Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hated him, but shew mercies unto thousands of them who loved him. " Then, Mamma, what did he do to those wicked people? God, my darling, by his omniscience, that is, infinite wisdom, knew before that this iniquitous people the Jews, or Israelites, would do these things, and therefore Moses declared unto them what would be their punishment, in Deuteronomy, chap. xxviii.

"Because thou servedest not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; therefore thou shalt serve thine enemies which the Lord shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee. The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; a nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young; and he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee.

And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the Lord thy God hath given thee. And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the Lord thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee." And in chap. xxxii. he says: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust. The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also, with the man of gray hairs. I said, I would scatter them into corners, I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men." And also in chap. xxviii. he further says: "And 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. 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: and thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assur

ance of thy life. In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.”

"O Mamma, and were they so dreadfully punish ed?" They were, indeed, my love; for they no sooner crucified the Son of God, and became so wicked, than God sent the Romans, who besieged the Tem◄ ple, which God directed to be rebuilt for his worship, and for himself to inhabit, but which the people had wickedly made a den of thieves: God therefore permitted it to be entirely destroyed, and thousands of Jews to be crucified upon the walls of the city of Jerusalem. Mothers devoured their own children, because of the famine; and all natural affection was lost amidst the most horrid acts of brutality; and finally, the remainder of the people have been scattered all over the earth, have had a trembling heart, failing of the eyes, and sorrow of mind; they continue in this state to this day, which is another evidence of the truth of the Scriptures. "And will not God,Mamma, again inhabit a temple?” O, yes, my love; but one not made with hands. To-morrow I will give you an account of God's temple not made with hands, which will endure for ever; for it is built on a sure foundation, on a rock,

in which his children dwell securely. It is the Rock of Ages, the Rock of Salvation, the very Rock of Horeb, whence the water flowed in the wilderness. It is built in Zion. Strength and Beauty here unite. Zion is the Lord's delight. God bless you, my child, may you live within its walls.

« AnteriorContinuar »