The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1877-06-07
The sunday school.
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PIC s''.e& - AHsNA - H.AA Atsf Aaes
~ sw. bean,iiul symbol 81 tie ~.
riac mercy and pr0mise 70 which sosb
was poiufe3 AFTER the deisge clouds
Lad speal ibe.r destructive fsee,
There i scarcely a mere beauiifsl pas
sagc "a lhe whole Bible No queealy
dlaasm studded With gems q purost
ray serene eseF shone With sseh man.
fold and perfect lustcr a. the poetic
fgures here eompaeted by which the
prophet seeks 20 depict bow blessed
should he The rOndi,ion Il Isrsel. would
hey Only sincerely reian unto the
Lord u.ejr God. The infinite desir.
ablencss q repentance was never more
a,ifaehyely re, forth.
Hosea belonged 70 the kingdou q
Israel lie exercised bis prophetic
oiiice. as be says In the Introduction
chap. I 10 The days Of uzziah, 10.
than, Ahsz, aud HezekiAh, kings Of
Israel. Among his contemporaries
we're Isaiah aud Amos. Micah and Ma
hum II was az the time when the
Kingdom Of the ten tribes was nearing
iis final doom Many Of the utterances
ol Hosea addressed TO the people
warning. awakening, reproying, argu'
ing. and expostulating with, ebcoutag.
ing. en,reaiing as Gods ambassador
striving TO induce them 70 repent are
st4ikiagly similar 10 those Of Amos. Il
is evident that both depict the same
social condition, distorted, polluted by
manifold aud mighty sins. They were
alike ia having their souls on FIRE with
the spirit Of religious and civil reform
They were both inspired prophets. But
the prophe, Of the Lord did not mean
simply a fOre.teller OF future events.
That was only minor part Of his mis-
sion, The gift Of prophecy has quite
as much reference to the power given
one to see what is, as to see what ia to
be.
The deliverance Of Hosea's various
prophecies occurred from time to time,
but the selection out Of them, and their
collection for permanent record, prob
ably took place in the reign Of Heze-
kiah
The distinctly Messanis predictions
are those in chaps. i:ll; ii;l5'23;
/ iii IS; xi:IO,ll; xiv ;4.7--foreshadow-
ings which must refer to the better
hope when the desire Of all nations
should have come.
The call 10 repent RI. was addressed
to the kingdom or people of Israel.
The kingdom of Judah is occasionally
referred to by this prophet, but Jer-
Jerusalem and the temple are not once
mentioned. 1t was Israel's last call
The man Of God had warned them he
now exorts them He had used Lam
guage Of terrific vehemenc in desorib'
ing and denouncing their abominable
vices and crimes--their sins against
their God, their crimes and cruelties
against each other. Finally, with all
his soul melted into pity and the ut
most intensity Of mother.like love, he
turns back to plead with them yet once
again.
One or the other-which, implied
one all.inclussive choice. To choose,
or return to the one implied the aban-
donment of the other. On the one hand
was the Lord their God on the other,
their iniquity. By the latter they had
been ruined by the former they might
be redeemed
Observation-Disclosures I2l.
ll) Take with you words, and turn
to the Lord say unto him, Take away
all iniquity." First Of all they were to
acknowledge their sin, (Ps.xxxii:l 5;
ills. To confess his sin is the very
FIRST duty Of a sinner. (2) Receive us
graeiousy, 10 appeal to justice, but
TO mercy, L" BY grace ye are saved y
All of free grace We are not merely
undeseryiug, but ill.deserving. 49,
" So will we render the calves OF our
lips, or more literally, Z" So will we Of,
Ter TO thee bullocks, even our lips. ,
This is sacrifices Of thanksgiving aud
praise. 1t is a suspicious kind OF re
pentauee ahich does not impel .one tc
make open profession Of Christ and tc
participate IN acts that shall attest the
spirit Of expressive gratefulness.
The Covenant Pledge 49, was I
pledge heneeforth to trust in the LORD
their God. and in him only. In time,
Of destress the kingdom Of Israel, hav
ing treacherously forsaken Jehovah
was perpetnally turning This way ant
( that insanely seeking help, how from
! dumbidols and superstitious mummerieI
nov straiuing theirwistful gaze towar,
Egypt on the one side, again towsr,
Assyria on the other. Considering th'
, fact that they had once known the tru'
aud everything God. and what be ha,
done for them in times past, NOR
thoroughly miserable state OF thing
could hardly be imagined unless il b.