into the Messianio period, and indeed Vf!l. 22.-Look unto me; rather, turn noo.rly to its olose (see especio.lly eh. xxxiv.). unto me (as in Ps. xxv. 16; lxix. 1G; lxnvi. Ea.oh one of them constitutes a call to the l 6); i.e. "Be converted-turn unto the Lord nations, and is followed by a conversion r_onr God." It is implied that all can tnm, to a grenter or less extent. They have no if they will. And be ye aaved. On con- knowledge that set up the wood of their version, salvation will follow, It will extend graven image ; ra.thor, who lift up (or, carry) even to all the ends of the earth ( comp. the wood of their gravenimage(comp. cl1. xlvi. Ps. xcviii. 3, "All the ends of the earth 7, "They bear him upon the shoulder," have seen the salvation of onr God"). where the so.me verb is used). It was a Ver. 23.-1 have sworn by myself (comp. practice of the idolo.trous heathen to carry Gen. xxii. 17; J er. xxii. 5; xlix. 15). God the images of their gods in processions, swears "by himself," because he can swear generally exposed to view upon their by no greater" (Heb. vi. 13). He conde- shoulders (Lo.yard, • Nineveh and its Re- scends, for man's sake, to confirm in this mains,' vol. ii. opp. p. 451), but sometimes way promises that are exceedingly precious partially concealed in shrines, or " ur ks " (see the Homiletics on eh. xiv. 2-1). The (Rawlinson, 'Herodotus,' vol. ii. pp. 100, word is gone out of my month in righteous- IOI). Tl1ere would be still among the ness. So Dr. Kay and Mr. Cheyne (comp. "escaped" some who would so act. ver. 19, " I the Lord speak righteousness"). Ver. 21.-Tell ye, and bring them near. And shall not return ; i.e. shall not be Dr, Kay ancl Mr. Cheyne understand the withdrawn or retracted. God's gifts and nations to be addressed,' and told to " show " promises are " without repentance." Every or " announce," a.nd " bring fortb " or knee shall bow, e'"'ery tongue shall swear, "produce," any argument in favour of the This univer;;al turning to God belongs to divinity of their gods, But it is simpler the final Messianic kingdom, prophesied and better, with our translators, to regard in eh. ii. 2-4; xi. ti-9; xxxv. 1-10; the address as made to the prophets of lxv. 17-25; !xvi. 18-23; and o.lso by God, who are bidden to announce his Daniel (vii. 9-H) and St. John the message of mercy to the nntions, and to Divine (Rev. xxi. 1-4). The entire de- bring them near to him (comp, eh. xl, I). struction of God's enemies is to take !Jlace Let them take collllSel together ; i.e. let previously (Rev. xi.x. 17-21). the no.tions consider one with another, Ver. 24.-Snrely, shall one aay, in the whether God or the idols be the fitter object Lord have I righteousness; mther, omy of worship. Who hath deolared this1 "This" in the Lord, shall each man say to me, ia must refer to the conquest of Babylon and their righteoV,Sness. All shall confess that deliverance of Israel by Cyrus. None but God alone is righteous, and that any good- Jehovah had ever announced this-none but ness which they have is derived from him. he could bring it to pass. From anoi2nt time; The Hebrew has "righteousnesses" in the rather, from aforetime (Cheyne), The an- plural, to express abundance. All that are nouncement cannot ho.ve been made very incensed; rather, all that were incensed long before this prophecy we.a delivered, (see eh. xii. 11). Such persons shall repent A just God and a Saviour. A God in whom and be ashamed. "meroy and truth meet together, righteous- Ver. 25.-In the Lord shall all the seed ness and peace kiss each other" (Ps. lxxxv. of Israel be justified, Joined to Jehovah 16) ; wbo can be e.t once just, " noting in mystic union (Cheyne). the whole" Israel st.ringently nccording to the demo.nds of of Gud" shall be justified, and glory in his holiness" (Delitzsch), and yet design their condition. and effect the salvation of sinners.
HOMILETICS. Ver. 7.-In what sense God" creates evil." It was to avoid the objection& which the human conscience feels against regarding God as in any sense the nuthor of evil, that duali~m was invented. The Western Aryans thought it simpler and more natural to exphun the phenomena of the physical and moral universe by a perpetual struggle of two equal, or nearly equal, powers-one a principle of pure goodness, the creator of everything that was bright, sweet, delightful, holy, pure, good; the other, his antagonist, the creator of nil that wns the opposite-than to postulate a single original principle, ell-powerful and all-perfect, which had yet brought into being a universe in which so much of moral nnd physical evil obtains as experience reveals to us. And it scarcely seems surprising that unassisted human reason should so argue. There is a difficn1ty in understanding the coexistence of evil with t.he absolute government of all thing~ by lli4UB-Il. 1,1 178 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH. [oa, nv. 1-26,