The record., 1912-04-04

eighth century before Christ. They
were times OF great luxury connected
with the rapid growth OF the two cap
ital cities-Jerusalem and Samaria.
The old religious habits had been
largely set aside by the incoming OF
foreigners. The displacing of religion
in the court had made wordliness
fashionable. and with entire light
heartedness the people had given
themselves up to the pursuit Of plea
ure and of wealth.
Amos was n herdsman of small des-
ert sheep on the hills OF Judah. some
dozen miles to the south of Jerusalem.
lie Describes himself as ''pincher OF
wild figs" which evidently he gather
ed from time tn time TO supplement
by their sale the small earnings of his
poor ,ock His home In the little
village OF Tekoa was on ridge some
5000 feet above the Mediterranean.
Alone with his flock he had before
his eyes many reminder of the God
OF his fathers who had brought them
out of Egypt and. delivering them
across the Jordan and had given them
the promise OF this land as their abid-
ing Inheritance And now God was
forgotten. and his people had fallen
into the ways OF the heather.
As from time TO time he went down
10 the town to sell his feeces or his
figs he was overwhelmed with what
he saw.
Communing alone with God, the
message of prophecy was given to
him. 1t consists OF three short ad-
dresses. The first pronounced the
Judgment OF Jehovah upon the ma
'tions. the second his judgment upon
his own people. warning them that be-
cause he had known them and loved
them, therefore he would visit them
In chastisement. In the third, con-
,taining our text. he warns them OF
their danger. exhorts them to return
to Jehovah and recalls his vision OF
the blessedness that is awaiting them
in the distant future.
Bring your offerings" he says.
Keep your fasts. be followers OF Je-
hovah in name. God is not deceived
by hypocrisy. Religion is character;
he secs through your shams; he
knows the perversion OF your hearts.
They that lie in beds of ivory and
stretch themselves on beds and couch
es: that eat lambs ont of the flock
and sing Idle songs to the sound Of
the viol; that drink wine in bowls
and aneint themselves with chief oils
and are not grieved with the affection
of Joseph, they shall go into captivi-
ty: their reyelries shall pass away,
for the Lord abhors the excellency Of
Jacob, and their houses shall be smit-
| ten"
In his distress over the people he
hovah, forgive, beseech thee" and
he has a vision of the turning away
| of the divine judgment. Then comes
| the text. The Lord stands with the
| ,plumb line in his hand and the plumb
line becomes the graphic figure Of the
| final word of God to his people.
SO the plumb line was given to the
| prophet as the message to his people.
We rejoice as We apply this test to
the Christianity of today. Let us see
what its word is TO Us.
Let us look first to the gospel that
| I'VE have 10 preach. That never was
more distinctive than II is now as the
gospel OF Jesus Christ. We have gone
| Through the period in which under the
! Influence of the wonderful discoveries
| ,of science, rationalistic unbelief has
swept over the land and turned many
laway from Jesus Christ. But that
day was long passed and has been
followed by another. IN which men
have been trying to find an acceptable
.supsii.ate for Jesus Christ.
They have been running here and
there after any form OF religion, or OF
worship that claimed to be new: new
Thought, or new philosophy, or new
revelations, whether coming in the
name OF some mystsry Of Persia or
India. or some dev. masking as re.
(ligion or science from Boston. But
men already have found not only that
they cannot live without religion. but
that today no religion will satisfy a
man other than that which reveals
God.
We have come back TO the religion
of the supernatural. Of the miracles
and Of the resurrection: In short, ia
the religion Of the crucified and risen
Christ We must have a religion that
fits the facts OF human existence.
The Christian church also, however
much It may have erred in the past
is aiming to produce the image OF
Christ in men. II accepts the chal
lenge to be a promoter OF human vel
fare. and in a very social way, but
that is not It's ultimate aim; its aim
always is to make better men, and 4,
never was true. what has been 20
often charged against IT. that 1t Is sc
busy saving souls that II has not time
TO save men. Rather by means OF
saving souls 1t has been sure that 4,
was saving men. and everywhere TO
day the world is yakening to see
. that 1t is the gospel rather than com
merce or education. or the refinement
of cultured society, which Is changing
the world.
| Typewriter ribbons, legal blark5
) ioouTent Covers, carbon paper :