I. OUR BINS MAY AnOUSE TJIE DIVINE INDIGNATION. Scripture impresses on us that in God is always responsive feeling towards sin. In this we may find foreshadowings of the fatherly relations of God toward us. He must never be thought of as merely concerned with wrong-doing because of its disturbing Divine order, as a king or a judge would be. Sin e.lwe.ys bears a personal relation to God. It iR disobedience, it is insult, it is unfaithfulness. He feels it as fathers feel the wrong-doing of their children. J.I. DIVINE WRATH MAY STILL FIND EXTREME JUDGMENTS. Such as are represented in the Flood or in the Captivity. Such as are suggested by the stern necessity fathers sometimes know; they must shut the home-door against hardened prodigal sons. In the spiritual life there are times when God must "cover himself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through." ffi. DIVINE :MERCY ALWAYS WAITS TO PUT LIMIT ON THE JUDGMENT. That "mercy" makes the worst judgments to be but corrections, And that "mercy" watches for the moment when the correcting work is done, and restorings can be granted. IV. WHEN Gon RESTORES BE DOES IT WITH BUCH ABUNDANT COMFORTI:S-G AND ASSUR- ANCE AS DISPELS ALL THE REMEMBRANCE OF THE JUOOMENT-TIME. lllustrate from the tender language of the context. See also the warmth of parental feeling when the prodigal son co.me back home.-R. T. Ver. 13.-Divine favour reaching to the chi1dren. "And all thy children shall be disciples of Jehovah; and great shall be the peace of thy children." This is probably the passage quoted by our Lord, as recorded in John vi. 45, "It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God." The point on which Isaiah dwells is th11,t the Divine fa.vour shall not be limited to the generation that was actually restored; it would abide from generation to generation, and the guarantee for this would be found in the Divine care e.nd training of the children in preparation for their responsibilities and privileges when their turn of manhood co.me. It is not precisely known in what ways the religious education of the children of the returned exiles was arranged, bnt the system of regular synagogue instruction was developed soon after. It is full of suggestion, for those who work among children now, that God should find the hope of stability for the restored nation in discipling its children. And that work is, in part, the work of the home; and, in part, the work of the Church. I. THE DIVINE FAVOUR REACHES THE CHILDREN THROUGH GOOD HOMES. Through good-charactered parents e.nd wisely ordered family life. Guod character bas its foundation infaith in God; its superstructure is all virtue, including reverence, obedi- ence, uprightness, patience, and holy persistency in that which is good. Character is the supreme power, but it finds ils best expressions through the family rule. P,mnts must, by due punishments e.nd rewards, repress the evil and encourage the good. No Divine favour resting on our lives should kindle greater thankfulness than that shown in providing for us pious fathers·and mothers, and gracious home influence. II. 'l'HE DIVINE FAVOUR REACHES THE CHILDREN THROUGH THE CHURCH. The con- dili0ns of modern civilized life put the religious education of thousands of children altogether into the hands of Christ's Church. Multitudes of parents cannot, or will not, train their children in the nurture e.nd admonition of the Lord. But in all such cases the Church can do e. noble supplemental work. We may see the special Divine favour resting on our age, and the best security for the permanence and nobility of our nation, in the wide spreading and vigorous improvement of ot1r Sunday schools. The "pc·ace" assured to the children is e. term designed to include all ~orts of good. i,y c cannot be wrong in thinking the.t the better tone of society e.nd family lift1 in our day is the direct result of our increased concern for the moral e.nd religious culture of the lle.tion's children.-R. T. •
Ver. 14.-The secret of stability. "Through righteonsne~s she.It thou be established." J. A. Alexander paraphrases thus: "When once established by the exercise of right- eousness on my part and your own, you me.y put far off all dread of oppression, for you have no cause to fear it, e.nd of destruction, for it shall not come nigh you" (comp. eh. xxxii. 16, 17). It is not assumed tbe.t the restored Jerusalem would have no enemies, only the.t they would have no commission from God to destroy, e.s the Assyrians and 328 '!'HE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH. [on. uv. 1-17,
Babylonians had. There are two sides of righteousness regarded as the ground of the Church's, or the Christian's, stability and security. I. R1GHTEOUSNEBS AB THE FAITHFULNESS OF GoD. This Is clearly in the thought of the prophet, for he has been giving large promises from God, and naturally reminds of the righteousness, or faithfulness, of God as the assurance that he will keep l.is word. The same ground of confidence is presented by the apostle. "Though we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself." Go<l's righteousness is our security, because it guarantees that he never promises (1) more than he intends to perform; (2) more than he can perform; and (3) more than he will perform. " Put not your trust in princes, nor in the sons of men," for there is no basis of" righteousness" in their promises. Trust God utterly, for he is "righteous." II. RIGHTEOUSNESS AS THE OBEDIENCE AND HOLINESS OF HAN. We mlght have pre- served the covenant-figure, and said the "faithfulness" of man. Righteous keeping of covenant we.s the one condition of stability for the Jewish nation; but this was an illustration of the truth that good is, in its nature as arranged by God, of necessity permanent. It has no element of weakness or decay in it. There are no foes that can overcome it. " \Vhat can harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good ? " Restored Jerusalem must learn the old lesson, "The reformation of manners, the restoration of purity, the due administration of public justice, and the prevailing of honesty and fair dealing among men, are the strength and stability of any Church or state. The king- dom of God, set up by the gospel of Christ, is not meat and drink, but it is righteous- ness and peace, holiness and love." Of the workers of righteousness it may always be said," They that do such things shall never be moved."-R. T.