November 8

1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.

2 Fur, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and grow darkness the people; but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

4 Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.

5 Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall far, and be enlarged, because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.

6 The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midas, and Ephah, all they from Sheba shall come, they shall bring gold and incense, and they shall shew forth the praises of the LORD.

7 All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rains of Nebareth shall minister unto thee; they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory.

8 Who are these that fix as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?

9 Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from

far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.

10 And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee; for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.

11 Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought.

12 For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish, yea, these nations shall be utterly wasted.

13 The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious.

14 The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the Isles of thy feet, and they shall call thee, The city of the LORD, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

15 Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.

16 Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shall suck the breast of kings; and

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thou shalt know that I the LORD and thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacks.

17 For I saw I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood I saw, and for stones iron. I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness.

18 Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting not destruction within thy borfers, but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.

19 The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light

upon thee; but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.

20 Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself; for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.

21 Thy people also shall be all righteous; they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.

22 A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the LORD will hasten it in his time.

This is evidently addressed to the Church. She is called on to arise from the dust, and to impart to others the rich privileges which are conferred on her.

When the world shall be brought under the influence and the dominion of the Prince of Peace, there will be no need of closing the gates of cities, or of building walls around them. If the principles of the true religion everywhere prevailed, there would be no need of ramparts, of ships of war, and of fortifications; no need of bolts and locks and iron chests to guard our property.

"No lock, no bolt, no wall, no gate, no iron safe has been made in order to guard against a man who is the sincere friend of the Redeemer. They are made to guard against wicked men; and when universal truth and righteousness prevail, they may be suffered to rust and rot for want of use. Should the principles of Christianity be everywhere diffused, the walls of all cities might be suffered to fall down; their gates to stand open till they should decay; ships of war to lie in the dock till they should sink to the bottom, forts and fleets to be dismantled; and the whole business of making locks, and shackles, and of building prisons and manufacturing instruments of war, would come to an end."—Rev. Albert Barnes

Closet Promise.—Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointeth my head with oil; my cup runneth over.— Psalm xxiii. 5.

It is the Christian's privilege, to have an overflowing cup. Gospel measure, "pressed down, shaken together, and running over." Dr. Palmer used to say, "It is the overflow that is to convert the world."

"If that be so, what a responsibility rests upon every Christian professor. If the world is waiting for the fertilizing stream flowing out from our hearts, and we fail to respond to the demand, we are verily guilty before God. Too many know nothing of the overflowing life and joy and power of religion. 'There is a river, the streams whereof make glad the city of God!' Why not get the living streams flowing through the soul? and there will flow out of you converting, evangelizing influences, and the unsaved will acknowledge their potency."