V ers. 5-7 .-Spi1·itual agitation. The passage depicts the prophet in a ~ondition of great mental agitation; his state may suggest, to us- . . ... , . : , L THE ALARM OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT UNDER THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF TM, DIVIN£ PRESENCE. Anything which brings us into close contact with the unse.en world. power,., fully affects our spirit and produces an apprehension for which we may not b.e,able, tQ account. 1. Any visitant, real or imaginary, from the spiritual realm fills• us. with fear (see Jucig. vi. 22; xiii. 22; Job iv. 15; Dan. x. 8.; fa1ke i. 12;. ii. 9); . We. have not the slightest reason to apprehend any aot of hostility from such '.a being, and. may be said to have a positive interest in knowing that such as they are do .exist and do concern themselves in our welfare._ But there are few men who would not be. consider. ably agitated if they believed themselves to be in the presence ,of a .disembodfod (or unembodied) spirit. 2. We are affected with lively apprehension when we think our- selves to be on the confines of the· futur_e, the spiritual world., .. 3,: 'l')le..~onc('ptio!l' or the near presence of the Lord himself awakens the greatest disquiet\1de o{ soul. ,.So was it with Isaiah now. "Woe_ is me! I am undot2e," he exclaimed. So,,v,,asjt :wi.th Peter when the miraculous draught revealed the presence of his Divine Master.. ,~\ Depart from me; for I am a 6i.nful man, 0 Lord," was his prayer. And whenever we are brought into such a spirit112.l condition that we are ready to say,~• Surely G:od is in _th_is place," whenever the hand of the Lord is felt, tp, be :upon_ our souls. and his voice to bQ manifestly addressing our hearts, _we are awed, agitated, even alarme<l, with a pecµ\iar and inexpressible apprehension. . _ __ .. , . ._, , -: II. 1Ts JUSTIFICATION IN OUR HUMAN oun,T. We may not be, able, to expfain Pllr alarm at the nearness of any created being from the other w.orld, but we can well~nder, stand how it is we are affected-as we are under the consciousness of the divine presence. It is that our littleness is abashed at the presence of Divine 01ajesty, our ignor&l)Qe in presence of Divine wisdom, our feebleness in presence of Divine powe1;. But thi13 i3:;not the explanation of our alarm. It is found in the fact that when we find oU;rselve~ before God we are conscious that a guilty soul is in the near presence of the thrice-holy One (see ver. 3). The clue to our agitation is in the words," I am a. man of unclean. Jips; '! •• I am a sinful man." There is a twofold reason way sinful men.should be ,alarmed at the felt presence of God: one, that all sin by its very nature shrinks and coweni in th11 conscious presence of purity; the other, that the guilty human soul knows well th"-t it is the province, and is in the power, of the righteo11s God to inflict the penalty wl!icb is its due; and it knows that the rightful penalty of sin is sorrow, spa.me, death. Ill. lTs DIVINE BEMOVAL, (Vere. 6,, 7.) Under Divin~· direction (as w~. m(l.y assume) one of the cherubim took a live coal from that altar of sacrifice wbioh G_o_d ha,d caused to be built for the purg:ing of the sins of the people, and with the coal he touched the "unclean lips" of which the prophet had made conff!ssion and.cowplaint; JlO W&.$ his "iniquity t1\lrnn away," and, we may conclude,11is spirit calmed. The removal of that spiritual agitation which comes to our soul when we realize that our guilt is jn the full view of the Holy One can only come from God himself. We may bless.his Name that he has made such ample provision for this gracious purpose. 1. He has provided the sacrijiCfJ and the altar; that is found in him who is the Propitiation for our sins, in the cru~. of Cah-ary. 2. B.e has provided the mc6se119er, of mer.cy,; these arc found in on, vt, 1......13,] TltE BOOK OF 'l'Hg PROPHET ISAIAH. 119
those fuHhful eervante who carry the gospel of hie grace on the wings of their ardent love, 3. He hae provided the means by which the sacrifice and the soul are connected, and. the virtue of the one is made to touch and heal the other; this is found in that living.faith.by which the Lamb of God takes away our sin,and our soul," being justified by foith, has peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ."-C. Ver. 8,-0n God's errand. Our thought is naturally divided into- I.. THE DIVINE DEMil.'D. "Whom shall I eend, and who will go for as?• L There are some demands God makes of us all. He requires that we should hearken when he speaks; that we should be especially attentive to his Son (Matt. xvii. 5); that we should accept Jesus Christ as our Lord, Saviour, Friend, Exemplar; that we should honour him before the world. 2. There are other demands he makes of most of his children. That they should actively engage in the work of extending his kingdom; that they should suffer some kind of persecution for his sake. 3. There remain some demands he only makes of a few. Work requiring specially hard toil, or particular pre- paration in study, or unusual tact and versatility, or exceptional powers of mind or body. Then he says, "Whom (of all my servants) shall I send; and who will go?" II. TnE INI!IVIDUAL RESPONSE. " Here am'-'!; send me." In order to say this wisely and rightly, there must be: 1. Thorough devotedness; half-heartedness will never succeed on such e1Tands as these. 2. Special qualification, by native faculty or favour- able antecedents. 3. Freedom from other and more pressing obligations. These conditions being fulfilled, all the highest considerations-the will of Christ, the pitifnl necessities of the sons of want and sorrow and shame, the example of the noblest, tbe recompense of the righteous-combine to say, " Go, and the Lord be with you."~.