The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1911-10-05

Inc ehTUtI pIODllt'lfS VI Niio 'NNNN 49,
Of Ezekiel were written l2 or 10 years be-
fore in 5S6. s.
PLACE-It was written at Tel-abib on
the river Chebnr In Babylonla, to the
exies scattered throughout that region.
PLACE IN HISTORY-It belongs to the
second part OF Ezekiel's prophecies, tho
object OF which was to prepare the people
for their return II was like leayen work.
ing during the 80 years before the people
were fitted to begin anew In Palestine.
NebuchadnezZar king OF Babylonla.
Daniel still living as a statesman.
In our last lesson we studied the
warnings by which God, through his
prophet Ezekiel, would persuade Is
rael to so repent and return to God,
that It would not be necessary to per
NIT Jerusalem and the Temple to be
destroyed The people refused. The
city was destroyed The Temple was
burned, and its treasures borne away
by the Chaldeans. The best of the
people, those In which were the great
est possibilities of good, and the larg-
est capacity for being trained, were
sent into far distant exile, for their
schooling; very much as their ances-
tors were disciplined and trained In
the wilderness that they might be en-
abled to take possession Of the Prom'
ised Land
They were as sheep without shep
herd. Their former rulers, whom God
had placed as shepherds over his peo-
pie in their own land, had proved
false, and instead of leading them to
the green pastures and still waters OF
obedience and righteousness, bad done
none of the things ruler-shepherd
ought to do They killed the dock In
stead of feeding IT, They neglected
the sick. They left the flock to be
torn by wild beasts They let them be
scattered upon the face OF the earth.
and none did search or seek after
them" Now God promised them
true shepherd
/ Ezekiel became one of "the Society
of Encouragers." The new day was
yet nearly 80 years in the future, but
the promise and the hope and the goal
were from this time before their eyes.
| The possibility of redemption, OF
new life of blessing, of a glorious and
| perfect heaven, is one of the first es.
sentials for escaping from a life Of sin.
| The assurance of perfect earth, OF
| the transformation of this world into
/ the kingdom of heaven, is strength,
I fpr thnca lahnrfnu fnr
this object.
In order to attain this hope, aud
realize this promise, II was abso-
lutely necessary that they should
have change of heart. The heart In
Scripture denotes the center of mans
personal activities. 1t is the organ OF
thought, the seat OF the affections, and
all moral impulses, of choice, and
love. From a right heart flows right
life, from a wrong heart flows a wrong
life.
A home Of worship, temple or
church. hours of Bible study and wor-
ship, sacred days, some forms of serv.
ice or ritual. persons set apart for re-
ligious teaching-are essential to the
cultivation Of religion and the prog.
ress of the truth. These forms and
airs must indeed be filed with the
spirit. They that worship God must
worship him in spirit and in truth"
Hence these visions of Ezekiel. And
in fact, there grew up among the ex
lies, religious organizations, syna-
gogues, schools, Sabbath keeping
which prepared them for their return
and their restoration as the visible
people of God The temple was the
symbol of Gods permanent presence
The glory of the Lord came into the
house" The glory Of the Lord filled
the house" and his voice was Ike a
noise of many waters; and the earth
shined with his glory" And he said
unto me, Son of Man, the place of my
throne, and the place of the soles Of
my feet, where will dwell IN the midst
of the children OF Israel for ever, and
my holy name, shall be the house Of
Israel no more defiled."
One thing only was wanting, the wa
ters of eternal life, the Holy Spirit,
In each one who receives, well OF
water springing up into everlasting
life. 1t is the stream of salvation,
widening into the gospel, flowing
through the centuries.
On the east side of the Jerusalem
temple there is valley which leads
70 the Dead sea. The healing waters,
"a soft flowing stream regarded as a
symbol of the silent and unobtrusive
influence of the divine presence in Is
rael, came from God, through his sanc
tuary, the source Of all good, all pow
er for salvation. So SIX centuries
later the powers which have changed
the world, the widened stream OF sal
vation, came from the risen Saviour
1t cannot be useless to insist upon
! a clear understanding of the relative
: positions of the threshold from be
low which the waters proceed forth
and the Dead sea which Is to be heat
ed thereby.
The river brings life, wherever It,
waters flow. The Dead sea. wherein
"it is impossible for any form of life
to flourish, not even saltwater fish,
1t fills with fish as many and great
as in the Mediterranean itself Il
heals the heavy sulphurous waters
and they are filled with living things
3 So the new life that God was bring
ing to the exlles, would change al
their discouragements and hardness
: OF heart, their tendencies to sin ant
= idolatry, all their heather surround