The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 2 — Section 236

man can have exclusive privileges; everything he has belongs to the whole race-it is the property pf everybody. This can be illustratl'd in prominent cases. Aristotle's philosophic th,oughts ~long to t_he race. Raphael's pain\ings a~e ~he inspiration of the race. Homers poetry 1s revelation for the race. Handel s mus10 1s song-praise for the race. The truth is true in the smallest things. Whntsoever any one of us has he has for others, he has for all, he has for "whosoever will." Our text declares this to be tr~ie. of the Jewish race-as indeed of ~11 races. Israel seemed to have some peculi&r pn v1leges. 1t had them for others. 'I hey could not be exclusive. '1.'hrough Israel all men were to be saved. Their sound was to go out even to the ends of the earth. Ther~ could be no_ keeping to a li?iited sphere eve~ the privilege of the Messiah being born mto ihe Jewish race. Let him but grow to his manhood, and he will say "Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring" (John x.16). 'Gettincr0 practical application for this searching truth, we note- I. MAK HAS INFLUENCE WITHIN THE RANGE OF HIS OWN PURPOSES. We may make our life-sphe~e~. We may decide wh~t we will do, and where_ we will do it. We may propose to hm1t ourselves to a certam number whom we will endeavour to aid and bless. Our energy can do much, and we often speak of men's influence as limited. A r;d it is so far true that every man has a first cirde-a sphere immediately round him• and it is well that it should have his best work. ' II. MAN HAS INFLUENCE BEYOND ANY PURPOSES OF HIS OWN. You may break the scent-bottle to purify a room, but the fragrance will fill the house. Jesus came to the Jews, but his salvation ha.s gone forth to the ends of tho earth. We may live for a home, but the glory of gracious character fills a street. We may preach to a congregation, but strangers may bear, and from us carry inspiring words to the distant colon.ies. Every one of us may truly say, "Humanity is my congregation; the world is my sphere." III. A MAN'S LARGER INFLUENCE DEPENDS ON THE 0HARA0TER SHOWN IN THE SMALLER SPHERE. E~pecially on his "individuality." By just that in which e. me.n differs from other men, his sphere of influence is the whole world.-R. T. Ver. 8.-" The acceptable time." Called also a "day of salvation." There can be no doubt that by this expression is meant the period of the new dispensation, at the commencement of which the Messiah appeared, to effect the work of human redemption, and during which the blessings of that redemption are being communicated to mankind. We may say it is the period in which God he.d reconciled the world unto himself; in which sinful men can come to God, and deal with him in respect of their sine, throuQ;h an appointed Mediator. "All our happiness results from the Son's interest in the Father, and the prevalency of his intercession, that be always heard him. And tbis makes the gospel-time an acceptable time, welcome to us, because we are accepted of God, and reconciled and recommended to him" (Matthew Henry). Our Lord used this expression in his remarkable Messianic sermon at Nazareth, declaring that he had come to proclaim the "acceptable year of the Lord" (Luke xiv. 19), probably taking his figure from the joyousness of the Jewish year of jubilee. From this passage, what is understood as a " simple gospel sermon" may be preached. I. THERE MAY BE HINDRANCES TO DIVISE ACCEPTANCE. Get right apprehensions of God, and it will be understood that, under some circumstances, he cannot accept-he must reject, he must frown, he must be against man. .Acceptance, to be any moral good to us, must be based on righteousness. We do not care for acceptance unless we are quite sure that God is right in accepting. Illustrate this in connection with the three prominent figures we use for God, 1. King. Certainly a king cannot always accept his subjects. 2. Moral Governor. .A. very intangible figure, But the addition of the word "moral" shows clearly that conditions are involved. 3. Father. True fathers must sometimes hold off their sons. IL THE HINDBAN0EB MAY BE SUCH AS WE POT IN THE WAY. It is easy to say the hindrances are owr sins ; it is much more searching to say they are the sinfulnesa of which our sins are the expression. It would be easy to forgive sins, if our sinfulneae were put away. And Christ's mission brought to us an "acceptable time," because it bore upon getting away both the sinfulness and the sin, III. THE HINDRANCES HAY BE sucH AR Gon MUST PUT IN THE w.+.Y, This the cu. XLIL 1-26.] THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH. 245