The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1888-08-15
THE SUNDAY-SCHOOL.
Notes on the Lesson for August 10
Tho Feast Of Tabernacles.

&A0 6VooS VI 40UOk ooO4O0
from the Chicago Standard
Z. The lesson for above date may be found
In the twcnty-third chapter OF Leviticns.
from the thirty-third TO the forty-fourth
verses.
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHES.
The feast IL was "A great object-lesson In
spiritual things. Since Christ has come all
ordinances OF days have merged into one
tho Lords day. Into its large significance
IL has drawn all rays OF lesser light; Ii speaks
the meaning OF all tho sacred days. The
feast OF the Passover. with sacrihcial linen
stain. Is here recalled. the feast Of Pente-
cost. with its grateful Offering OF first-fruits:
the feast OF Trumpets. with It's praiseful
proclamation: the feast OF Atonement. with
its humble affection Of soul: and especially
the feast OF Tabernacles. with its seven days
OF mingled memorial and prophecy. When
We keep the Christian Sabbath as We should
"A day OF sacred reminder for the past. OF
dutiful and worshipful gratitude in the pres
ent. and. rightly viewed. profound and po-
tent prophecy OF things to come. we shall
not be falling short OF Israel's piety and de-
voutness. That day which saw Christ rise
from the dead marked not the death of past
ordinances so much as the resurrection TO n
larger life and fulfilment. We may still
keep both the sacrifice and the feast.
holy cOnrocati0n. The feast opened
and closed with IA Sabbath. That day. as
giving character TO all. was day OF assem-
Oily. Old ana young, men. women and chill
dren found hero personal summons. Do
We realize how much one jars upon the
order OF the universe when he ignores this
call? He is wholly awry. A holy conroca-
ton. it was TO be. The continental Sabbath
Is an offense to God and man. 1t is the in
tent of the convocation that sanctifles or
stGltfles 1t. Depend upon 1t. God was speak
ing in utmost mercy when he declared day
of rest and when he called the people TO
worshipful assembly ii was the same mercy
speaking. There Is a mental quickening. "a
bodily reviving. and above all spiritual
refreshing which the lounging Sunday pic
nicer in the park. or the lolling Sunday
newspaper reader in hammock or on sofa
knows nothing OF. AS a usual thing the
man who wakes up freshest for his Monday
work is the one who was az church the day
before. Ask his employer or his wife or
himself.
No serrile ,rork therein. There is a work
fitted TO the day. No servile work; that ia,
no such labor "a belonged TO the ordinary
bread winning tasks OF the working day was
allowable. Work there Is on the Lords day.
the pastor and teacher know ii well. but il
belongs wholly To the observance Of the
feast: the lifting up OF the palm branch and
the reading Of the oracle undcr its shadow.
There IS a distinction here for the servants
of the temple themselves. The pastors and
teachers 5 udy-tabic, even though its theme
and quest Is Bible truth. may come under
this category Of seryilc labor. The simple
maxim Tor teacher and taught alike Is 10
make "a difference. and TO lay aside wonted
emp.oyments when the day Of rest and wor
ship comes. II il good policy. Judge Hale
once said: Il could easily make an estimate
ofmy success thcweek following by the man.
ner of my passing this day; and this, he
added. Il do not write lightly or inconsider-
ately, but upon IA long and sound observa-
hands turn at my garden. Jem. next Sunday
morning" said an Englishman. Can't af-
ford it," was the old hedger's reply. But
I'll pay" Cant afford It," I'm sure you're
not too well off," Cant afford it," Whyp
He was a Christian. that was ali. Can any
one who rests in Gods providence and looks
for his salvation afford it" to desecrate his
day?
offer an Offering The Sabbath day was
par excellence the day for offerings This
was that great day OF the feast" which saw
the elimination OF all the festival rites. It's
sacred Offering crowned all the sacrifices of
the week. The Lords day Is 10 the Chris
tian the browning day of all the week.
Gathering up and forecasting, IL sums up
the sacriilcial spirit OF all that comes before
and that follows after. No man can bring
more TO the temple than his past week of
faithful living has treasured up for him. and
no mans Sabbath vow counts for more than
the coming week of actual living realizes
for him before the world.
Everything upon his day. Or literally the
deed Of day upon its day. DiUdr yons
Byomo. 1t is motto familiar To those who
have been under the Instructions OF that en-
thusiast in Semitic research who not long
ago was called from Morgan Park TO Yale.
1t represents not simply the organizing gen.
Jus OF to- day. but the spirit OF the old Jew
| ish civilization. Whence have we learned
orderliness in work, system in study. exact
ness and precision in results. comprehen-
siveness linked with conciseness, concentra-
ton. and condensation united. but from old
world tO-da a. r.
| estimate its debt in point OF intellectual as
well as moral advancement to the tutelage
of that sober. straightforward race. Their
| punctilious regard for days in things relig-
| ious had no little influence in molding men 8
habits OF thought in secular affairs. Three
millenniums of such schooling as the laws
| of Moses gave. and the world was ready for
Gutenberg and Columbus.
Beside. Four times in succession the word
| occurs. Beside the Sabbaths. beside your
gifts. beside your vows. and beside your
| freewill offerings. We are not TO neglect
| the ordinary services and ministries The
great annual festivals were to be sacredly
| kept. but the little weekly and daily rites
| and offices were to be observed As we'll. In
deed the annual feasts were of real signifi-
| canoe only in proportion to weekly and
daily faithfulness. These ought We to have
| done and not TO leave the other undone. ;"
| Remember the things besides. In our Chris
| tian calendars there are red-letter days. and
there is type of red-letter- day Christianity
| which almost wholly forgets the everyday
| demands of service and piety Bush-meet-
| ing Christians. revival Christians. week of
| prayer Christians, lenten Christians. feast
| day Christians. o. remember the days be-
| sides How about loyalty in the fifty two
| Sundays OF the year? How about VOWS and
| gifts and freewill offerings upon the three
| hundred and sixty-flve days of the year?
| Beside" is "A big word.
| When pc hare gathered in the fruit. The
1 W. v "a 40 N 81 a
| of-tabernaces spirit in our sacred days is
that we have so little spiritual fruit-gather-
| ing to look back upon. Our Sabbaths ought
| TO be more of their harvest-home Sabbaths.
| Properly every week ought to bring its
| fruit-gathering as well as its seed-sowing.
| The glad spirit which fills the church just
| after a great awakening but intimates tho
| normal atmosphere Of festal worship in the
| kingdom OF Christ Munhall has happily
| revived an old custom. dear 20 many OF us.
| which illustrates this. He has just had joy
| full occasion for its use up at st. Paul. where
| the Lord has greatly blessed the special
| services that have been held. We recall at
| tendance at such meeting under the same
| evangelist in San Frarcisco year or so
| since. The new converts were ranged about
| the church. the gathered fruit OF the meet
| ings. Then. with palm-branch songs upon
| their lips. the great congregation circled
| about the great edifice, shaking hands,
| speaking quick words of cheer. making
| melody unto the Lord with all their powers.
| Once in a while in our modern worship we
| get Just glimpse OF what the feast OF taber-
naces may have meant in its spiritual SYM