"Rejoice in the Lord always," says the apostle; "and again I say, Rejoice" (Phil. iv, 4). We should do the will of God " from the heart." If he makes our cross to be one of waiting, we should feel that waiting is what we need, what is best for us ; and we should be thankful that God deals with us so lovingly as to lay this burden upon us. lll. FAITHFULLY. All waiting is a trial of faith. God "hides his face from us." Will he ever cease to do so? Will he ever again cheer us with the light of his counte- nance? He does not grant our petitions. Will he ever grant them? Our ghostly enemy continually suggests these questions, endeavouring to undermine and destroy our faith and trust in God. It is our part, with Isaiah, to defeat him by continually "looking for God" and resting upon him. We must" have him always before our face;" bold fast by him, cling to him, look to him, and pray to him" without ceasing" for support and strength during the whole weary time of waiting, or our faith may fail, and our trial prove too much for us. We must, therefore, also wa.it- IY. PRAYERFULLY; i.e., with continued earnest supplication to God, both for the end that we desire and for his help while he keeps us waiting. His help alone will keep us patient, cheerful, and faithful during the time that our trial lasts, and render it the blessing that he intends it to be to us. Ver. 19.-Seeking for the living to the dead. The necromancy of ancient times was a system of appeal to the dead on behalf of the living. The shades or ghosts of dead men were supposed to be brought up from Hades by the necromancer, who compelled them to answer his qnest.ions, and was supposed to make their answers useful to the living. A system not very dissimilar has prevailed of recent years in many parts both of England e.nd of America, whereby " spirits" are believed to be broul(ht into commu- nication with living men for the presumed benefit of the latter. To all such cases the reproach of the prophet would seem to apply : "Should men seek for the living to the dead? " What help is it likely that the dead can give more than the living, even if they can be communicated with, which must always be doubtful? Why appeal to them when we do not know whether they can hear, nor whether, if they hear, they can render aid? We can usually appeal for the living to the living, who can certainly hear, and in most instances can help to some extent. And there is one living .One on whom it is always possible to call, who always hears, and can always help if he sees fit. Thus every form of necromancy is folly, since (1) we _have no assured ground for believing that any good can result from it, e.nd (2) we can resort to One who is certainly able to do all and more than e.11 that we require.
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. 1--4.-Symbolie "'tterUIIICeB. THE PBOPHET'B POPULAR METHOD. He wished to inspire hope in the people as well as in the king-to expel the panic fear of the two northern kings, and impress the expectation that the two capitals of these kings would themselves be ta.ken and sacked. The way in which he set about this was simple yet remarkable. 1. He took e. large tablet, and wrote therein in "popular characters," i.e. in large text, distinct from the literary character, perhaps a character half pictorial, the words "Hasten-booty, Speed-spoil,'' or "Booty-quick, Spoil-speed." In those days, there were no newspapers, no puffing placards staring from the walls, and books were only for the learned. 'l'bis was suggestive to write up a sentiment or suggestion like this for the public eye. To this day in the East, if you ask the people their reason for believing this or that, their answer will be," Is it not written? Men did not write books to deceive IJ.6." To write this pregnant phrase was, then, to ,·mpress it on the popular imagination. "Go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever" (eh. xxx. 8). "Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that be may run that readeth it" (Hab. ii. 2). Then, to fix the solemn act of putting up the tablet in memory, he takes two witnesses-Uriah the high priest (2 Kings x_vi. 10), and Zechariab, perhaps" mayor of Jerusalem" at the time. 2. Next, he gave th!e same mystic name to a sou born about the same time, so that the boy might be, as 1t were, a "livi □ g epistle" by means of his significant name, "known and read of all men," aud on. nu. 1-22.) 'l'HE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAI.A.II. 153