Yer. 10.-Tl,e rcfllrn of the ransomed. "Whoever is faruiliat• with the bold and ru~crnificcnt character _of_ the prophetic style will not deem the liberation from the .Cllp- tmty an ernnt to? trivial to be predicted in the language here employed." "Minor an~ tempor~ry dehYernnces are not only emblems of the great salvation, but prepamtory l:> 11." "'1 he_ fin;t volume of Isaiah's prophecy closes fitly with this transcendent picture, ~rryrng the thoughts of men beyond any possible earthly fulfilment. The outward imagery probably had its starting-point in the processions of the pilgrims who c.:me up t~ the temple singi1~~ p~alrus, like th0se known as the 'songs of degrees,' at their success1\'e haltrng-places. Very strange is the fascination which the "futJll'8" exercises on men. It is a "Will-o'-the-wisp" which is ever enticing men on.: "At first Time made nought but to-day With its joys, its successes, and sorrow; Then, to keep on good terms with the world, Ho promised he'd make a to-morrow." No mBD is really satisfied. He is always hoping for something to happen in the fut~re. And so he is lifted onwards towards the eternal, and in his very restlessness he reveals his immortality. lllnstrate from the romance of the child, the ambition of the appren- tice, the outlooking of the man, the persistent hopes of the Jewish race. This onlook- ing is peculiarly characteristic of the Christian, who has the "promise of the life that no,v is, and of that which is to come." The Christian's best is in the eternal. , , ·, I. THE PEOPLE. "Ransomed of the Lord." The word reminds tis of the prisoner and the sla,·c. lt may properly be applied in a. religious sense, because the Bible repre- sents men as" in bondage," and as "redeemed." "Sold under sin." "Ye were the servants of sin." "Gave his life a ransom." 1. . Observe from what bondage we are ransomed. Describe the wretched condition of the slave. How much worse is the con- dition of the slaves of sin, drink, lust, evil passions, or selfish worldliness I '!'here is a peculiar degradation and a certain final ruin involved in the supreme service of self. " Whosoever committeth sin is the slave of sin." • 2. By whom were we ransomed ., "Of the Lord." It was a glorious day for England when she broke the fetters of. the slave, and let the oppressed go free. It would be thought a great thing for a '.kirig to bend down nnd with his own hands release the slave. Yet God's own Son, God•himself •• manifest," is our Deliverer. When "there was no eye to pity, and no arm to save, his eye pitied and his arm brought salvation." We sing, as Moses did, "The Lord is become my Salvation." 3. At what price has the ransom been accomplished1 "Not'with corruptible things," but with "the precious blood of Christ." Illustrate the supreme efforts that are often made to raise a ransom price; but what is all the wealth in the world compared with Jesus, who. was given for us? Surely such a ransom involves that -some great blessedness is yet in store for us. IL THE PLEDGE OF RETURN. "Shall return." It is the word of the .living God. Israel, while in captivity, may fully rest upon the Lord's promi~es. There is~ se?se in which we may regard ourselves as the "ransomed of the Lord,' left for a while m the land of bondage until our home is ready ; and while we we.it we have comforting assur- ances in: 1. The work of Jesus: which is represented as beiDg still carried on for us in the heavenly places. 2. The work of the Holy Ghost, who is our See.I. our Earnest, our Sanctifier, unto the day of redemption. 3. The promises of God, which are '\ exceeding great and prec,ious promises," and which are" yea and amen in Christ Jesns." III. TllE RETURN. (For the figures of Israel goiDg to the temple for the feasts, see Ps. cxx.--cxxvi) Picture the scene of the journey of the exiles from Babylon to Jeru- sa.lem. " Songs and everlasting joy" they know. 1. Theirs is the joy of ransomed ones. Illustrate by the ecstasy of the freed bird, the liberated prisoner, the escaped slave. 2. Theirs is the joy of conquerors. Over sin and self and the world. . illus- trate by the triumph of a general returning to his country. 3. Theirs is the. joy of those who are going home. illustrate by the schoolboy, or the traveller, nearmg thu time for home. "As 'When the weary traveller gains The height of some o'er-looking hill, The sight hie fainting spirit cheem, 1w eyes hii ,b.<imii thouflh distant stilL" cu. xxxv. l-10.] 'l'IIE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH. 679
IV. TJIE HOME, "Zion." Our" Father's house." "Is it a place?" we often ask. We know littlu about it. God gives us only figures and pictures which appeal to imagina- tion. The text gives two aspects of it. 1. "Borrow and sighing flee away." Borrow comes out of (1) separations; (2) infirmities; (3) death; (4) sin. "There the weary are at rest." "The pilgrims enter the city like wom aky-birds to their nests." 2. They obtain foy and gladness. This they have through (1) exalted powere; (2) established purity ; (3) intercourse with the loved ones of their human fellowship; (4) nobler and higher service; and (5) the vision, the i'resence, the smile, of Jesus. They are "ever with the Lord."-R. 'l'. HOMILETICAL INDEX TO
THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH.
VOLUME l OH.APTER L TD.KB PA.GK