Jhrist.." Righteousness, thus getting round it the one small circle of " life, eoon· begins to wideu its sphere. It mys out on every side. It flows forth, like a sweet Bcent, purifying the atmospheres wherever a man izoes. !?smilies would ·havo a" peaoe passing undeT!ltanding" if their members were "all righteous." Our Churches would cease to be the sce11es of dissension, if the members were "all righteou8," Social life ,~·ould no,, longer_ witness tho bitter antagonism of classes, if the peoplo were "all nghteous. Nat10ns would soon tum wasteful war expenditure on armies and wco.pona int.o the fruitful channels of commerce, and gracious schemes of education o.nd philanthropy, if righteousness did but pluck up ambitions, envyings, and rivalries, and plant in charity, brotherhood, and peace. Envy, hatred, malice, pride, ambition,- these unrighteous things bring forth we.r. Charity, meekness, self-denia.1,-these righteous tbings keep happy fellowship with gentle peace. "First pure, then pea.ce- nble." Alas that the prophetic picture should still seem to be but a vision of .the distant future! But ,~bat a vision it is! and how our hearts spring towards it I Prophet.-; paint it. Saints pray for it.· God is working towa.rds it. And it· shall surely come. "The mountains shall bring peace to the people, a.nd the little·hills, by righteousness." "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of pur Lord, and of his Christ [the Prince of Peace], and he shall reign for ever and ever,"..,...R. T. Ver. 18.-" Quiet resting-pwces.D The :figure in this verse is connected-with ,the relief afforded by the destruction of Sennacherib's army, and consequent retirement of Sennacherib to Assyria. Before the invaders all persons living in the country had ~o flee to the shelter of the walled cities, abandoning the· property which .they could llOt readily carry with them. On the removal of the invaders, the sense cif security would return, and such persons would go home and• find "quiet resting-places." We see in this passage an on-looking to the times when the Holy Ghost should be given, and he, ruling in hearts and lives, would make for all trustful. souls "quiet resting-places." Treating the text meditatively, we dwell on times when,.for us, this promise is realized. . I. THE QUIET RESTI?sG OF EVENING-TIME, Such it is for wearied bodies an1Vworn minds. Soothing is the ca.lmness of natural evening,. when the winds. fail, tbe.:sim throws level yellow beams and long shadows, and the thousand noises of earth are ciubdued. Evening has a gracious influence on our spirits. _It' is· the time for medita-- tion, with Isaac. Very precious to Christian hearts are the quiet places for meditation, when holy feeling can be nourished. • II. Tm: QUIET RESTING oF THE SABBATH. Its first idea is '1 rest,t' We feel.quiet; aa if a spell had been breathed over us. The strain of life is relaxed. ' The world is away. We belong to the eternal world. Life-bustle is stilled. We can give room to other thought8, and so we rest, body, ·mind, and soul. III. THE QUIET BESTING OF TIMES OF AFFLICTION. Such times come into ,all Jives) Times when we must be still. In illness, and in convalescence,.there are ma.ny quiet, lonely honrs. These are the scenes to which Christ invites us when he sa.ys, "Come ye into a desert place, and rest awhile." IV. THE QUIET BESTING-PLACE OF DEATH, The grave is spoken of as the "plo.ce where the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at restt And the placo where there are memorials of the dead is often a most "quiet resting-place" for the living. This may be illustrated by the soothing, silencing, solemnizing influence exerted on us by a visit to Westminster Abbey. On earth there can hardly be _found a more" quiet resting-place." Sometimes the chamber where we watch the dy1n~ of a saint of God is such a place. Beautiful to see the pain-worn faco at last go !Ilto the repose of death. "When sinks the weary soul to rest." We may ndd tha.t those who have found rest in God prove how graciously he gives restful moments in the very midst of the hurry and wo1Ty of lifc.-H. T. Ver. 20.-Bowingfreely. This is part of the description of restored prosperity,when the national troubles are removed. "While the enemy shall be brought low, the Jews shall cultivate their land in undisturbed prosperity." The Aseyrians must have a.Jmos& entirely slopped all agricultural processes, and this involved terrible lo11ses and suffer- ir,gi;. In explanation of the figure of the text it is suggest~d that, whrre the s~ed is on. x:xxtu. l-,.24.J TH~ BOOK OF '.rHE PnOPHFlT ISA1AI1. 539
eown in tbe 11oil covered hy water, it was customary to &end oxen into the w:1t.er to trend· the ground before the seed WM cast, eo AS to prevent it from being washed away by tho subsidence of the waters. This, however, applies to such countries as Egypt, nqd to euoh orops as rice, The point set forth by the text seems to be that quiet and persistent continuance in duty, in daily toil, may be the most efficient expression ot 0'1f t~ust i_n God. Regarding the sower as a type of the Christian worker, we may note the following things. . I. THE BOWER IS A MAN IN TRUST. He bas the seed-corn for next year's harvest. ·The food of the people depends, in measure, on each· one's faithfulness to his trust. The Christian. is a man put in trust. He has what is for the blessing of men. Truth, Iriore precious than seeds. Powers of sympathy and love that bring bountiful harvests. ·wealth, and knowledge, and position, and opportunities, that may all prove life-giving to men. Above all, he has the trust of the gospel. If. Tm; SOWER IS REQUIRED TO sow ALL IIE HAS IN TRUST. He is not to live on the s_eed. He is not to store it up safely. He is not to use ft for any objects of his own. He must not delay ii:J. fol.filling his. master's will with the seed. It was given to him that be might sow it all in tl)e soil. So God would have the Christian put to use every talent, every trust, he has committed to him. In this our Lord is our example. Everything Goil gave him he gave away: love, truth, comfort, healing, pity, time, strength, character, life,-all, be gave away.. In him there was no getting to kup; only getting to give. •. III. THE BOWER IS REQUIRED TO sow FREELY. "Beside all waters." Not too nicely examining the conditions of the soil; not selectin:g·just the deep and prepared earth, but scattering freely, and scattering wide. The· Christian never knows where, in God's fiel~s; ~he richest harvests will be reaped. So he sows all over the field, sows in perseverance, aud'sows in faith. . • : . •In: conclusion, it may be. shown that the true sower is much more concerned. with the ~xceUence of ,his sowing· than ·with the results that may attend it. These be must leave. al,together in the hands of him who sw:ely will not" let his work return unto him rvoid."--'"Ji, T.