Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1891-05-07


The herdman preacher, Amos, with this
volume OF sermons OF his, can not fail TO
leave strong impression on the mind. His
homiletics as embraced In this book, Is his
own. He is sharp. direct. intrepid. His
plain. blunt figures of speech, tho sign
usually OF q brief but effective vocabulary,
| go straight to the mark, and there Is a
sturdy force to his full-armed, honest blows
that tells every time. We have In mind
the picture OF plaln-spoken, hard hitting
country parson some one has recently been
sketching. He interrupts his exposition OF
the parable OF the sower at the words. @Some
| fell among thorns and the thorns sprang up
and choked them" to step down 10 the door
OF the school-house and unceremoniously
| expel a couple OF obstreperous youths, and
| then the next moment is back In his place
| saying, aBut, brethren. others fell into good
| good ground and brought forth fruit, some
an hundred-fold, some ffty-fold, some
| thirty-fold. Who hath the ears TO hear, let
him hear.n We can fairly see this hard
| listed herdman of Tekoa striking his swift
| blows right and left, and leaving the
| ground about him covered with his slain OF
| tho Lord. And yet he was tender-hearted.
| Who, in the end, are more tender-hearted
than they that speak the absolute TRUTH
WHAT THE LESSON SAYS.
| Thus. A frequent Introductory with the
| prophets. The Book of Amos is but series
| II sermons to the people This is one of
these distinct discourses. Saith the Lord.
said to occur In this prophecy forty times.
| Basket. Amos abounds in parallels and
illustrations. largely drawn from farm life.
| The word basket may also be translated net
| work. possibly the cages I'm which the fruit
was caught --Summer fruit. Or full-ripe.
| harvest fruits, 1. G., in season. The word
| literally means cutting.
| The end. play on words, this one sound
| ing like the one just used ("summer
/ fruits); thus; Kayitz--ketz. The words are
| really from the same root, meaning TO cut
| of.-Again pass by them any more Or,
| Continue 90 pass by them. IL was lsraels
| turn now TO hear words OF doom. A large
part OF the preceding prophecies of this book
have been concerning judah and the foreign
| nations.
Howlings. or wailings. In keeping with
| Oriental demonstrativeness OF grief. The
| Hebrew is yalel, mimetic work. 1t stands
| first In the original OF this vcrse.--Tem-
I pie, or palacc.--Dead bodies. Our word
| corpses.-They shall cast them forth with
silence. Seven English words for two In the
| Hebrew; cast forth, silence.
Swallow up. First meaning pant after.
as of hound on the trail.-To make the
| poor OF the land TO fail Nine words in the
English for three in the Hebrew; TO reduce
the poor OF the land.
Re Goeep urRai taEtilyy same eUfd TITS flee
Hebrew. like corn. the corn.-Set forth
| wheat. Hebrew, open the wheat, as IL IL
were the wheat market; probably the
wheat sack. Making the ephah small He
| brew, cutting short the ephah.-Falsify-
ing. First meaning. bending or making
crooked /. O., the balances.
WHAT The LESSON TEACHES.
A basket OF summer fruit. 1t is hus-
bandman's own illustration. and an effect
i've one Amos, like our Lord, finds text
for his sermon from nature. What Is the
| significance of a basket of fruit, fully ripper
IL means, harvest, ingathering, the out
come of the seasons toll and patience.
God had planted and nurtured and tended
Israel. Through harsh winter, budding
spring and the towering of early summer
he had watched and cared for his chosen
seed. Now he comes TO gather In the fruit
of it ALL and what does 1t amount tor Sin
upon sin. heaped and crowded. and nothing
more. He has sowed mercy and reaped
cruelty, has sowed tenderness and reaped
blood, has sowed truth and reaped deceit.
The basket Is full, the fruit Is ripe, and IL Is
very bad. So looks many kind father on
the outcome of love and labor bestowed
through long years upon graceless son.
So stood forth Romes boosted civilization
after all the suns OF prosperity had beamed
| upon IL through the centuries. Alas, shall
the similitude hold with reference to ouI
own God blessed Civilizations What shall
be the character OF our basket OF summer
fruit?
The end is come. 1t Is a meaningful play
upon words. Cuttings Is the word fol-
"fruit," cutting the original significance OF
the term translated "end.n The words not
only sound alike, they literally mean the
seme. "Amos, what seest thou? A basket
of summer clippings. Then said the Lord
unto me, the clipping is come upon my
people OF Israel" They were ripe for judg-
ment Undoubtedly such times come, In
the providence of God, upon neoples and
individuals. The cup is full the Lord Is al
hand. "Ephraim Is joined to idols, let hin
alone.p For aLght we know, each moment
| he tI,o loct bo @ he
ready to descend. The apostles knew nc
better. How should we? And yet much OF
the preaching of to-day, like most OF oul
living, seems TO proudly and boastfully
postpone the day. Ought we not to preach
IL as imminent and near? Rowland Hill
had always three RS in his sermons. Ruin
by the fall, Repentance under the Spirit
Redemption through Christ. Hence his
strong. searching appeals Baxter ever
preached "as though he would never preach
again-as dying mau to dying men,"
When will the new moon be gone, that we
may sell corn. The difference between our
oppression and theirs is this. that we scruple
not to crush and kill on new moons and
Sabbeths as we'll as on the commonest OF
days. OF course for the majority OF men
the chamber OF commerce and the market
pace Is closed on the Lords day and the
holiday. but the murderous work goes on.
Possibly as some of us sit i'm the Lords
house with a calm and pious exterior we are
in mind shouting on Change and plottink
how we may down our neighbor and throttle
our mercantile competitor. We are very
like those ancient Jews. IL our ephah OF
commerce Is small our ephah of worship is
likewise small; IL our shekel of cupidity
and sel6shnes5 is large "on Change" It will
be exceedingly large in the sanctuary, and
our sacrifice will be an abominatlon. God
| will none of it. When we go to the Lord In
prayer or worship let IL be with cleansed
spirit. For aas u man thinketh in his
heart, 80 is he.n
The refuse of the wheat Amos knows
farm life. He is himself a herdsman. But
that does not prevent him fr, m aiming a
shaft or two at his old companion OF in
dustry. He Is not partial or unfair, and
when he charges the merchant for selling
the needy a pair OF shoes, he follows II
right up with an instance OF deceit that
belongs to the granary and barn. Refuse of
the wheat IL is so easy to put IL In with
the lump. It will not be seen In the great
mass; IL Will make no difference. But IL is
seen OF God. and IL does make difference
in the ate of the heart, a great differ
ence. Farmers and all may well remember
It. In this matter of deceit IA little leaven
leaveneth up the whole lump.n In Gods
pure sight IL Is all leaven; IL Is all refuse.
o, to be honest all the way through. thor
oughly sound.
ait is the little rift within the Lutte.
That by and by will make the music mute,
And, ever widening. slowly silence all:
J he little rift within tho lovers Lutte,
Or little pltted speck In garnered fruit,
That rotting inward slowly moulders all.n
famine in the land We may well fear
II. Not hunger for bread nor thirst for
water. but linked hunger and thirst for
the words of the Lord. And this Is not that