et.a.). The oity of righteouaneaa; or, o.f Ver. 29.-The oaks whloh ye have deaired juatiM. Thti prophecy m&y hsve been ful- a.re, prim&ri!y, the " green trees " under filled in psrl by the earthly JeruS&lem under which im&ges were set up (2 Kinga uii. 10), Zernbhabel, Ezre., &nd the Me.00&beea, hut ill but perhaps represent &!so any worldly me.inly fulfilled in the heavenly JernB&lem attractions whioh draw the soul o.w&y from ---&be Ohuroh of God, the true Ierael. The God-as wealth, or power, or honours. In faithflll oity (comp. ver. 21). Oertainly, the the day of suffering, sinners Me ashamed of post-Oapti\'ity Ohnroh was "faithful" to having been !eel away by such poor tempta- Jehovah, in the way of aolrnowledging him, tions as those to which they have yielded Rnd him only, to be God, to &very re!!)&rk- (oomp. Rom. vi. 21, " What fruit had ye Rble degree, and in strong oontrnst to ite tnen in those things whereof ye ore nnw inclination during pre-O&ptivity times. Mhamed ? "). The gardens. Kay sugg~sts Ver. 27.-Redeemed with judgment; " idolatrous pleasure-gardeus as those at rather, deli"8'1"ed tliroughjudgment; i.e. God's Daphne, near Antioch," which is n real!On- judgmeut sha.11 have the effect of "deliver- able exegesis. Suoh were probably to be ing" & remnant, who sh&ll build up Zion found wherever Aste.rte, or the" Dea Syra," once more, and dwell in it. ller oonverte; we.a worshipped. i.e. those of her children who turn to God, Ver. 30.-Ye shall be as an oak, etc. Con- shall be delivered through God's righteous- trsst the case of the godly, whose '' leaf ness, i.e. through the righteous vengeance ■hall not wither" (Ps. i. 3). which he executes upon the unf&ithful Ver. 31.-The strong (literally, the stroog nation. Some, however, understand both OM) shall be as tow; i.e. weak and powerless clsuses to mean that the penitent remnant (oomp. Judg. xvi. 9), utterly unable to shall "deliver their own souls by their resist the Divine fiat when it goes forth. righteousness" (comp. Ezek. xiv. 14, 20; The maker of it. An extraordinary mis- xvi.ii. 27, etc.). translation, since po'al never means anything Ver. 28.-Tra.mgreasors ... sinners . , . but " work." His own e.ots would lio-ht the they that forsake the Lord (comp. vers. 2 :lire by which the " strong one " w~uld be and 4). These o.re sca.roely distinct clMses- consumed and perish. rother different names for the ungodly. All of them, by whatever name they were called, " Neo lex j ustior ulla eat, would perish "together." Quam necis artifices arte perire sua."
HOMILETICS. Ver. L-" The 'IJiswn of lsai.ah which he saw. n The modem theory, that the prophetical gift was a mere "presentiment," or" insight," closely akin to that by which clear-sighted men of all times and na.tions have been able, in many respects, to forecast the coming coune of events, is not very easily reconcilable with these words, "the vision of Isaiah which he saw." .Al!, a commentator whose freedom from the shackles of tl'&d.ition is beyond dispute observeB, "With Isaiah, it" ( i.e. prophecy) "is not a mere presenti- ment; it is a calm and settled conviction, based on a direct revelation, and confirmed by a deep insight into the laws of the Divine government" (Cheyne, 'Prophecies of Isaiah,' voL i. p. 233, note). Isaiah" sees" that which he announces. It is placed distinctly before him, e.s that which is about to be. He no more doubts it than he doubts that which is presented to his bodily vision. Hence it may be concluded- L That the prophetic inspiration was absolutely convincing to those who were favoured with it, and precluded all feeling of doubt. IL That it was wholly different in kind from that power of prevision which all men more or less possess, resting, not upon grounds of reason or experience, but upon an inwe.rd spiritual conviction that the substance of the prophetic announcement had been communicated to the prophet by God. Vers. 2, 3.-God's arrai,gnment of his peop'le. God claims his people's willing obedience on three grounds. 1. They are his children. 2. He has made them great. 3. He has exalted them to eminence among the nations. I. As HIS CHILDREN, they are bound to love and serve him, to be grateful to him fo1 his manifold mercies, and to yield him entire obedience. He is the Author of their 1eing; he SW!tains their life; he feeds them, supports them, gives them every blessing which they enjoy. In return, what less can they do than love him unfeignedly, 1erve him truly, and obey him implicitly? Ea.rthly children are bound to act thu1 Oll, I, 1-81.) THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH.