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wrath. 12 The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; his sin is hid. 13 The sorrows of a travailing woman shall come

12 Sin may be hidden for a time; but at last it shall be revealed and punished.

13 Ephraim refused to repent.

upon him he is an unwise son; for he should not stay long in the place of the breaking. 14 How glorious this promise! ful

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forth of children. I will filled to us by Jesus Christ.

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ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes. Though he be fruitful a- 15 Yet the impenitent, like Ephmong his brethren, an east raim, shall not go unpunished. wind shall come, the wind of the LORD shall come up from the wilderness, and his spring shall become dry, and his fountain shall be dried up he shall spoil the treasure of all pleasant vessels. Samaria shall become desolate; for she hath reelled against her God: they shall fall by the sword: their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up.

EVENING. HOSEA xiv.

1O ISRAEL, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so lips. Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy. I will heal their

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1 When one sinneth, he fallethfrom safety, from peace, from joy *.

2 The "words" were a set form of

prayer used by the Jews. The offering of prayer and praise was termed" the calves of the lips." will we render the calves of our

3 No Assyrian alliance can help us -no trust in the world! Thou, O God, art the merciful, the ready Helper of all who have none else to help them +.

This is ever the tender language of our God, whose love and grace are free.

backsliding, I will love them freely for mine anger is turned away from him. I will be as the dew unto Israel: he

5 The influence of God's Holy Spirit is like that of dew-gentle and

shall grow as the lily, and imperceptible, but effective.

* If men fall, it is because they cast themselves down. The enemy can only bid you, "Cast thyself down;" he cannot himself accomplish your fall.

† Assyria derived its name from Ashur, the son of Shem.

cast forth his roots as Lebanon. His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon. They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon. Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard him, and observed him: I am like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit found. Who is 9 Be sure that he is truly wise, who wise, and he shall understand finds the ways of the Lord right; these things? prudent, and and he just, who walketh in them. he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall

therein.

Thursday before Easter.

MORNING. DANIEL ix.

These wonderful prophecies extend through many ages. They reveal the successive rise and fall of the four great monarchies of the world; foreshadow the establishment of Christ's kingdom; and, passing from earth to heaven, close in eternity.

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In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; in the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

2 The prophecies of Jeremiah here referred to, were delivered about sixty years before and sixty-eight years of the captivity had already passed.

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3 Few are called to engage in great events; but every man has duties to And I set my face unto the perform: and he is the wise man, Lord God, to seek by prayer who, longing for wisdom to perform them well, seeketh his God in prayer. and supplications, with fast- 4 If we would end our services in ing, and sackcloth, and ashes: hope, we must begin them in reand I prayed unto the LORD pentance, and continue them in faith. my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; we have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: 'neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy

6 Can it be no sin now to reject the counsel offered by the ministers of the same word, the servants of the same God?

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7 How striking the contrast between

the perfection of the Creator and the

nothingness of the creature.

Kings and their subjects, if they would have national prosperity, must evidence national righteousness.

name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee. O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. То the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him; 10 Lo! the authority of your minis1* neither have we obeyed the ter is the delegated authority of God. voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him. And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem. As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth. 14 What an awful thought! The 14 Therefore hath the LORD Almighty watching for the moment watched upon the evil, and when, wearied with our sins, he will brought it upon us: for the inflict the punishment he had preLORD our God is righteous pared against us.

15 This unreserved confession augurs a glorious sincerity.

in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice. 15 And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly. O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us. Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary

19 Whose heart adopts not this touching appeal to the honour of Jehovah ?-Forgive, for thine ow

sake.

that is desolate, for the Lord's sake. O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousness, but for thy great mercies. 19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God for thy city and thy people are called by thy name. And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God; "yea, whiles 21 Angels are God's ministers, ever ready to do us also service at his bidding.

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I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to y swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give 23 At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision †. Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall

thee skill and understanding. 23 How consolatory to be thus assured that God's grace prevents-or goes before us-anticipating our holy supplications* !

26 Christ died, not for himself, but for us-the just for the unjust.

At length the Roman armies shall come; and before them Jerusalem shall fall.

*So the Father goes out to meet the prodigal, even when he was "yet ajar off." Such is God's mercy! The first good thought marked and accepted! + Each day of these prophetical weeks is counted as a year, and the number of years would be 490; which was the exact time between the rebuilding of Jerusalem (Ezra i. 1) and the death and resurrection of "Messiah the Prince."

come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

EVENING. JEREMIAH XXXi.

1AT the same time, saith the LORD, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.

1 In the Messiah all the faithful shall become one great family of God, the Father of all. O for our

home in heaven!

2 Those who escaped from Egypt.

sword found grace in the I went up to cause him to rest. 3 The Jewish nation thus acknow,

Thus saith the LORD, The people which were left of the wilderness; even Israel, when 'The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I

ledge God's care over them.

have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. The Church shall be restored with *Again I will build thee, and all her glorious services of joy. thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry. Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria: the planters shall plant, and shall eat them as common things. For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the mount Ephraim shall cry, to Zion unto the LORD our God. Sing with gladness for Jacob, and the nations: publish ye, praise ye, people, the remnant of Israel.

5 Samaria shall cease her enmity, and shall share the worship of Jeru

salem. The Church shall be received even by those who once scoffed it.

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The voice of thy minister is the voice of the appointed watchman

now.

Arise ye, and let us go up For thus saith the LORD; shout among the chief of and say, O LORD, save thy

8 How full of affection and tender

Behold, I will bring them care is Jehovah towards those who from the north country, and seek him!

gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall return thither. They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not

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