The Spirit's Strength to a Nation

Because the palaces shall be forsaken; the multitude of the city shall be left; the forts and towers shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks; until the Spirit be poured upon us from on high.” — ISA. xxxii. 14, 15.

EE things are here said to depend “© on the Spirit — the palace, the city, and the tower. The Spirit is the glory of royalty; to be a king in God’s sense is to be the servant of all. The Spirit is the secret of citizenship; to be a citizen in God’s sense is to be the brother of all. The Spirit is the root of warlike strength; to be a soldier in God’s sense is to be the defender of all — the defender of that righteousness which is at last the universal interest. God’s Spirit is for the nation as well as for the man, and these three are the blessings of the nation. What else can I ask for my country than this trinity of privileges — that her court shall be always pure, that her cities shall be always flourishing, and that in the cause of righteousness her towers shall be always strong.

Lord of nations, bless our native land. Let

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Thy divine Spirit be incarnated in its threefold life — in its rulers, in its citizens, in its soldiers. Impress its rulers with the responsibility of being great, the weightedness of being ministers to all. Impress its citizens with the multitude of their claims, the vastness of that brotherhood of which they are members. Impress its soldiers with the fearlessness that is born of duty, the courage that comes from devotion to the just and true. Purify its palaces, cleanse its streets, strengthen its bulwarks. Teach its rulers to say “Thy will be done,” its citizens to cry “hallowed be Thy name,” its soldiers to pray “Thy kingdom come.” Let its kings be priests unto Thee; let its citizens be fathers to the multitude; let its soldiers be peacemakers to the world. May Thine altars not be removed from the high places; may Thy word not be silent in the homes of industrious toil; may Thy banner be unfurled in the camp and on the field. Then shall our land be full of Thy glory, a universal priesthood, a holy convocation. Then shall we be numbered amongst those nations which stand already at the right hand of Thy judgment seat and receive from Thee the blessing of the ministrant, ‘“Enter ye into the. joy of your Lord.” Thy Spirit shall be poured on us from on high when Thou hast exalted our palaces, our cities, and our towers.