The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1888-09-27
LESSONS REVIEWED.
THIRD QUARTER OF THE INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES CLOSED.

Lessor XIV. for Sept. so. lsss-Topic,
the Forty Years Wandering in the
Wilderness of Sinai-Goiden Text, John
1, 45.
The Second Quarter closed the mission Of
Christ with an exposition of His great COM
mission to His disciples, to go and teach all
nations" an injunction which passed to their
successors and rests upon the Christian world
today. The Third Quarters lessons relate to
Gods dealings with Israel and the settlement
of the chosen people in the Holy Land-the
actten which prepared the scene and laid the
foundation for the establishment Of Christ's
earthly kingdom.
Tho lesson for July l turns upon the
awfully sublime promise, as quoted in Heb
viii, 10: II will be to them a God and they
shall be to me people" This Is, indeed, a
''Golden Text" Then follows from Ex
xiv, 1-19 the announcement and formal
ratification Of Gods covenant with the chill
dren OF Israel, at the foot Of Mount Sinai
From Egypt to Sinai the people had, been
taught Gods power; in tho giving of the law
they were shown His majesty as law giver;
they now received a glimpse of His character
In the dispensation of grace 1t was but
q. i
last was to be manifest in Jesus Christ The
people accepted the first covenant; there was
universal confession of faith, and in the
erection of the twelve pillars and the sacrifice
offerings the covenant was ratified Most
appropriately the ratification closed with an
awfully iMblime visitation. Moses and Aaron,
Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders
OF Israel went up Into the mountain and
shere had a vision of the "God of Israel"
certain by symbolic vision, a show Of kind
ness, unlike that of terror at Sinai This
done, their long probation begun, the train
of events to terminate In the incarnation Of
Christ.
The second Sunday Of the quarter brings
Us to the first great apostasy, only forty days
after the covenant. And In that apostasy
Aaron was a participant; he took their
golden ornaments and fashioned the golden
calf, and they danced around 1t with the
foolish notion that they were worshiping
their God 1t was a result of tho force of
habit. For 400 years they had been slaves to
an idolatrous people, people who worshiped
the SACRED Bull, Apis" and when Moses
was long absent the old idolatrous feeling re-
turned. Many generations passed before the
Hebrews were entirely purged of this idola-
trous taint. Again and again were they
them into bondage to their enemies; yet their
rulers again led them into idolatry, and
Jeroboam finally completed the division Of
their nation by setting up golden calf
But the cure was thorough at the last. Idol
airy was so thoroughly driven from the
Jewish mind that all the power of Rome
could not compel them to admit the images
of heathen gods into their public places.
Moses, at Gods command, no doubt, inflicted
on them terrible punishment
In the third lesson Moses receives a re-
markable assurance Of the renewal of Gods
favor and promise of His continued pres
ence. The next lesson gives pleasing Illus
tration OF the peoples willingness to serve
God. They give their choicest possessions as
free gifts for the tabernacle. OF this giving
the text of Ex. xxxv, 20-29, informs us that
1t was prompt, willing, even enthusiastic;
that it was abundant and according to each
ones ability. The last lesson for July (Ex
xl, 1-l0 gives the final arrangement Of the
tabernacle and directions to the priests. Just
a year had elapsed since the Israelites left
Egypt, and their first anniversary was cele-
brated by the setting up of the tabernacle.
II was their national day, their day of de-
liverance, their religious festival and their
day of prayer and reconsecration. 1t was
not only all to them that the Fourth of July
is to us, but all that Thanksgiving, Christ
mas and New Years arc and all that the
memorial sdaYS f<RsFarious orders and DEM
onstratioIls are to their members 1t was all
this, because in Israel government and re-
Hgion were in one. patriotism and piety
flowed In the same channel, and God
was their King, Hence idolatry was not
merely q sin as with us--it was the deadliest
treason, and like other forms of treason was
most justly punished with death. In the
Holy of Holes was placed the ARK Of the
Testimony" an oblong chest which held the
two tables of stone, a pot of mama and
Anron's rod that budded. The cover was
overlaid with pure gold, and in the ends were
the two wonderful cherubim with wings out
spread towards each other over the Mercy
Seat, the top of the ark. The symbolic force
and beauty of all this is sublime. Over this
ark, over the Mercy Seat, rested the glory of
the\ Lord here was His visible presence, as
far asNHe deigned to manifest HIMSELF and
here he communicated with the High Priest
who entered the Holy Of Holes once year
with the blood Of atonement and the golden
censor The Lord had before spoken out of
the mount; henceforth He "called unto
Moses and spake unto him out of tho Taber-
nacle Of the congregation Henceforth He
was to speak oftener as the God Of grace call
ing to tho Mercy Seat.
In the next lesson Qev. 1, 10 we find the
directions for burnt offerings; and in the
next an exposition OF the symbol-the great
lesson that without the shedding of blood
is no remission" A sinful priest cannot
make atonement for sinful people; 80 the
first atonement was for the high priest
himself. After the atonement, the insti-
tuition of the priesthood and the removal
on moral and ceremonial uncleanness, natur-
allv\comes the Feast of Tabernacles, which
was stiiesied in the lesson for August 10 Nev.
xiii, 3lz44 and having completed the eccle-
siastical organization, the narrative at
this point <suddenly changes, and through
the book of Numbers is historical and
statistical Four lessons are occupied
with accounts Of the cowardly unbe-
lief of the people in the matter Of the
spies, their ewful sentence to- death in the
wilderness, and the forty years. wandering
that was to make a truly brave and faithful
people, and finally the Disappointment Of
Moses in being deprived of the privilege Of
bringing them into the promised land. In
the next lesson we part with the great He
brew law giver. In Deuteronomy xxxiv.
la we are told Of his death and wonderful
burial, the succession of Joshua and the
opening of new era in Israel. The con
quest OF Canaan Is soon to begin The Is
raelites have been tried and purified by hard
ships in the wilderness. They are now to bt
tried in a terrible war, and after that comes
perhaps, the greatest trial Of all, the test a,
to whether they can serve God in purity ant
maintain the national and religious spiri
through years of peace in q land OF plenty
with the example Of the licentious Geptile'
all around and among them 'c:srz