observances; but unity of object, the same God in the same spit-it-reverence, gratitude, adoration. CoNOLUSION. What a glorious future awaits the world I All men morally pure in speech, all men heartily one in worship. Thrice hail the day 1-D. 'l'. Yers. 11-13.-A sketcJi, of a morallyregenei·ated cuy. 'Hn that day she.It thou not he ashamed for all thy doings, wherein thou bast transgressed against me: for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride, and thou she.It no more be ~aughty ~use of my holy mountain," etc. "These verses," says Hender- son, "contain a description of restored and regenerated Israel. The heing not ashamed of their sinful practices does not mean their not feeling a compunctious sense of t.heir intrinsic odiousness and demerits, but is expressive of the great change that should tak<l place in the outward condition of the Jews. That condition, into which they have been brought by their obstinate rebellion against Jehovah and his Messiah, is one of disgrace. When recovered out of it, all the marks of shame and infamy shall. be removed. The Pharisaic spirit of pride, and the vain confide~ce in the temple and the temple-worship, which proved the ruin of the nation, shall be taken away. The converted residue shall be a people humble and poor in spirit (Matt. v. 3; xi. 5), and of a truly righteous and upright character; and, having :tied for refuge to the hope set before them in the gospel, they shall be safe under the protecting care of their heavenly Father." These verses may be regarded as giving a sketch of a 'llllJ'l'ally regenerated city. It is m:irked by- I. THE UT'XEB ABSENCE OF THE BAD. There is an absence of: 1. Painful memories. " In that day .shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings." Thou wilt not need to be ashamed of all thy iniquities, (1) because they are all forgiven; (2) because they will occur no more. Whilst regenerated souls will perhaps ever remember their past iniquities, the memories will not be associated with pain, they will awaken no moral shame. So flooded will the soul be with new loves, hopes, and purposes, that every- thing pa:nful in connection with the past will be buried in comparative forgetfulness. Departed saints cannot but remember their old sins, but, in view of pardon and puri- fication, Lhe remembra.nce of them is associated with pleasure, ne>t pain. 2. Wicked citizens. "I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride," or, "thy proud triumphers." In a thoroughly regenerated city there will l;>e no proud vaunters, no blustering pretenders, no arrogant worldlings. 'l'he .vqices of such .men will not be heard ; they will not be seen in the streets, in the marts of cpmmerce, the chambers of legislation, or the scenes of recreation. 3. All crimes. "The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a qeceitful tongue be found in their month." No wrong committed, no lies spoken, no deceit practi~q .. The whole atmosphere of the city cleared of such moral impurities. .. ,• II. THE BLESSED PRESENCE OF THE GOOD. "I will also leave in; ihe midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the Name of the Lord." Who will be tht: citizens ? L Men if humaity. Delitzsch translates the, word " afflicted," " bowed down;" and Henderson, "humble." Humility is evidently the idea. There w,ill be men who are" poor in spirit." Moral humility is moral nobility .. The humbler.a man is, the nobler and the happier too. "Blessed are the poor in spirit.''. 2. Me'fl, of piety. "They sha:11 trust in the ~fame of the Lc;,~d.'' . Their chie_f confidence will ?" placed, not in thell' strength, their wealth, or thell' wisdom, but 1n God. They will centre their trust nut in the creature, but in the Creator. 3. Men of concord. "Thef: shall feed and u: down, and none shall make them afraid." There will be amongst them no acrimonious disputations, no commercial rivalries, no social jealousies or envyings, no painful divisions of any kind. They will be united as brethren, one in leading thoughts, loves, and aims. . . CoNCLUBIOX. '1.'Lis is indeed a model city. What a city this I W,hen .shall s~ch a city appear Oll this earth? Ah I when? It is in the distant future, but it has beep, gradually rearing from the dawn of the Christian era ~o this ho?r· It w!ll, I believe, be u □ e day completed, the "topstone" will be put on with shoutrngs of tr1umph.~D. T.
Vere. 14-17.-Joy, hu'TIW.n and Divine. "Sing, 0 daughter of Zion; shout, 0 I,rael; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, 0 daughter of Jerusalem. The Lord OH, Ill. 1-20.] 'l'HE BOOK OF ZEPHANIAH. 71
ha.th taken awo.y thy judgmente, he ho.th cast out thine enemy," etc. Here is a call to the rogeneratcd inhnbitants of Jerusalem to exult in the mercy of God, who has wrou"ht theirdelivcranoe, at the same time, a beautiful description of the sublime delight with which Jehova~ _will regard them in the future. 'l'he words bring under our notice joy, human and D1v1ne. I. THE JOY OF THE REGENERATED MAN. "Sing, 0 daughter of Zion; shout, 0 Israel; be glad and rejoice." What is the joy? 1. The joy of gratitude for the deliverance from evil. "The Lord bath taken away thy judgments, he bath cast out thine enemy." What ie the joy of the slave in the hour of his emancipation, of the prisoner on leaving his cell, of the long-suffering invalid on his restoration to full health'? Far more is the joy of the man who feels himself morally-delivered-delivered from the power of sin, and brought into the "glorious liberty of the children of God." Gratitude is always an element of joy. 2. The joy of conscious security. " Even the Lord is in the midst of thee : thou shalt not see evil any more." What joy breaks forth in the apoMtolic challenge, " Who shall separate us from the love of God? " etc. ! Here fa the joy of regenerated humanity, the joy of gratitude for the greatest deliverance, the joy of conscious security from all possible dangers. IT. THE JOY OF THE REGENERATING GoD, "The Lord thy God in the midst of thee [within thee] is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing." What is the joy of God ? It is the joy of infinite benevolence. What is the joy of the genuine patriot when he has delivered his country from a power that threatened its utter destruction? What is the joy of a loving physician when he has rescued bis patient from the very jaws of death? What is the joy of a loving parent who has rescued his child from ruin? Some such joy as this-infinitely superior-is the joy of God over re 6enerated humanity. In this joy the redeemed will participate; indeed, it will be their heaven. "Enter into the joy of thy Lord." "Re},ice over thee with singing." Does God sing 1 Yes; iu all the hc.ppy voices of the universe, especially in the shouts of the redeemed.-D. T.