drawn, not driven; we are taught to consider the sanctuary of religion not only as a place of refuge, but as a place of rest; and instead of being compelled to lay hold of the horns of the altar as a last resource, the only hiding-place from the avenger of blood, we are taught to view it under the endearing character of the house of our Father, and consequently as our proper and our peaceful home. Strangers as we have been to God, and enemies to Him by wicked works, it might have been thought a great privilege if we were barely tolerated in our approaches to Him, if our sacrifices were received without disdain; but instead of this, we are welcomed into the presence of the great King, &c. "Even I will bring them," &c. This promise has a direct reference to Gospel times, and the Jews interpret it of the time when Messiah, the Son of David, should come. There can be no doubt of this, if it is read in connection with the preceding chapter. The special privileges of the Jewish Church were for the most part confined to the members of one family, one nation, one kindred, but the blessings of the Gospel Church are free and unconfined. As the times of the Gospel drew nigh, there was a considerable softening given to the rugged features of the former dispensationpromises were given to the Gentile as well as to the Jew, and provision was made for the stranger within their gates, as well as for the children of Abraham themselves, &c. But it was reserved for the Gospel to abolish these distinctions altogether (Eph. ii. 13, &c.). I. THE DESCRIPTION OF THE TEMPLE OF RELIGION—a house of prayer, &c. If this description applied to the Jewish temple, how much more to the Christian Church (Heb. x. 21). The temple is not a theatre for display, &c., but_a house of prayer (1 Tim. iii. 15). In public ordinances prayer should be considered as of first importance. There is everything to encourage prayer 1. In the temple itself. This was eminently true of the ancient temple -erected not for preaching, but for worship. Everything in the furniture and in the service of the temple to encourage prayer. So in our worship the day on which we meet, &c. 2. In the character of the Deity who presides in it. Was He not their covenant God, &c.? Do we not view Him under more encouraging titles, &c. Let us avail ourselves of the privileges, &c. 3. In the circumstances of the worshippers. Were they not a chosen people, &c.? All these meet in our worship? What arguments for prayer from our lost condition, &c. 4. In the comprehensive aspect of our devotions. II. THE TRUE CHARACTER OF ACCEPTABLE WORSHIPPERS. It is not enough to be found in the temple, we must sustain the requisite qualifications of worshippers. It is not enough to join a church, &c., but we must possess the leading features of Christ's disciples, else our worship is a mockery, our profession vain. This is evinced 1. By the spiritual affections which they cherish towards God,-they love Him, they serve Him, they make an open profession of His name. These are fruits which do not grow in nature's wilderness, &c. 2. By the reverence they pay to His institutions. A regard to the Sabbath marked these strangers, and will always mark spiritual Christians. These men would not be found in the temple one part of the day, and in the field another, &c. 3. By their tenacious regard to the great foundations of human hopeGod's covenant. III. THE INVALUABLE PRIVILEGES THEY MAY EXPECT TO ENJOY. 1. They shall be introduced into the visible Church. Every disqualification removed. 2. Their sacrifices and services shall be accepted. 3. Their satisfaction and joy shall abound. -Samuel Thodey. THE SABBATH, li. 6, 7. Every one that keepeth the Sabbath, &c. (a). The intimate connection between special privileges and special obligations has been observed in all ages. After the rich promises of Gospel blessings, we find in this chapter a strenuous enforcement of religious observances. A sincere belief of Christian truth will be followed by a faithful performance of Christian duties; for the one has a great influence upon the other. Where the doctrines are not believed, the duties will not be practised. The Sabbath has been regarded as a kind of hedge, or fence, to the whole law. 1. THE SACREDNESS OF THE INSTITUTION OF THE SABBATH. Here, keeping the Sabbath, and laying hold on the covenant are identical; hence the Jewish doctors spoke advisedly when they declared the institution of the Sabbath to be the condensation and perfection of the whole law. 1. Look back upon the early, or patriarchal Sabbath, beginning with the creation of the world. Think how early it was appointed by God Himself in paradise, for the Sabbath is only one day younger than the creation of the world. The argument is plain, that if man required a Sabbath, when there were only two people in the world, how much more needful has it become when the world is crowded with inhabitants and with temptations to sin. Without such a day, it would have been most difficult for the corrupt nature of man to have maintained the true worship of God in the world. But a seventh day holy to the Lord would distinguish those who called on the name of the Lord, &c. 2. The Jewish Sabbath naturally succeeds the patriarchal, though accompanied by the change of the day to commemorate the departure from Egypt (Exod. xvi. 22, 23, and others). The violation of the sanctity of this day was marked by severe penalties, &c. 3. The Christian Sabbath. The real obligation of the Jewish Sabbath could extend no further than the close of that economy; and under the Christian economy we are prepared to expect some further change of the day. How silently this change was brought about! As Christ silently abrogated the Jewish passover by the institution of the Lord's Supper without formally announcing it, so He silently abrogated the seventhday Sabbath of the Jews, and transferred all its honours and sanctities to the first day of the week, &c. II. THE SIN OF PROFANING ITdiverting it from a sacred to a common use (see p. 595). It is a sin against1. God. Very prevalent. Very prevalent. 2. Man. 3. Your own souls. 4. A sin that, persisted in, cannot be repaired. III. THE BLESSINGS CONSEQUENT UPON ITS SPIRITUAL OBSERVANCE 1. Temporal. (a) See Outlines on ch. lvi. 2; lviii. 13, 14. THE DIVINE CENTRE. lvi. 7. Even them will I bring to My holy mountain, &c. The vision of the prophet is twofold in this chapter. He sees the chosen people scattered and gathered-sent into captivity and restored. The vision also enlarges its scope, and the restoration includes the deliverance of the Gentile world from the bondage of sin. To the stranger and the eunuch a promise is made that the final restoration of the race will include them. In spite of Jewish prejudices the larger hope appears, at intervals, in the narrower forms of worship. I. THE CENTRE OF RELIGIOUS THOUGHT." My holy mountain, My house of prayer." 1. The worship of the one God demands this. Polytheism, although it had its temples and festivals, had no unity of purpose, but a variety of gods and forms. Where ignorance has grown into superstition, nature's forces have been deified. The one temple at Jerusalem, with its one priesthood, fixed the minds of the people on the one God. The one Calvary, with its one Mediator between God and men, secures the same end. The one sanctuary where you worship from week to week, reminds you that God is one. We hear much in the present day about the beautiful, the songs of birds, the murmurs of the streams, the rustling of leaves, &c., and thus there are so many things to admire -so many gods to worship. Remember that God has hallowed the one place, and put His name there. 2. Concentration of religious thought requires it. It is a matter of grave importance, and of considerable difficulty to worship God in spirit and in truth. For this we need a consecrated spot, pure associations, and spiritual companions. Whatever art may contribute, whatsoever the influence of man may produce, and whatever power there is in numbers, to assist the soul to ascend towards the throne of God in adoration is their greatest service. 3. It is a restfulness which the heart of the Christian longs for. Every Jew had his spiritual home at Jerusalem; every saint rests where his Saviour is worshipped. The child of ten has more hold of this earth than the man of years. Every day unsettles us, except we have a place and a name among the sons and daughters of Sion. II. THE ACTIVITIES OF RELIGIOUS THOUGHT. They are three, arising from the great departments of life. 1. Intellectual. To commune with God is the highest exercise of thought. God's house is the place where mind ascends towards the mind which is in Christ Jesus. It is, above everything, the house of prayer. 2. Moral. There must be burnt-offerings and sacrifices. The moral sense in man cannot approach God except through a sacrifice. The great sacrifice of Calvary is the way to the Father. Jesus is the Priest of the house. 3. Emotional. They are made joyful. They sing songs of deliverance. They enjoy the communion of saints. They are filled with the peace of God. They are accepted in the Beloved. There is gladness of heart where the presence of God is enjoyed. Much more than is at present customary should be the reverence for the sanctuary and its worship.The Weekly Pulpit, vol. i. p. 120. THE JOYFULNESS OF GOD'S HOUSE. lvi. 7. I will make them joyful in My house of prayer. I. The persons to whom the text refers (vers. 2-6). II. The declaration made. 1. In taking away sadness and its causes. Sin, condemnation, slavish dread, &c. 2. By giving the Spirit of adoption; the evidence of their sonship; the source of their blessedness. 3. By inspiring hopes of the future. 4. By the sanctification of their providential experiences (Rom. viii. 28). God guiding, protecting, blessing, &c. III. The special place of this promise of God. The Tabernacle was God's housethe Temple-every holy synagogue. Now, "Wherever two or three are gathered," &c. 1. Our places of worship belong to God. They are for God, and God dwells in them-meets, communes, sanctifies, and owns. 2. IV. THE CHARACTER AND CONNEC- Joy 1. See the connection with the exercises of this house. Joy and prayer. Joy and the Word. Joy and the ordinances. Joy and the praises. and the blessings. How clear all this! But look at it-2. In connection with the persons, as well as the exercises. God's people there; God's ministering servants there; God Himself thereFather, Son, and Holy Spirit. 3. See it in connection with the experiences of this house. Most persons have been enlightened, convicted, converted, sanctified, comforted, fed there, &c. 4. See it in connection with this house and the house above. House of God, the gate of Heaven. Ladder here, angels here, foretaste here. As Mount of Olives to Christ. CONCLUSION.-1. The blessedness of 66 true religion. Not gloom and despon- OTHERS TO BE GATHERED. lvi. 8. The Lord God which gathereth the outcasts of Israel, &c. God's work is now that of gathering, &c. I. ENCOURAGEMENT TO THOSE WHO SEEK THE LORD. Note well the instances mentioned: instances of gathering by the hand of the Lord. Outcasts have been gathered, and this is the token that others shall be gathered. 1. I suppose Isaiah alludes to the banished who had been carried away captive to Babylon and to all parts of the East, but who were at different times restored to their land. God, who brought His people out of Babylon, can bring men out of sin; He who loosed captives from bondage, can liberate spirits from despair, &c. 2. But I 2. But I prefer to use the text in reference to our Divine Lord and Master, seeing that to Him shall the gathering of the people be. When He was here below He gathered the outcasts of Israel. (1.) By His ministry (Luke xv. 1, 2, &c.). (2.) By forgiving their sins. This brought them nearer still and held them there. (3.) By graciously helping them. Magdalene, Thomas. Since He gathered to Himself a woman out of whom He cast seven devils, and a man from whom a whole legion were made to flee, why should He not deliver those of you who are under bondage now? (4.) So as to enrol them under His banner. Levi, when he sat at the receipt of custom. Three thousand souls on the day of Pentecost. II. THE PROMISE UTTERED. 1. It is very wide. The Gentiles should be called to know the Lord. 2. It is continuous. It was true when Isaiah stated it; it would have been true if Peter had quoted it on the morning of Pentecost. It was quite true when Carey acted upon it, and started on what men thought his mad enterprise, to go as a consecrated cobbler to convert the learned Brahmins of India, and to lay the foundation of Messiah's kingdom there. It is quite as true now. 3. It is most graciously encouraging. It evidently applies very pointedly to outcasts. If not an outcast from society, it may be you are an outcast in your own esteem. How sweetly encouraging this should be to all of you that are sick of yourselves, and sick of your sins! There is no hope elsewhere, but there is hope in Jesus, for He is mighty to deliver, &c. Trust in Him. 4. The promise is absolute. He speaks as a king. This is the kind of language which only an Omnipotent being can use. III. THE FACTS WHICH SUSTAIN OUR FAITH IN THIS PROMISE. We believe it, whether or no; fact or no fact, to back it up, God's Word is sure; but still this will help some who have but slender confidence. 1. The perpetuity of the Gospel. 2. The blood of atonement has not lost its power. 3. The Spirit of God is with us still. 4. The glory and majesty of the Gospel, or rather the greatness of the glory of God in the Gospel. 5. The longings of the saints. IV. THE CONDUCT CONSISTENT WITH THIS PROMISE. 1. Let us view this question with reference to God's people. Believe it, and then pray about it. If you pray, you must work, for prayer without endeavour is hypocrisy; expect to see others gathered. Look out for them, and be continually saying, "Where are these others?" 2. Those who have not yet been gathered. They should be encouraged to hope. What God has done for others He can do for you.-C. H. Spurgeon: Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, No. 1437. THE FLOCK: ITS GUARDIANS AND ITS DEVOURERS. lvi. 9. All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest. These words are to be understood as a note of warning, a sound of alarm. It is not that God wishes His flock to be devoured that He thus summons the beasts of prey to gather round the fold; on the contrary, He is concerned for their safety, and warns them of the danger in which they stand. So defenceless and unprotected is the flock, that ferocious animals may come and devour as much as they please without resistance or opposition. No style of address was better fitted to startle both flock and shepherds from their careless security. God's flock is still surrounded by ravenous beasts. The Church needs to be on the watch against pernicious doctrines, evil influences, and corrupt practices, that would undermine her faith and rob her of her life. Her enemies are as defiant as ever, and assail her in various forms. It may be well for us, then, to hear and attend to this warning voice. I. THE UNPROTECTED STATE OF THE FLOCK. The figure employed is familiar to us. A minister is a pastor, i.e. a shepherd, and the people of his charge, a flock. They have been solemnly intrusted to his care, and he is responsible for their spiritual guidance, protection, and support. He is to lead them by the green pastures of Divine truth, and tenderly and lovingly to watch over their highest interests, defending them from harmful influences. In the East, the shepherd has such a genuine interest in his flock that he makes it his constant care. Hence the aptness of the figure. But in the case before us the sheep are shamefully neglected. The fold is open to attack, and the beasts of the field and of the forest have but to come and devour to their hearts' content. Read what follows the text, and you will find the explanation. What could the state of the flock be with such shepherds-careless, indolent, unfaithful, selfish, and sensual? The picture is drawn from the life, and may well be pondered by every minister of the Word. Those who exercise the sacred office may here learn the special sins which they are liable to indulge, the gross faults from which they ought to be entirely free. There is another use which may be made of this fearful indictment brought against Israel's leaders and teachers. If this shameful neglect of theirs left the flock exposed to the ravages of wild beasts, the opposite course must tend to secure its safety and well-being. Pray, then, for your minister (Eph. vi. 19; Phil. i. 19; 2 Thess. iii. 1). It is always a cheering reflection that if, through the human weakness and incapacity of the earthly shepherd, the flock does stand exposed to attack at some points, the Chief Shepherd never for a moment intermits His care, and can overrule for blessing the ravages of the destroyer (Ezek. xxxiv. 12–16). The fiercest onsets of the foe will only reveal the almighty power that guards the flock. It is the duty of the Church's overseers to protect their charges, to warn them of possible onsets, and to keep watch at the gate of the fold. If they neglect these precautions, they are only playing into the hands of those who come to devour. II. THE WILD BEASTS THAT THREATEN TO DEVOUR THE FLOCK.-In the field, in the forest, they growl and rage, watching their opportunity of seizing |