the coure.ge of despair. God hears heavenly eloquence in sighs, and beautiful liturgies in tee.re, "A broken a.ad e. contrite heart, 0 God, thou wilt not despise." And the a.newer ea.me: "I will add unto thy days fifteen years .... I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the King of Assyria." So God will save nations because of righteous souls, and will deliver us from worse Assyrians than those that imperilled lsre.el.-W. M. S. Vera. 11, 12.-The grief of old age. "I said, I shall not see the Lord., even the Lord, in the land of the living: I ~hall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world. Mine age is departed." Then it is not so strange an experience to love the busy city or the rural quietude. "Life, we've been long together." This is what, e.t Hezekiah's time of life, we most of us feel. '!'here is e.n old familiar friendship • betwixt us e.nd the world. We scarcely think thing~ can go on well without us. The old village stream seems to look up and know us when we visit it in the after-years. Yet the reflection in it of our face e.ncl figure is very changed. I. THE BIGHT HE WOULD :mes. Not nature, but nature's King and Lord. This al ways cbare.cterizes e. living religion. We see God in e.11-God in Christ. For by him God made the worlds. He is the Archetype of e.ll beauty. His is the tbonght which has been fulfilled in creation's glory nod beauty. His the harmony which has found voice in the music of the woods and streams. And to rise to higher, even to human spheres- all the lov'es of espousal and home-these speak of him who ordered their joys and uses, and made them pa.rabies of his own love and care. " I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world." Then this is cheerful and please.nt. So wrote Charles Lamb, when, in view of dee.th, he said he should miss "the safe security of the streets," as well e.s the sweet rural ~cenes. And apart from revelation of the rest the.t remaineth, it would be sad indeed to lie down in a City of Sleepers, who will never know an a.wakening voice, whilst above the tomb there is busy life in the mart, the senate, and the field. II. THE MISTAKE HE MADE. "Mine age is departed.n Not quite so yet, even in relation to this life. He was to continue e.mongst those of whom he said, "The living, the living, be shall praise thee, as I do this day." But then would surely come the time when (ver. 18) he would go down into the pit. 'l'he light on immortality burned dimly then. Here and there we trace it, like light that lingers on the higher moun- tains, in David and lsaie.h ; but to the mass of minds it was not, to say the least, a very potent influence or a very living faith. "Christ hns brought light and immortality to light" by the gospel, and we need never say, "Mine age is departed;'' but rather, "Mine e.ge is transmuted" into immorte.l youtli, and unending revelation of the Redeemer's power and glory.-W. M. S. Ver. 20.-Music in the heart. "The Lord was ready to save me : therefore we will sing my sougs to the stringed instruments all the de.ys of our life in the hou.se of the Lord." The graver question is-Are we ready to be saved? God's arm is not shortened, that he cannot save. And his love to us is the same through all the long centuries, Christ touched the real cause of distance : " Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." • I. 'l'HE READINESS OF Goo. "All things are now ready," said Christ; and in view of the Redeemer's great work in all the ages, God was e. Saviour. God makes affirmation concerning this. "As I live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his wily and live" (Ezek. xxxiii. 11). This reveals the graciouR disposition of God. We must ever remember that it is the bee.utifnl ue.ture of God that is revealed in the pe.rabl~s and in the pe.ssion of our Lord. Like the founte.in over randy to leap forth, he is ready to forgive. II. 'l'IIE MINSTRELSY o~· THE Cnuncn. Music has e.ccompanicd devotion in all ages. It awakens the slumbering sensibilities of the soul. It is not only an expression of feeling, it is a quickener of it. "Therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instru- ments.'' These songs are the glorious heritage of the Church. '!'hey are bee.rd every se.bbath day in cathedml and church, in city, village, and hamlet. The great revela- tion of God is one, alike in the old e.nd the new dispensations. In all ages God is a Saviour. Therefore there is nothinF; out of date in the inspired pil&lms. They belong rn THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH. [cH, xxxvur. 1-22.
to all ages of history, all eras of time. When we have passed away, our children will still lift up to God their prnises and thanksgivings in the strains of the sweet singers of Israel. III. THE PERPETUITY OF PRAISE. " All the days of our life." For that would be e. st~nge day on whi?h there was nothing to p~aise God for-no new mercy, no fresh dcli<'er&nce, no special bounty. "Every day will I bless thee, and prnise thy Name for et>er and ever.'' tes; on life's last day it may be like the venerable Dr. Guthrie as he lay a-dying, we shall say," Sing me a bairn's hymn." The days of our life may be few or many, but in them all we shall have occasion to realize the fatherhood of God and the redemption which is in Jesus Christ. ' IV. THE PLACE OF DEVOTION. "In the house of the Lord.'' This will ever b& sacred to the true Christian. What memories of sacred vision and of spiritual emotion are connected with the sanctuary! What fellowship we have had there with each other and with God! The best part of our nature has been developed there-the part which, like God himself, "no man bath seen at any time, or inrleed can see." For, apart from the associations of µlace, there is the inspiration of mutual faith, mutual hope, mutual service, and mutual love. Thus we meet and mingle in the house of the Lora, till, clothed with white robes and with palms in our hands, we join the victors who utter their hallelujahs around the throne of the Lamb, in the "house not made with hands, eternal in the beavens."-W. M. S. •