Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1893-06-16
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON XII, SECOND QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JUNE 1e.


by the Rev. ID. NJ. stearns.
|. behold, | will send my messenger,
and he shall prepare the way before me,
and the Lord whom We seek shall suddenly |
come to His temple, even the messenger Of
the covenant whom we delight in. Behold,
He shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts"
Some 400 years before Christ came, and |
more than 100 years after the restoration |
from Babylon, this servant of the Lord ut
tered his message. 1t is the word of the
Lord to Israel Chapter /, y, and about |
25 times we find "Saith the Lord" or
Saith the Lord of Hosts" 1t has been
called miniature of the times before the
day of the Lord, when ungodliness shall
prevail and the Lord shall come. The last
words are suggestive of Him who was made
a curse for us. John the Baptist was tho
messenger preparing the way of the Lord
at His first coming duke l. ICY, but Elijah
will be the messenger at His second coming
Chapter iv, 81. John came in the spirit
and power or Elijah, but he was not Elijah
luke /, II; John i, 21). Had John and
Jesus been received the kingdom would
have come but both having been rejected
the kingdom is postponed. Jesus himself
said that Elijah shall come (Math. xvii,
1913.
2. but who may abide the day of His COM
ing!" This is not the birth in Bethlehem,
but the coming in power and glory. He did
not come judging and overturning, but in
great grace and love and humility, calling
men unto Him, and instead of exerting His
power against His enemies He suffered Ju-
das to betray Him, His disciples to forsake
Him and the Roman soldiers, at the insti-
cation of the Jews, to take Him and cruelty
Him. He had power to keep His life or lay
it down, and He chose to lay it down John
X, 49, But when He comes as a refiner He
will be Judge, and other lives will be laid
down.
3. And He shall sit as refiner and puri-
fer of silver" 1t will be the time of Is
rael's REDEEM ,Jtion, the restoration of all
things of wi ich the prophets have spoken,
when the nation shall be all righteous
duke xxi, 81, 2s; Acts iii, 81; lisa. TX, 21).
The manner of it is given in lisa. i, 25-27, II
will turn My hand upon thee, and purely
purge away thy dross, and take away all
thy tin; afterward thou shalt be called the
city of righteousness, the faithful city,"
See also Zech xiii, 8, 0. Two parts are to
be slain or perish, and it is the third part
that is to be refined.
4. Then shall the offering Of Judah and
Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord as in
When He came the first time, they crucified
Him. then their city was destroyed, and to
this day they are a people scattered and
peeled, byword and a reproach. But when
they shall see Him coming in power and
glory they shall be as a nation converted
in day (Zech. iii, 9; xii, 10; xiii, y. Then
shall a righteous nation glorify God and
all that see them shall acknowledge them
as the seed which the Lord hath blessed
lisa. TX, 2l; Xxi, o.
5. And l will come near to you to judg-
ment, and will be a swift witness against
those that fear not Me, saith the Lord of
Hosts" In connection with the forgiveness
of the penitent, there must be judgment on
the ungodly. 1t will be 1.-The day of the
Lords vengeance and the year of recon-
penses for the controversy of Zion," the
day of the vengeance and the year of His
redeemed lisa. xxXiv, s. xiii, y. When
He comes to be glorified in His saints, it
will be to yield vengeance on them that
know not God and obey not the gospel Oh
Thess. i, 7-l0).
G. For / am the Lord; | change not;
therefore ye sons of Jacob are not con-
sumed." Long suffering and abundant in
goodness and truth is His name from the
beginning of their history (EX. XXXiv, @,
and because of His covenant He will have
mercy notwi standing all that they have
done DER. xxi, 80, 81. He, being full Of
compassion, .orgave their iniquity and de-
stroyed them not-yea, many time turned
He His anger away and did not stir up all
| His WRATH Cps. xvii, 3s).
7. Return unto Me, and / will return
unto you, saith the Lord of Hosts. But We
said, Wherein shall we returnS" He re-
minds them of the iniquity of their fathers.
Even Moses testified in these words, "Ye
have been rebellious against the LoEd from
the day that | knew you" (Deut. tx, 24)
Yet He is ever pleading with them to re-
turn, because Heis love and has loved them
with an everlasting love der. xxi, 81.
s. will man rob God2 Yet We have
robbed me. But ye say Wherein have we
robbed thee? In tithes and offerings" In
Nehemiah's day the Levites and singers
were so neglected that they had to leave
their work in the house of God and go to
the fields for a living, because the tithes
were not brought in (Neh. xiii 1912
0. "Ye are cursed with a curse, for We have
robbed me, even this whole nation" Cursed
is every one that continueth not in all
things which are written in the book of the
law to do them (Gal. iii, l0). Whosoever
shall keep the whole law and yet offend in
one point is guilty of all (Jas. ii, 10)
Ananias and Sapphira died because they
pretended to give all, but kept back part of
the price. How many sudden deaths there
would be today if all the liars and de-
ceivers and robbers of God in time and
money were dealt with like Ananias and
Sapphiral
10. Bring ye all the tithes into the store
house that there may be meat In mine
house, and prove me now herewith, saith
the Lord of Hosts" Here is a challenge
from the Lord of Hosts in which He says
that if we obey Him in this matter of tithes
He will give such blessing that there will
be lack of room to receive it. 1t is the tes-
timony Of thousands of believers that since
they began to give to God tenth of every
dollar they have prospered beyond all prece-
dent even in temporal things, and much
more in spiritual things.
IL. "And will rebuke the devourer for
your sakes, and he shall not destroy the
fruits Of your ground" The 1.-THE would
recognize all as the Lords, and He would