His gracious words spoken so long ago by Isaiah's lips: "Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all ye ends of the earth for I am God, and besides Me there is no Saviour."

(Read Isa. xl. 10-28; xlii. 5; xlv. 19-22.)

22. THE GODS OF THE HEATHEN.

How different from the God of Israel were the gods in whom the heathen trusted. He was from everlasting; they were only the work of men's handsmolten or graven images that were profitable for nothing. How did a man not see the folly of trusting in them? Had he not himself hewn down a cedar tree? Had he not planed the wood, and marked it by a compass? And then he had carved and fashioned it after the figure of a man to remain in his house? And had he not taken the chips and pieces that were over, and made a fire to warm himself, to bake his bread, to roast his meat? How then could he worship the one part of the tree, while he used the rest for such common purposes? Alas! his "understanding was darkened; a deceived heart had turned him aside; he could not deliver his own soul, and knew not Jacob's mighty Redeemer."

Nor was it only the poor and ignorant among the heathen who worshipped idols. Their great men had most costly images. They gave lavishly their gold out of their bag. They weighed their silver in a balance. Then they hired a goldsmith who melted the metal, and smoothed it out and fashioned it according to the beauty of a man. Then the workmen cast silver chains, and ornamented the god with

them, and it was set up in its place. "They fall down, they worship, they cry unto it, yet can it not answer, nor save them out of their trouble."

But better times were coming for these poor heathen men. There was a light coming to chase away their darkness; for God had promised to His Son, "I will give Thee for a light to the Gentiles, that Thou mayst be My salvation unto the ends of the earth.”

(Read Isa. xli. 7; xliv. 9-20; xlvi. 5-7; xlix. 6.)

23. CYRUS FORETOLD.

Do you remember that in the days of the wicked Jeroboam, a prophet was sent to reprove him, as he was offering on his altar to the golden calf at Bethel? This prophet foretold that a king should one day defile this altar. The prophet even told the king's name. It was to be Josiah. All this was fulfilled 300 years after. Isaiah, too, foretold the coming of a king; and mentioned his name also. It was Cyrus. He was not to be a king of Judah, but a king of Persia. But God had chosen him as His anointed. He calls Cyrus His shepherd, who should perform all His pleasure. God was to be his stay and shield, to hold his right hand, to subdue nations before him. Gates of brass and bars of iron could not withstand this mighty conqueror. God was to enrich him with great treasures. The riches that the nations had concealed from their enemies were to be given up to Cyrus. It was God who would give him strength and victory, even though he did not know Him. But his eyes would be opened at last, and he would know the God of Israel. Then he would do the work for which

God had chosen him. Even to "say to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built, and to the temple thy foundation shall be laid." Isaiah spoke this more than 100 years before Cyrus was born. When he came to the throne of Persia, he often spoke of himself as a shepherd. He conquered many cities, and secured their treasures. Among others, the mighty city Babylon, where the Jews had been in captivity for nearly seventy years. Daniel was there; and we cannot doubt that he showed the king the wonderful prophecy in which nearly two centuries before Isaiah had mentioned him by name. God's Spirit stirred up the heart of Cyrus, and he made this wonderful proclamation, and put it also in writing: "The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and hath charged me to build Him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all this people? The Lord his God be with him, and let him go up."

(Read 1 Kings xiii. 1-12; 2 Kings xxiii. 15-16; Isa. xlv. 1-6; 2 Chron. xxxvi. 22-23.)

24. THE COMING OF MESSIAH.

It was a great honour for Isaiah to be allowed to foretell the coming of the mighty King Cyrus. But he was to have a greater honour still. He was allowed to proclaim to all nations the coming of "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." Seven hundred years before the angel Gabriel appeared to the lowly maiden in Nazareth, Isaiah had uttered these wonderful words: "Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”

"Unto us a Child is born, unto

us a Son is given; and the government shall be on His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." And again, "In Galilee of the nations, the people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined."

Messiah was to be descended from the royal family of Judah, for Isaiah prophesied, "There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of His roots."

What was to be His character? So gentle and tender, that "a bruised reed shall He not break, and the smoking flax shall He not quench."

"He shall not cry nor lift up, nor cause His voice to be heard in the streets." Oh, what a blessed prospect this was for Judah! No wonder Isaiah begins his prophecy with the words, "Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem; cry unto her that her iniquity is pardoned for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins."

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Double what, do you think, Isaiah can mean? Surely double mercy. For "where sin hath abounded, grace did much more abound."

Do you remember before our blessed Lord began to preach, a herald proclaimed to the multitudes that He was to come? Do you remember how John the Baptist, dressed in camel's hair, declared to the Jews, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand?" John had not forgotten Isaiah's prophecy which said, "The voice of Him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord; make His paths straight." For

John plainly said in his day, “I am the voice." The very words that Jesus read in the synagogue of Nazareth were given by this prophet centuries before. "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord hath anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." No marvel as the Saviour read these blessed tidings the eyes of all were fastened on Him, and they "wondered at the gracious words that proceeded out of His lips."

And when after our Lord's baptism John saw the Holy Spirit like a dove descending on Him, and heard the voice saying, "This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased," do you not imagine his thoughts would go back to the old roll where Isaiah's words were written down? These words which said, "Behold My servant, whom I uphold; Mine elect, in whom My soul delighteth. I have put My Spirit upon Him."

(Read Luke i. 26-33; Isa. vii. 14; ix. 1, 2, 6, 7; xi. 1, 2; xlii. 1-7; Rom. v. 20; John i. 23; Luke iv. 16-22; Matt. iii. 16, 17; Isa. xl. 1-3.)

25. THE SUffering mESSIAH.

You have heard how Isaiah spoke of Christ's coming, of His birth, of His forerunner, of His teaching, and of His wonderful works.

Did the Spirit of God tell Isaiah of His sufferings as well? Yes, indeed. In some of the chapters of