The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1876-12-20
REVIEW OF A YEARS wOR.

REVIEW OF A YEARS WORK
The Sabbath School Lessons of the year
now closing have contained some very inter
essing and instructive portions of scripture
history. In their study We have looked with
somewhat close scrutiny at the various OBJ
jects that have passed before US. Let US
now recall the scenes of the historical piano.
rama; but only to look for moment at
some of the characters that stand forth most
prominent on the canvas of the inspired
paintings. In the
FIRST QUARTER
Samuel, Saul, Jonathan, and David are
conspicuous.
SAMUEL belongs rather to what had al
ready passed yet the glory of his setting
sun falls with genial radience upon the gath
ering clouds of his successors reign, The
aged prophet of God, who had inaugurated
Saul, and taught him his duty, wept tender
ly over the hayward young king, whom he
in vain tried to restrain in his sinful course.
Then having at bidding of God anOinted
David to succeed Saul, Samuel retired from
public affairs, and spent a green old age in
teaching school of the prophets, who should
be teachers of the people when he was gone,
He lived and died beloved and hOnOred.
SAUL first appears as a young man, noble
in person and noble in eharaeter-braVe and
patriotic, and Withal modest, unassuming, and
fOrbearing. But he had an uuregenera:e
heart, with evil traits not yet developed, and
giving way to the propensities of his corrupt
nature, he led life of disobedienoe and re-
belhon against God. In the face of many
warnings and temporary awakeniDgs, on
ward he went in bis course Of wiekedness.-
Descending step by step, he reached the low
est stages of obduracy, and died in despair.
This wreck of life is solemn warning to
men not to disObey God, even with plausible
pretexts; not to yield to their sinful inclina-
tions; not to disregard awakeniDgs, and DO
despite to the Spirit of grace.
JONATHAN was worthy of better father.
He exhibited sll the manly traits that be-
longed to Saul before his spostacy; but none
of those worse traits that soon overwhelmed
the good in the GOd-forsaken king. The
fear of God and the elevating principles of
religion seem to have controlled his life, and
cemented his friendship with the pious David.
lie transferred al his hopes of the kingdom
to his bosom friend. This noble generosity
to one who stood between him and the crown
has not its equal in history. Nor is his no.
bleness of soul less resplendent in his bear
ing to his father. Saul had been the cause
of his exclusion from the throne, had perSe-
cuted his bosom friend, whom he knew to be
innocent aud had attempted to take his own
life; and yet we listen in vain for a single
word of disrespect to his father, even when
be opens his heart to David.
DAVID occupies too prominent a place in
scripture for US to bring a review'o of his
whole life within the compass of paragraph.
A few words must suffice. His life was one
of disappointments and successes, Of sad
trials and heavenly joys. His character
was also a cOmminglirg of good and evil,
of human excellenoes and human frsilties.
Pious in childhood, he lived much in COM
munion with God, and learned by secret
meditation, and by personal experience, the
corruption and deceitfulness of the human
heart. By the varied scenes through which
he passed he was trained not only to be the
leader of Israel but to do the great work
of his life, write Book Of DevotioNs for the
Church. The loves and the hates, the faith
fulness and the treachery, the elevations and
the abssements, with which his checkered
life made him familiar, left their impress
upon his heart, thence to be transferred to
the inspired page in the Book Of Psalms. He
was, too, honOred by God with a covenant
which made him the type of the Messiah in
his office as King in Zion. Yet he sinned
grieyously; and sorrows originating in his
own house over-shadOWed the later years of
his reign. His sorrows however have yielded
precious fruit to the Church. David in these
days of darkness and of penitence wrote
some Of the most precious Of the Psalms, rich
in Christian experience. They have sus-
tanned many child of sorrow as the waves
and pillows went over him. They give the
best history of this SHINING, repenting, chas
tened child Of God and they will ever be
as "sOngs in the nigh" to pilgrims through
this vale Of tears.
The THIRD QUARTER
Connects directly with the first. David who !
wept 50 inconsolably over the loss of the
hayward Absalom, with grief not sOOthed 1
by any hope beyond the grave, had the COM
fort in his declining days of transmitting his
crown to bis son Solomon, who by his wisdom
and piety gave promise of a prosperous reign.
SOLOMON did what David had set his heart
upon; he built the temple of God at Jerusa-
lem. In this work he carried out the in