Spirit of the Lord bas lifted up a standard against them." Further illustrate from the way in which the plans of the Apostle Paul and his companions were blocked. "They essayed to go into Bithynia, but the Spfrit su:tfered them not." We seldom feel as we ought how greciou~ly God helps us by shutting doors which we fain would enter. III. THE FIGURE OF THE BREATH AS AN IMPULSE. Take the allusion to Cyrtis; and further illustrate from the impulse given to Philip to go and join the eunuch of Queen Candace. Open souls are ready and willing to be moved by the indwelling breath or spirit. Such open souls surely prove what it is to be led into all truth strengthened for all duty, and sanctified through all fellowsbips.-R. T. ' Ver. 21.-The gospel-covenant. The recipient of this covenant is the spiritual Israel. The old Jewish covenant is to provide figures that may help us to understand the spiritual covenant which we make with God and God makes with us, through Jesus Christ, the COYenant-Negotiator. Here God's side of covenant-pledge is that he will always be the inner lifo and inspiration of his people. And it is assumed that his people's covenant-pledge is that they hold themselves es fully consecrated unto him and in all holy and earnest activities seek to serve him. ' I. 'l'HE :KEW COVENil"'T ON Gon's SIDE. Compare the pledge in the older Jewish covenant-preservation of bodily life, with all that this might demand of providing, guiding, and preserving---everything needed for the life that now is. In the new covenant the pledge is of preservation of that Divine life, spiritual life, which in us has been divinely quickened, with all that this higher life may demand of sustenance, guidance, protection, and inspiration. God will be sure to supply all the needs of our soul-life, and put his Spirit in us and keep his Spirit with us, to be the life of our life, our security, our guarantee, our sanctification. Cramer says, "Does the Spirit of God remain ? then also does his Word ; does the Word remain ? then preachers also remain ; do pre!l.Chers remain? then also hearers do; do hearers remain? then also remain believers; and therefore the Christian Church remains also." Too seldom do we take the comfort- ing and strengthening assurance that our God is actually under pledge to us to carry on to its cempletion the work of grace in us which he bas begun. "Though we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself." Matthew Henry says, "In the Redeemer there was a new covenant made with us, a covenant of promises; and this is the great and comprehensive promise of that covenant, that God will give and continue his Word and Spirit to his Church and people throughout all generations." Dean Plumptre says, "The new covenant is to involve the gift of the Spirit, that writes the law of God inwardly in the heart, as distinct from the Law, which is thought of as outside the conscience, doing its work as an accuser and a judge." II. THE NEW COVENANT ON :ai:A.N's BIDE. Find what is the spiritual counterpart of the old Jewish covenant-conditions on man's side. Then he pledged loyalty to Jehovah, strict and prompt obedience to the will of Jehovah. The answering spiritual pledge may be found in Rom. xii. 1, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reesonable service."-R. T.
SECTION VII. TBB GLOBIEB OF THE REBTOBED JERUSALEM tOH, LX,), EXPOSITION.
OHAPTEB LX. magnificent ode in eh. xlvii., whioh desoribes the fall and ruin of Babylon. It is oomposed Vere. 1-22.-A SoNG OF TBIUllPH UPON of five stanzas, of nearly equal length: (1) GLORIFIED ZION, This is rather a detached vers. 1--4; (2) vers. 5-9; (3) vers. 10-H; poem than an integral portion of a book. (4) vers. 15-18: and (5) vers. 19-22. It is complete in itself, and but slightly Vere. l--4.-The ji.r,t ,tanza. Zion'• connected, either with what precedes or brightness and numbers. with whe.t follows. Delitzsch and Mr. Ver. 1.-Ariae, shine. The subjeot of Cheyne regard it u a "counterpart" to the the addl'888 does not dJstinotly appear until OH, LX, 1-22,] THE BOOK OF 'l'HE PROPHET ISAIAH. 401