The pleading God has from the beginning spoken words as tender as they are stern, and as stern as they are tender.  His voice to the sons of men has from of old asked the unanswerable question, ’Why should ye be stricken any more?’ and has answered it, so far as answer is possible, by the fact, which is as mysterious as it is undeniable, ’Ye will revolt more and more.’  God calls upon man to judge between Him and His vineyard, and asks, ’What could have been done more to My vineyard that I have not done unto it?  Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?’ The fault lay not in the vine-dresser, but in some evil influence that had found its way into the life and sap of the vine, and bore fruits in an unnatural product, which could not have been traced to the vine-dresser’s action.  So God stands, as with clean hands, declaring that ’He is pure from the blood of all men; that He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked’; and His word to the men on whom falls the whole weight of His destroying power is, ‘Thou hast procured this unto thyself.’

III.  The loving forbearance which still offers restoration.

He still claims to be Israel’s Help.  Separation from Him has all but destroyed the rebellious; but it has not in the smallest degree affected the fulness of His power, nor the fervency of His desire to help.  However earth may be shaken by storms, or swathed in mist that darkens all things and shuts out heaven, the sun is still in its tabernacle and pouring down its rays through the cloudless blue that is above the enfolding cloud.  Our text has wrapped up in it the broad gospel that all our self-inflicted destruction may be arrested, and all the evil which brought it about swept away.  God is ready to prove Himself our true and only Helper in that, as our prophet says, ’He will ransom us from the power of the grave’; and, even when death has laid its cold hand upon us, will redeem us from it, and destroy the destruction which had fixed its talons in us.  All the guilt is ours; all the help is His; His work is to conquer and cast out our sins, to heal our sicknesses, to soothe our sorrows.  And He has Himself vindicated His great name of our Help when He has revealed Himself as ’the God and Father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.’

ISRAEL RETURNING

’O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. 2.  Take with you words, and turn to the Lord:  say unto Him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously:  so will we render the calves of our lips. 3.  Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses:  neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods:  for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy. 4.  I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely:  for mine anger is turned away from Him. 5.  I will be as the dew unto Israel:  He shall grow as the lily, and cast forth