Vers. 2, 3.-Divine revelation in aetions as tDell ·as words. The l®gnage is some,~ what uncertain, but it seems better to un<lerstand that, for three years, lsaiab ·was seen _going to and fro through th~ streets of Jerusalem, having ~h~ dre~~ and; ~PiJ,ear~~ce of one who was already a pnsoner of war, re.'\dy to be led mto a.n 1gnom1'mt:>1,ts exile. Lqaiah "·ore no upper or outer garment, and no sandals, so_ that, _when his· 'dress' -was compared with that of others, he might be said to go naked; but "naked" in S<:iiptlir'e 11sually means "with only under-garments on." The three years were, ·perhaps, designed to represent three incursions of the Assyrfans. The general' topic s\lggest~d is the variety of forms which Divine revelations may take; the diversity of 'agencies which Divine revelation may employ. All modes by which ml\n may be reached and influenced God may take up and use for conveying his mind and will. ·: . L REVEL.ATIO:!< IN NATURE. We often speak of a voice in nature. That voice God may employ. The beautiful, the sublime, the gentle, affect us, and bring to lis thoughts of God's goodness, wisdom, and power._ This kind of revelation St. Paul recognizes, pleading thus at Lystra (Acts xiv. 17); "Nevertheless be left not hi111self without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful season~, filling our hearts with food and gladness;" and writing thus to the Romans (Rom. i.20), " For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are cleai'!y seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead." • What is called natural religion is that common knowledge of God, and of our duty to God, which comes through nature alone; and God has so made us kin with nature, has so set us in relation with an external world, that we can receive moral impressions throu:::b it. II. 'REVELATION IN I?>CIDE1'"TB. Events of personal life and of public history convey God's mind to us. And therefore· so much of our Bible is but a treasured record of facts and incidents. Our Lord's life· on the earth was full of incidents, and we find in these the truths which God purposed, by Christ, to tea.eh us. We are constantly receh·ing fresh revelations, new to us individually, though not new to the world, through the circumstances of public or of private life. We often think of this ~ God's voice in providence. III. REVELATION IN HINDS. Or in those parts of man that are distinct from the senses. What we think .of as the spiritual nature of man, inclu<ling hie conscjence. God's witness in this part of our being is argued by St. Paul, when, writing of the heathen, to whom a. book revelation has not been given, be says (Rom. ii. 15), "Which show the \VOrk of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearin::i; witness, and their thoughts the me-'ln while accusing or else excusing one another." We must guard against the notion that God has put all hfs will into a book, and has now no direct access to our souls. What is tme is that we can test all direct revelations by tLcir harmony with the revelation that is written. IY. REVELATION IN BYMBOL6. Since B,Ymbols do convey ideas to men, God may use them. Illustrate by vision of divided pieces to Abraham; pillar of cloud tQ ~-H. XX, 1-6.] 'l'lIE, l300R'. OF 1'HE l>ROI1HET ISAIAH.
.Israel; 11.ngel with clre.wn sword to Dil.vid i fire-flash- to Iarae? on Carmel, etc. And, to take symbols of another character, the prophetq Mted things before the peopl~, n;iaking impressions without :employing :words-:--as Isaiah here; M Zedekiah'e horns (l Kings xxii. 11); Jererniah's yokes (xxvii. 2); Ezekfol's lying on his side (iv. 4); and Agabus' binding himself with his girdle (Acts xxi. 11). V. REVELATION IN WORDS. The more ordinary method of communication between man nnd man. This opens up the opportunity of showing (1) the reasonableness and (2) the practical efficiency of a book revelation, and of commending that collection of revelations which we call Holy Scripture. Howsoever God may be pleased to spe,~'k to us, .our duty is to. heed, listening with the cherished parpose that we will carry out the Divine will in all holy and loving obedience.-R. T. Ver. 5.-The bitter experience of all who trmt in man. The sin of Judah, in its latter days, was its reliance 0n Egypt for help rather than on God. In alarm at the advance of Assyria, the natural alliance was with Egypt; but alliance with any world-power ,was. unworthy of a nation whos<l history had been so full of Divine cl,eliverings and defendings as that of the Jews. And Egypt oould not help. It wns a .broken reed. A type of all merely human helpers; for "cursed is the man that trusteth in man, e.nd maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord." Hosea represents Israel as :finding out how vain is the help of man, and turning to God with this penitential promise," Asshur sh?.11 not save us; we will not ride upon horses: n:ejther will we say any more to the work of onr bands, Ye are our gods.ff The following three points open up lines of thought and illustration, and should be sufficiently suggestive without detailed treatment. I. WE CANNOT TRUST MAN, FOB WE CANNOT BE BURE OF HIS GOOD WILL. These two dangers are ever before us: 1. The man who seems willing to serve us may be deceiving u~, and,really serving his own ends, setting his interests before ours. 2. And if ..a man brgins sincerely to serve us,. we have no security that his good will i~ maintained, and presently he may take advantage 9f us. We cannot read hearts. And hearts do not al ways keep steadfast. So "put .not your trust in princes, nor in the sons of men, in whom there is no help." · 11. WE CANNOT TRUST M:AN, FOB WE CANNOT BE BURE THAT HIS ABILITY MATCHES HIB WILL. So often we find in life that me.a who could, will not help us, and men who would, cannot. With this sort of feeling _in his mind the sufferer came to the "Man Christ Jes.us," i,aying, "If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.ff III. WE OAN NEVER RECKON ON MAN IF HE IS AGAINST GOD. Such a man can never be any help to' us. The Jews forsook God to seek help from a godless nation, and it was .bound to prove a bitter and humiliating experience. Man may be, and often is, God's agent for helping us; but then our trusting is in God who sends, and not in the man who may be sent to do his bidding.-R. T.