man who "came not to be ministered unto, but to minister" perfectly represented the Spirit of the Father, who occupies his eternity and expends his omniscience in doing good to all his creation. 2. Tbe Spirit of God is magnanim=. God delights not to give pain or lo send sorrow. to those who have offended him; that is his "strange work." He delights to pardon. He "abundantly pardons." He receives back and reinstates his penitent children with abounding joy. His mercy, his grace, is inex- haustible-it is an overarching sky with no horizon-line; it is a sea without a bottom or a shore. III. THE DIVINE OFFER. So great, so surpassing, so all-sufficient, is the magnanimity of God that we may cast ourijelves on his mercy with the utmost confi, \en cc. "Iniquities may prevail against m," but the pardoning grace of God will prevail against them. IV. THE HUMAN ASPIRATION. Jesus Christ summons us to rise from the level of the human to the height of the Divine; to breathe his spirit of forgiveness, to live his life of love, to move on the noble and lofty plane of a. sustained magnanimity, " that we may be the children of our Father who is in heaven;" that we may "be perfect as he is perfoct."-C. Vers. 10--13.-The fruitfulness of sacred truth. It may be said that the rain and the snow do, in fact, return to the heavens whence they came, drawn up by the sun as it shines on sea and lake, on stream and river, everywhere. But not unti"l they have done the work/or which they came, not until they have" accomplished that which God pleases," until they have prospered in the purpose for which he sent them; not until they have fertilized the soil, and made it bring forth its precious fruits. The vast amount of rainfall which the earth receives during every year renders incalculable service before it returns to the skies. So also does all the outpouring of Divine truth on the mind and heart of men. There may be times when the human spokesman may question this-when he may have grave misgivings as to its utility, when it may seem unprofitable and vain. But we have the strong assurance that God's Word II shall not return unto him voicl "-that the issue shall he one in which all surrounding nature may well take its part with jubilant acclaim (vers. 12, 13). The excellency of sacred truth will be seen if we regard- I. Ou& CONDITION IN ITS ABSENCE. 1. The unproductiveness of the human mind when thus untaught; the sad fact that men who are capable of the loftiest conceptions, the most ennobling convictions, the most elevating feelings and aspirations, live and die without cherishing any one of these, in blank and dreary ignorance. 2. The noxious growths which flourish: the errors, the superstitions, the dark and foul imaginations which defile the mind in which they spring up, and those also on whom theso are ncting. II. THE BENIGNANT POWER WHICH IT EXERTS. 1. The ozdward transformations it works-great and happy reformations in the conduct, the career, the condition of individual men, of families, and of nations. 2. The inward blessedness it confers- pcace, freedom, purity, love, joy, hope. JII. ITS OCCASIONAL, APPARENT FRUITLESSNESS. Even as the rain and the snow often fall on rock and sand and sea without seeming to produce any beneficent result, so does the truth of God, as preached, or taught, or printed, often seem to be unavailing; and there is discouragement, despondency, even despair, in the heart of the Christian worker. But we look at- IV. lTs ACTUAL EFFICACY. 1. There is much of actual efficacy which we can dis- cover-of incide,,tal result, bringing strength and sanctity to those whose benefit is not Bought; of indirect result; of ultimate result, being II fonnd after many days." 2. There is more which we take on trust. God has ways of using material things which long escaped our notice, and doubtless many ways which still elude our observation. Has he not ways of using our spiritual efforts, of turning them to acconn~, so that one day we aha.II .find that his own Word never returns to him void-that it always prospers in the thing whereto it is sent? " He that goeth forth weeping .. . shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."-O.
Ver. 1.-Man's need and God's p,'Ovision. This well-known and much-used verse is the IllOdel of gospel invitations. " Ho! " 88 to persons at a distance; beyond the pale, 340 THE BOOK OF THE PROPBE1.' ISAIAH. [ou. LV, 1-13.