Homilist Isaiah 35:1-10 The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.… I. THE SPHERE IN WINCH THE GOSPEL OPERATES. 1. The condition of depraved humanity is that of solitude. It is in a state of awful isolation. It is away from God and from fellowship with all holy spirits. Between corrupt souls there is no true fellowship, and there cannot be. 2. The condition of depraved humanity is that of wildness. It is a wilderness. Depraved souls are productive, but it is the productiveness of the wilderness. II. THE TRANSFORMATION WHICH THE GOSPEL EFFECTS. 1. The Gospel makes the sphere joyous. "The wilderness shall be glad," &c. What gladness the Gospel brings into the soul when received in full faith, the gladness of gratitude, love, hope, communion with infinite goodness. 2. The Gospel makes this sphere beautiful. "It shall blossom as the rose." The Gospel imparts to the soul beauty of the highest kind — moral beauty, the beauty of the Lord. 3. The Gospel makes the sphere grand. "The glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it." As Carmel and Lebanon tower above the plains of Palestine, so the soul into which the Gospel enters is raised above its unconverted contemporaries. Christliness makes man great in moral strength, elevation, and majesty. 4. The Gospel makes the sphere glorious. "They shall see the glory of the Lord." (Homilist.) Parallel Verses KJV: The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.WEB: The wilderness and the dry land will be glad. The desert will rejoice and blossom like a rose. |
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