Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-10-10
Sunday School Lesson Noes
BY REV. ] o. SHERBURN.

time when the activities of Samuel, tht
busy reformer, were being enfeebled by
age. We ARE not to understand that Pt
was extremely old. even AS we reckon grea
age at the present time. He could hardly
have been more than about 60 years at this
period. David came to the throne at 80
wears of age, after having been annoined
as king some 10 or II years. But Samuel
apnoipted him toward 30 years after the
events of this lesson, and it is not intimaled
that he was then in the extreme teebleness
ofage. The state of the case appears to
be this, Samuel had sons grown TO matur
ity; his work in judging the people was
arduous, and kept him much from his
house, in making the circuit spoken Of
in chapter ZIG, So in accordance with
all eastern custom, (and, indeed, the law
required that some one should be appoint
ed as Judge in the principal towns. Deut.
1G: 1877 Samuel associated his sons with
him in the judgeship of the land. They
were located in the southern portion of the
country, while Samuel himself doubtless
had the towns nearer Ramah. The
account given us of the character of Sam
uel's sons has been matter of difficulty
to some They have questioned why man
so upright and Cody as Samuel should
have sons of character so far the opposite
But we do not need to 60 far for an
explanation. Samuel had given his time
and care to public matters. not to his
family. In lhe great work of bringing a
nation out of idolatry and establishing
them in allegiance to the true God, he
had found little time to give his sons the
training they needed. We need not 90
far to see the same condition of things in
the families of eminent public men, even
of ministers, missionaries and bishops.
The real state of the case in this time, and
all time, is that boy needs a fathers
care and training, if his father is too busy
or too Indifferent to give him this, he will
get kind of training in the street, OF
somewhere else; and the fact that he had
good father will not save him from tht
effects of the training which he thus
obtained.
The man who has so much work abroad
that he cannot care for his family is in
poor position to give worthy sons to tn"
world. The charge ag inst the sons OF
Samuel WAS not that they were Inefficient
but hat they were corrupt. They use'l
their Office as means of getting wealth,
and the man who does that, in any time,
is not safe Judge or ruler. Partly through
dissatisfaction with the sons of Samuel,
and, as we learn from 1. Samuel l.: II,
partly because of an invasion of the
Ammoriles, the elders of the people, their
representatives under the patriarchial
form of government, assembled at Ramah
and petiioned Samuel to appoint them
king. In his act they recognized Samuel
as their supreme ruler, but expressed
desire that he should then put the reins of
their request on the fact of his advanced
age and the unftness Of his sons for the
place, but the real reason comes to the
surface when they say "Like all the other
nations" Naturally Samuel was not
pleased with the position they offered. 1t
is not pleasant 10 anyone 10 be Informed
that his services are no longer acceptable.
Samuel doubtless felt this. and the
ingratitude of the people for the untiring
services that he had given them. There
was another element also in the case that
was dispeasng to him: the people were,
as he understood it, turning away from
their d-appointed form of government
This must be great grief to a man who
had spent all his best years in the effort to
bring the people hack to God. But Sam
uel did not rashly put himself in opposi-
tion to the wish of the people. He did
what any devout ruler would do under
such circumstances, be carried the matt
before the Lord in prayer. He did not
pray in vain. The special direction he
sought came, and God counseled him TO
yield TO the request of the people. He
also made the case easier for Samuel by
telling him that the affront which the
people had shown their Judge was really
against their God more than against him.
The people made a mistake witch
has teen often made since their time;
they found that certain things were
going wrong among them and they
jumped at the conclusion that the fault
was with the machinery of government.
They fancied that a change from theocracy
TO monarchy would bring them the relief
they sought. While the root of the
difficulty was deeper. The real trouble
was in the character of the people. So at
the pl esenr, the matters which legislators
seek to adjust by some change in the
law, or in the administration, do not lie
within the scope of legislation many times
but are ola different nature. Sui men,
seeing something out of order, fly at the
machine and commence 10 tinker that
when the difficulty is with the power Tor
lack of poweD by which the machine is
run. In the case before us God directed
Samuel 10 yield to the wish of the people
and yet with protest, for he is to declare
all the peculiar difficulties and hardships
that arise under The government of a.
single individual. The people bad shown
their disposition TO forsake God, and II
they were without him, it mattered little
whether ,hey were governed by mon.
al ch or in some other way. On the other
bandit in their heart and life they turned
TO God, he could give them deliverance
and prosperity as well under king as
under IL Judge. So after his continuing
with God about the matter, Samuel
returned to the people and as faithful
AM bassador told thom all the words which
~ l. 4 IaH nj