The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1864-04-02

'saSS II y bAsASS - 1rAeh VHS+-L - Il {.
The Bible is one of the plainest of books. Not
without its beauties of illustration and of Ian
guage, where beauties are most fitting, there is
N 1t no studied grace, certainly no monotony of
elegancc, no tedious sameHess Of style now we
have a wild wall OF lanentation and woe, as 1t
We're the spontaneous outburst of grief pent up
which could no longer be restrained now We
have 4 sturdy force of language, resistless and
impetuous as a mountain torrent now a lofty
grandeur, IN which language labors to give ex-
preston TO the subiimity of thought now a
gem Of beauty unsurpassed, and now a hOmely
simile, which none can fail TO comprehend. A
divine revelation. not for scholars alone, but for
men of plain common sense, it abounds in pass
ages all the more striking and forcible because
they come home to the hearts and lives of the
common people. Not only were simplicity of
style and plainness of illustration characteristic
OF the Sayior's teaching, those sturdy outspoken
prophets of the old dispensation were too honest
and too earnest to sacrifice force and distinctness
70 mere elegance. They were too intent upon
delivering some weighty message from God TO
man 10 inquire in every instance how will this
strike the fancy or please the ear of the more
fastidious of those TO whom God bids me speak?
With their souls all on fire with zeal for Gods
glory, how did those h0ary prophets of antiquity
thunder forth their messages of woe or OF warn
ing, With what homely earnestness did they
utter their exhortations 70 repentance and their
predictions OF coming wrath y Such In its I'M
polished e%loquence and its simple force of illus
LEdiicu - tc passage DSiOT uHs Il ESIuaE kdDlc
prophetic utteraIce as instructive in its teachings
as il is impressive in its style. 'Tis the voice Of
the Lord which he spake by his servants the pro-
phets, |" riH uipe Jerusalem as a man icipah a
dish, ieiPing AZ, and turning n upside dOcn."
Il is my purpose, first, 10 speak of the occasion
and the import of the prophecy secondly, to tell
how it was fulfilled, and, thirdly. TO show what it
teaches deriving from it lessons of warning and
instruction to nations, TO churches, and to fndi-
Tidlols.
IT,. nocov.o g. tA1. I,o,dc,I 1a,,no;:a. r.
coming wrath was the wicked reign of Manasseh,
the recreant son of a pious father, who during
his long reign Of ffty-fye years led the Jewish ma
ton into every form of sin, even to the practice of
the most abominable idolatry. Not only did he
set an example of gross wickedness, he legalized
iniquity and patronized the worst forms of vice.
Not content with permitting others to enact their
abominable rites, he was himself so impious as
to establish the worship of false gods in the
very sanctuary of the Most High.
This is the dark record against him He did
that which was evil in the sight of the Lord,
after the nominations Of the heather whom the
Lord cast out before the children of Israel. For
he built up again the high places which Hezekiah
his father had destroyed, and he reared up affairs
for Baal, and made a grove as did Ahab king of
Israel, and worshiped all the hosts of heaven and
served them. And he built affairs for all the
hosts of heaven in the two courts of the house of
the Lord. And he made his son pass through
the fire, SD devoting him to Moloch, who by the
seal Of circumcision had first been dedicated to
the true God. He observed heather festivals,
and used entertainments, and dealt with familiar
spirits and wizards. Instead of consulting the
oracles of God he betoOk himself TO the oracles
of the Devil. So did Manasseh seduce the chosen
people of God to do more evil than did the ma
tions whom tbe Lord destroyed before them. No
wonder that Jehovah spake by his servants the
prophets saying, Because Manasseh hath done
these denominations, and made Judah to sin with
his idols, therefore behold / am bringing such
evil upon Jerusalem and Judah that whatsoever
heareth of it both his ears shall tingle. And L
will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria
and the plummet of the house of Ahab and /
will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wip-
ing it, and turning it upside down."
Dreadful indeed were to be the judgments
which none could hear of without their very ears
t%ingling and their hearts trembling. As Jeru-
salem had copied after the sins of Samaria, so
when God should lay Righteousness to the line it
should be the line OF Slmaria, measuring out to
that favored city the same lot of captivity and
desolation which had already been meted out to
Samaria. As they had followed after one who
had outdone even that monster of wickedness,
Ahab. so I" when God should lay judgment TO
the ~plummet. it should be the plummet of the J
house of Ahab, marking them out for the same
ruin to which that family were devoted" The
principle of the divine government here announc-
ed is, that the punishment which sooner or later
he visits upon transgressors has a fitness both in
kind and degree to the nature and extent of the
transgression. Those who copy after the sins of
Samarla must expect TO share her doom. Those
who perpetrate the denominations of Ahab must
be prepared for his punishment. And since the
detection of Jerusalem had been so complete, not
less complete should be its destruction. Since
the reign of the righteous father of Manasseh
had been SO entirely reversed, the overturning of
his kingdom should be not less marked. The
extent TO which corruption prevailed was the
measure of the cleansing needed So, not for its
destruction, but for its renovation, would God
wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wlPInS
IL, and turning il upside down.
Having thus dwelt upon the occasion and nm
port of the prophecy, L need take but little time
TO tell you how it was fulfilled. You who are
familiar with the general outline of Jewish his
tory, know that not long after the delivery of
these messages of maledIction the populous east
poured forth its desolating armies over Judea and
carried away king and people captives to Baby
Ion. There, in a tedious exile of seventy years,
serving a heather people. they learned enough of
from what in prosperity they had practiced, and
safety caused them at length to l0athe what be-
fore they had longed for.
So was the nation turned upside down and
thoroughly cleansed and renovated by the desola-
ting judgments which God visited upon them
during seventy years of servitude in n foreign
land. The fruitful fields became a barren wilder
ness. The country was well nigh depopulated,
and even the sacred city and temple were laid
waste. Gods purposes were very gracious, but
the processes by which his peculiar people were
purified were terribly severe. Though mercy
contemplated the end, inexorable justice chose
the means. I
Having shown the OCCASION and import of the
prophecy as also the manner of ITS fulfHHIent, |
hasten to show what it teaches. How solemn
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