The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 1 — Section 148

woes and tribulations first to come. Christ's own foreoaata of the future (see the oloslng cba.pters of Matthew) present the like half-veiled, half-revealed perspective. We mUBt ever look out upon the ooming t·;me with contidenoe or with mistrust, according aa our lwsrts are stayed, like Isaiah's, upon Jehovah, or weak, because trUBting only to the arm ,,f flesh, or to the irrational dreams of auperstition, like Aha1.-J. Vera. lS-26.- W a ~ I. lNv ADmG H08T8. The armies of Egypt and Assyria nre oompared to swarms of bees. As the bee-master calls to bis winged slaves with a peculiar sound, so at the oall of Jehovah the swarms of Israel's foes will come on, with Bwords that sting, and settle down in the low-lying pastures of the land, in the rook- clefts, the hedges of thorn, and the pastures. (For the image of the bees, compare Deut. i. 44; Ps. cxviii.) In Joel ii. we find a splendid picture of locusts as pictorial ol an invading army. II. DEVASTATION. Another striking image. The land, devoured by strangers, will be like a man clean shaven from t.op to toe of all his manly ornament of hair and beard. Like a keen razor will be the sweeping penal judgment of Jehovah on the holy land. The rich vineyards will disappear. No pruning nor digging will go forward. Briers and thorns, quick usurpers of the neglected corn-fields, will flourish, and the courts ol the houses will be weed-grown (cf. eh. v. 6; :u:xii. 13). Here and there will be seen a cow and a sheep or two, grazing as on a great common or desert. The farmer will disappear, or will return to the wild nomad life, living on the produce of his few cattle and on honey. Thorns and thistles will replace the vines, and the hunter will wander \l"ith bow and arrow where once the husbandman had been seen busy with spade or plough. The hoe will cease from its work, for, alas I with hope of fruit the "fear ol thorns and thistles" has ceased ; and the ox and the sheep will find free pasture everywhere. We have seen Landseer's two striking pictures, " War" and " Peace," in the National Gallery, ~nd can feel their path.:,s. To ,ook out from peace and plenty upon a perspective of smoke, bloodshed, and desolation is that to which the prophet calls the king. Yet amidst the gloom appears the figure, mystically hinted, of the young Messiah. .And, indeed, it was in the midst of down-trodden Galilee, over which armies had so often tramped, that Jesus appeared., and adopted the holy and comforting mission of the Messia.h as his own (Luke iv.).-J. Ver. Q.-No faith, ,w for;i,ty. "If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be estab- lished.• Faith is older than the Law. It is, in fact, the elder principle of all Di vine teachings. Believe. "For he that cometh to God must believe that he is." Moreover, it is a living principle. It is not a cold precept, but is vital with trust and confidence. l. THE PBOPRETIO REVELATION. It is very wonderful, and very distinct. See the succeeding (ver. 14): "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Well, there- fore, has ls&ia.h been called" the evangelical prophet," seeing that we have in his words the revelation of an i.mm&culate Messiah and a eufferi ng Messiah. II. THE GENElLAL PRINCIPLE. That we are not " established " unless we believe is a principle, not only of particular but of universal application. We must believe in each other to have commerce established. Home itself is never secure without mutual t~ust, and there can be no established character in religion unless we have that faith witbouL which it is impossible to please God, and which gives vital energy to all other graces. llL THE ABSOLUTE CONDITION. "Ir ye will not- believe." Here is the responsibility of the soul. And doubtless we are responsible for our beliefs. We are to weigh, to judge, to consider, t.o 1,rove all things. "J u<l 6e, I pray you,'' says God in this same Book of Isaiah (eh. v. 3), "betwixt me and my vineyard." 'l.'he condition must be absolute. It is not a threat; it is a statement of that which cannot be other than so. If I do not believe that corn will grow, I shall not plant it. If I do not believe that God is able and willing to sa,·e, I shall not be amongst those who believe to the saving of their souls. If I do not believe that spiritual aid will be given to perfect my graces, I sl,all not pray for it. " If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be esl,ll.blished."- W. M.. S. Yem. 1-9.-The uf,a)Jlishing power of faith. The practical force of this prophetic  (llf, vu. 1-26,) THE BOOK OF. THE PROPHET ISAIAH. 137