The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 2 — Section 128

here is not used in its magisterial sense. It is the equivalent of "righteousness," or, moro precisely, of the" truth that makes for righteousness." 'fhat truth is conceiv~J. IIS having been for a time the special possession of Israel; but by Messiah it is to uti opened to the whole world. "Every man that doeth righteousness is accepted of him." The point that Isaiah sets in such clear light is, that the commission of the great "Servant of Jehovah" is a distinctly moral one. It is only in a secondary or derived sense anything but moral. It concerns righteousness. It glorifies righteousness. It breaks soul-bondages. It dispels prejudices and errors. It propose,i to bring men together in a brotherhood of common goodness, of which the bloom will be mutual love and helpfulness. The world's separations and woes can never be mastered until men are made right, and that is Christ's work. III. HIB CHARACTERISTICS. Unpretentious, uncontentious, trusting wholly to moral influences for securing moral ends. "He shall not ,tri"e nor crv." .As Matthew Arnold well expresses it, "He shall not clamour, shall not speak with the high vehement voice of the men who contend. Go,l's Servant shall bring to men's hearts the word of God's righteousness and salvation by a µentle, inward, and spiritual method." lliustrating the parable of the lea•1en, Dr. Marcus Dods says, "According to tbe Head of the Church, his religion and Spirit are to be propa'!ated by an influence which operates like an infectious disease, invisible, without apparatus and pompous eqnipment, succeeding all the better where it is least observed. Our Lor,\ bases his expectation of the extension of bis Spirit throughout the world, not upon any grand and powerful institutions, not on national establishments of religion or on any such means, but on the secret, unnoticed influence of man upon man." The characteristic silences of the great" Servant" may wisely become the characteristics of his servants. Moral forces make no noise.-R. T. Ver. 3.-The adaptations of Divine grace. This verse describes the general spirit and tone of the Divine dealings with men; btit, as it takes distinctly personal form, we are justified in seeing in Christ the type and specimen of such dealings. As God mani- fest, he illustrates the graciousness of God'~ ways. And this aspect of Christ is of special concern to us now. The time is coming when we shall tl,ink most of the glory of the Lord; in the time that now is we think most of his grace. \Ve are still journey- ing under the clouds; we are still in the land of the fainting, the struggling, and the weeping. The night is passing, but it is not past; the victory is nearing, but it is not W(ln; and therefore it is so precious to us that we may bear of the tender, compas- sionate, sympathizing Redeemer. We a.re little better than bruised reeds and smoulder- ing flax; therefore it is good to hear of him who will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax. I. CHRIST'S WAY OF DEALING WITH DRUISED REEDS, OR HUMBLED SINNERS. The reed fittingly represents the sinner. It stan,ls so straight, apparently so strong, and yet it is one of the weakest thi11gs that grow. It cannot endure the least rough us.'.lgc'. The passing storm will bend and bruise and spoil it. Of all the he! pleas things, perhaps a bruised reed is the most helpless. There is much confidence and apparent strength in the sinner, at least ~o long as life goes smoothly and blue sky is overhead. But let the clouds lown, let the burden of lifo press heavily, let God touch with the afflicting hand, let God try him with sore bereavements, and then the poor reed is bruised and hanging. And it is God's way to l,ruise such reeds. The beginning of hope for sinner~ lies in their humbling under God's mighty hand. See some of the ways in which this humbling work is done. 1. Sometimes God lets men run themselves tired and work themselves weary in the effort to gain a righteousness for themselves. Men are permitted to hurry after the flickering light, over moor and bog, until, faint- ing, they lose sight for ever of the vain hope. Men are permitted to build the huuso of their morality upon the sands of self-confidence, and then, just as they would ent~r and dwell in peace, they find the foundations sinking aud tl,e storm-floods over- whelmina. Men are perwitted to grasp at world-success and worldly wealth, and then they aro led to ask all these things, "What ran you buy for my soul's good?" And sick at heart, they must hear the answer, "Not one word of peace; not one sun-glint of hope; not one cheer for the dark river and the <larker beyonJ." Many n man has come, since the days of Solomon, out of the trial of all human offers of  132 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH. [on. xtn, 1-25.