American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1864-11-09
- e. Ks NK aDN

General Assembly OF lhe lo'"J '0' '''
Chr,cb THE AUTHOR.
SEER EsNEaDN
Esey. william p. HARRISON.
nj uosy, G-I Come aud let us return nntn
che Ird G,r he hath torn and he will heal us ne h"'h
srnitten aud lie will bind us up
The true position Of guilty sinners IS IS
bowed in profound establishment and
lowlipess before Gods mercy seat. Aud
II @ true characteristics by which they
should be marked, are contrite spirits,
and broken and penitent hearts, which
we are assured God will not desplse.-
"The sacrifices of God are a broken Sp'r-
II. = broken and a contrite heart, . God,
thou wilt not despise." Psai, oI-l'-
The words Of the text are an expression
of sincere and genuine repentance, and
deep humiliation before. God, Cd account
Of sin and rebellion against him. In the
preceding part Of this prophecy, and es-
pccially in the preceding chapter, the
prophet Hosea had predicted the terrible
desolations and dreadful calauitics that
were coming on the people Of Israel and
Judah, by the invasion and ravages OF the
Assyrians aud Chaldcans, Gods ancient
people had forgotten him, and rebelled
AGAINST him. and he tells them that he
would visit them with his sore judgments
for their wickedness. Though God great
ly delights in mercy and generally dweilS
with his people at the mercy-seat; yet
sometimes he leaves his throne of grace,
to execute veugence upon them for their
ini1uties.
God is represented in the preceding
chapter as saying, Il will be unto Ephrom as
Lion and as a young Lion to the house
of Judah: |, even |, will tear and go
away; | will take away, and none sha
rescue him. will go and return TO my
place, till they acknowledge their offence,
and seek my face, in their afliiction they
will seek me early" Hos, Ola, ID.
And having visited their transgrcssions
and their wiekeduess with his chastise-
ments, and his judgments, he tells them
he would as it were "return to his place,
and leave them under their punishment,
till they shoul3 repent, or plead guilty,
and confess their sins, and seek his favor
and protection" He knew that though
they had wandered far from him, yet their
affections sanetifed to them by his grace,
would be the means of leading them back
to him; to seek his face and favor, and
bow in humble penitencc at his feet
And having thus been brought to deeg
sense of their sinfulness, and their need
of divine help, and deliyerance, they are
represented in the text as saying one to
another, Come aud let us return uutc
the Lord: for he hath torn, aud he viii
heal us; he hath smitten, and he wit
bind us up"
And the. sentiment of the text is Of
universal application. 1t is appropriate
to men in every age Of time; whether
considered as individual persons, or states
and nations. And never was there in the
history of nations time when this Ian
guage was more fit to be used than by us
now. And never was there nation
whom it more became to adopt this Ian
suage Of penitence aud humility before
God, than we of the United States We
have sinned grievously, we have done
very wickedB; we have transgresseC
Gods righteous and holy laws; we have
abused his great and manifold mercies.-
The judgments of God are abroad in the
laud. His hand is pressing heavily upon
us. The storm cloud Of civil war which
!. has so long enveloped us, is still hover
ing over us 1t has long hurled upon
us tempestuous food of blood and car
mage and death. And still this terrific
sterm.of civil strife RACES with even fer.
Ger fury than before; scattering desola.
ton and sorrow all over this once happy
country,
Surely in the midst of all this darkness
aud calamity; this streaming blood, these
shrieks of anguish and uuutterable death
gloans; this dismal wall of mourningand
lamentation that fills the whole land in
view of these tokens of Gods righteous
displeasme against us on account of oul