Connecticut western news., 1875-12-24
SUNDAY SCHOOL LEssoNs.
By the Rastsr of a Sunday school
INTRODUCTION.

INTRODUCTION. tsra
 So many readers of every paper are these days interested in Sunday school work that we propose to devote some space each week for while to the lessons of the In ternational series, which are used by mil lions of people. They are used by ma jority of the Protestant Sunday schools of all denominations, in all Christian lands, and at most missionary stations among the heathen. They are the Sabbath study of about 100, 900 persons in Connecticut alone. As these lessons are not used by alive will, add some general remarks upon Sabbath school work and the general interests of the cause. |.
 For the last Sunday of the year the les son is review. For the first Sunday of the new year the lesson is in the first book of Samuel, fifteenth chapter. from the 10th to the 23rd verses. ]
 We turn back agaln to the story of Gods dealing with the people of Israel, or tho Jsws,as they were Afterwards called. near ly 5000 years ago. Six months slnce,in our lessons, when we began to study the beau-a tiful Gospel of John. we left the Jews un-z der the rule of their first crowned klna, Saul. From the time that Moses led them up out of Egypt, these people had been. ruled by God himself through the Judse that he had raised up from tiue to tune. Samuel, who from the tune that God spoke | to himywhen he was a'l,ttle boy, bad been devoted servant of God, was the last 0f the Judges of lsraeL Tbe people: by their slns. had brought q sreas deal of trouble on themselves. Whenever they re- pented and asked help of God. he raised up help for them but they would soon l forget God again and worship idols aud do all mauuer of wicked Lbincs.N Then to punish them be would let the enemies that were all arOpud them opp ess and trouble theHl, Sometimes one ots tAS- nRtIOnB that were enearshy ruled over tlisns aud some- tunes auother. Al one time the Philistines from whom their judge Samson had de- livered them long oTe-eouquered them l agRtu, took away all the;r wea poDs so tnaf they could not tght, and then took away llaNepytbiuR else they chose, and drove the to hide ID the woods aadln ho!es;in the ground I Sam. 13:6, 19 22'. God lot evil come to Iuem because they would be wick ed. He always took good care of them when they did ri2ht. But tbe people got the idea that If they had king. like the | other nations. they would be better oh. They told Samuel that they must have a king. Samuel told tuem that God was
 thelr kiuR, and tbat IT they would obey
 him He would take care of them but he could not persuade tbem. tEead Sam. s: i 1922. v F1.-.-@ 2 Y ri 7 Es . r. So Samuel made Saul their king. Saul lad been 8 farmer. He was giauJ in size, about seven feet bigU, au exceedingly han ndsome man. and 8 brave general. He was chosen of God for bis office, and made
 g very good king at first. and did help the people to overcome theIr enemies. If he
 had remembered that God was HIS King,
 and had obeyed God. everyshing would have gone well. Saul had son named
 Jonathan, who was handsome like his fa-
 ther, and a brave. good young man.
 Perhaps you remember learning long
 while ago about how Joshua fought bat
 tie, while Moses prayed. and Aaron and I Hur held up his hands. That was 400 years
 before Saul became klng, but those enc.
 mics that Joshua fought. the Amalekites
 had been near She 1srealltes all those years and had been doing them all the harm they could all the tlme. (Read Deut. 25 } 17.1o). They wore very wicked people, and God told King Saul to take an army and
 fight them and destroy them every one not to leave one of them alive. and to on.
 tirely destroy everything they owned. God
 wanted to show how hateful their wicked , ness was.and how he is sure to punish sin
 which he sometimes punishes in this life but alway men de not repent, in the life
 that is to come. @. '-
 Saul had great army of 2O0.00 men. He
 fought against the Amalekites andF over cane them. But he kept their ,king, AgaG al1ve and destroyed only such things as he
 did not want. He kept the best of the,r cat;
 tie and sheep and every thing, Then he led his army back in triumph, bringing ARe9