The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 1 — Section 428

appeared to have loosed his b&nd, and left the world to riot in its sdf-will. Those were great men indeed who coulrl rise above the clisa.Rters Rnd the helplessness e,f the times, llnd stay themselves on God, and hope in him, and wait for him. ' II. But that woe quite A MODEL GENERATION. Each a.ge, though expressin" itself in now forms a.rid terms, may find its own perplexities mirrored there. J<:arly times ha.d their chief difficnlties in outward things, such as the aggrandizement of world-conqnerors, and the debasing effect of idolatrous systems. As the worlcl grows older, the perplexitie~ and the trials of faith come more and more ont of intellectual a.nd moral conditions; and we incline to think that it is much harder work to hold on to G(J(I, with patient ,"Vaiting, in times of mental and moral confusion than when the earth is disturbed with sword and spear and shield. Perhaps never were men called to steady themselves on God, and wait on him in the way of his judgments, as we are called. There a.re two peculiarities of our time which, .seen on the one si<le, are just facts of life, but seen from the othe1· side are judgments of. God in the midst of which we a.re to wait upon him. I. The disposition to accomplish all things by hnman effort, apart from God. r.fan, acoording to present-day teaching, is to be the Saviour and Salvation of man. Let but every, man lift up his brother-so they say-and the world's golden age shall dawn; hnt the light that lightens it shall be the brilliancy of human genius, an<l not the "glory of the Lord." 2,. '!'he confusion which advancing knowledge has seemed to iutroduce into both doctrines and morals. Some of the greatest men of science have betn -rev.erent men who, while searching with a. free spirit into all that can be known of ciieation; yet held God fast in the arms of trustful love, and found traces of bis handi- work in everything ~hey examined. . But not a felV are over-ready to discover-some- times even ,ready to manufacture-antagonisms between reason and revelation. And even the best of us cannot fail to be influenred by the atmosphere of doubt which has thus been created for us. We know what mental st,uggle means. We know what it is·,to search after truth- that. seems ever to glide beyond our grasp. We, too, a.re walkin 6 in the way, of God's judgrnents, a.nd blessed are we if we can trnly sa.y, "In the way of thy judgments, 0 Lord, have we waited for thee." -We gather·two lessons from these considerations. 1. The bottom, the jO'Unrlation, the rest, of-all things is God. '!'he first truth which the child learus is the trnth of God. The utmost truth towards which human intellects and human hearts can push their devious, struggling way, is God. '!'he simplest word that infant lips can utter is" Go,l;" the largest and awe-fullest word that can burn upon an archangel's lips is the Name of God .. That ,man knows something who knows a little of God. That man knows not.hing-,all he may seem to know is not within the sphere of true being-who does not know God. '!:he steadying, the resting, of a. man's soul is impossible save in God. "Who is a Rock save .our God?" Then our supreme work in life must be to know God -to know him by "waiting upon him;" to kno,v him in the face of Jesus Christ. 2. And we. leam that tho8e wbq would hold by God will have to "wait" for him. God tests the trusting ones by his .ruysterious do!ngs and dealings. He hides, as it were, behind the clouds and the darkness that encircle his throne. He is even to be waited on in the "way of his jndgments." And such a spirit of waiting alone can preserve us amid the judgments. 1t lies at the very basis of noble and regenerate character. And all life is to. us I according to our character. "To the pure all things a.re pure ; to the impure nothing is pw·e." To the bad, godless ruan, the highest mercies become curses; the Helf-centred character can make poison even out of e.ngels' food. To the bad man, punishments are ruin, desolation, woe; even a.s to heathen nations these prophetic burdens were unredeemable calamity. But to t.he good man, the God-centred man. punishments are but chastisements, out of which are wrought "the peaceable fruits of righteousness." It has been said that the "dealings of God are punishments to the wicked, but chastisements to the righteous." It ,should rather be said that there is no difft-rence in the Divine dealing-jndgments come both on the righteous and on the wicked ; but the attitude in which we meet the judgmcnts make.:, all the -ii iferencc. The ungodly man bruises himself "against thQ bosses of Jebova.h's buck,_,..._-, The godly man-who" waits on the Lord "-lxnds to bear the rod of his heavenly F,ither's chastening. To the godless man life is ju~t stern iron and brass; but tho Christian ruan, having learnt of God, is alchemis~ enough to turn all h_e touches _to finest gold. Then" trust in the Lord for ever: for in I-he Lord Jehovah 1s everlastmg strength." -R.T. • 432 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH, [ou. x:r.v1. 1-21,