The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1892-02-10
THE NEW COVENANT.
LESSON VII, FIRST QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, FEB. IA.

Memory Verses. SO, 34-GoIden Text,
Jer. xxi. 34-Commentary by the Rev.
ID. NJ. Stearns.
81 Behold, the days come. saith the
Lord, that | will SOW the house of Israel.
and the house of Judah, with the seed OF
man. and with the seed of beast" Jere-
miah prophesied during the last forty years
of Judah's history ere the two tribes were
carried captive; during the last eighteen
years of Josah's reign and the twenty-five
years of the four kings following He was
simply Gods messenger speaking Gods
message. Chapter i. :, 8. II, chapters Xxx
and XXI have been called "a book within
book" like Rom. TX to xi, and any kind
of careful reading shows it's peculiar ref
erence TO Israel's future. Compare this
verse with chapter xxx, 1-3, and take
Israel and Judah to mean only Israel and
Judah the ten tribes and the two of all
Israel The Spirits own commentary upon
this verse is found in Eek. xxxvi, Gil.
IS. "And it shall come to pass, that like
as have watched over them to pluck up,
so will watch over them to build and to
plant, saith the Lord" No one can ques-
ton the plucking up and scattering, and
no more should any one question the gath
ering and rebuilding. Put verse 10 with
this and say how anything can be more
clearly or emphatically stated with a
"Thus saith the Lord" and His "will' and
"shall"
% in those days they shall say no
more The fathers have eaten a sour grape
and the children's teeth are set on edge"
They considered themselves as suffering
for their fathers sins and therefore used
this proverb. See Lam. V, Z; Eek. xviii,
2, g.
30 but every one shall die for his own
iniquity; every man that eateth the sour
gtape, his teeth shall be set on edge"
Compare Deut. xiv, 10; Gal vi, 5, Z.
Personal responsibility is taught every
where in Scripture. Every one of us
shall give account of himself to God"
Rom xiv, 12)
81 Behold the days come, saith the
Lord, that | will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel and with the house
of Judah" Remember that He is speak
ing not of the church, nor of the days in
which we live, but of literal Judah and
Israel in the days OF the restoration, yet
future, but now very near.
81 Not according to the covenant that
/ made with their fathers, which my COW
enant they brake" He refers now to the
them kingdom of priests and peculiar
people above all people, upon condition of
their obedience (Ex. XIX, 5, O.. This was
different from the covenant with Abra-
ham, Isaac and Jacob, which was uncon-
ditional and shall yet be fulfilled to the
letter; a covenant made with an oath, and
therefore eternal and Interchangeable (Mic.
vii, 20l.
So After those days, saith the Lord, /
will put my law in their inward parts, and
write it in their hearts; and will be their
God, and they shall be my people" ''Those
days" probably refer to the days Of tribu-
lation which will precede Israel's national
conversion chapter Xxx, Z; Dan xii, l;
Math. xiv, III, for it is Immediately after
the tribulation of those days that He shall
come in power and glory for Israel's deliv-
erance (Math. xiv, 1881; Luke xxi, 25-2S)
Observe how the work is entirely the Lords
from first to last: | will put, will write,
Twill be; and compare Jer. xiv, 6. Z; Eek
xxxvi, 24-30
"a "They shall all know me, from the
least of them unto the greatest of them,
saith the Lord; for will forgive their in
EQUITY, and / will remember their sins no
more" This verse is often quoted as if it
referred to all people on the whole earth,
and would be a result of the Gospel as now
preached; whereas it refers clearly to Israel
and Judah, the twelve tribes, which shall
be all righteous, and the central nation
upon earth il millennial days lisa TX, 81;
Xvi, 81, who shall make known the name of
the Lord to all the world that so the earth
may be filled with his glory (Num. xiv, 81;
lisa. xi, 9; Heb ii, 14). But until the new
earth all the world shall not be righteous,
for even in millennial days many shall
yield only feigned obedience Cps. Xvi,
margin(
So Thus saith the Lord, which giveth
the sun for light by day. The Lord of
Hosts is His name" However great a
promise may be, it is Of no weight unless
the promiser is able TO fulfill it. The Lord
of Hosts is the creator of all things and
"He is able"
&C. IF those ordinances depart from be-
fore me, saith the Lord, then the seed of
Israel also shall cease from being a nation
before me forever" Read the parallel pas
sage in chapter xxxiii, 1926. Israel is not
now and has not been for over 1,SO0 years
q nation in The eyes of other nations; but
Israel has never ceased to be a nation be-
fore God. for THE Lord seeth not as man
seeth," and soon she will be a nation be-
fore all nations, admired, honored aud
sought unto, because of Jehovah, her King.
81. THUS saith the Lord, II heaven
aboveecan be measured, | will
also cast off all the seed of Israel for all
that they have done, saith the Lord" 1t
is often said when we speak of Israel's
future glory, But consider all that they
have done, they have forfeited everything"
Yes, truly, they nave forfeited all that was
conditioned upon their obedience, but the
unconditional promises to Abram, Isaac
and Jacob, God will keep and fulfill for
His own great names sake lisa xiii, 25;
Eek. xxxvi. %, 32). Note carefully that
when Jerusalem shall be rebuilt in the
restoration it shall never be thrown down
again oversees 1910; Ps. cii l6) If you
would see and enjoy those days of IsraeIs
glory you must now be redeemed by
Israel's King Then, being redeemed, re-
member that you are redeemed not
simply to go to heaven when you die,
but to live here as long as the Lord
sees fit, to do your part in making
Christ known in all the world, that SO
the church, His body. may be gathered
out of the nations. Being ignorant of
the mystery that Blindness in part is
happened unto Israel until the fullness Of
the Gentiles be come in," and chat then all
Israel shall be saved (Rom. XII, %, 26), the
church has become conceited and vainly
imagines that her mission is to convert the
whole world. Let no preacher, pastor OF
missionary think that he is commissioner
to convert all within his reach, but rather
to be faithful witness in the power of the
tthaf ha v,axy bxy oil ,.1o... 1870