heathenism in the Holy Place; and Piety, banished from the State, the
Church, and the Royal court, was once more as she had been before, and
will be again, a wanderer on the face of the earth.

Now, however easy it may be to contemplate such a state of things at a
distance, it never takes place in a man's own day and time, without
suggesting painful perplexities of a twofold nature. In the first
place suspicions respecting God's character; and, in the second place,
misgivings as to his own duty. For a faithless heart whispers, Is it
worth while to suffer for a sinking cause? Honour, preferment,
grandeur, follow in the train of unscrupulous conduct. To be strict in
goodness, is to be pointed at and shunned. To be no better than one's
neighbours is the only way of being at peace. It seems to have been to
such a state as this that Isaiah was commissioned to bring light. He
vindicated God's character by saying that He is "the High and Lofty
One that inhabiteth Eternity." He encouraged those who were trodden
down, to perseverance, by reminding them that real dignity is
something very different from present success. God dwells with him,
"that is of a contrite and humble spirit" We consider

I. That in which the greatness of God consists.
II. That in which man's greatness consists.

The first measurement, so to speak, which is given us of God's
greatness, is in respect of Time. He inhabiteth Eternity. There are
some subjects on which it would be good to dwell, if it were only for
the sake of that enlargement of mind which is produced by their
contemplation. And eternity is one of these, so that you cannot
steadily fix the thoughts upon it without being sensible of a peculiar
kind of elevation, at the same time that you are humbled by a personal
feeling of utter insignificance. You have come in contact with
something so immeasurable--beyond the narrow range of our common
speculations--that you are exalted by the very conception of it. Now
the only way we have of forming any idea of eternity is by going, step
by step, up to the largest measures of time we know of, and so
ascending, on and on, till we are lost in wonder. We cannot grasp
eternity, but we can learn something of it by perceiving, that, rise
to what portion of time we will, eternity is vaster than the vastest.

We take up for instance, the history of our own country, and then,
when we have spent months in mastering the mer