es this truth is the second Isaiah. As he looks
down the ages he sees that healing is to be brought about through
suffering, the suffering of a Sinless one. Upon this mysterious figure
who is to rise up in the latter days is to be laid the burden of
humanity. No other, not even St. Paul himself, has grasped so clearly
the great secret of atonement or given so touching a picture of the
power of vicarious suffering as this unknown prophet of Israel.

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3. THE POETICAL BOOKS

Passing from the prophets to the poets of Israel--and especially to the
book of Psalms--the devotional manual of the people, reflecting the
moral and religious life of the nation at the various stages of its
development--we find the same exalted character of God as a God of
Righteousness, hating evil and jealous for devotion, the same profound
sense of sin and the same high vocation of man. The Hebrew nation was
essentially a poetic people,[17] and their literature is full of
poetry. But poetry is not systematic. It is not safe, therefore, to
deduce particular tenets of faith or moral principles from passages
which glow with intensity of feeling. But if a nation's character is
revealed in its songs, the deep spirituality and high moral tone of
Israel are clearly reflected in that body of religious poetry which
extends over a period of a thousand years, from David to the Maccabean
age. It is at once national and personal, and is a wonderful record of
the human heart in its various moods and yearnings. Underlying all
true poetry there is a philosophy of life. God, for the Hebrew
psalmist, is the one pervading presence. He is not a mere
impersonation of the powers of nature, but a personal Being, righteous
and merciful, with whom man stands in the closest relations. Holy and
awful, indeed, hating iniquity and exacting punishment upon the wicked,
He is also tender and pitiful--a Father of the oppressed, who bears
their burdens, forgives their iniquities, and crowns them with tender
mercy.[18] All nature speaks to the Hebrew of God. He is no far-off
creator, but immanent in all His works.[19] He presides over mankind,
and provides for the manifold wants of his creatures. It is this
thought which gives unity to the nation, and binds the tribes into a
common brotherhood. God is their personal friend. In war and peace,
in worship and labour, at home and in exile, it is to Jehovah they look
{49} for strength and light and joy. He i