The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 1 — Section 269

decima.tionof Sennacherib's army and" the breaking of the Assyrian," the &xtinctlon of Bo.bylon, etc. And now, though impiety holds up its head for ye:irs, and though vice staves off the evil do.y of disease and death, and though crime long eludes the pursuer, yet the hand of God does come down in retribution; his holy purpose cannot be di;- annulled. , "Let sinners look to it" (see Numb. xxxii. 23; Pruv. xi. 21; Pe. xxxvii. 36, 36). 3. God's purpose of restoration will one day be accomplishrd. "This is the purpose which is purposed upon the whole earth," and "this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations." "The Lord of hosts bath purposed." 'l'here may be many obstacles in the way. Difficulties may, to the eye of human calculation, seem actually insurmountable; the estimable forces of truth may appear unequal to cope with the overwhelming agencies of error and evil. But this our great hope is not a bold enterprise of man; it is the purpose of the living God, the Lord of hosts. "His hand is stretched out, and who shall tum it back?" Let the Christian worshipper offer expectant prayer; let the Christian workman go up to his post with holy confidence; for the purpose of God, though it be long delayed, shall assuredly be fulfilled.-<.), Vere. 29-32.-.A. truth, a test, and a solution. We have here- I. A TRUTH RESPECTING AN INDIVIDUAL DEATH; viz. that we may hope or may fear too much from the death of one man. Philistia was evidently inclined to hope too much from the death of a Jewish king; another was arising (Hezekiah) who would be to his predecessor what a cockatrice was to a serpent-a still more formidable enemy. (2 Kings xviii. 8). The wicked nation, or the unprincipled party, or the lmscrupulous man that indulges a feeling of security because some strong opponent is <lead may, probably will, find itself (himself) miserably disappointed. The resources of a righteous providence are not exhausted, though a very pillar of justice be fallen. Or,'on the other band, the righteous may fear too much from the death of a powerful friend. Will oot the good cause perish now that the tongue of its most able advocate is silent in death? Christianity did not perish with the departure of Christ or with tbe death of the apostles. The Father of spirits will not let righteousness expire for want of righteous men, whom he can create and endow and send forth into the world. II. A TEST FOR THE COMMUNITY. Is the nation, is the Church, doing its work, ful- filling its Master's will concerning it? One good, if not faultless, test is found in the answer to the question-Is it caring for its humblest members~ If nothing better can be said for the nation than that its monarch is living in maguificeoce, or that its rulers or nobles are possessed of great wealth and rejoicing in splendid luxury, then is that nation rapidly descending to ruin. If nothing better can be said for the Church than that its hierarchy is powerful or its mioi8ters well sustained, then is that Church a long way from its Lord's ideal. It is when it can be said of the one that "the first- born (the poorest) of the poor feed, and the needy lie down in safety" (ver. 30), and of the otber that "the poor of the people trust in it," or "betake themselves unto it " (ver. 32),-it is then that the end of their existence is answered. The "community" exists for " the common people," and especially the Church exists for the " little ones," the poor, the needy, the unbefriended, the young, the dependent. III. THE SOLUTION OF PROSPERITY. What should be the answer given to the " mes- sengers of the nation" inquiring about the deliverance of Jerusalem? This: "The Lord bath founded Zion" (ver. 32). This is the best account we can give to others, as it is the best we can give to ourselves, of any deliverance or of any prosperity we may be enjoying, To refer it to good fortune is shallow and irreverent. To ascribe it to our own ability or energy, or to that of our friends, is insufficient and, it may be, epititually harmful. We are safe and wise in attributing it to God (Ps. lmvii. 7; lxxxix. 17; cxv. 1:; 1 Cor. iv. 7). Our faculties, our resow·cee, our opportunities, are al: of him; and from him come the energizing force and the overruling power without which all our efforts must be in vain. The reverent and religious spirit (1) gladly dedicates to the cause of Christ and of his Church all that it can yield, and (:~) thank- fully refers all prosperity enjoyed to his guiding finger, his protecting power, his life- giving Spirit.-C. Ver. 1.-God's mercy may delay, it does not fail. The captivity in Babylon seems to be ic. the thought of the prophet, and it would be a long aud weary time, during 262