July 26

“And it shall be at that day, saith the Lord, that thou shall call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali; for I mill take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name.” — Hosea ii. 16, 17.

day has come. We view our God no more as Baal, our tyrant lord and mighty master, for we are not under law, but under grace. We now think of Jehovah, our God, as our Ishi, our beloved husband, our lord in love, our next-of-kin in bonds of sacred relationship. We do not reverence him less, but we love him more. We do not serve him less obediently, but we serve him for a higher and more endearing reason. We no longer tremble under his lash, but rejoice in his love. The slave is changed into a child, and the task into a pleasure.

Is it so with thee, dear reader? Has grace cast out slavish fear and implanted filial love? How happy are we in such an experience! Now we call the Sabbath a delight, and wor ship is never a weariness. Prayer is now a privilege, and praise is a holiday. To obey is heaven; to give to the cause of God is a banquet. Thus have all things become new. Our mouth is filled with singing, and our heart with music. Blessed be our heavenly Ishi for ever and for ever.