Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1888-11-24

m. stearns.
CONDENSED from Lesson Helper Quarterly, by
permission Of II. s. Hoffman. Philadelphia,
Iublisher.l
/ After the two tribes and half had been
dismissed to their homes by Joshua with bis
blessing, charging them to serve the Lord
with all their heart and soul, they, on their
way home, when they had crossed the Jor-
dan, built a great altar, which, when the
/ other tribes heard of, they feared idolatry on
the part of the eastern tribes, and gathered
themselves together at Shiloh to go up to war
against them, lest by their supposed trespass
they should bring Judgment on the nation.
The two tribes and q half testify, however,
that they had no thought Of idolatry, but
lest in days to come tho children Of the west
ern tribes should say to those on the east:
"What have you to do with the Lord God OF
Israeli For the Lord hath mado jordan a
border between Us and you;" therefore they
had built this altar, not for sacrifice, but as
witness lest trouble and divisions should
come in future days. Upon hearing this the
western RIDES were well pleased, and all
Israel rejoiced. (Ch. xxif) How much
trouble and hard feeling and arrangement
might be prevented oftentimes by little ex-
PLANTATION; but, like Israel, we are apt to
form hasty conclusion and start war.
Love thinketh no evil; is not easily pro-
voked II Cor. xiii, 81.
At the time Of our lesson today Israel had
long enjoyed rest from all her enemies,
round about; Joshua was over an hundred
years old and knew that he was soon to go
the way of all the earth; so he calls all Israel
together at Shechem, rehearses to them tho
Lords dealings, and urges them to fear and
servo Him in sincerity and truth, saying
unto them, "If it seem evil unto you 10 serve
the Lord, CHOOSE you this day whom ye win
serve; but as for me and my house, we will
serve the Lord" The people answered in
the words Immediately preceding our lesson,
saying, 1--WE viii serve tho Lord, for He Is
our God.n
10. "Yc cannot servo the Lord" Joshua
would havc them remember that 1t is no
light matter to serve the Lord; no had
known them ever since they left Egypt, he
knew how often they had made promises
and broken them, and no doubtless remem-
bered tho timo when they said "all that
the Lord hath said will We do and DO obedi-
ent," then he and Moses assembled the mount
and at the end of forty days returned to find
them dancing and singing around n golden
calf, deliberately breaking the commands
they had so solemlily promised to keep. Eek.
xiv, xxxii)
90. IF ye forsake the Lord" Often had
they done it and had been spared only by
tho intercession Of Moses, type of Christ; and
Joshua trembles for them. knowing that
''The Lord their God is consuming fire,
even n jealous God" Deut. iv, 90. Sin must
DO consumed, smd il the sinner clings to
his sins hc will DO consumed also,
but If willing to be cleansed from sin
and DO holy unto the Lord, then God will con-
sumo the sin and save the sinner. 1t is some
times said that God out of Christ is con-
Stunning fire, but while this is true it is no
where stated in those words: Christians need
to remember that "Our God is consuming
fire. Heb. xii, 2O, and that we are often in
tho furnace being purified and prepared for
future usefulness, ard if He sees sin upon us
He viii not spare the rod; but oil such re-
ilning and chastening is in perfect love and
that we may be paris .ers OF His holiness.
(Mal. iii, s.; Heb. xii, LII.
81. NAY, but wo .sill serve tho Lord. y
This is their choice; Joshua had most deci-
dedly taken his stand ". 15), and had made
it plain to them that God would have no half
work, and that they g, Id not serve God and
worship idols, nor &C ii they serve God in
their own strength; e now they have vol
UNFAIRLY taken their stand with him 60 serve
tho Lord, and their conduct proves them to
havo been sincere, fu. Israel served the
Lord oil the days of Jo6hua, and all the days
of the elders that oyuiived joshua ". 81
Judges ii, q. The words of Joshua and tho
words of tho people in this their decision are
noble words, and while it is solemn step to
take it Is q far moro solemn step not TO take.
p. witnesses against yourselves" We
cannot serve the Lord without taking astand
against self. The world, the flesh and the
devil are the enemies of God and His people,
aud this trinity of evil is ever seeking to en-
snare tho child of God. The carnal mind is
cnmity against God; the flesh lusteth against
the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, and
these are contrary the ono to the other; if
any man viii como after Ne let him deny
himself; love not the world; resist the
devil ROM viii, 9; Gal V, II; Matt xvi, "a;
IJohn ii, Is; Jas. iv, these are helpful words
and precepss concerning our daily life as ser
wants of the Lord.
%. PUT away the strange gods, and in
c inc your heart unto the Lord God Of
Israeli It is heart work that the Lord re-
quircs, ard wo need to be constantly re.
minded that while mon look on the outward
appearance and judge by what they see, the
Lord looketh on tho heart; He searcheth all
hearts, and understandeth all tho imagina-
tions of the thoughts; He isa God of knowl-
edge, and by Him actions are weighed. Il
sam. ii, 5; xvi, z; Chr. xviii, o.
"a The Lord our God will We serve, and
/ His voice viii uc obey If the nation had
talked this way and meant it when the spies
returned from their forty days visit through
the land they would have saved themselves
thirty-cight years wandering in the wilder
ness, and the hundreds OF thousands who fell
there might have entered tho good land. let
Christians today mako tho language of this
verse heartily their own. and they viii find
days CT Heaven here ca earth Deut. ri. 21l.
and be such witnesses unto the Lord that
many shall through them DO won to Him
| IS. $50 Joshua made covenant Liter
ely 'scut q covennntn-for the verb here
! translated made, p when not used In connec-
| ton with a covenant, is translated s.cutn or