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HOMILY

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God's Everlasting Salvation.

"Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath : for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished."-Isa. li. 6.

HESE words are designed to bring comfort to God's people. They are, in numbers, and seemingly in influence, in the minority, and

their opinion is but the opinion of the minority. They believe that the only true, great, and lasting thing in the world is God's salvation; but there is the decided opinion of an overwhelming majority against them. The world, by its beliefs and practice, says, that the interests of the soul are the most unimportant affairs in the earth. Nearly everybody looks after everything else than those interests. Most people know of God's righteousness in

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scarcely any other way than by name, and little or no attention is given by the mass of people to such subjects. What God does for and in man, are things which only a very small part of the world's inhabitants care to think about; and even they often show that the subject has but little interest even to them. The world, as a whole, attaches extremely little importance to Christ's saving process in the soul.

The best among us cannot meet these facts day by day without being influenced by them, and the influence is anything but salutary. It suggests to us the thought, that we may have been using the microscope on that subject, thereby giving it a magnitude it does not possess. Or, if doubt is not raised, despondency and gloom are sure to overcast our spirits. Left to ourselves, or what is as bad, left to the teaching of the world, we see our religious realities becoming faded and dim-our bright hopes of the future assuming a faintness and insignificance which fills us with alarm.

Out of the demeaning and falsifying atmosphere which thus surrounds and threatens to overwhelm us, does God summon us. He commands us to leave the petty judgments and opinions of men far behind; to let our souls taste a little of the grandeur and greatness of starry heavens and widespreading earth; to consider that salvation and righteousness are not of the earth, carthy, but have sprung from the source out of which have flowed earth, seas, and skies. Nay, that the fountain of salvation is deeper and more enduring than that of the firm earth and unchanging heavens; that when the pillars of this earthly platform have become so rotten that men can no longer walk thereon; when earth's stage shall fall in one tremendous crash; when the fire of mid-day sun shall be exhausted, and heaven's night-lights shall be extinguished; when nothing remains of the old universe but a faint remnant of the smoke of its destruction;—then shall be shining in unimpaired brilliancy, the righteous God and His saved people. "Lift up," &c.

Refreshing it is to hear God's voice-clear and distinctbreaking through the confusing din of the world's opinions

and practices, announcing the true position of His Gospel here and hereafter; that it is not of the world, depends not on the world, and shall exist when the world has passed away. God's salvation and righteousness are independent of everything in the world, and everything of the world.

There are brought before us in the text, three great varieties of existence, viz., those of man, the earth, and the starry heavens; and contrasted with God's salvation and righteousness.

I. GOD'S SALVATION IS INDEPENDENT OF, AND WILL OUTLIVE, EVERYTHING HUMAN. "When they that dwell therein shall die in like manner," i.e., like the old earth itself. "My salvation shall be for ever." Men have got the notion that religion dies with them. Now, with many things that are connected with religion man has much to do. A great and indispensable work he has to perform, but it is a subordinate

one.

In the march through the desert, he has upon his shoulders the whole care of the tabernacle and its furniture. Whether it is to be in good or bad repair depends upon him. It cannot be shifted from place to place without much labor on his part, and he must work hard in taking it down and building it up, when and where commanded. The whole means of religious services depend upon him and his punctuality and care. But that is all. The meaning and life of the whole lies far beyond his sphere. That which gives stability to the whole edifice, can neither be taken down nor put up by him; can be neither revealed nor obscured by him. No, for over the heads of priests and Levites, shines the bright presence of Jehovah,-bright when all is dark, or clothed in sombre purple-gliding noiselessly through the calm blue heavens.

Still does the living presence of God's redeeming power float through this world; still does it seek the co-operation of men, in seeking for it temples, even human hearts, to dwell in. But under the control of man it can never be; never will it move according to his whims and fancies.

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Strange that men should be found to suppose so; to suppose that the power of God could be locked and sealed in their ecclesiastical communion, or found only according to the square or plumb of their theological dogmas; that He who never dwelt exclusively in houses made with hands, can now be pressed within the narrow bounds of a sect or creed. Yet much like this has been the conduct of men. They have done so not out of any evil intention; rather I imagine with the best intentions. Christianity was not very old, when many of its true disciples thought that, because a few hooks of the tabernacle's curtaining were getting loose, the Shekinah was in danger. Church councils were convened, rigid ecclesiastical formulas were concocted, solemn censures were passed upon all who refused to look after the pins of those curtains; and all to save the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Then sects arose, each with a different number of golden tacks, or perhaps, outer court posts in its construction; each charging the other with the want of true religion on account of the said differences. Each forgot, that the free spirit of God stood above and rested upon one and all; that down upon all their tabernacles the living light of God was shining.

we are!

And shine on it would, let men do what they might. Not even upon its most ardent supporters does it depend. We too often yield to the opinion that when this good man, or that clever theologian passes away-that when this zealous party, or that evangelical sect fades and dies, that God's true and powerful presence will be no more seen. How mistaken How jealous was Mosés of the sanctity of Jehovah's presence. Yet Moses passed away, but God's presence was still as sacred. How zealous was Aaron for the holy worship of the sanctuary. Yet the worship remained when Aaron died. Even that tabernacle, where alone it was thought God could be served, passed away; still shone His presence, and that, too, in a grander house at Jerusalem. And when the great temple itself crumbled to the ground, and men wondered if the Divine presence and power were no more, behold it shone with a new brilliance in a grander temple-His own Son.