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7 Along the dust shall then be spread
Their tow'rs that brave the skies:
On them the needy's feet shall tread,
And on their ruins rise.

XXI. ISAIAH xxxiii. 13-18.

ATTEND, ye tribes that dwell remote,

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Ye tribes at hand, give ear;

Th' upright in heart alone have hope,
The false in heart have fear.

The man who walks with God in truth,
And ev'ry guile disdains;
Who hates to lift oppression's rod,
And scorns its shameful gains;

3 Whose soul abhors the impious bribe
That tempts from truth to stray,
And from th' enticing snares of vice
Who turns his eyes away:

4 His dwelling, 'midst the strength of rocks, Shall ever stand secure;

His Father will provide his bread,
His water shall be sure.

5 For him the kingdom of the just
Afar doth glorious shine;

And he the King of kings shall see
In majesty divine.

The man who is brought before us by the prophet, in the text paraphrased, is so holy, so just, and so full of every amiable quality, he must at once appear to be the Holy Oue

and the Just ;' even the same of whom it is said, He shall • dwell on high,' and all his people shall be with him, in virtue of his obedience unto the death. While those who reject him, and who disobey his statutes, shall Dwell with everlasting burnings.'

XXII. ISAIAH xl. 27, to the end.

1 WHY pour'st thou forth thine anxious Despairing of relief,

As if the Lord o'erlook'd thy cause,
And did not heed thy grief?

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2 Hast thou not known, hast thou not heard, That firm remains on high

The everlasting throne of Him

Who form'd the earth and sky?

3 Art thou afraid his pow'r shall fail
When comes thy evil day?
And can an all-creating arm
Grow weary or decay?

4 Supreme in wisdom as in pow'r
The Rock of ages stands;

Though him thou canst not see, nor trace
The working of his hands,

5 He gives the conquest to the weak,
Supports the fainting heart;

And courage in the evil hour
His heav'nly aids impart.

6 Mere human pow'r shall fast decay,
And youthful vigour cease;

But they who wait upon the Lord,
In strength shall still increase.

7 They with unweary'd feet shall tread
The path of life divine;

With growing ardour onward move,
With growing brightness shine.

8 On eagles' wings they mount, they soar,
Their wings are faith and love,

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Till, past the cloudy regions * here,
They rise to heav'n above.

XXIII. ISAIAH xlii. 1-13.

BE

EHOLD my Servant! see him rise
Exalted in my might!

Him have I. chosen, and in him

I place supreme delight.
2 On him, in rich effusion pour'd,
My Spirit shall descend;

My truths and judgments he shall show
To earth's remotest end.

3 Gentle and still shall be his voice,
No threats from him proceed;
The smoking flax he shall not quench,
Nor break the bruised reed.
4 The feeble spark to flames he'll raise;
The weak will not despise;

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The expression, Cloudy regions,' may be variously explained. On the one. hand, they may be understood as shewing, that God hides himself from his saints,' in a spiritual point of view, whereby he deprives them of all know. ledge of their spiritual relation to him; and thus plunging them into the utmost misery and distress, in regard to the everlasting state and condition of the souls. When used, and used in this sense they are so, at the price of contradict. ing the plainest statements of the Scripture; which every where bear witness, that God leaves not his saints in any 6 case.' For it is said, Our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and • God, even our Father, hath given us everlasting consola tion, and good hope through grace;' and having done so, he will most assuredly ' never leave us, nor forsake us.' On the other hand, Cloudy regions' may be used to signify the difficulty of the Christian to discern the hand of God in the circumstances of his temporal affairs. They may also denote the present imperfect state of his knowledge of the works and ways of God, and in this latter sense they are in agreement with the declared circumstances of the people of God.

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Judgment he shall bring forth to truth,
And make the fallen rise.

5 The progress of his zeal and pow'r
Shall never know decline,

Till foreign lands and distant isles
Receive the law divine.

6 He who erected heav'n's bright arch,
And bade the planets roll,

Who peopled all the climes of earth,
And form'd the human soul,

7 Thus saith the Lord, Thee have I rais'd,
My Prophet thee install;

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In right I've rais'd thee, and in strength
I'll succour whom I call.

8 I will establish with the lands
A covenant in thee,

To give the Gentile nations light,
And set the pris'ners free:

9 Asunder burst the gates of brass;
The iron fetters fall;

And gladsome light and liberty
Are straight restor'd to all.

10 I am the Lord, and by the name
Of great JEHOVAH known;
No idol shall usurp my praise,
Nor mount into my throne.

11 Lo! former scenes, predicted once,
Conspicuous rise to view;

And future scenes, predicted now,'"
Shall be accomplish'd too.

12 Sing to the Lord in joyful strains!
Let earth his praise resound,

Ye who upon the ocean dwell,
And fill the isles around!

13 0 city of the Lord! begin
The universal song;

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And let the scatter'd villages
The cheerful notes prolong.
14 Let Kedar's wilderness afar
Lift up its lonely voice;
And let the tenants of the rock
With accents rude rejoice;

15 Till 'midst the streams of distant lands
The islands sound his praise;
And all combin'd, with one accord,
JEHOVAH's glories raise.

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XXIV. ISAIAH xlix. 13—17.

YE

VE heav'ns, send forth your song of praise!
Earth, raise your voice below!
Let hills and mountains join the hymn,.
And joy through nature flow.

2 Behold how gracious is our God!
Hear the consoling strains,

In which he cheers our drooping hearts.
And mitigates our pains.

3 Cease ye, when days of darkness * come,
In sad dismay to mourn,

As if the Lord could leave his saints

Forsaken or forlorn.

4 Can the fond mother e'er forget
The infant whom she bore?
And can its plaintive cries be heard,
Nor move compassion more?

5 She may forget: nature may fail
A parent's heart to move;

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• If, by days of darkness,' are meant temporal afflictions, they are quite admissible: but, if used to denote the removal of the knowledge of the love of God from his people, they are directly opposed to the Scriptural account of that matter. See note on Par. xxii.

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