The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1888-09-05
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Notes on the Lesson for September g
THE Unbelief Of the
People"
From the Chicago standard.l


The lesson for above date may be found
In the first ten verses Of the fourteenth chap
ter of Numbers.
INTRODUCTORY.
Kadesh Barnea. place OF unbelief Scene
OF lsracTs apostasy. IL was a great gate of
privilege unentered. The Jews PRO, Used
land of blessing refused by faithleis hearts
and declined by faithless feet. The geogra-
piers have been at infinite pains 20 fix the
exact point for us. III. Clay Trumbull
counts eighteen conjectural sites. They
might spare themselves the labor On tho
map OF personal experience il is easy enough
10 put the finger on the place. for every life
has, truly. its Kadesh Barnea, and perhaps
more than one. A black letter day it was
in lsraefs history. The ninth day Of Alb.
they tell us, n day suggestive of evil TO the
nation. On this same day of the year. cen
turtles after. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed
Jerusalem and its temple long after Titus,
on this same dread anniversary. captured
and sacked the place; and yet later. we are
told, Hadrian besieged and took the city.
putting thousands upon thousands 10 the
sword. Israel has had her days Of humilia-
ton. and this is one OF them. Saddest day
i'm all history. the day of unfaithl
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHES.
And the people 1cept that night. To DO
sure, II was natural, quite natural-the
trouble is. too natural. There was naught
of the spiritual there. We usually find at
the entrance of a great undertaking place
OF weeping. The borders of u new land and
OF n new civilization mark the point of
shrinkings and misgivings. Every yielding
furrow OF the West has first been watered
with tears. We remember a visit made
years ago 20 one of the then remote coun-
ties of Kansas. An uncle, who had lost a
fortune in the East and gone, like SO many
OF his neighbors. to "A new country TO recu-
perate, drove US across the waving prairie TO
call upon a woman of more than ordinary
fnG IN nnH rnffn ant hn Nc ghn 10 Of
the old East, looking about her upon the
obtrusive newness OF the land. let tears
spring 10 her eyes. j." said our friend,
as we drove away, there is not a woman in
this county that doesn't feel that way" 1t
is, indeed, human nature. and we have often
thought that had not Providence so directed
that the funds were usually exhausted and
return cut off when the new lands were
reached. our large and beautiful West would
have been much more slowly developed than
IL has been. Taking all into consideration,
strange scenes. hostile natives, no wonder
Israel wept.
M,Tp,ured against Noses, Here was real
sin and ingratitude. We could condone the
tears of the night; but this muttering and
murmurng against Gods ordained leaders
was both vain and vicious. 1t is usually the
first sympto.n Of unbelief and the spreading
malay OF faithlessness. When people be-
gin, with carpng and criticism, 10 torture
the soul OF the loyal servant whom God has
set TO lead them, you may look presently TO
see louder disdain, and then, perhaps, Il
period OF punitive wanderings in the wilder
ness. Murmuring is easy. rs easy as lying.
and as desperately wicked. Nurmuring
means murder. Sayonarola was pious
man, a patriot, and withal popular in his
day Alter while we find him dstrustcd.
then watched. bounded imprisoned. and
finally they have put TO death one of the
noblest OF living men and robbed the world
OF one OF its greatest ministers of good.
Did Israel do much else with Moses?
Would God tCe had died IN this rilder-
ness. They had their prayer. In that very
wilderness they persisted. all but Joshua and
Caleb. loyal to the Lord Take heed how we
pray. God hears our cries whether uttered
in arrogant protest or in meek petition. He
is "a prayer-hearing ana prayer answering
God, and the plant that we lift 10 him.
whether ii be vocal utterance or the speech
of prevailing conduct, shall have its due re-
Spouse. Would God we were dead would
God we had never started. would God we
were back in desert days. Beware OF such
prayers of petulancy. God may take us at
our word. and put US back in some empty
wilderness. What is the concentrated prayer
of your life. brother, friend? i il remon-
strant or grateful? Is il spiteful turning
toward Egypt and the wilderness, or hopeful.
resolute facing OF the future. however full Of
hills and giants! Canaan not the desert, is
Gods land.
Wherefore hath the Lord brought as? Dis
loyalty to God was at the bottom of it all.
Not Moses, not Aaron; the Lord himself had
been their leader. and presently in their in
crcasing rebellion they had confessed the
real enmity of their hearts and cried out
against God. 1t is the course of sin and
dsobedience. First we are lifting the hos
tile cry against Gods servants, them. gainst
Gods providences. and then, all at once. we
have spoken ana declared ourselves dis.
trustful of God. From this point the way C
open abandonment Of the Lord is "a sheer
and rapid steep.
Let as make as captain. Plain sedition
The next step was open outbreak. 1t is &c
be noted that this was more quiet move
ment. They whispered it. as it were. from
"one TO another" until it had grown 10 "a fell
conspiracy. Elsewhere we read they actual.
ly fixed upon such Il revolutionary leader.
Only the Intervention of Jehovah. in ali
probability. prevented the final precipitation
of the plot. A sort of Guy Fawkes point /,
was in Israels history. The train was laid.
The cry tcdS ready, Back to Egypt" But
just there the hand of Jehovah was put
forth in firm restraint. and recreant Israel
went for forty years into the hold Of the
wilderness. 1t never pays TO fight against
God.
Fen on their fdces-rent their clothes. This
was the first dissuasive-thc dissuasive o!
action. Moses and Aaron fell on THEN
faces"-Joshua and Caleb rent theI
clothes" 1t was intensely expressive, with
face and body. The people were left in no
doubt OF the enormity OF their sins. Fot>
bear, O Israeli cried the priest and prophet
falling prone i'm the dust. Forbear, for.
bear! cried the loyal captains of the host
vehemently tearing their garments before
the eyes of the people. No doubt Of the
earnestness of these men. You have heard
"the creed of the bcls"-thc soft, soothing
ringing Of the Universalist bell-"No he'll,
no hell" The loud. warning notes from the
Methodistic tower, Repent, believe!" The
spirit of mans Utmost belief is to read in
all his conduct aud life. The troublesome
question is whether half of the church are
living as If the great world were lying i'm
wickedness, and as il we were sure that UNI
belief means death
And the glory Of the Lord appeared. A
little while ago. in these lessons. we were
reading how ION the day that the tabernacle
was reared up the cloud covered the table,
nacle." That was Gods response TO faith.
the answer OF love. This is Gods response
10 rebellious unbelief the answer OF just
wrath. BelshaZZar saw IL on the walls OF
his revels. Herod behcld 10 in his wanton
slumbcrs. Sad thought. some who hear
this lesson to-day will doubtless experience
il on that day when the great voice shall
say. Depart" God grant that for you and
us. when the Son OF man shall come IN
His glory" IL shall be. not for yenUpanoo