Ver. 1.-Selling ourselves. "For your iniquities have ye sold yourselves." Reference is to the right w hicb fathers in the East possessed, of selling their children into slavery; e.nd also to the power of judges to condemn malefactors to slavery. 'rhe Jews sold themselves to work wickedness, and the judgment which came upon them, in their being sold into the bands of their Babylonian enemies, was consequently, in fact, their own work. They might my that they were sold; God convicts them by reminding them of the truth they preferred not to see. The deeper truth was that they sold themselves. Illustrate from Goethe's drama of 'Faust.' In Scripture a man who is fully resolved on a course of action, is said to have "sold himself" to that course (see I Kings :u:i. and a Diviue judgment, which takes form as the conquest of a oo.tion 2 0 ) ;
by its enemies, called a "selling" to the enemy (see Judg. is ii. x. 1 4 ; 7).St. Paul even uses the same figure iu Rom. vii. 14, saying, "'l'he Law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin." The figure suggests that, by giviog himself up to wilfulness, self-inciulgence, and sin, a man expects to get a price, and deludes himself into the idea that the price will he worth the risk. Practical applications may he made by considering- !. MAN THE BELLER. I. What has he to sell? Himself-his powers, time, gifts, relationships, influence, and possibilities. 2. Has h~ au:y: right to sell? No re~l right, but au apparent riuht. It is the first sign of man s gomg wrong, that he claims the right to sell Limself, or do what be pleases with his life. A man is really not hi~ own. He bas nothiou that is his own, and so he has nothing to sell. He must take himself out of the hands of God before he can sell himself to anybody; and the possibility of duing this is the peril involved iu trusting mau with a limited free-will. 8till, it should he clearly seen that, when any man sells himself, he sells stolen property, for a man is uot his own-be God's.is
IL SELF, THE BUYER. It is the custom to personify evil, and call it Satan, and in the early stages of religious knowledge such personifications are helpful. But the worst Satan, the true Mammon, is Self. He is the purchaser; and no slave-master ovor figured the tyl'&IlllJ with which" Self" rules the slaves he purchases. "He is the free mau whom the truth makes free. And all are slaves beside11." OJI, L, 1 --11,] THE BOOK OF 'rHE PROPHET ISAIAH. 255
III. PLEASURE, THE PRIOE. Self-gratification, indulgence of the lower over the higher powers and faculties. Is the price ever, even at first, worthy of the thing sold? Christ has redeemed us from this slavery to self. The purchase price is spoken of as "his own blood," Redeeming us for himself is really buying back for us our own true selves.-H. T. Ver. 4.- Words in season. The ability to speak suitable words, timely, wise, and helpful, is God's gift, and one of his best gifts, which we should covet earnestly. "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in baskets of silver" (Prov. x.xv. 11). We are often !Jlea~antly, and often sadly, reminded how words which we spoke years ago lie in the memories of those who heard, and have exerted continuous influence for weal or woe. And there are few of us who look back over life without regret that golden opportunities for speaking helpful words were missed. "What awakened you?" said a Christian minister on one occasion to a young friend. "It was what you said to mo one evening coming out of the lecture-room. As you took me by the hand, you said, 'Mary, one thing is needful.' You said nothing else, and passed on; but I could not forget it." It was a word spoken in the Spirit, and the Lord accompanied it with saving power. '!'he words commende<l. by the prophet are more especially those spoken to the weary; but Scriplure connects a very wide meaning with that term. H includes (1) him that is weary with the overtoil of life; (2) him that is weary of the common- ness and comparative meanness of labour; (3) him that is weary through the per- plexities and difficulties of life; (4) him that is weary through prolonged bearing of pain; (5) him that is weary in well-doing; and (6) him that is weary of the strife with sin. "Lost for want of a word- A word that you might ba.ve spoken I Who knows what eyes me.y be dim, Or what hearts may be aching and broken?" Words in ~eason may be- I. WoRns OF CHEER. Brightly toned, Full of hope. The words of those who can see the "bright side of the shield," and find a smile resting like soft sunlight on everything. In our "bearing" and our "doing" we feel thankful to all who can speak cheerily to us. II. WORDS OF WARNING. Spoken by the far-sighted men, who can see tbe issues of our conduct, to which we are blind. III.· W OROS OF COUNSEL. Wise; prudent. The issue of large knowledge ; quick ob~ervation ; varied experience ; established character. IV. Woaos OF REPROOF. Brave words, that show us our faults. "lt'aithful are the wounds of a friend." V. WORDS OF COMFORT. The human agency through which God gives us the resting of his "everlasting arms." Words are "out of season" when they are (1) unadapted; (2) untimely. They are always out of season when they find expression for pride of self rat her than. for care of others.-R. 'l.',
Ver. 6.-0ontumely endured in God's service. This is part of a soliloquy of Messiah, and in it he dwells upon the sufferings which would attend his effort to carry out obediently his Divine mission; and upon bis confidence th.i.t God would uphold his Servant through all the suffering and shame. This passage should be compared with Ps. xxii. and eh. !iii. 'fhe point more especially presented in this verse is the insult offered to Christ in the closing scenes of his life. '!'his insult seems the strangest part of our Lord's life-experience; but, if he had not known it, he could not have been "in all points tempted like us." 'l'he scenes here prophesied are narrated in Matt. xxvi. 67, 68; xxvii. 26-30; Mark xiv. 65; xv. 15-20; Luke :r.xii. 63-65; xxiii. 11; John xviii. 22, 23; :r.ix. 1-3. Three forms of indignity are mentioned-smiting, or scourging; plucking of hair; and spitting. Each must be estimated in the light of historical descriptions and Eastern sentiments. I. ScounGING. 'l'he severity and barbarity of a Roman scourging has been brought out by Dr. C. Gcikie, who says,'' Jesus was now seized by some of the soldiers standing aear, 11nd, after being stripped to the waist, was bound in a stooping posture, his hand;; 256 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHE'l' ISAIAH. [011, L, 1-11.