the writers were, and when they wrote them. Such instruction has not only led to a clearer knowledge and an increased appreciation of them, but it has equipped our young men and maidens with a shield to ward off those hits at the Bible, which are dealt so mercilessly against it, in their hearing, in the workshops and factories of our land.

This little book is an attempt to give some help in this direction, and is sent out as a contribution to the better understanding of the books of the Lesser Prophets. Originally a collection of notes of lessons for a Young Men's Bible Class in a small country town, it has assumed its present form. The interest which the members of the class took in the subject, a period of leisure available for working out the notes, and the favourable opinion of more than one experienced teacher of Bible Classes have encouraged the authoress to publish this volume. I am sure that it will be found useful as a handbook for classes in schools, and that it will be a very valuable addition to the shelves of Parochial Libraries.

PERSHORE VICARAGE,

Lent, 1885.

WILLIAM WALTERS.

In the Notes appended to each Chapter the writer has chiefly followed the explanations in "The Speaker's Commentary," permission for such use having been kindly given by the Editor and Publisher.

SIMPLE READINGS ON THE

MINOR PROPHETS.

CHAPTER I.

THE PROPHETS, WHO WERE THEY?

THE 'HE words of the Prophets are called in the Bible by GOD Himself "the LORD'S message unto the people."1 Let us begin by considering that expression. The LORD'S message, something He desires to say to us, something which it concerns us much to know, but which we cannot know unless we hear it from Him Who knows everything. How should such a message be received? Surely His people must listen with the deepest attention, and spare no pains to understand every word. People are eager enough about earthly messages. When a telegram arrives from a friend, how hastily it is torn open! When the Queen delivers her speech at the opening of Parliament, how anxiously men take up the newspaper to read what are the intentions of Government during the coming session! But is it so with the words of our Heavenly Friend, our Heavenly King? It is to be feared that too often they are skimmed over in a careless, listless manner, and that large portions are left unread altogether. This is perhaps especially true of that part of the Bible called the Minor Prophets. Many people, who are thoroughly acquainted with the New Testament and 1 Hag. i. 13.

B

with other parts of the Old Testament, hardly ever look at these twelve books at all.

The chief cause of this neglect is perhaps the feeling that this part of the Bible is too difficult for ordinary readers to understand, so that only the learned need trouble themselves to study it. Surely this is wrong. When the golddigger comes to a hard stratum of rock, he does not give up his task, but rather puts forth more strength to the work. Or, we will take another illustration. A beloved and loving father goes to a distant land, leaving his only son at home; while there he is stricken with a fatal disease, and before his death he writes a long letter to his child, full of directions as to his conduct in life, and the management of the property to which he is heir; much of the contents are difficult to understand, being full of legal terms, and on subjects of which the boy is as yet ignorant; but he would be indeed an undutiful and ungrateful son if he contented himself with reading over the simple advice as to his behaviour, and the expressions of affection towards himself, without taking the trouble to master the rest of the contents. If he really loved his father, he would say, "Anything that my father thought I ought to know must be for my good,I will take this part to a lawyer, or that to my schoolmaster, and ask them to explain it, and I will not rest till I have got at the full meaning of every word of my precious letter."

The reader may say, however, that the cases are different, for the words of the Prophets were not spoken directly to English people of the nineteenth century, but to the nation of the Jews some 2,000 years ago, and that they are therefore full of references to things, people, and places long since passed away, which have nothing to do with us. That is all true to a certain extent; but, in the first place, as we know that God does nothing without a purpose, we may be sure that He would not have ordained that these particular writings should be preserved in such a wonderful way, unless there was a message in each one which concerned us of modern days; for we must recollect that there are a great many other similar books mentioned in the Bible1 which

1 Such as the Book of Nathan the Prophet, the Book of Gad the Seer, the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, the visions of Iddo the Seer,