Founded on the Provisions of the Gospel.

wine which he drank. 12 Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. 15 And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat.

Lk. 1: 15 He [John] shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink.

Rom. 14: 21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.

1 Cor. 5: 11 Now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner: with such a one no not to eat. [See 199.]

369. Priests, Nazarites, and civil rulers specially forbidden the use of strong drink.

Lev. 10: 8 The LORD spake unto Aaron, saying, 9 Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations: 10 And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean; 11 And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.

Num. 6: 1 The LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD: 3 He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried. 4 All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine-tree, from the kernels even to the husk.

Pr. 31: 4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: 5 Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted. [See 457.]

INVITATIONS.

370. Invitations, founded upon the provisions of the Gospel. Is. 45: 22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters,

the ends of

- 55: 1 Ho, and he that

Expostulations.

hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. 3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live: and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

Mat. 11: 28 Come unto me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me: for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.-22: 2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, 3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding, and they would not come. 4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.

Lk. 14: 17 And sent his servant at supper-time, to say to them that were bidden, Come, for all things are now ready.

Jn. 7: 37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

Rev. 3: 20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. - 22: 17 The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. [See 233, 580.]

371. Expostulatory Invitations.

Pr. 1: 20 Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: 21 She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, 22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? 23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.

Is. 1: 18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Jer. 22: 29 O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD. Ezk. 33: 11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God,

Sincerity of apparent - Rejected.

I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

Mic. 6: 1 Hear ye now what the LORD saith; Arise, contend thou before the mountains and let the hills hear thy voice. 2 Hear ye, O mountains, the LORD's controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth: for the LORD hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel. 3 O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me. [See 60, 224-5.]

372. Sincerity of God's invitations apparent, or good desired and evil deprecated.

Ps. 81: 13 Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! 14 I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries. 15 The haters of the LORD should have submitted themselves unto him.

Is. 48: 18 O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.

Lk. 19: 41 When he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, 42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. [See 224, 228, 233.]

Ps. 58: 4 They are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear; 5 Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.

Pr. 1: 24 I have called and ye refused, I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; 25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof.

Zec. 7: 11 They refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear. 12 Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his Spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts. 13 Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts.

Mat. 22: 2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, 3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. 4 Again, he sent forth other servants,

1

saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready come unto the marriage. 5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise. 6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.

Lk. 14: 17 And sent his servant at supper-time to say to them that were bidden, Come, for all things are now ready. 18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. 19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. 20 And another said, I have married a wife: and therefore I cannot come. [See 272, 696-7, 706.]

IRONY.

374. Ironical language sometimes used in the Bible.

Jud. 10: 14 Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.

1 K. 18: 27 It came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god: either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.

Job 12: 1 Job answered and said, 2 No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you.

Ec. 11:9 Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thy heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.

JEWS, OR SEED OF ABRAHAM.

375. Predicted population of the Jews.

Gen. 13: 16 I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.-26: 4 I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries: and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.

Is. 27: 6 He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world

with fruit.

Extent of their domain — - Their wickedness and dispersion.

60: 22 A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the LORD will hasten it in his time. 37: 26 I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.

Hos. 1: 10 The number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.

[Gen. 15: 5, and 16: 10, and 22: 17, and 28: 14. Num. 23: 10. Is. 65: 23.]

376. Extent of their territory, and nature of the grant to them.

Gen. 15: 18 In that same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates. 17: 8 I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

Dt. 32: 8 When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. 9 For the LORD's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.

Jos. 1: 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.

[Num. 34:2-12. Gen. 12:7, and 13: 14-17. Ex. 6: 4, and 32: 13.]

377. Wickedness and predicted dispersion of the Jews.

Dt. 28: 64 The LORD shall scatter thee among all people from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone. 65 And among

these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind. 66 And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee: and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life.