The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1888-11-15
THE COVENANT RENEWED.

LESSON TExT-Josh. "a: 1923.
GOLDEN TExr--The Lord our God will we
serve, and His voice will we obey.--Josh.
"a: 2I.
CENTRAL Truth There is every reason
why wo should decide to love and serve
God.
TrNe-B. G. 1870. Eighteen years after
the last lesson.
PLAcE-Shechem, between mounts Ebal
and Gerizim.
TIE CAPITAL was still at Shiloh.
JosuUA was nearly ono hundred and ten
years old, living at Timuathscrah, not far
from Shcchcm Here he lived eighteen years
aftcr the conquest.
PARALLELs-The assembly in the same
place twenty-five years before, Josh. s: 30
35: Deut. "a: LILO; tho covenant in the;plans
Of Moab, Dcut 20 Including chs. 21-30);
Elijah ut Carmel, Kings 1S: 1880.
1STRoDUCTIoS-Towards the close of his
life Joshua gives his dying charge to his
beloved people, First he assemblies tho
leaders and officers, and addresses them
(ch. 23). Then he summons another assem-
bly, OF rulers and people at Shechem, where
they had made solem covenant to serve
God twenty-five years before, ON their first
entrance into Canaan. To-day's lesson con-
tains part Of Joshuas address to this Sec
| ond assembly.
| HELPS OVER HARD PLAcEs-fn the pre-
! vious verses Joshua glances at their past
history, and urges reasons why the people
should serve tho Lord with all their hearts.
| ~ Graf tude to Him rs the author Of their
nation; (2) His great power over all gods;
CD His preserving care; (4) His giving
them possession Of Canaan; (5) His hatred
of sin Tvs. 10, 20). 10. Ye can mt serpc the
Lord' yc can not in your own strength; We
can not without great care and watchful-
ness. Il jealous God: one who will have the
undivided love OF your hearts. Hc ,piH not
forgive: He will not allow you to go on in
sin without Furnishing you. %. Yc are ,pit-
fcsscs against yourselves: your public prom
ise to obey will be a witness that you knew
your duty, and accepted tho conditions Of
blessing for obedience and punishment for
disobedience. This is still true of men
| W Every sinners conscience is witness
| against his course. 2) Tho princi-
| pies on which business men must act
| Us the condition of worldly success,
will witness against those who refuse
to apply like principles to rcligion-prlnci-
pies which, If lived out, would lead them to
be Christians. (9 Tho fault-hndings Of
men against good people show that these
fault-findcrs know what 10 right, and are to
blame IL they do not live up to 1t. az The
principles on which good government are
based Indicate Gods moral government IN
the world. (5) Our professions will be a
witness 25. Set them statu.e: made this
covenant part Of their national law. %.
THIS stone shall DC a tcitncss unto rs: II would
ever rcnia Gs u token Of tho!r covenant.
For IL hath heard: u striking figure Of
speech. The words We're spoken in its pres
ence, AMI wero so joined to this transaction
| al ifyhf 81 ho ,;,,I
| them of their obligations and promises.
How awfully solemn must have been the as
scmblagc and the occasion! Tho eye and
the ear Of the people being both addressed,
1t was calculated TO leave ~, ill.r bic i'm
preston; and, with SPIRITS elevated u; their
| brilliant victories in the land Of promise,
| memory would often revert to the striking
scene on Mounts Ebal and Gcrizim and IN
the vale Of Sychar.
OUR MEMoRIAL-Thc Lords Supper Is tho
memorial OF our covenant with God, and
over testifcs to the promises we have made
to God, rs well as HIS covenant of love to-
ward us. The church where VIC have wit
messed to Christ, the Bible We have been
accustomed to read, the holy associations Of
religion, are ull witnesses to our covenant
promises.
COMMENTS The cxcellont example set
|
his choice, is The lesson theme for to-day
This was, by no means, the first time he had
chosen Jehovah as his God. Away back in
Egypt, early In life, the first choice had
been made. All through the forty years Of
desert lifo he had been faithful to his first
covenant. Once, ut least, this fidelity was
sorely tested; when he and the other spies
returned from Canaan, ten reported 30 ad-
versely that the people resolved to return
to Egypt Caleb and Joshua, true to their
God, ran In among tho people and tried to
still their murmurings against God. But
oil tho congregation: badc stone them with
stones" Nam. 14:l0). Yet Joshua stood
firm. For eighteen years after they en-
tered the land Of promise, Joshua had re-
mained loyal to God. Others had taken up
the form Of idolatry, which Abraham had
abandoned, but he refused to turn away
from observing to do according to oil the
words Of the law Of God. This choice Of
Joshua's, therefore, was no new thing, but
an old choice reaffirmed.
In our times there come opportunities to
reaiiirm our original choice It Is well then
to do 30. In doing this we may well be en-
couraged and guided by Joshua's example.
For by the reafflrmatlon of our choice we
show that it is deliberate act; not one
reached In the excitement of revival, or
upon a bed of anxiety, but ono made and
reiterated calmly, after quiet survey Of
the whole Held. 1t may be that in reaffirm-
ing our choice wc may meet with opposition
and ridiculc. Well, then Joshua's example
may help US to be brave in our attitude.
Every Christian should always bo ready to
say: "I care not what others may do, but
as for mo and my house, we will serve tho
Lord" That this choice will be wise
choice who can doubt who looks back at his
own experienced What true Christian can
fail to sec that all that Is good in him has
come from Godi And that his real failures
In life have come from his failure to follow
Gods way. All our own experience, and
oil the experience of Christians Of all time,
points in the same direction. Finally, our
choice may be fruitful choice We may
thus influence others who are on the verge
Of q wrong choice. We may also persuade
others who have made wrong choice TO
choose again, and this tme for the right
Rev. A. r. Schan6lsr.
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS.
!. True religion IL Of necessity . matter
NJ frAA ch0icA 3.