Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-08-31
9nttrnational gessolls.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON xl, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, SEPT. II.

| NATIONAL SERIES, SEPT. IT.
Text of the Lesson, Amos vi, 1-s CTem-
perance Lesson) Memory Verses, 2-8.
Golden Text, lisa. xviii, documentary
by the Rev. d. NJ. Stearns.
. /. "Come and let us return unto the
Lord, for He hath torn and He will heal
us; He hath smitten and He will bind US
up" The topic of this lesson Is "Sinful
Indulgence" and 1t is assigned as the
quarterly temperance lesson. 1t Is possible
that the committee meant the first eight
verses of chapter vii, for there Is a reference
In verse 8 to bottles Of wine. But we shall
In our meditation upon these verses con-
slider the book as a whole and thus gather
what we can of the mind of the Lord.
Hosea in Israel was contemporary with
Isaiah in Judah, as will appear by COM
pairing lisa. /, l, with Hos. 1, /. The great
sin Of both Judah and Israel was that Of
turning away from the Lord, as is simply
stated in Jer II, 13, and Gods constant
CRY to them was that they should turn to
Him again. See Jer. iii, l, Z, 12, IA, 90;
iy, l, etc. This Hosea urges them to do
In the. first verse Of our lesson, identifying
himself with them in their sins, as did all
the prophets, typifying our Lord Jesus,
who took our sins upon Him that He
might save US. See Dan. *, 5, 6, 8, etc.,
and II Cor. Y, 81; I Pet II, "a.
3. "After two days will He revive US, in
the third day He will raise us up, and we
shall live in His sight" All prophecy Is
full Of a glorious future for Israel when
their sins shall be blotted out, and they
shall be righteous nation before God in
the midst of the earth lisa. TX, 81; Jer.
xxi, 33, 3D. In Eek. xxxvii, -, 1S, and
Dan. xii, /, Q, this restoration of Israel is
associated with resurrection. 1t is posi-
BILE that in this verse there is louking
back to Isaac being given back to Abra-
ham on the third day, looking forward
to the resurrection of Christ on the third
day and to the restoration Of Israel two
days or 2,000 years after their scattering.
Note also the references to the third day
In the life and in the teaching Of our Lord
and take as constant prayer "That /
may know Him and the power of His res
direction" (Phil. iii, 10).
g. "Then shall we know II We follow on
to know the Lord; His going forth Is pre-
pared as the morning" 1t is written In
John vii, II, "If any man will do His
will, he shall know" There must be a
forgetting and pressing on II we would
know Him (Phil. iii, 13). Israel grew
weary of Him and of His teachings and
guidines, and they left off to take heed to
the Lord, forgot His law, joined them
selves to idols and dealt treacherously
against the Lord chapters iV, 6, 1O;v, 4, y.
All intemperance In meat or drink or IN
the pleasures or occupations Of life Is due
to a lack of the knowledge of God. His
coming in glory, which is doubtless in
oluded in His "going forth as the morn
ing" is the purifying hope OF John Ill, g.
| 4. 80 Ephraim, what shall do unto
theep o Judah, what shall 10 unto thee?
For your goodness is as a morning cloud
and as the early dew 1t goeth away y
Ephraim stands for Israel, the ten tribes
God tried every way to win them, but
| their piety was transient as morning
cloud dispersed by the rising sun (xiii, 81
They cried unto the Lord, even howled
upon their beds, but 1t was not with their
heart, and when they assembled them.
selves, apparently to worship God, it was
really for corn and wine or, in other words,
10 eat and drink for their own pleasure
(chapter vii, 14). They did not know that
the Lord gave them their corn and wine
and silver and gold which they used upon
Baal.
s. "Therefore have l hewed them by the
prophets; have slain them by the words
of my mouth, and Thy judgments are as
the light that goeth forth. They consid-
cred not that all their doings were before
Gods face (vii, q, and that He saw their
divided heart *, q. Through the proph-
cts by His word, which is like fire and q
hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces
(Jer. xiii, 29), He had sought to break
their pride and their rebellion, but their
doings would not suffer them TO turn unto
their God (chapter v, 4, margin). Many
know what they ought to do and know of
Gods love to them and claims upon them.
but they stop their ears and harden their
hearts and prefer their pleasures of sin for
season. They will not believe that as
they sow so shall they reap, and they that
sow the wind shall reap the whirlwind
(chapter viii,7).
6. "For desired mercy and not sacrifice,
and the knowledge of God moro thar burnt
I Offering" Sacrifice was instituted when
God in mercy gave to man redemption
garments (Gen. iii, 2D, thus foreshadow-
ing the sacrifice on Calvary wherein was
manifest the great love of God to sinners.
God desires not sacrifice, for the blood of
bulls and goats cannot take away sin (Ps.
Il, 6; Ii, is; Heb. *, 12). He does not
ask gifts nor religious fayors from those
who fancy themselves righteous, but He
desires to give redemption freely, by the
sacrifice of Himself, to all who will receive
Him. When we learn to know God and
His love and His way, we never think to
offer Him anything to win His favor or
in any way propitiate Him, but accepting
His Precipitation, Jesus Christ our Lord,
we yield ourselves to Him, living and
will sacrifice, bought by His blood.
2. "But they, like Adam (margin), have
transgressed tho covenant; there have
they dealt treaoherously against me-" On
Gods part all is perfect-perfect love and
grace and faithfulness for the undeserving.
The break and the failure arealways upon
mans part. Yet God changes not; He
abideth faithful and is ever'the saane (Mal.
iii, g.. Although they were guilty Of all
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