Ver. 5.-Righteomness hindered or hastened. There is a possible reference here to King Hezekiah, and of him it is said that "seeking judgment and basting righteous- ness " should be characteristics. The expression, " basting righteousness," is a very suggestive one. Cheyne translates, "is prompt in righteousness." The following thought may be worked out and illustrated: Establishing righteousness in the earth is God's purpose, and towards the accomplishing of that purpose-the speedy accom- plishment of it---every good man should work. But what are the facts of life, which we cannot fail to observe? I. RIGHTEOUSNESS RAS AOTIVE OPPONENTS. They who would dethrone God attack righteousness, which is the spirit and the demand of bis rule. IL RIGHTEOUSNESS IS Hn."DEBED BY STOLID BE8ISTERS. With whom it is much more difficult to deal than with active opponents. They simply block the way of God's chariot-wheels. Ill RIGHTEOUSNESS 18 DELAYED BY THE WEAKLY INDIFFERENT, Who put no strength into either good or evil IV. RIGHTEOUSNESS RAS EARNEST RASTENEBS. Men and women who strive for it, witness for it, suffer for it. Whose whole lives do but repeat the great cry with which the Book of God closes: "Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly;" " Even so, come, Lo•d JeSUB."-R. T. Vers. 9, 10.-Tlu, sadness of a silent land. These verses bring before us the picture of a country from which, at the proper seasons, there rises no harvest and no vintage song. "Gladness is taken away, and joy out of the plentiful field; and in its vineyal'd there shall be no singing, neither shall there be shouting." In every age and every land the gladness of the people has found expression in the joy of harvest, and no picture of woe, want, and desolation could be so effective as this simple one of the harvest-fields from which arise no song. Meditatively treated, we consider- !. A. LAND WITH NO JOY IN IT. '!'hat must be a land on which rests no Divine benedictions ; and it must be the picture of- II. A LIFE WITH NO JOY IN IT. That must be a life on which rests no Divine smile. We are like the birds, we can only sing in God's sunshine. Inexpressibly sad is human life without God. "The joy of the Lord is our strength;" but the sadness of arnosticism, atheism, Comtism, secularism, is the all-sufficing proof that these can 1,~ver take the place of religion for man, who fain would sing for joy. Let such systems prevail, and the song of earth would cease, From the silent, songless land a heart-cry to the great heavens wo~d go, saying- " Oh for a vision I Oh for the face I" R.T. Ver. 12.-Prayer that may not prevail. The immediate reference of this verse is to the vain e.nd hopeless prayers of Moab, offered in hie time of distress to his idol- god Cbemoah. ldola a.re only gods for sunshiny days, when their worshippers want nothing. There ia no prevailing to ~Uie help from them when life is full of calami• o. xvn.1-14.] THE :BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH. 289
ties, Rnd when hearts IIChe. But the expression reminds us that prayer offered to the true God does not always prevail._t least, prevail to the securing of the precise thing asked for; though this comes about, noi by reason of the Divine inability, but by reason of tho Divine wisdom and love. Our prayer may not always prevail with Jehovah, for euch reasons as the following- !. BECAUSE THE ATTITUDE OF HXM WHO Ol!'FERS IT 18 WRONG. 1. He may demmul, and that God can never allow. 2. He may not have clean hands ; and man must put away hie evil doings before he seeks God. 3. He may be unforgiving towards his brother; and if we forgive not our brother hie trespass, God will heed no prayer from 118 for the forgivoness of ours. 4. He may fail in that importunity which is before God the sign of earnestness. 5. He may ask with purely selfish intentions-to consume the blessing sought upon his lusts, II. BECAUSE THE PRAYER IS ONLY A CRY OF DESPAIR. Not a quiet, thoughtful turning to God, but only a feeling, "Nobody can help ine-let 118 see if even God can." There is nothing in such a cry to which God can hopefully respond. For prayer to prevail with God there must be some trullt in it. III. BECAUSE Gon's GOOD TIME FOB BLESSING MAY NOT HAVE co:am. Prayer often only seems not to prevail, because the answer is held over until God's best time has come. And Divine dela.yings are tests of sincerity and inspirations to importunity, "Though it tarry, wait for it; it·will surely come, it will not tarry." IV. BECAUSE OTHER PRAYERS MAY BE PRAYING AGAINST OUR PRAYERS. Other people's prayers, and the voice of some things in ourselves. Sodom's iniquity was crying bard against Abraham's prayer, and .Abraham could not prevail. Jerusalem was crying hard against the Lord Jesus, and his prayer could not prevail. St. Paul's infirmities of temper were crying hard against his prayer that the thorn in the flesh should be removed; and they prevailed, not Paul, and the thorn stayed piercing on. Here is a hidden secret unfolded. Why have we so often seemed to pra.y only to feel the heavens like brass a.bove us? We should know if we could bear all the prayers that rise to God, and know how many and how loud a.re tbe prayers tha.t plead against us. God weighs them all, and the &DS\Yer so us is always that which is best, on the whole.-B. T.
EXPOSITION.