1piritual beanty or the prayer contained in e~ilhe~n mitatum _only in the latar portion this passage. We may admit that the most of Isau1h. There 1t occurs thirteen times, prominent motive nrged by the speaker has Ver. 17.-Why hast thou made ne to err a nationdistic air; but behind this, e.nd from thy we.ye, Confession is here mingled with a kind of reproach. They have erred strengthening it, is e. sense of the infinite- and strl\yed from God's ways, they ollow ; ness of the Divine mercy, e.nd of the strong but why has he permitted it? Why has he, vitality of the union between J ehove.h and the shepherd of his flock (eh. xl. II; xlix. his people" (Cheyne). 10), not restrained his wandering sheep, and kept them in his" ways" or "paths"? The Yer. 15.-Look down from hoaven (comp. reproach borders on irrcvert'nce, hut is I1cpt Deut. xxvi. 15: Ps. lxxx. 14; 2 Kings viii. within the limits of piety by the affection 30). "The Lord's ~eat" was "in heaven." nnd trust that underlie it. They are like While the temple lay in ruins, the Jews wayward children reproaching a tender wonld naturally address their prayers to God mother, not quite believing in the justice of in bis hearnnly abode. From the habitation their reproaches, but with a very confident of thy holiness. Mr. Cheyne translates, from faith in her love and in her power to aid. the height or thy holiness," taking the mean- They entertain no doubt but that God will ing of the rare word £'bul from the A~syrian. "return" t.o them, and acknowledge them •· Height" certainly suits well most of the e.s his sheep, e.nd resume their guidance other places where the word z'bul occurs and direction, And hardened our heart (1 Kings viii. 18; 2 Chron. vi. 2; Ps. xli.x. (comp. Exod. iv. 21; vii. 3; ix. 12; x. 1), 14; He.b. iii. 11). Where is thy r;eal 1 i.e. " When men have scornfully a.ud obstinately What has beoome of it? He.s it ceased alto- rejected the grace of God, God withdraws it gether, or is it only in abeyance for a time? from them judicially, gives them up to their Will not God "stir it up " once more ( eh. wanderings, and makes their hearts inca- xlii.13)? And thy strength; rather. and thy pable of faith" (Delitzsch). If the process great acu (comp. Ps. cvi. 2; c:tlv. 4; cl. 2). he.s not gone very for, God may relent, and The sounding of thy bowels ; i.e. their thrill- "return," and soften the proud heart, and ing or vibration-an indic-a.tion of sympathy renew in it" his fear." This is what Israel (see eh. xvi. 11). Jeremiah has a. similar now entreats him to do. For thy servants' ro;:pression (Jer. xxxi. 20). Axe they re- sake. There was always "a remnant" in Btrained 1 rather, they are restrained. They the worst times, which had not " bowed the no longer show themselves. There was no knee to Baal." This was God's true " in- room for questioning the fa.et. heritance," which he might be expected to Ver. 16.-DoubtleSB thou e.rt our Father ; protect and aid. rather, for thou art our Father. This is the Ver. 18.-The people of thy holiness; or, ground of their appeal to God. As their thy holy people ( comp. eh. I.xii. 9; !xiii. 15; Father, he must love them, and must be !xiv. II). Some critics read har, "mountain," ree.dy to listen to them. Abraham and instead of 'am, "people," and translate, Isaac, their earthly fathers, were of no "But for a little while have they" (i.e. thy service, lent them no a.id, seemed to have servants)" he.d possession of thy holy moun- ceased to feel any interest in them. It tain." The general meaning is the same in cannot be jUBtly argued from this that the either case. "Israel, God's people, has held Jews looked to Abraham and Isaac as actual Palestine but for a little while"-a few " patron ee.ints," or directed t.owards them centuries-and now the heathen have been their religious regards. Had this been so, allowed to make themselves masters of it, there would have been abundant evidence (comp. Ezra L 8). of it. Thon, 0 Lord, a.rt our Father (comp. Ver. HI.-We a.re thine. There is no eh. lriv. 8; and see also Deut. xxxii. 6, and ••thine" in the original, e.nd so important Jer. iii 4). Though the relationship was a word cannot possibly be supplied from revealed under the old covenant, it was without. Translate, w., are as those over practieally realized only upon the rarest whom thou hast not roled from of old, a• ooca.sions. Our Redeemer; thy name, etc. ; those upon whom thy Name haa not been rather, our BedeBm.er has been thy name from called; i.e. we have lost all our privileges of old. " Redeemer" first appears as a name -we have become in God's sight no better of God in Job (eh. xiL 25) and in the than the heathen-he haa forgotten that we Pee.lms (Ps. m. 14; Luviii. 35). It is an were ever his people.
HOMILETICS. Vere. 1-6.-The Jdwm~ns a ~pe of Go<l, enemies. There was a Ume when Esau aought to slay his brother Jacob (GeD. :uvii. 41); and the aame spirit of violence and oH. LXm. 1-19.J THE IlOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH. 445