The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-09-10

1NTRODTCTION.-D the whole
period of the history of Israel prophets
were sent to teach and warn the peo-
pie. Samuel, the last of the judges,
founded schools of the prophets where
i'm young men were instructed in the
things of God. From his time forward
for more than two centuries these holy
men delivered their instructions orally.
Their writings were chiefly historical
But afterward they made permanent
record OF their teachings, wherein are
many data of the events of the time
Those records are preserved to us in
seventeen small pamphlets, usually
designated the prophetical books.
called by the Jews the later prophets
to distinguish them from the histories
which We're styled former prophets
Amos Is one of the earliest of these
later prophets. He was n herdman of
Tekoa (chap. i: H. in the land of
Judah, in the days of Joash, mentioned
in our last lesson. From this it ap-
pears that he received no technical or
professional training, that he came
into the office of prophet, soon after
Elsha's death, by direct call of God.
He ministered i'm the northern king
dom. We study today only fragment
of his book
SECURITY.-The first verse of the
lesson is a note of alarm sounded out
by this spirit-called herdman to the
inhabitants of Samaria. That city, the
metropolis of Israel, was built by
Omri, about b. G. G5. The hill on
which it stood was purchased from
Shpmpr from W &c Il
rived U Kings xvi: 23-2D. 1t was
greatly strengthened by the reigning
kings from time to time and was con-
sidered to be impregnabe. Wealth and
luxury were there, and the people felt
themselves secure in their beautiful
homes. 1t needed a bold man of God
to awaken them to a sense of danger
and his voice was heard, clear and
loud, crying "woe." The ground of his
prediction was the fact that Samaria
was the seat of temple of Baal, built
by Ahab Il Kings xvi: 32). The abom-
Unable practices of idolatrous worship,
so horrid that they may not now be
described, corrupted the people and
turned them away from the worship of
Jehovah. There is no place where a
sinner may hide and be safe. A city
ll1l lOTStlS bbu, Il people VINO 90
wickedly, shall be destroyed, whatever
may be their defenses psalm tx: 10.
| COMPARISON.-Th voice of warn
| ing is seldom needed. When people
| are surrounded by every comfort and
| think themselves secure against out
ward foes it is difficult for them to
| believe that danger is near. Amos
| therefore emphasized his words by
| mentioning the fate of other cities and
| comparing them with Samaria. Verse
| ,. Calneh, in the region of Babylon,
| had been lately subdued by theAssy-
| rians. Gath, the strong hold of the
| Philistines, tJosh xii, 81 had been TAX
| en- hy UZZiah, and Klamath, one of the
| most important cities of Syria, al
| though strongly fortified, had fallen
| Did those cities deserve the indgna-
tiOn of God for their ingratitude more
| than did Samaria? or had they more
to tempt the avarice Of invaders. Why
| then should the Samaritans worship
| their Gods? Why should they hope
to escape the judgment of the AlmiGh-
| ty or the cnmity of their nCiGhbors? &?
| In time when war for agrandizement