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 unte 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.

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.]

373. Invitations rejected · excuses of sinners.

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,

Ironical Language - Jewish population predicted.

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 people, and wisdom shall die with you.

ye are the

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 theu, 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

Extent of their domain - Their wickedness and dispersion.

with fruit. 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.

and 32: 13.]

Gen. 12: 7, and 13: 14-17. Ex. 6: 4,

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.

Their return to Palestine.

2 K. 17: 6 In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. 18 Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only. 19 Also Judah kept not the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. 20 And the Lord rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight. 23 So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.

Ezk. 2: 3 He said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day. 7 Thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious. - 5: 5 Thus saith the Lord GOD; This is Jerusalem; I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her. 6 And she hath changed my judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and my statutes more than the countries that are round about her for they have refused my judgments and my statutes, they have not walked in them. 9 I will do in thee that which I have not done, and whereunto I will not do any more ‘he like, because of all thine abominations. - 9: 9 Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The LORD hath forsaken the earth, and the LORD seeth not.

Hos. 9: 16 Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit: yea, though they bring forth, yet will I slay even the beloved fruit of their womb. 17 My God will cast them away, because they did not hearken unto him: and they shall be wanderers among the nations.

378. Predicted resuscitation, reunion, and return of the Jews to the promised land, with peculiar subsequent prosperity.

Is. 11: 11 It shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall set his hand again the second time to recover the rem nant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. 12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together