The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1888-12-28
LESSONS REVIEWED.
FOURTH QUARTER OF THE INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JUST CLOSED.

FOURTH QUARTER OF THE INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JUST CLOSER,
Lesson XIII. for December 80. 1sss-Gcn-
eral Topic, the Developments of the
Commonwealth of Israel from Their
Occupation 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 Jebusites and other nations
whom God had left ''to prove them," because
they had partially failed to keep His COM
mandments. The remaining lessons of tho
fourth quarter detail tho wonderful history
OF period of four centuries and more, during
which the chosen people went through a sue
cession of trials for the development of their
character. There is q strange and remarka-
bly, interesting series of repetitions each
phase having its own peculiarites, yet all
enforcing the same lesson-that unfaithful-
ness brings punishment.
The processes are uniform; sa,Np,there was
peace, and with it prosperity I'D he people
adopted corrupt practices from their neigh
bors; then God allowed those neighbors 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
till prosperity again brought in impiety and
its punishment slavery, and then the reforma-
tory process was repeated. Nearly all tho
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 theirhard lessons,
and on the ruins OF the old civilization a new
one sprang up, in turn to grow corrupt and
decay. But this process, which goes on slowly
| i'll modern Europe and America, went on
| rapidly i'll the warmer climate OF southwest
ern Asia in tho early ages of tho world.
Since the beginning of written history, Pales-
tine and the adjacent regions have been held
by seven distinct races: the Hamitic, the Sc
mitic, tho Persian, the Greek, the Roman tho
Saracen and tho Turkish. And under each
there were minor, but bloody revolutions
We have just completed the history of its
conquest by the Semitic lsraelites; let us
glance q moment at those nations who sur
rounded them, and part of whom they ex-
PEELED.
They had many names and principalities,
but We're all of one race, the Hamites, and
one general type of heathenisln. They had
progressed far enough to have walled towns
and extensive writings, and those nearest
the Phcnnicians partoos of the civilization Of
that people; but all ancient writers agree
that as they advanced in wealth and arts
they declined in morals. Their religion was
at first, probably q 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 in their temples such I'M
pure and disgusting rites as cannot be de-
scribed with decency Qtomans i.:aN. Tho
prophets tell us clearly of Gods intention to
annhilate people guilty of such practices,
and wonderfully have those prophecies been
fulfilled. Tho Israelites finally cxterminated
the Canaanites, and the Persians and others
blotted out those other nations; the Greeks
| destroyed Tyro and the Romans annihilated
| Tyres offspring, tho Carthaginians; God
dTvelt sin tho tents of Shun." that is, the
lsraelites preserved the knowledge of His
word. Ho ''enlarged Japhet' and mado the
offspring of Ham subject to him. The licel-
tious Canaanites have no representatives in
the modern world; the Israelites arc among
us, an ever present proof of ever fulfilling
prophecy, and a glorious future is still in re
serve for them.
After the conquest we arc told that the
Israelites served the Lord .all the days of
Joshua and oil the days of the elders that
\ outlived JOSHUA" but the taint of idolatrous
practices was not yet worked out of their
blood, so they soon did evil in tho sight of
\ ~,
in striEingly similar language, is this state
mcnt mado about their serving the gods OF
the neighboring nations, and it is occasion,
ally added that they adopted tho impure and
cruel rites with which tho heathen celebrated
their worship Their punishment was ter
rible. "They could not any longer stand be
} fore their enelnies' and sank into the most
Calling slavery Their first noted oppressors
J were of Mesopotamia, and when they had
served their eight years the Lord raised W
J Cthniel to deliver them. Ho gave them rest
: forty years, then they transgressed again
!; and Eglon, king Of Moab, brought them
under for eighteen years. Ehud slew Eglor
and delivered them, and this time they had
rest for eighty years-that is, probably, til
the Youngest children who could remember
the deliverance had died.
, Then come twenty years of still more gall
ing subsection to Jabin, king OF Canaan
meaning at that time Il small country just
south of the Israelites. From this captivity
3lrall ard Deborah delivered thenl-iAn
the land had rest forty years" Again they
wcr;shiped idols, and the Lord gaze them into
the hand of INDIAN. And this WIS worst
, than all before, for the MIdianites were 10
madic robbers who destroyed ail the fruit
of tho fields; SO the israclite,; !!sd from tbs
valleys and made them ,ie:.s III the noun
tainsn Seven years OF iiulror and famine
: they suffered, and then tie Lord raised u!
Gideon to deliver them. ''-Alld the country
was in quictness forty years in the days o
Gideon Then the wearying story was re
, pcated; there was apostasy, wholesale murder
civil war and the wicked rule OF Abimelcch
After him there was comparative peace
forty-two years, then another apostasy ane
? slavery for eighteen years Jephtha deliv
| cred them and another peace was followed by
subiecton to the Philistnes, Which bring:
, us; to the wonderful story of Samson.
After Samson there was another civil wal
: and period when there was practically nc
ruler. s'Every man did that which wa:
right in Lis own eyes" The sad narration
is then broken by the affecting story of Ruth
Samuel, tho prophet, was then called and fol
, time Israel enjoyed better days.
Sensations of a Eopo Walter.
am often asked as to my sensations whel