June 2

Isaiah iv.—2. In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.

3. And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem:

4. When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning.

5. And the Lord will create upon every dwelling-place of Mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for upon all the glory shall be a defence.

6. And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the day-time from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.

Isaiah xxxii.—1. Behold, a King shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment.

2. And a man shall be as a hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.

14. Because the palaces shall be forsaken; the multitude of the city shall be left; the forts and towers shall be for dens forever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks;

15. Until the Spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.

16. Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field.

17. And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.

18. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting-places,

19. When it shall hail, coming down on the forest; and the city shall be low in a low place.

20. Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters; that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass.

In these words, so full of encouragement and hope, the prophet seems again to point to the coming of Christ, — the theme which was the undertone of his entire prophecy. Although he may have had a primary reference to the good king Hezekiah, in whose reign justice, peace, and the reviving of pure religion, succeeded the oppression, turbulence, and idolatry of the reign of Ahaz, yet the full glory of the restoration here depicted could be realized only under the spiritual kingdom of the Messiah.

How perfect the sense of rest, security, and refreshment, indicated in these promises! The images are all borrowed from the climate of Palestine, where the traveller may be suddenly overtaken by a scorching wind or a violent tempest, or find himself under the blaze of noon, remote from water or shade. How welcome the sight of a shelter, the sound of a gurgling brook, even the shadow of a rock in which one may rest till the heat is over! Once in the desert, I was overtaken

by the fierce and stifling Kamsin. The camels, snuffing it afar, were fain to avert their heads, and lie down and groan with fear. We veiled our faces to protect eyes and lungs; but the whirlwind of fine heated sand penetrated every covering. Our guide urged us on for an hour against this terrible tempest, till we came to a rude hut of stone. There we spent an afternoon and night of darkness; and in the morning we dug out a path as through snowdrifts. But, oh, how welcome that covert from storm and heat! Christ is that covert of defence, that fountain of refreshment, that rock of shelter and shade. In him we find refuge from calamity, solace for grief and loss, supply for inward want, rest from care. And, while he gives to us personally this spiritual rest and comfort, the working of his principles tends to a condition of outward peace and safety. Therefore should we sow in hope, and wait for his blessed appearing.

APPROPRIATE HYMN.]

Prayer.

[Nos. 10, 26, 194.

Receive, we pray thee, O heavenly Father! our evening thanksgiving for thy mercies day by day renewed to us. Especially do we thank thee for the sacred privileges of this sabbath, and pray that these may be blessed to each of us personally for our spiritual good. Give us grace to improve them to thy glory, the advancement of thy gospel, and, as much as in us lieth, to the good of all mankind. Give us such a sense of thy great mercy as may lead us to a true thankfulness; such as shall appear in our lives by a humble, holy, and obedient walking before thee all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

O Thou who acceptest the intercessions which thy servants offer up in thy Son's name! have pity, we beseech thee, on all sorts and conditions of men. Send forth, we pray thee, laborers fitted to gather

in thy harvest. Have mercy on all who are in error or in sin. Bless our rulers, and endue them plenteously with wisdom. Visit with thy love all those whom thou hast given to be near and dear to us; and hear us, O Almighty God! for the sake of thy dear Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Into thy hands we commit ourselves, blessed Lord, this night and forever. Be thou our hiding-place from all fear, our rest from all care, our defence from all danger. Give unto us that inward rest which no outward perils can disturb. As the night gathers about us, O thou Sun of righteousness! keep us from utter darkness; and let us so sleep in peace, that we may be ever ready to arise and meet thee in thy glory, who, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, livest, one God, world without end. Amen.