Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-12-28
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
FOURTH QUARTER OF THE INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JUST CLOSED.
Lesson NIII, for Dee. 30, 1888 General
Topic, the Development OF the Com
monwealth of Israel from OcCupa-
ton of Canaan to Birth of Obcd.

monwealth of Israel from occupa-
ton of Canaan to Birth of Obcd.
The third quarter closed with the children of
Israel entering on the Promised Land. which
they soon occupied, except the portions still
occupied by the acoustics and other nations
whom God had left "to prove them,h because
they had partially failed to keep His com
mandments. The remaining lessons of the
fourth quarter detail the wonderful history
of n period of four centuries and more, during
which the chosen people went through q sue
cession of trials for the development Of their
character. There is n strange and remarka-
bly, interesting series of repettions, each
phase having its own peculiarities, yet all
enforcing the same lesson-that unfaithful-
ness brinos punishment.
The processes are uniform: first there was
peace and with it prosperity till the people
forgot God, neglected His ordinances and
adopted corrupt practices from their neigh
hors; then God allowed those neghhcrs to
triumph over them and reduce them to
slavery till in their misery they called on the
Lord for deliverer; then great hero arose,
delivered them from bondage and gave peace
tlll prosperity again brought i'll impiety and
SIS punishment slavery. and then tire reiorma-
tory process was repeated Nearly all the
nations whose records make history have had
similar experiences. Peace created pros
perity, prosperity was followed by cor
ruption, and that led TO civil or foreign
war, sometimes to complete subjugation;
poverty and misery taught their hard lessons
and on the ruins of the old civilization new
one sprang up. IN turn to grow corrupt and
decay. But this process, which goes Oh slowly
rapidly in the warmer climate OF southwest
orn Asia in the early ages of the world
Since the beginning of written history, Pao5-
tine and the ad jacent regions have been held
by seven distinct races; the Hamitic, the Sc
mite, the Persian, the Greek, the Roman, the
Saracen and the Turkish. And under each
there were minor, but bloody revolutions.
We have just completed the history of its
conquest by the Semitic Israelites; let us
glance a moment at those nations who sur
rounded them, and part Of whom they ex-
PEELED
They had many names and princpalities,
but We're ali Of one race, the Hamites and
one general type Of heathenism They had
progressed far enough to have walled towns
and extensive writings and those nearest
the Fhrnicians partool OF the civilization of
that people; but all ancient writers agree
they declined in morals. Their religion was
at first, probably, a worship Of the heavenly
bodies and the forces of nature; from that
they went on to worship the images of ami
mails and to have III their temples such i'm
puro and disgusting rites as cannot be de-
scribed with deccncy (Romans /. -, The
prophets tell us clearly Of Gods intention to
annhilnte people guilty,of such practices,
and wonderfully have those prophecies been
fulfilled. The Israelites finally eXterminated
the Canaanites, and the Persians and others
biCtted out those other nations the Greeks
destroyed Tyre and the Romans annihilated
Tyres offspring, the Carthaginians; God
dIet in the tents of Shun,n that is, tho
lsraehtes preserved the knowledge of His
word. He enlarged Japhet" and made tho
offspring OF Ham subject TO him. The licen-
tious Canaanites have no representatives in
the modern world; the lsraeltes are among
us, an ever present proof OF ever fulfilling
prophecy and glorious future is still in re
serve for them.
After the conquest are told that the
1sraeites served the Lord AL the days of
Joshua and all the days of tho elders that
outliNed Joshua" but the faint of idolatrous
practices was not yet worked out Of their
blood, so they soon did evil i'll the sight of
the Lord and served Baalim.n Seven times,
in strikingly similar language, is this state
mcnt made about their serving the gods of
the neghboring nntions, and it is occasion
ally added that they adopted tho impure and
cruel rites with which the heatnen celebrated
their worship. Their punishment was ter
ride. They could not any longer stand be
fore their enemies and sank into tho most
calling slavery. Their first noted opprcssors
were Of Mesopotamia, and when they had
served their eight years the Lord raised UP