us not to look for in humanity. And there have been a great many
attempts--as it seems to me, altogether futile and baseless ones--to
break the force of these words as a distinct prophecy of Jesus Christ.
Surely the language is far too wide to have application to any real or
ideal Jewish monarch, except one whose kingdom is an everlasting
kingdom? Surely the experience of a hundred centuries might teach men
that there is _one_ man, and one alone, who is the refuge from all
dangers, the fruition of all desires, the rest and refreshment in all
toils.

And I, for my part, have no hesitation in saying that the only reference
of these words which gives full value to their wealth of blessing, is to
regard them as a prophecy of _the_ man--Christ Jesus; hiding in whom we
are safe, 'coming' to whom we 'never thirst,' guarded and blest by whom
no weariness can befall us, and dwelling in whom this weary world shall
be full of refreshment and peace!

I do not need to point out the exquisite beauty of the imagery or the
pathos and peace that breathe in the majestic rhythm of the words. There
is something more than poetical beauty or rhetorical amplification of a
single thought in those three clauses. The 'hiding-place' and 'covert'
refer to one class of wants; the 'rivers of water in a dry place' to yet
another; and 'the shadow of a great rock in a weary land' to yet a
third. And, though they are tinged and dyed in Eastern imagery, the
realities of life in Western lands, and in all ages, give them a deeper
beauty than that of lovely imagery, and are the true keys to
understanding their meaning. We shall, perhaps, best grasp the whole
depth of that meaning according to the Messianic reference which we give
to the text, if we consider the sad and solemn conception of man's life
that underlies it; the enigmatical and obstinate hope which it holds out