His gracious blessing freely, "without money and without price." (Chap. lv.) Then Jehovah's house of prayer will not be restricted to Israel, but be "for all nations," even for the strangers that join themselves to the Lord, who shall be joyful in His house of prayer. (Chap. lvi.) The righteous, then, who are truehearted, may perish at this time, but they are taken from the evil to come. But the wicked are dealt with in judgment; for they are like the troubled waters, casting up mire and dirt; and again the divine testimony is, "There is no peace to the wicked." (Chap. lxvii.) The seed of Jacob must be told their sins. The hypocrisy of those who pretended to serve the Lord is set forth, the true character of service enjoined, and the blessings accompanying it. (Chap. lviii.) Notwithstanding, however, all their failure and ruin, and that they had no intercessor, Jehovah's arm was not shortened; He would interfere and recompense their enemies, so that His name should be feared from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun. "The Redeemer, too, shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord.” (Chap. lix.)

Then the sixtieth chapter gives the most blessed account of Israel's glory in that day, when Zion shall be an eternal excellency, the joy of many generations; when "the people shall be all righteous, and they shall inherit the land for ever."

In the next chapter (lxi.) Christ Himself is seen as personally bringing in blessing upon His people. To those who will mourn at the sight of Him, He will give the oil of joy and the garment of praise. The

old wastes shall be built, and former desolations repaired; strangers shall feed their flocks; they shall be named the priests of the Lord, and everlasting joy shall be unto them. He will direct their work in truth, make an everlasting covenant with them, and cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

Then they shall have a new name, be a crown of glory in Jehovah's hand, and a royal diadem in the hand of their God. They shall no more be termed forsaken, nor the land desolate; "for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. They shall be called, The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord: Sought out; A city not forsaken. (Chap. Ixii.) These are some of the blessings Israel will be brought into when "the Redeemer shall come to Zion."

In chapter lxiii. 1-6, the Lord is seen returning from Bozrah, as having executed judgment in fury and anger upon His living enemies; for while it is the acceptable year of the Lord as concerns His redeemed, it is the day of vengeance and indignation of the Lord upon His enemies. The gracious sympathy of the Lord with His people is most touchingly alluded to, rebellious as they had been-" In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He bare them, and carried them all the days of old." (Verse 9.)

:

From verse 15 to end of chapter sixty-four the earnest pleadings of the remnant with Jehovah for deliverance in their distress, because they were His, are recorded in the most affecting way, as, no doubt,

answer.

the two last chapters of this book give us Jehovah's They entreat Jehovah, though even Abraham did not know them, and Israel—their own brethren in the flesh-are so led away as not to acknowledge them, to "look down from heaven," to "return," to "rend the heavens and come down," to "be not wroth very sore," for we are all thy people. They appeal, too, on the ground of the temple being destroyed-"Our holy and beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste. Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O Jehovah? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore?"

As we have said, God answers this appeal in the sixty-fifth and sixty-sixth chapters, where the remnant is remarkably distinguished from the wicked in Israel. God begins by informing them that the Gentiles had turned to Him, but that to them he had been spreading out His hands all the day, as to a rebellious people, who provoked Him to anger with their sins. (Verse 5.) He declares that He must execute judgment and recompense for such things: "Ye are they that forsake the Lord, . . . . Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not." (Ver. 11, 12.) The remnant, however, shall be blessed. "I will bring forth out of Jacob, and out of Judah, an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there. And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for

....

the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me." The remnant are characterized as poor in spirit and trembling at His word. Upon "this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. . . . Hear the word of Jehovah, ye that tremble at His word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let Jehovah be glorified: but HE SHALL APPEAR to your joy, and they shall be ashamed." (Chap. lxvi. 2, 5.)

The faithful are assured that a new order of things shall be established, when the former troubles shall be forgotten, and Jerusalem shall be created a rejoicing, and her people a joy. "The voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her. There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days; but the sinner an hundred years old shall be accursed." Creation, too, as we saw in the eleventh chapter, shall be delivered from its groanings; and as the serpent was pronounced in Genesis iii. 14 to be "cursed above all cattle," so at that time we see that "dust shall be the serpent's meat." (Chap. lxv.) We are afterwards told that "a nation shall be born at once;" and Jehovah declares, "I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall see my glory. And from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come and worship before me, saith Jehovah." The people of Israel shall be gathered out of the nations, and brought on horses, mules, and litters, to Jerusalem, and their blessing shall be as permanent as the new heavens and the new earth. "For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain." (Chap. lxvi. 8, 18, 20, 22.)

"COME."

THIS was, and is, and so long as the gospel is preached will be, the loving word of the Lord Jesus to sinful, rebellious man. To the burdened and heavy-laden, He graciously said, "Come"-"Come unto me, and I will give you rest." To a publican anxious to see Him, He said, "Come"—"Make haste and come down ; for to-day I must abide at thy house." To others He cried out with arms opened wide, and a heart burning with love, "Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." What wondrous mercy! No barrier now to any one and every one who desires it, coming at once to the Lord Jesus, and having eternal life: "Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."

And yet how few are coming to the Lord Jesus and receiving this free gift-eternal life! How many are vainly spending their time, and efforts, and money, in trying to make themselves better; hoping to amend; endeavouring to patch up the rotten garment of a depraved and incurably bad nature; turning over, as they say, a new leaf; foolishly thinking that they may commend themselves to the favour of God; in some way or other blindly seeking to work out, either wholly or in part, eternal salvation; instead of believing God's word, and coming simply, and only, and at once to the Lord Jesus Christ, who alone can give rest and peace to a sinner's conscience! How different, then, are God's thoughts to man's thoughts! Man thinks he must commend himself to God; whereas God in the gospel commends His love to us.

"God commendeth