with hell are we at agreement." Many there are who speak and act, as if they had some league, on which they could rely for safety, from "the overflowing scourge" of these terrible enemies. Many there are who build upon false pleas, and vain pretences, that hope of final peace with God, for which there is no other safe foundation, than that which God has laid in Zion, Christ Jesus, and faith in Him, and patient continuance in well doing for his sake. Whilst therefore by his prophet God graciously reveals unto the faithful this sure ground of safety, He warns us all, that He will try the truth of our profession as by a line and plummet. False faith shall not pass with Him for real faith. The refuge of lies, and the hiding place of hypocrisy, shall be swept away before the storm of his coming judgments. And death and hell shall surely seize on those for prey, who deceive themselves with the notion that their souls are safe. Such was the woe denounced upon the Jews of old; the very tidings of it an affliction, and the bed of refuge in which they designed to crouch for shelter too short to hold them, and its covering too narrow to conceal them. Such is God's work, "his strange work," which He will do to us, as He did to them; if we, like them, despise the sure foundation laid for us by Him, and build delusive hopes of safety on lies of our own devising.

And lest we should make light of these terrors of the Lord, arguing that such acts of wrath are unlike to that which is revealed of his mercifulness and love, the prophet here solemnly assures us, that he has heard from God himself that this vengeance is determined. And further, he appeals to the practice of husbandmen, whose various methods of working the soil, and preparing the fruits of the earth for use, are here brought in to illustrate God's dealings with mankind. He, from whose divine wisdom all man's right counsel flows, varies in like manner his treatment of his people, ploughing and harrowing, sowing and reaping, threshing and winnowing, by promises and threatenings, by benefits and chastisements, according as He wisely judges best; until the hour arrive, when He will gather into his garner the corn of his threshing, see ch. 21. 10, and "burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Matt. 3. 32. How vain then the attempt to argue, that God cannot, consistently with his goodness, fulfil the threatenings of his word! Behold the world, which we cannot deny to be his work, is full of instances fitted to illustrate that which his word reveals. And the familiar operations of the husbandman prepare us to expect both that the best of men must suffer tribulation here, and that the worst must perish miserably hereafter.

Woe to Ariel, by reason of its sin.

1 Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices.

2 Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow; and it shall be unto me as Ariel.

3 And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee. 4 And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.

5 Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly.

6 Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire. 7 And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her munition, and that

distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision.

8 It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion.

9 Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.

10 For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.

11 And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:

12 And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. LECTURE 1132.

The dreadful judgment of being blinded to the truth. This chapter, and the two which follow, refer in the first instance to matters connected with the invasion of Jerusalem by the forces of Sennacherib. Jerusalem is here called Ariel, because of the altar of the Lord; and is warned, that notwithstanding its formal round of sacrifices, God would visit it with distress, until it became an Ariel indeed, an altar worthy of its name. He would afflict it by a great host laying siege to it, whereby its voice should be humbled to the dust. He would afflict it, and also deliver it; suddenly making its besiegers to retire, and visit

ing the host of its enemies with a dreadful and miraculous destruction. Numerous as were the nations that would come up against Jerusalem in the host of the Assyrians, they should all be put to flight on a sudden. Their expected triumph should become like a dream of plenty to the famishing, who awake and are still unsatisfied. And could it be, that when their risk was thus imminent, the people of God were regardless alike of his threats and of his promises? Could they be taking their pleasure, and rioting, (see Margin,) when they ought to have been devoting all their thoughts to sorrow for their sins past, and to thanksgiving for mercies promised? They could; for the Lord had in judg ment poured out on them the spirit of deep sleep, and had closed their eyes. He had closed their eyes in regard to their prophets, and had covered their seers that they were not attended to. And the visions, which God had vouchsafed to Isaiah, were thus made of none effect to most of them; like a book sealed, which being tendered to the learned, they decline to read, saying, "It is sealed," whilst they who are not skilled in letters answer, "I am not learned."

This is one of many passages in Scripture which speak of judicial blindness, of blindness in the understanding inflicted by God on the minds of men, in the way of judgment, as a punishment for sin. And it is a passage which greatly helps us to understand the justice of the judgment thus inflicted. For here we see the captious state of mind, the willingness to frame excuses for inattention to the truth, which constitutes at once the sin and punishment of the persons judged. God, in giving his revelation to mankind, vouchsafes to intreat us with the earnestness of love, "Read this, I pray thee." The wise of this world answer, "it is sealed." The Bible is obscure, they plead. And therefore forsooth they will not give their minds to studying it attentively. The unlettered reply, that they cannot read; as if this were not a reason to learn without delay. Or as if they ought not to take so much the more pains to hear frequently and attentively, the more they are debarred from the privilege of reading. Thus both parties remain in ignorance of the truth. And this their ignorance is thus daily made deeper and more dark, as the fittest punishment for the wicked indifference, with which they wilfully reject the knowledge of the truth. God grant, that whether we can read, or only hear his blessed book, we may receive the word with gladness; and may never provoke, at his hands, that worst of judgments that can befal us here, the closing of our eyes and hearts against the things which belong unto our peace!

The hypocrisy of the Jews. The joy of the faithful.

13 Wherefore the LORD said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

14 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.

15 Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us? 16 Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?

17 Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest?

18 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.

19 The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

20 For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off: 21 That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought.

22 Therefore thus saith the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale.

23 But when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel.

24 They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.

LECTURE 1133.

The evil effects of formality and hypocrisy.

It appears to be here foretold, that God would confound the presumptuous security of some amongst his people, by the invasion of the Assyrians; and would increase the joy of such as humbly believed, by bringing to nought their terrible enemy. But however aptly these words fit the times of the Assyrian invasion, we know that they are also applicable to the Jews in the time of Christ. For thus has our blessed Lord applied them: "Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain

they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Matt. 15. 7-9. Formality and hypocrisy, upheld by suppression of God's word, and by substituting the authority of man's tradition, formed the system of religion which prevailed amongst the Jews in the time of our Lord's first advent. And as their sin is here described beforehand, so also is their punishment foretold. For another part of this prophetic burden is thus applied by St. Paul to the case of his countrymen: "the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 1 Cor. 1. 18, 19.

These passages, from the New Testament, fully bear us out in applying the latter portion of this chapter to the times of the Gospel dispensation. But we must not confine its application to the beginning of those times. It applies not only to the Jews, and their rejection of Christ; but also to the Gospel church both then and now, and also henceforth until the time of the end. Formality and hypocrisy are even now two of the chief obstacles which prevent God's chosen people, Christians, from being worthy of the name they bear. Many there are now, and there have been all along, richly deserving the severe reproof, which the prophet here utters, against those who sin in secret, and say, "Who seeth us?" and which our Lord in like manner addressed to some of the chief of evil doers at that day, saying, "Woe unto you, scribes and pharisees, hypocrites." Matt. 23. 14. Faith also there is now, as there was faith found then, in quarters where we should least expect to meet with it. The last are first, as well as the first last. Lebanon is turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field into a forest. And we may justly look forward to a further and more ample fulfilment of the promises, with which this chapter is concluded. For St. Paul, in a passage which throws light on this, speaks as if the preaching of the Gospel to the Gentiles would provoke the Jews to a godly jealousy; and argues, that if their fall have enriched the Gentiles with salvation, how much more their fulness! See Rom. 11. 11, 12. Let us pray then, with well founded hope, that the Lord, "who redeemed Abraham," will speedily fulfil his word concerning the house of Jacob. Let us both by our prayers and also by our labours and our gifts, help to forward the time, when they who have so greatly erred in spirit "shall come to understanding," and they that have so long and so presumptuously murmured "shall learn doctrine." And for ourselves, let us beware of ever harbouring for one moment the presumptuous reflexions, "Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?" Neither our works, nor our thoughts, can ever be hidden from the sight of God, from the knowledge of God. And that which He now sees and knows, He will bring to judgment before all the world hereafter.