Homilist Isaiah 6:1-13 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the LORD sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.… I. THE INEFFABLE MAJESTY OF GOD. 1. His Supreme authority. "Sitting upon a throne, high and lifted ups" He is the high and lofty One. He ruleth over all, matter and mind, the evil and the Good. 2. His magnificent upset. "His train filled the temple." This is an allusion to the flowing robes of Oriental monarchs, which signalise their stately grandeur, What is the costume of the Infinite? "Thou clothest Thyself with light as with a garment." The flowing robes of His majesty filled the temple of immensity. 3. His illustrious attendants. "Above it stood the seraphim." Eastern monarchs had numerous princes and nobles as their attendants; but these fiery ones are the ministers of the eternal King. 4. His absolute holiness. "One cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts." The repetition indicates the intensity of their conviction. II. THE LOFTY SERVICES OF CELESTIAL INTELLIGENCES. Their services are — 1. Reverential. 2. Alert. They do not move with a tardy reluctance in the service of their Lord; but with wings expanded they stand ever ready to execute His behest. 3. Individual. "One cried unto another." Each was intensely alive to his own responsibility and duty. 4. Harmonious. After the separate cries there was a blending of all in one grand chorus, "The whole earth is full of His glory." 5. Enthusiastic. As the peal of a majestic organ sometimes shakes the cathedral, the voice of one worshipper in heaven is represented as moving the posts of the door. The grand solo sends a tremor through the temple. III. THE AMAZING CAPACITY OF THE HUMAN SOUL. Isaiah saw all this, not with the outward eye, but with the eye of his mind. Unlike all other creatures on this earth, man has a capacity to see God. He can see God enthroned in the universe. 1. Sin has injured this capacity. Whilst all men have the power to see God, few men do. 2. The Gospel restores this capacity. It opens the spiritual eye, sweeps away the carnal atmosphere, and shows God filling the temple. (Homilist.) Parallel Verses KJV: In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. |
    |