"Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope."

THIS passage has been often misunderstood, and is one of those texts which requires to be carefully examined in order to perceive its full meaning. It has been variously explained by learned persons: some consider that it means the state of those wicked and miserable men who are so led captive by Satan, so completely in his power, as to be drawn by him into every kind of sin; and no more able to resist him than a horse or other beast fastened to a waggon or cart could refuse to drag the load when once bound to the vehicle by his harness or

ropes.

If we take it in this sense, it will remind us of the prayer we often use wherein we are described as being tied and bound with the chain of our sins; and of the collect for the Twenty-fourth Sunday after Trinity, wherein we pray to be delivered from the bands of those sins which by our frailty we have committed.

But there is also another meaning which, though happily now not applicable to our Christian lands, may have been very clear to the heathen nations where the Israelites were scattered abroad, and even to the people them

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selves who fell into idolatry. It is still the custom in India to draw the great idol which they worship, once a year, in solemn procession, raised in a lofty car, and the poor misguided worshippers think it an honour to be allowed to draw the cords which fasten the car; some even, it is said, throw themselves in the way, that they may be crushed under its wheels, thinking such a death will ensure their entrance into a new and more glorious life. The word "sin" is the same which is often used also to mean a "sin-offering," or sacrifice for sin; and we may easily understand that the people who fancied this false idol would accept of their destruction of themselves as a means of atoning for their sins, would incur the displeasure of the one true God, who had appointed the offering of lambs and other animals, only as a sign of the one great Sacrifice for sin which was to be offered up in the end of the world by his dear Son.

Whoever has read the accounts published by missionaries to the heathen, of the dreadful scenes which they have witnessed, when the great idol called Juggernaut is drawn along many miles, almost every step of which is marked by the blood of the worshippers, will at once see how this passage of Isaiah applies to this "iniquity;" and when we recollect that the idols are often called "vanity" in Scripture, we shall be at no loss to understand its meaning. I subjoin a few texts which, if referred to, will still further explain the prophet's declaration of "woe" to the deluded men who could thus bow down to stocks and stones, and worship that which their own fingers have made. But let us not think that because we see not in our happy country such dreadful blindness and ignorance, we are therefore safe from the woe threatened in this passage. No; though we are not open idolaters, dragging a wooden image for our god; yet we are as much in danger of being led away captive by Satan at his will, as if we had not received the light of the Gospel. Whoever allows himself to form a bad habit is the servant of sin, chained to Satan's chariot, and treading the road to hell. So slight and weak at first are the bonds in which evil habits bind us, that we do not feel them; but the longer we wear them, that is,

the longer we continue under the power of any sin, however small, the stronger and firmer do the chains become, and the harder we find it to set ourselves free from them. Let us then beware of allowing any sin to get the dominion over us. Let us stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free. Let us strive to be made free from sin, and to become servants of righteous

ness.

The poor ignorant heathen gives his body to be destroyed by the idol's car. We despise his madness and folly; but have we not rather cause to blush at our own ingratitude to our God, who gives us all things richly to enjoy, and who, instead of desiring the death of a sinner, only requires him to turn from his wickedness and live? Have we fulfilled the Apostle's earnest exhortation, to "present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service?" O let us watch and pray that we, being made free from sin, and become servants to God, may have our fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life!

Texts referred to in the foregoing remarks:-Isaiah xliv. 9-20; xli. 29; xlvi. 1-7; xlv. 20. Jer. x. 2-9. 14, 15. Ezek. xx. 7, 8.

ON ISAIAH li. 9, COMPARED WITH ISAIAH Xxx. 7.

"Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?"

This is part of the prophet's address to the arm or power of the Lord, which had "in ancient days, and in the generations of old," been stretched out for the defence of his people Israel. By Rahab is meant Egypt-the word Rahab, signifying in the original language, strength, power, or pride, was applied to Egypt, a country which boasted of its power and wealth. If we refer to the eighty-ninth Psalm and tenth verse, we shall there find, in the Bible version, these words: "Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces ;" and in the margin referring to Rahab, it is said, or Egypt." In the Prayer Book version we find it thus rendered: "Thou hast subdued Egypt and destroyed it." Again, if we refer to Isaiah xxx. 7, when reproving the people for having applied to the Egyptians

for help, instead of seeking to the Lord, the prophet declares that the Egyptians shall help in vain and to no purpose; "therefore," he adds, "have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to sit still." Here the word translated "strength" is Rahab; and Martin Luther, in his version of the Scriptures, thus renders the passage: "Rahab will sit still," that is, Rahab, or Egypt, will remain inactive-will not move to help the people who have asked their help. This translation seems to clear up the meaning of the passage, and to agree better than our own with the previous words, which foretel that the Egyptians would not render them any effectual help.

There is another passage wherein Egypt is supposed to be meant, though not so expressly mentioned as in Isaiah. It is in Job xxvi. 12, "He divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud." Here the word Rahab again occurs, and it is supposed that Job is alluding to the destruction of the Egyptians in the Red sea, which had been previously divided to afford a safe passage to the Israelites.

To this event Isaiah refers in the chapter we have already quoted from (li. 9, 10,) especially the latter, wherein he says, "Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep, that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?"

By "the dragon," in verse 9, is meant Pharaoh, the cruel king of Egypt, who pursued after the Israelites. He is thus called in Psalm lxxiv. 13, 14; and in Ezekiel xxix. 3, we read, "Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers ;" and see also Ezekiel xxxii. 2, where Pharaoh is likened unto a whale of the sea, or, as in the margin, a " dragon." We may further observe that the word usually translated "pride," and which occurs so frequently in the Book of Proverbs', is quite different from Rahab, which literally signifies power and strength, as well as pride. The Egyptians received this name because they boasted of, and were proud of their strength-mark this-of their own strength.

1 See especially Prov. xvi. 18; xv. 25; viii. 13; and Jer. xiii. 17.

"He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool.'

"Trust

in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." (Prov. iii. 5.)

Let us not think only of the words of the passage we have been studying, let us think of the fate of Egypt for her pride, and let us pray for the grace of true humbleness of mind, remembering the words of our Lord, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls." (Matt. v. 3; xi. 29.) L. S. R.

EXTRACT FROM MY FAMILY BIBLE.

ST. MARK iv. 30-34.

My dear family, men give far too little time to the consideration of the evidences of the truth of the Christian religion. It seems beyond all things wonderful, however, to the close observer, how a man can resist the extraordinary force of the fact, that of all beginnings of any great work, that of the Christian religion was, speaking in a worldly sense, the most humble. A poor man, with no outward marks to distinguish him from others of his class, at the head of a few persons no richer nor grander than himself, drove the rulers of a nation to madness by the simple preaching of truth, and the doing of miracles, which performed by such a person as Christ, and in such an open manner, ought to have been evidence enough that in that person there must reside a divine power. The mean worldly circumstances of Christ make his religion and its effects the more wonderful. But, my family, we must now say a word upon the fact of our Lord dealing out his parables as the disciples were able to bear them, because this has been made a reason for keeping back the very doctrine-the doctrince of the atonement, in all its fulness of comfort and joy. Now, you are to recollect that our Lord was preaching to a most prejudiced and obstinate people, who were very jealous of their old forms and ceremonies being thought lightly of. They were strangers to the real nature of the promised Christ, because they had been inattentive