ribly the earth" are read in connection with the Epistle for the day, Rom. xiii. 8-end: "The night is far spent, the day is at hand, &c." on which also the Collect is founded. On the second, the first Lesson morning is chapter v., the final judgment on Jerusalem under the emblem of the laying waste of the Lord's vineyard: and the Evening the first of the chapters here considered (xxiv.); and the Gospel for the day is the Lord's prophecy of His Second Coming, Luke xxi. 25-33,-" And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity. . . . And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great gory." On the third, the Lessons are the next two chapters, Isa. xxv. and xxvi.; and the Collect (founded also on the Epistle) relates to the Ministry of the Church as designed to "make ready and prepare the way" for the Lord's "Second Coming." And on the fourth, the First Lesson Morning is Isa. xxx., of which verses 27 to 33 are an explicit prophecy of the same event-" Behold the Name of the Lord cometh from far, burning with His anger, &c."; and the Evening ch. xxxii. "Behold a king shall reign in righteousness, &c." The Epistle being Phil. iv. 4-7, "Let your moderation be known unto all men : The Lord is at hand, &c." LECTURE V. ΤΗΕ FOUNDATION STONE. ISAIAH Xxviii. 16, 17. 16. "Therefore thus saith the Lord God Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, He that believeth shall not make haste. 17. Judgment also will I lay to the line, And righteousness to the plummet: And the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, HAT this is a prophecy of The Messiah, under THAT the emblem of a foundation and corner-stone, is so evident as to have been acknowledged by the ancient Jews: and, to those who believe in the inspired authority of the New Testament, is decided Thus the Targum paraphrases ver. 16: "Behold I constitute in Zion a King, a King strong, mighty and terrible": that is The Messiah, as this passage is expounded by Solomon Yarchi-" It is already fixed and determined before Me, and I have constituted King Messiah a tried stone &c." by the quotation of it by the Apostle Peter, 1st Ep. ch. ii. 4, who speaking of the Saviour Christ says -"To whom coming as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief Corner-stone, elect, precious and he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded." From which inspired comment we also learn : I. The fulfilment of the Prophecy, so far as quoted, by the First Advent of Christ and the erection of the Church founded and built up on Him. In which view every word of it is of the deepest significance as bearing on the salvation predicted and the means by which it is available. 1. This foundation is laid by God himself: "Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone." Or, laying aside the metaphor, the salvation so shadowed forth is of the Divine appointment. The first consideration of all; inasmuch as with this we are safe in trusting in it even though we could see in it no adequacy or suitability: and without this no way of salvation or ground of hope were reliable, however commended to our reason. For it should be evident that it must rest with God alone to say how, if at all, His sinful creatures can be reconciled to Him and admitted again to His favor. We |