The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-11-24
THE COVENANT RENEWED,
International Sunday School lesson 70
November rs, 1883.

Especially arranged from 5. S, Cuarterly.l
LESSON TEXT-Josh. "A: 1925,
GOLDEN TENr-The Lord our God will we
serve, and His voice will we obey,-Josh.
"a: "a.
CENTRAL Truth There is every reason
why we should decide to love and serve
God.
TIME-B c. l426. Eighteen years after
the last lesson.
PLACE-Shechem, between mounts Ebal
and Gerizim.
THE CAPITAL was still at Shiloh.
JosurA was nearly one hundred and ten
years old. living at Tmnathserah, not tar
from Shechcm Here he lived eighteen years
after the conquest.
PARALLELS The assembly in tho same
place twenty-five years before, Josh, s 80
81: Deut. % 10; the covenant in the.plians
Of Moab, Deut 30: Including chs. 21-3O) !;
Elijah at Carmel, Kings Is: 1899
Observation-Disclosures 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. 2D Then he summons another assem-
bly, OF rulers and people At Shechem, where
they had made a sOlemn covenant to serve
God twenty-five years before, on their first
entrance into Canaan. To-day's lesson con-
tains part of Joshua's address to this sec
ond assembly.
HELPS OVER HARD PLACEs--ln the pre-
vious verses Joshua chances at their past
history, and urges reasons why the people
should serve the Lord with all their hearts.
| ~ Graf tudc to Him as the author of their
nation; Co His great power over all gods {;
81 His preserving care; a. His giving
them possession of Canaan; 90 His hatred
of sin Tvs. 10. 2O) 10. Ye can not serre the
Lord: we can not in your own strength; ye
can not without great care and watchful-
ness. A Jealous God: one who will have tho
| undivided love OF your hearts. lie iOW not
forgive: He will not allow you to 90 ON in
sin without Furnishing you. -. le are ict-
nesscs against yourselves: your public prom
Use to obey will be witness that YOU knew
your duty, and accepted the conditions Of
| blessing for obedience and punishment for
disobedence. This is still true of men /:
CD Every sinners conscience is witness
against his course. (2) The princi-
pies on which business men must act
as the condition of worldly success,
will witness against those who refuse
W apply INV Va nv lllNN W i'il@l'h
pies which, If lived out, would lead them to
be Christians (3) The faut-iindmgs of
men against good people show that these
fault-tinders know what is right, and are to
! blame if they do not live up TO it. "a The
principles on which good government are
based Indicate Gods moral government IN
the world. o. Our professions will be a
witness. % Set them q statute: made this
g ,l...,
This stone shan be tpiHeSS unto as: il would
ever rema II as a token of their covenant
For ID hath hcHd' striking figure of
speech. The words were spoken in its pres
encc, and were so joined to this transaction
that every sight Of the pillar would remind
them OF their obligations and promises.
How awGuIy solemn must have been the as
sembage and the occasion! The eye and
the ear of the people beng both addressed,
it was calculated to leave an lndcllble i'm
preston, aud, with spirits elevated by their
brilliant victories in the land of promise,
memory would often revert to the striking
scene on Mounts Ebal and Gerizim and IN
the vale of Sychar.
OUR MEMoRIAI-The Lords Supper is the
memorial Of our covenant with God, and
ever testihes to the promises we have made
to God. as well as HIS covenant of love to-
ward US. The church where we have wit
messed ia Christ, the Bible we have been
accustomed Ia read, the holy associations of
religion, are all witnesses to our covenant
promises
COMMENTS The excellent example set
the people by Joshua IN boldly affirming
his choice, is the lesson theme for today.
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. A through the forty years OF
desert life he had been faithful to his first
covenant. Once, AT least, this fidelity was
sorev tested; when he and the other spies
returned from Canaan, ten reported so adj
versely that the people resolved TO return
to Egypt. Caleb and Joshua, true to their
God, ran in among the people and tried to
still their murmurings against God But
all the congregation: babe stone them with
stones " Nun. li:l0). Yet Joshua stood
firm. For eighteen years after they en-
tered the land Of promise, Joshua had re-
NAMED loyal TO God, Others had taken up
the form Of idoatry, which Abraham had
abandoned, but he refused to turn away
from observing to do according to all the
words Of the law of God. This choice of
JOshua's, therefore, was no new thing, but
an old choice reaIiirmed.
In our times there come opportunities 10
reaf1irm our original choice. IT. is well then
to do So In doing this we may well he en-
couragcd and guided by JOshua's example.
For by the rcatlirmatIOu of our choice we
show that it is a deliberate act; not one
reached in the excitement Of q revival, or
upon bed of anxiety, but one made and
reiterated calmly, after quiet survey of
the whole field II may be that in reafirm-
ing our choice we may meet with opposition
and rdicule. Well, then JOshna's example
| may help us TO be brave in our attitude.
Every Christian should always he ready to
say: care not what others may do, but
as for me and my house, we will serve tho
| Lord That this choice will be "A wise
| choice who can doubt who looks back at his
| own experience What true Christian can
fail to see that all that is good in him has
| come from Gcdl And that his real failures
| in life have come from his failure to follow
/ Gods way, All our own experience, and
| all the experience of Christians of all time,
points in the same direction. Finally, our
| choice may be "A fruitful choice. We may
| thus influence others who are on the verge
| of a wrong choice. We may also persuade
| others who have made wrong choice 10
! choose again and this time for the right