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taken from the altar. The atoning sac rifice has been offered there and our cleansing depends on the eflicacy of that sacrifice being applied to us.—■: Maclaren. v. 7. Touched thy lips. The lire coal was a symbol of perfection. The lips were touched because they were the organs to be used by the prophet when inaugurated. So tongues of fire rested on the disciples when they were being set apart to speak in various lan guages of Jesus.— Brown. Thine In iquity taken away. The holiness of God is not meant to consume men, to drive them into despair, to fill them with a spirit of dejection. It is meant to en courage us in the pursuit of holy char acter ourselves, for His holiness is a proof that He will help us.— People’s Bible. Remember that holiness is not the way to Christ but Christ is the way to holiness.rr-Aughey. If it be heaven toward which we journey, it will be- holi ness in which we delight.—Melvill. v. 8. Whom shall I send? God calls for volunteers. He never drafts.— Landreth. Implying that few would be willing to bear the self-denial which the delivery of such an unwelcome mes sage to the Jews would require on the • part of the messenger.—J. F. & B. Who will go for us? Let all the circum stances of Isaiah’s vision be considered: The one Jehovah of hosts to whom the worship of the seraphim was addressed; the plural pronoun used by this one Jehovah, “ us” ; the declaration ef John that in this vision Isaiah saw the glory of Christ; the assertion of Paul that the Divine Being who spoke on that occa sion was the Holy Spirit; and they place it beyond all reasonable doubt that the Jehovah of hosts whom Isaiah saw was the Triune God.—Davies. Here am I. The vision led to the consecration of life. When men have had an interview with God they have been prepared to risk anything and everything in His strength and grace. It is because we have not seen God that we do not serve Him. It is because we have had no transforming vision that .when we are asked to work in the church, we tell lies, we grieve the Spirit with mocking ex cuses.— Parker. Send me. Those are most fit to be employed for God who, Having heard His voice, have been' hum bled before Him in the sense of their own vileness and are made deeply sensi ble of their own weakness.— Sum. Bible. v. 9. Hear ye indeed but understand not. These verses are referred to six
-times in the New Testament. They pic ture the attitude of the Jews especially toward Christ, a condition which still remains with them, and with all who wilfully reject Him.— Sel. This com mission is of a most discouraging char acter. The people will hear his message but fail to be influenced by it. They will become more and more blind and deaf to the divine warnings and neither will be converted nor spiritually healed. —Gray. I M Pictorial Questions In the reign of what kings did Isaiah prophesy? Isa. 1:1. In which kingdom did he prophesy? Under the reign of what king did Isaiah have this vision? What year of LESSON his reign was it? Whom QUESTIONS did Isaiah see? What W. H. Pike did Isaiah see? Where were this throne and this temple? What is a seraph? Where did the seraphim stand? How many wings did the seraphim have? What did the seraphim say? Who else cried? What happened to the posts of the doors of the temple? With what was the house filled? How did this vision affect Isaiah? What did Isaiah say? What did one of the seraphim do? What hap pened to Isaiah when the seraph touched him? What did the voice say? Whose voice was it that commissioned Isaiah? How did Isaiah reply to the voice? What message was Isaiah bidden to give? To whom was Isaiah to give this message? What question did Isaiah ask? What answer did the Lord give him? Practical Questions Do all people have this same vision of God? Why did Isaiah need this vision at this time? Is not this an ideal picture of commissioning men for serv ice? 1. A vision of God. 2. A vision of self. 3. A commission. 4. A'willingness. 5. A message. 6. A question. 7. An answer. What impressed Isaiah in the vision of God? Was it God’s power, His holiness or His glory? Which of these attributes was manifested in heaven and
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