The National tribune., 1885-12-10
SUNDAY MEDITATION.
Practical Buies Taught bT Study OF the Inter-
national Sunday School Lesson Appointed for
Dec. s0.-sISa. 81 Ill.

Dec. s0-ISa., 81 Ill.
| Zone reading these notes should first carefully
study the paragraph froui the Holy Scriptures as
indicated above.
chapter of the prophecy of Isaiah. This chap
! ter is intimately related to the SD. That
| foreteils the coming of the Messiah; this sets
| forth the grand results of the incarnation. God
| is the author of the lesson, Isaiah the amanu-
ensis. What he heard from God he wrote down
for men. making it known by voice and pen.
The people of the Kingdom of Judah first heard
it. 1t has been preserved and handed down to
our day. 1t is addressed to the hungry and
thirsty; those with qnickened spiritual pro
cliyities; those eager for the Water of Life,
hungry for the Bread from Heaven. All spirit
| ual blessings at our disposal. We can buy
all we need for our souls. We are to pay not
i'll coin, but in faith, appreciation, appropria
ton. There is no partiality, oligarchy, aris-
tocracv, nor other difficult and limiting quail
fication. Salvation is free as water How men
toll, sweat, sacrifice for what cannot meet the
needs OF the spiritual nature! What high
price men pay i'll attempts to crafty the long
ings of their souls, and yet fail of success!
Notsing but our holy religion can avail for the
soul. None but Christ can do helpless sinners
good Hearken not to false teachers, who
promise various human devices for happiness
to the soul and contentment to the mind. Hear
Christ. ". 81 Then you shall have the good.
Your souls will not be hungry. pinched up and
in distress, but you shall be so plentfully fed
that your soul shall thrive, as animals do well
and are in flesh which have plenty of proven
der. 1t is fatal to turn deaf ear to Jesus. God
made certain grand promises 10 David and his
descendants. (Ps.. SO: 2, g. A. Nothing but sin
can prevent such promises being realized. Heed
Christ and your mercieS are certain. The
covenant was an everlasting one, and so reaches
down even to US. Then God, from time to time,
renewed his covenant (agreement) made with
David: God so loved the world he gave his Son.
". 4, John, 3: 49, Christ reafirms all Gods
promises, testifes to the mercy and loving
kindness Of jehovah, bears witness to the
reality of the ceremonial law in its relations to
Calvary. He becomes incarnate so as to
lead. (V.4 A. But to lead he must COM
mand. And Christ did not descend from
Heaven merely to become the pet of
Nation, the idol of race, the Savior
of clan. Calvary, as an elevation, and that
made more conspicuous by cross lifted on
high, looked every way, pointed mercifully in
all directions. Never mind if you be not Is
raelites Not Nation but Nations ". 81 are
interested in ''The Crucifed." God and Christ
are at one as to salvation. If the one suffer,
the other elevates. ". 81 God glorfied the
Messiah from Bethlehem to Mt. Olives The
progress of Christianity is a magnifying of
Christ. He shall yet be in triumph at the
judgment. All through eternity he shall be
mediate action. (V. 81 Some effort will be
necessary. God is not so conspicuousy present
that men may dispense with all seekings after
him. The more he is sought the more he is
revealed. By LORD we may understand Jeho-
yah, and so Christ. Men cannot learn of him
without study. And Christ implies saliva
tion. Men must work out salvation. God
does not thrust redemption on us. Human
effort is demanded. Saying nothing as to
whether the time may ever come when Jeho-
yah cannot be found merciful, or when he will
not be near, We see what is at least implied in
the verse. There is reason enough for immedi-
ate action. One can take no risks as to saliva
tion. Effort now cannot be in vain, for. if
sought, God can now be found, and if found he
will now be placable. God now is near. He
seems nearer at one time than anOther-e. e.,
he seems near when We have met great earthly
losses; when Providence apparently has with
drawn; when some dear friend is very sick or
near to death; when calamity or famine or war
prevails; when we are reading some deeply de-
vout book or listening to searching sermon;
when we ourselves grow feeble, lose certain
physical powers or are evidently drawing near
to our graves. These times come in the lives of
us all Naturally they draw near to God.
Thousands have attributed their salvation to
experiences at such times. There is encourage
ment to act up to our convictions. 1t would be
best to be holy for the intrinsic value of
holiness. But there is greater inspiration.
Leave sin and it will not be in vain in the way
of reward. (V.7) Mercy awaits the wicked
man fleeing from sin. Pardon is at hand for
him who expels from his mind all unrighteous
thoughts. (V.7l We could not expect God would
be so lenient. ". 81 Man would not be so ready
to forgive his offenders. But God does not think
as we do, nor act as we conduct There is an
infinite difference between Gods thoughts and
ways and those of men. There is no use in trying
to measure God by any human standards. No
matter how inconsistent impossible, unnatural
it seems TO us for Jehovah to be so merciful, so
ready with pardon, nevertheless it is a fact.
You can rely on God with all the certainty you
do on the laws of nature. VS. 10, H. Mans
condition in sin is like barren land. AS the
rains freshen and fructify the soil, so Gods
truth revives and euriches the heart. Compare
Deu., 32:2; Ps, 72:6.) Agriculturists, in re-
gons where snow falls of Winters, know well
how iertlizing it is. Neither rain nor snow
fails of its purpose. Through both, buds bios
SOM. seeds sown grow, fruits develop. Gods
purpose in utterings words is to benefit men
spiritually. His promises descend from Heaven
as moisture comes from the clouds. Truth
shall prosper. You cannot utterly suppress it.
The gates of hell cannot prevail against the
good.
Rain and snow do not as such, return to the
sky. They ultimately find way back through
evaporation, but never till they have accom-
plished their purpose. If one lend book to be
passed around among his neIghbOrs it finally
again reaches the hand of its owner, but
meanwhile it has been read by goodly circle,
and is not returned till it has given pleasure
to many one.
Verses 10 and II are a simile. Notice the
parallelisms:
Verse 10: Verse IL
/. RAIN snow. Word. water of life
(Jno. 414) Wine and
milk. V.D
2. Heaven, clouds. Mouth of God o voice
of preacher or teacher.
3. Watereth. Strengtheneth.
4. Earth. Hearts, souls.
S. Buds. seeds. Fruits of Christianity.
6. Sower, eater. Christian workers.
MT, ID 81 -23.)
Z. Bread Christ. Uuo., 6:H)
Truth. C46)
8. Rain and snow do Gods word is not void
not return without ef- acconiplishes its object
fectng their purpose. prospers.
This lesson is full of practical suggestions:
/. Hunger and thirst after righteousness.
Ont, :6j Cultivate spiritual appetites Holi-
ness is to the soul what wine and milk are to
the body. (V. H. Christ is Bread, Water, the
Vine. The soul may delight itself in fairness.