But Tobias had obeyed the angel's counsel, and had called his bride to join with him in prayer to his God. Well then might the evil spirit be put to flight, and the morning be one, not of sorrow, but of joy and praise to God. The angel, still in the shape of a trusty messenger, was sent on to fetch the money, while Tobias remained with his wife's parents; and on his return, the newly-married pair set forth for Nineveh, where Tobit and Anna were counting the days as they watched for their son, the light of their eyes.

And when the father met his son, and fell into his arms, Tobias, as the angel had bidden him, touched the blinded eyes with the gall of the fish ; they smarted, and the old man rubbing them, removed the film, and once more saw plainly. Sight. wealth, and above all his beloved son, were given back to him; and all his griefs were forgotten, or only remembered in his beautiful thanksgiving to God.

And the angel, ere leaving them, disclosed who he was; and made known to them that they had entertained an angel unawares, and that Tobit's comfort to his wife, "the good angel should go with their son," had been fulfilled.

Tobit was still only sixty-four years old, and he lived many years after, so as to see six grandsons. At his death he bade them not remain in Nineveh, since the sentence of the prophet Jonah would surely be accomplished on it. He also mentioned the two kings of Judah, Manasseh and Amon, as signs that God's mercy might be won by charity, though not given to the unrepenting; and having exhorted them all to holiness and charity, he died in peace. After Anna had likewise died, Tobias and his sons removed to Ecbatane, and there heard of the fall of Nineveh.

LESSON LXXXII.

HEZEKIAH'S DISPLAY.

B.C. 712.-2 KINGS xx. 12—19; 2 CHRON. xxxii. 25-31.

At that time Berodach*-baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah: for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.

And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and shewed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.

Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country, even from Babylon.

And he said, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah

* Or Merodach.

LXXXIII.]

THE CALL OF CYRUS.

III

answered, All the things that are in mine house have they seen; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them.

And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD. Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon : nothing shall be left, saith the LORD.

And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shall beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.

Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD, which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my_days?

For Hezekiah had not rendered again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up; therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem.

Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

And Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honour: and he made himself treasuries for silver, and for gold, and for precious stones, and for spices, and for shields, and for all manner of pleasant jewels;

Storehouses also for the increase of corn, and wine, and oil; and stalls for all manner of beasts, and cotes for flocks.

Moreover he provided him cities, and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance: for God had given him substance very much.

And

This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David. Hezekiah prospered in all his works.

Howbeit in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to inquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart.

LESSON LXXXIII.*

THE CALL OF CYRUS.

B.C. 709.-ISAIAH xliv. 21—28; xlv. 1−7.

Remember these,† O Jacob and Israel;

For thou art my servant :

I have formed thee; thou art my servant :

O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me.

I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions,

And, as a cloud, thy sins:

Return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.

Sing, O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done it :

*Not for the little ones.

"These" refers to a picture of idolatry that had gone before.

Shout, ye lower parts of the earth:

Break forth into singing, ye mountains,

O forest and every tree therein :

For the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.

Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer,

And he that formed thee from the womb,

I am the LORD that maketh all things;
That stretcheth forth the heavens alone;
That spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;
That frustrateth * the tokens of the liars,
And maketh diviners mad;

That turneth wise men backward,

And maketh their knowledge foolish;
That confirmeth the word of his servant,

And performeth the counsel of his messengers;
That saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited,
And to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built,
And I will raise up the decayed places thereof:
That saith to the deep, Be dry,

And I will dry up thy rivers;

That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd,

And shall perform all my pleasure:

Even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built;

And to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.
Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus,

Whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him
And I will loose the loins + of kings,

To open before him the two-leaved gates;

And the gates shall not be shut;

I will go before thee,

And make the crooked places straight:

I will break in pieces the gates of brass,

And cut in sunder the bars of iron:

And I will give thee the treasures of darkness,
And hidden riches of secret places,

That thou mayest know that I, the LORD,

Which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.

For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect,+

I have even called thee by thy name:

I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.

;

I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me;

I girded § thee, though thou hast not known me :

That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, That there is none beside me.

I am the LORD, and there is none else.

I form the light and create darkness:

I make peace, and create evil:

I the LORD do all these things.

* Maketh vain.

↑ Chosen.

+ Make them careless and sleepy.

§ Prepared for battle.

LXXXIV.]

THE MAN OF SORROWS.

113

LESSON LXXXIV.

THE MAN OF SORROWS.

B.C. 709.-ISAIAH lii. 13—15; liii. 1—12.

Behold, my servant shall deal prudently,

He shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.
As many were astonied at thee;

*

His visage was so marred more than any man,
And his form more than the sons of men :
So shall he sprinkle many nations;

The kings shall shut their mouths at him:

For that which had not been told them shall they see;
And that which they had not heard shall they consider.
Who hath believed our report?

And to whom is the arm † of the LORD revealed?

For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant,

And as a root out of a dry ground:

He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him,
There is no beauty that we should desire him.

He is despised and rejected of men ;

A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief:
And we hid as it were our faces from him;

He was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows:

Yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities:

The chastisement of our peace was upon him;

And with his stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray;

We have turned every one to his own way;

And the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth:

He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter,

And as a sheep before her shearers is dumb,

So he openeth not his mouth.

He was taken from prison ‡ and from judgment:

And who shall declare his generation?

For he was cut off out of the land of the living :

For the transgression of my people was he stricken.
And he made his grave with the wicked,

And with the rich in his death;

Because he had done no violence,

Neither was any deceit in his mouth.

• Face.

+ VOL. III.

+ Power.

Carried away as a prisoner.

I

Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him;

He hath put him to grief:

When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin,

He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days,

And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

He shall see of the travail of his soul,

And shall be satisfied:

By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many;
For he shall bear their iniquities.

Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great,

And he shall divide the spoil with the strong;

Because he hath poured out his soul unto death,

And he was numbered with the transgressors;

And he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

LESSON LXXXV.*

THE EVANGELICAL PROPHET.

B.C. 712.

To go through the whole of Isaiah's great poem on the Messiah, would be more than these lessons have space for, or than the young readers as yet have understanding for. But a few passages are chosen here, because they were so plainly and directly fulfilled, and also because they are referred to afterwards in the New Testament. Already, in a prophecy of certain date, Isaiah (chap. xxxv.) had given the following description of the wonders that should then be worked :

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Then shall the lame man leap as an hart,
And the tongue of the dumb sing:

For in the wilderness shall waters break out,
And streams in the desert.

These were the very tokens our Lord Himself pointed to (Matt. xi.) :—

Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,

And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?

Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:

The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

*Not for the younger ones.