, ers. 11, 12.-Christian pilgrimage. We may regard the departure and journey of the Israelites from Babylon to Jerusalem as pictorial of our departure from the "far country" of sin for the heavenly Zion. Thus considered, we are taucrht- I. 'l'HAT ENTRANCE ON TIIE NEW PATH SHOULD BE AN ACT OF o'irnDIENCE AS WELL AS WISDOM. It was an eminently wise thing on the part of the Israelites to return to J erusa.lem. Whatever interests, pecuniary or social, they may have formed in exile, their true heritage was in the land of their fathers; the politic in their policy remained, but the wise in their wisdom left. This, however, was not the only or the main inducement. They were ea.lied to return as an act of obedience. 'l'he Lord their God summoned them. It was a Divine voice that said, "Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence." Our true interest demands that we should leave "the City of Destruction" and seek "another which is an heavenly." Only a false prudence detains; wisdom, deep and true, urges to depart. But this is not the only consideration. God our Divine Father, Jesus Christ our righteous Lord, commands us. He calls us to leave the kingdom of unrighteousness and to enter the path of holy service. To linger is to be guiltily disobedient; to set forth is to do the will of God. If. THAT ENTRANCE ON CHRISTIAN PILGRIMAGE SHOULD BE AN A0T OF DELIBERATE CONVICTION. "Ye shall not go out with haste." 'l'here should, indeed, be no delay; but, on the other hand, there should be no hurry. More than once Jesus Christ checked the advances of disciples who were acting on impulse rather than conviction (Matt. viii 1~22; Luke xiv. 2~33). Do not take the greatest step which can possibly be taken without earnest thought, deep deliberation, repeated prayer. III. THAT CHRISTIAN PILGRIMAGE, ESPECIALLY THE DIRECT SERVICE OF Gou, SHOULD BE CHARACTERIZED BY PURITY. "Touch no unclean thing j • • • be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord." 'l'he Israelites were not to soil their hands with any forbidden or ill-acquired treasures; aud the Levites were to take peculiar care that their hands were clean, for they would bear the sacred vessels of the temple. All Christian men must see to it that their hearts are uncorrupted and their hands unde6led by the many evils which are in the world. Anything like covetousness, envy, UDchastity, intemperance, vindictiveness, makes service unworthy, and Divine worship unacceptable. Dy watchfulness and prayer let the ministers of Christ, more especially, cleanse their hearts aud their bands. IV. THAT THE GUARDIANSHIP OF GoD MAY BE COUNTED UPON ALL TIIE WAY. "The Lord will go before you ; and the God of Israel will be your rereward; " i.e. there shall be a complete defence from danger; though enemies should threaten you before and behind, you shall find an ample security in God. We find ourselves assailed by spiritual perils coming from opposite quarters: we are tempted by fanaticism on the one side and by indifference on the other; by pietism and secularism; by presumption and distrust; by undue asceticism and laxity; by ~urerstition and scepticism; but if we are obedient and reverent in spirit, our God will be a shield agaiust every foe.-C.
Vere. 13-15.-The wisdom of suffering service. The fact that these and the following verses refer to the Messiah is no reason why we should not find in them practical lessons for the guidance of our own l!le, the culture of o~r own character. .l<'or Christ ea.me, not only lo do for UH a work which we coukl not possibly do ourselves, but also to be the Exemplar whom we are to follow in the paths of righteousness and
~OUR FIRBT CABE SHOULD BE TO SERVE. He who is the Anointed of the Lord, the Highest among the highest, is spoken of as "my Servant," .And from the beginning ClI. LD, 1-16.J THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH. 289