tions, and endeavours upon occupations worthy
the dignity of our nature, suiting the excellence
of our natural capacities and endowments, tend-
ing to the perfection and advancement of our
reason, to the enriching and ennobling of our
souls. Secluding that, we have nothing in the
world to study, to affect, to pursue, not very
mean and below us, not very base and unbe
coming us, as men of reason and judgment.
What have we to do but to eat and drink, like
horses or like swine; but to sport and play, like
children or apes; but to bicker and scuffle
about trifles and impertinences, like idiots!
What but to scrape or scramble for useless pelf,
to hunt after empty shows and shadows of
honour, or the vain fancies or dreams of men ?
What but to wallow or bask in sordid pleasures,
the which soon degenerate into remorse and
bitterness? To which sort of employments
were a man confined, what a pitiful thing he
would be, and how inconsiderable would be his
life!
Were a man designed only, like a fly, to

But

buzz about here for a time, sucking in the air
and licking the dew, then soon to vanish back
into nothing, or to be transformed into worms,
how sorry and despicable a thing were he!
And such without religion we should be.
it supplieth us with business of a most worthy
nature and lofty importance; it setteth us
upon doing things great and noble as can be ;
it engageth us to free our minds from all fond
conceits, and cleanse our hearts from all cor-
rupt affections,-to conform the dispositions
of our soul and the actions of our life to the
eternal laws of righteousness and goodness: it
putteth us upon the imitation of God, upon
obtaining a friendship and maintaining a cor-
respondence with the High and Holy One, upon
filling our minds for conversation and society
with the wisest and purest spirits above, upon
providing for our immortal state, upon the
acquist of joy and glory everlasting. It em-
ployeth us in the divinest actions-promoting
virtue, performing beneficence, serving the
public, and doing good to all: the being exer-
cised in which things doth indeed render a man
highly considerable, and his life excellently
valuable.-Barrow, 1630-1677.

THE WALK OF THE SOUL IN THE LIGHT OF THE LORD. ii. 5. O house of Jacob, come ye, and There are many lights shining upon the paths of men in this world. There are the lights of science and philosophy; they beam out from the human mind, and are kindled by eager research and investigation. These have been adThese have been advancing in splendour and in value, age by age, and will, no doubt, continue to do so to the end of time. Men walk in these lights, and vainly imagine that they have found the sun of the soul. They seek no higher illumination. They are mistaken. The lights of

science are of but little service to the moral nature; they cannot chase away its darkness, or open up to it a vision of destiny. The True Light cometh down from above, and is Divine in its origin. It is bright. It is beauteous. It is sufficient for the guidance of the soul. Wise men will walk in it. "O

house of Jacob," &c.

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And

let us walk in the light of the Lord
another; either toward moral purity
or moral evil; either to Christ or to
Satan. The moral sensibilities with
which it is gifted, the laws under which
it is placed, the influences to which it
is subject, and the prospects that are
stretched out before the soul, render
moral progress a necessity of being.
2. The moral walk of the soul is educa-
tional. Men gain knowledge in this
world by travel. In this way they
augment their mental stores.
the soul gains knowledge, strengthens
its capabilities, and deepens its experi-
ence, by walking forth into the great
moral universe in which it lives. Only
the souls that have walked in the paths
of truth and life know what things are,
and they only are able to guide others.
3. The moral walk of the soul is healthful.
Those who are inactive are always physi
cally weak. The soul that never takes
moral exercise, that never gets out into
the broad acres of truth, and that never
climbs the great mountains of God, will
ever be sickly. If the soul is to be
strong, equal to the duties of life, and
to the demands of being, it must not

indolently repose in its own quiet hidingplace. It must go forth to meet the Eternal. 4. The moral walk of the soul is often perilous. The traveller has often to walk through dark places, along difficult paths, and near the deep precipice. He is in a strange country. And so in the walk of the soul. It is in a land of which it knows but little. It has to pass through the dark mystery of truth, to traverse the windings of intricate problems, and to find its way, through perplexing circumstances, to the throne of God.

II. The light of the Lord. "In the light of the Lord." The soul of man was not constituted to walk in darkness. It was created with keen moral vision; but, alas! its eye is dimmed by sin, and is but seldom open to the light of heaven. 1. This light is Divine in its origin. It does not come from the orb in the heavens. It comes from beyond the clouds-from the Sun of Righteousness, whose rays are never lost in night. It is not the light of the finite, but of the Infinite. It is perennial and pure. It is unparalleled in beauty. It is unique in lustre. It is life-giving in its influence. The soul can walk in no better radiance. 2. This light is clear in its

revelation. But for the sun we should know nothing of this world. And but for the light of the Lord we should be entirely ignorant of the moral world, in which the soul lives and has its being. This light which shines from the Spirit of God, from the Bible, and from the enlightened conscience, reveals the existence of God, the spirituality of His nature, the purity of His character, and the devotion of which He is worthy. It reveals the soul to itself, and bends it in humility, but in joy, as it unfolds the forgiving mercy of the Cross. But for this light of the Lord we should be ignorant of the things of the moral universe. It illumines the soul in its walk to the great and unknown future. 3. This light is cheering in its influence. The light of the sun is cheering to man, and is ever welcome to him. So the light of the Lord is cheering to the pure soul; it enlivens its energies, and lends new beauty to its visions. 4. This light is abiding in its duration. The light of the Lord will never go down from the pure soul, but will only brighten through death into the perfect day.-By what light do we walk? "Come ye," now, gladly, devoutly, "and let us walk in the light of the Lord."-J. S. Exell.

A TERRIBLE PICTURE. ii. 6-22.

Here is the "word" (vision) which Isaiah " saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem" (ver. 1). The prophet has been enraptured by the wondrous prospect of the distant future, when religion shall be the supreme force of life (ver. 2), and all men (vers. 2, 3), walking in "the light of the Lord," shall be at peace with each other (ver. 4): now he looks down to the present, and how dark and terrible is the picture which he sees before him! He sees-I. A nation forsaken of God (ver. 6). One of the most awful of all spectacles: an engine of tremendous power, without a driver, rushing down a steep incline! II. A nation pursuing childish superstitions (ver. 6): "They be replenished from the east, and are

soothsayers like the Philistines." When a nation forsakes God, this is a common result (Rom. i. 21, 22). Witness the rapid spread in our own day of "spiri tualism" among the sceptical and irreligious classes of England and America. III. A nation seeking strength and safety in alliances with the enemies of God, allying itself with the very powers which Omnipotent Righteousness was pledged to crush! Instead of dwelling apart, as God intended (Num. xxiii. 9; Deut. xxxiii. 28, &c.), and in dependence upon His protection, the Israelites sought to strengthen themselves by alliances with surrounding nations. "They please themselves with the children of strangers." The

same sin is repeated in these days, when God's people mix with worldly society for the sake of its "advantages." IV. A nation blinded by external prosperity to its real condition and peril (ver. 7). Abounding with every evidence of prosperity, how could they suspect that they were forsaken of God, and that a terrible doom was hanging over them? What is our condition, and what are our prospects as a nation? Let us not lay too much stress upon our great national wealth? V. A nation given over to a debasing idolatry (ver. 8; Rom. i. 23). A moral degradation extending to all classes (ver. 9). Just what we behold in Roman Catholic and Ritualistic churches, where rich and poor alike prostrate themselves before the wheaten wafer which their priest has transformed into a god! The prophet himself now becomes part of the picture, and we have-VI. The awful spectacle of a good man invoking the vengeance of Heaven upon the nation to which he belongs (ver. 10): "There fore forgive them not." This was the natural cry of the prophet's soul, filled with horror and indignation at what he

saw.

The imprecations of Scripture are the natural (and fitting) utterance of righteousness in view of wickedness. It is only because the tone of our own spiritual life is so low that we are offended at them. From whom, among ourselves, does the cry for the uplifting of the strong arm of human law against the perpetrators of crimes of violence come? Not from the classes most likely to suffer from them, but from the refined and gentle, who, just because of their refinement and gentleness, are inspired by them with disgust and anger. So it is those who are most in sympathy with God who are most likely to burn with holy indignation against such things as the prophet saw. The men who offer such prayers as this, "Forgive them not," would be the first to reverse it did the offenders give any sign of repentance. VII. A crushing doom impending over an unsuspecting nation. No sooner has the prophet uttered his prayer, than he sees it was needless, and that the thunderclouds

of the Divine anger were already thickly massed over the guilty nation; without any visible sign there was gathering over them a storm that would suddenly break forth with destructive force. Therefore he breaks out into a strain of impassioned warning and appeal to the very men for whose punishment he had prayed (ver. 10, &c.)

What lessons shall we learn from our survey of this dark picture? 1. Not to judge of the relations of nations, individuals, or ourselves to God by the test of temporal circumstances. It is an old but gross fallacy that temporal prosperity is a sure sign of the Divine favour (Eccles. ix. 1-3; Job xxi. 7-15, &c.) (a). Let us not ask what our circumstances are, but what our character is, and what our conduct has been. If we are unrighteous, temporal prosperity should alarm us, as a sign that God has forsaken us (Heb. xii. 8). 2. Not to be hasty to impute the temporal prosperity of the wicked to a slumbering of the Divine justice. We need scarcely trouble ourselves to pray for a doom upon the ungodly (Exod. xxxiv. 7; 2 Pet. ii. 3; Job xxi. 17, 18; Ps. lxxiii. 18, 19; Isa. iii. 11). 3. Let us remember that we ourselves, as sinners, are exposed to the Divine judgments, and let us enter into the Rock"-" the Rock of Ages," that, sheltered in Him, we may be safe when the storms of the final judgment shall burst upon our guilty world.

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(a) When the Lord hath set thee up as high as Haman in the court of Ahasuerus, or promoted thee to ride with Joseph in the second chariot of Egypt; were thy stock of cattle exceeding Job's, "seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen;" did thy wardrobe put down Solomon's, and thy cupboard of plate Belshazzar's when the vessels of God's temple were the ornature,-yet all these are but the gifts of Wisdom's left hand, and the possessors may be under the malediction of God, and go down to damnation.-Adams, 1654.

The eagles and lions seek their meat of God. But though all the sons of Jacob have good cheer from Joseph, yet Benjamin's mess exceeds. Esau shall have the prosperity of the earth, but Jacob goes away with the blessing. Ishmael may have outward favours, but the inheritance belongs to Isaac.-Adams, 1654.

GOD'S PEOPLE FORSAKEN.

Heb. xiii. 5. I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. Isa. ii. 6. Thou hast forsaken Thy people the house of Jacob.

How comforting is the Apostle's assurance! But do not the hope and courage which it inspires die out of us, when we hear this ancient prophet rise and testify, "Thou hast forsaken Thy people "No! because before there is any light concerning this question in our understanding, our faith tells us there must be a way of harmonising these seemingly conflicting declarations. God must necessarily be faithful to His promise. "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." Were God to forsake any of His believing, expecting people, He would do more than forsake them-He would forsake Himself! He would put off His crown and lay aside His sceptre, and become one of ourselves. Then the whole universe would have cause to mourn in sackcloth and ashes; there would no longer be any GOD to whom we could make supplication in our sorrows.

I. The first of these inspired declarations make it plain that God has a people whom He will never forsake. In every distress and tribulation He will be with them. Though all other friends may fail them, God will continue faithful to them. When the most devoted of human friends could not be of any avail, God will be their succour-when bereavement has broken their heart; when persecution or temptations are threatening to sweep them away; in the hour of death.

II. The second of these inspired declarations makes it plain that those who have been accounted the people of God may be forsaken by Him. This is a declaration that would smite us with dismay, and plunge us into saddest confusion, were we to put a full stop where the prophet has put a comma. Why had God forsaken His people, the house of Jacob? Because they had first forsaken Him: they had first voluntarily ceased to be His people. The truth in this matter may perhaps be best apprehended by means of a Scriptural symbol. God compares the

The

union that exists between Him and His people to that which exists between a man and his wife. Will a good husband ever forsake his faithful wife? bloom and beauty of her youth may have gone; a wasting sickness may have rendered her positively unlovely, but will he forsake her? Never! Her misfortunes will only cause him to cherish her with a tenderer love. But if she be unfaithful to him, what then? Why, then, the whole case may be altered. If he be a merciful as well as a just man, he may seek to reclaim her; but if she be "joined to her lovers," and persistently heedless of all his claims and her duties, the time will come when he will leave her to her fate. To him she will be as if she were dead. So God is wondrous in His forbearance towards His backsliding people; but if they persist in their apostacy, He will leave them to the gods whom they have chosen (Judges x. 13, 14; Jer. ii. 28). We see now that between these apostolic and prophetic utterances there is the most perfect harmony. Our discussion of this subject should teach us— 1. Not to found conclusions upon fragments of God's sayings or doings. His words and His works are mutually explanatory; but we must not cut the explanations short! If we put periods where God has only put commas, we shall be plunged into frightful perplexities; with the words of Scripture

on

our lips, we shall have most damnable heresies in our hearts. Our study of God's word must be comprehensive. So also must our study of God's providence. Let us not be in a hurry to come to conclusions. Wait, and we shall have more light, because we shall not be looking at parts, but at wholes. Our life is being written in clauses, and not till the last is completed shall we be able to interpret the first aright (a). 2. Not to build too much upon past submissions to the Divine will and past enjoyments of the Divine favour "Once in grace always in grace" is an

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