happiness, to cry, bruised and humbled before God, "Vanity of vanities all is vanity." 2. Sometimes God directs his providences to the humbling of men by'heavy sorrows a_nd cares. He lets t~eir ~asted strength bear the brunt of severe and subtle tompta- t10ns. He fi_nds the Joints m the armour, and sends there the arrows that pierce. But he only brwses; he. does n_ot break. He may hold back awhile; ho never utterly Jnrsakes. He m_ay hide ~ehmd a cloud, but_ he keeps on looking, even through the veil of the cloucl, wa1t1np; until the response to his gracious dealings comes," We will return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us." II. CHRIST'S WAY OF DEALING WITH SMOKING FLAX, OR FEEBLE BELIEVERS. 'l.'he best explanation of this figure is that flax was used in the East for the wicks of oil- lamps, a_nd these wi~k~, u~lcss we)l cut and constantly trimmed, gave but a flickering, smoky hght. .A stnkmg 11lustrat1on of feeble Christians, whose life is a smoke rather than a fire, a spack rather than a light, a glimmer rather than a glow, a name to live rather than a life. 1. The beginnings of Christian life are often very feeble; the smol.ing flax needs raising to a flame. In the case of Nicodemus there was a little desire, a little spiritual anxiety, a little longing after high and holy things, a little smoking of the _flax. And most ten~erly did the Lord brea~he upon it, and blow upon 1t, and try to ra.1se the flame. The nch young ruler had a httle smoking of the flax a little yearning after the" eternal life." .And Christ sought to fan it into a flame that should consume even his love for his "great possessions." 2. The figure also repre- sents those conditions of spiritual decline to which we are all exposed, and which make sad places here and there in the story of our Christian lives. Happy indeed is that man who does not know what it is for bis spiritual light to become only a smoking wick. And l!e who has wrought so great a work in us must be sorely grieved when the flame grows dim, the oil of p.race is not renewed, and no good atmosphere of trust and prayer nourishes and clears the light. And yet, though grieved, he does "not queucb." Bunyan tells us of the fire in the wall, and of one who poured water upon it to quench it. It was not Christ who acted thus. He pours on the oil of grace, until the flame is made to glow and blaze in power and beauty. But sometimes he holds back his grace, 'l.nd lets the water almost quench the fire in the dull and careless soul. Many must confess that it is even so with them. Awhile ago the flame was all glowing; and now there are only a few curlings and wreatbings of smoke, and scarcely one feeble flame -the waters of the world, self-indulgence, pride, and neglected Christian dut.y have Dearly quenched it. Leave it but a little longer, and the last flicker will die out. Con- clude by showing the way for such feeble believers back to Christ, who" waitetb to be gracious." "0 Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy;" "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation."-R. T.
Ver. 4.-Divine persiatencg. "He shall not fail nor be discouraged.'' "Ho shall not burn dimly nor be crushed." The figure prominent in the mind of the prophet is not the actual Israel. the ideal Israel, Cyrus, or Judas Maccabreus, but the Messiah who, in the deepest view of him, is the manifested God. .And "though he meets with hard service and much opposition, and foresees how ungrateful the world will be, yet he goes on with his part of the work, till he is able to say, ' It is finished I' and be enables his apostles and ministers to go on with theirs, too, and not to fail nor be discouraged till they also have finished their testimony." Henderson gives the connection of the passages suggestively: "Mild and gentle as he would be towards the broken-hearted and the desponding, no power should depress his Spirit, impede his progress, obscure hiij glory, or thwart his purpose." L CHRIST HAB A GREAT END TOWARDS wmca HE IS EVER, AND HAS BEEN EVER, WORKING. Tb!' largest view we can take of Christ regards him as God operating for high moral ends in the s1,here of humanity. God's direct moral Agent, in all the ages, has been the Second Person of the sacred Trinity, the Angel-Jehovah, Jehovah minis- teri1:1g, or the Christ. So we link the grrat Incarnation with all the foreshadowing incarnations. God's end, in Christ, is (1) the setting up of truth, of judgment, of the sense of right, of righteousness; and this (2) is synchronous with the universal establishment of his Law, or living rule and authority. The kingship of Christ is the reign of righteousnes&--a reign than can be above and within all earthly kingships. In oil, XLII. 1-25.) THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISA.IAH. 133