The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 1 — Section 54

. , . MoD~RN LESSONS. Let us "come and walk in the light of the Eteme.l." In that light the hideousness of we.~ and of the national discords •which lead to it e.re clee.rly seen. No sound understimdmg can ever look upon war as other than an occasional e.nd ,lrc&d. necessi_ty. Preaching against war may do a certain good. , ,But practically to walk m the hght and lead others to it is better. All sides of thle subject need to be bet~ understood by the popular mind. The most serious fallacies prevail. Were the ene~es now emplo~d _in preparin_g for and canying on war devoted to exploring, breaking up, and cultivating new regions, how truly blessed the result I In. fighting with the stubbornness of nature man may find ILl1 outlet for all his pugnacious energy. The poets should sanctify their art to glorifying the ideals of peace rather than 'those of war. None oan read these lines without being enkindled- ' , " Ah, when shall all men's good Be each man's rule, o.nd universal peace Lie like a s110.ft of light a.cross the land, And like a lane of beams a.thwart the sea, Thro' all the circle of the golden year?" (Ten.riys~n,) • . And let every earnest toiler in whatever -sphere for the good of man for the glory of God, ia.k:e these words to heart- • . . ' ·. • ' • • . . ' '' Unto him who works, and feels:he works, ; This same grand year is ever at the doors." J. V ers. 5-10.-Purgation by judgment. • The blessed age cannot yet come in.:. fr we suppose the prophet to have been reading the previous oracle 6'11 a ,sabbath lesson :out of the elder prophet Joel's scroll, he adds the ~xhortation, "Let ..us walk in:t!ie· .light,of Jehovah J " Then a sudden pause. For he calls to mind the present corrupt con,ditjon of the nation. They cannot pass over to that new an(j. happy condition pf: things'as they now are. Peace can only be the fruit of righteousness. God ce.nnot impart Llessings for which the heart makes no room. . . • , . . I. TH11: REASONS oF DIVINE REJECTION• . . 'I'he nation's practi~s and .fashions ·are inconsistent with the religion of Jehovah. 1. Wizardry, magic, soothsaying, and augury prevail. These are distinctly heathen, Philistine, practices. The Law repudiat~ every kind of magic (Lev. xiL 26; Exod. xxii. '17). Such arts are described under various names in Deut. xviii. 10, 11. The principle was in every case the ,same-the attempt to gratify human curiosity and desire by unlawful means. Modern "spiri- tualism" springs from the same root. The path of true science is above-ground and full of light; that of false science is subterranean and dark. The methods of sound know- ledge may be explained to all. 'l'he worker of good comes to the light, and hates occult procedure which can give no account of itself. The magical spirit still works against true Christianity, which is the "ligLt <>f. the Eternal." Christian ministers becoJ:Qe magicians if they teach that changes can be wrought or blessin•!S secured by the mere administration of sacraments; or by the· mere repetition of a formula, such as "I ~o believe, I will believe ; " or by the artificial putting on of a particular frame of mind. Obedience, not the mimicry ofit, purity, not the representation of it, is required by God. 2. Ill-9utten wealth and luxury. The people were immoderately money-loving. Like Tyre, tL.ey heaped up silver like dust, and gold like the mire of the streets (Zech, ix. 3), "'Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey, Where wealth accumulates and men deco.y." The excess of accumulation ever does mean the waste of manhood. A nation is op;ly healthy when the vigour of its masculine intellect goes to promote the ulterior end~ of existence. Those ends are spiritual. Wealth should be' prized for the sake of leisure, and leisure for the sake of culture. When leisure hangs heavy on the business man's hands, it is a sign that he has been overtrained in one direction. 'Tis a sad failure to be found fit only for grinding at the money-making mill. Such a man ca~not enjoy m,altb 11 L.en he bas got it. We need a larger conceFtion of the true conduct of life. t!1i. n'. 1-22.J THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET 18.AIAB.