for every sinner to return to Him at once, and for every saint to consecrate soul, body, and spirit to Him who loved us, and gave Himself for us." "Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe;" What then shall I give Him in return? It is but a poor return that we can make Him at the best; but if we have felt the power of His love, shall we not yield Him the purest affections of our hearts and the noblest energies of our lives? "I gave my life for thee; My precious blood I shed, "Oh, let thy life be given, Thy years for Him be spent; 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. Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows? (Isaiah lx. 4, 5 8). THE CLOUD OF CONVERTS. The scene is one of sur Surely the prophet when he uttered the glowing words contained in this chapter, was raised by the spirit of prophecy to the very summit of vision on the mount of God. What a glorious view of the triumphs of Messiah's kingdom was spread before him in the long vista of coming ages! As he gazes with rapture on this, his soul is on fire. passing grandeur; he catches its spirit, and in words of rapt enthusiasm and fervour he describes it as if his lips had been touched with a live coal from off the altar of God. The light and the glory of gospel times flash out upon him, till he can remain silent no longer, but bursts out with the exclamation, "Arise, shine; for thy light is come; and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee!" As he gazed with wonder and joy on that soul-inspiring vision, he might have said of himself, as Paul did when he was caught up into the third heaven, "Whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell: God knoweth." The apostle was not permitted to disclose what he saw; but, thank God! the prophet was not restrained from describing, "in thoughts that breathe, and words that burn," the glories and the triumphs of the Cross, as he beheld them in vision from the mount of God. This chapter G is therefore the most sublime description of the latter-day glory, which is to be found in the whole Bible. Much has already transpired in the history of the church in fulfilment of this, but all that has yet been accomplished is as nothing compared with the glory that shall yet be revealed. It is but as the gray dawn to the blaze of the noontide sun. It may be questioned whether or not the prophet had a right conception of the glories he described—if he really understood the nature of these, but this is of little moment to us, when we have the sublime strains which the Spirit made him the medium of uttering, and we thank God that these have been committed to the scroll of prophecy, for all coming times. In a mere literary point of view, and considered simply as an outburst of poetic genius, what a magnificent portion of Scripture this is! It glows with energy, activity, life. What sunshine, what graphic pictures are presented to us at every turn! What a stately march of grandeur! What a royal sweep, like that of some splendid pageant or triumphal procession, characterizes the whole, from beginning to end! It is like one of the great wheels in Ezekiel's vision. What sustained power and majesty throughout, from the invocation, "Arise, shine," on to the closing words which contain the solemn assurance that all shall be fulfilled, "I, the Lord, will hasten it in his time!" But what additional interest is given to these predictions, when we pass from the mere literary point of view, and regard the sublime panorama spread before us as a page of inspiration, glowing with the visions |