His rules can never fail, for he was an inspired
prophet, and saw things as they are, as God sees them; and therefore
his rules will hold good for ever. Let us see what they were.
The first chapter of the book of the prophet Isaiah is called "The
vision of Isaiah, the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and
Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah." Now
this is one prophecy by itself, in the shape of a poem; for in the
old Hebrew it is written in regular verses. The second chapter
begins with another heading, and is the beginning of a different
poem; so that this first chapter is, as it were, a summing up of all
that he is going to say afterwards; a short account of the state of
the Jews for more than forty years. And what is more, this first
chapter of Isaiah must have been written in the reign of Hezekiah, in
those very religious days of which I was just speaking; for it says
that the country was desolate, and Jerusalem alone left. And this
never happened during Isaiah's lifetime, till the fourteenth year of
Hezekiah, that is, till this great spread of the true religion had
been going on for thirteen years. Now what was Isaiah's vision?
What did he, being taught by God's Spirit, SEE was God's opinion of
these religious Jews? Listen, my friends, and take it solemnly to
heart!
"Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law
of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.
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