The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1889-12-18
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
ENTERTAINING DISSERTATION ON
SERIOUS SUBJECTS.

A Pleasant, Interesting, and Instructive
Lesson and Where It May be Found-A
Learned and Concise Review of the
Same.
The lesson for Sunday. Dece amber %. may
be found in Kings. IL: 26-43.
INTRODUCTORY.
We have come to the close OF a great life.
All careers are great in their ending. and
those especially that have been prominent
before the eyes Of men. Solomon's was
such. and the lessons of his life are peril
nent and powerful In his death. as In his
days OF living. he is conspicuous for in
struction. His Proverbs. Canticles. and
the Book OF Ecclesastes are scarcely more
serviceable than the record OF his own ex-
perience in the Kings and Chronicles. he
was living epistle TO be known and read
OF all men. And tho central lesson OF his
shining and even:ful career Is best ex-
pressed. perhaps. at the close OF Ecclesi-
astes, and to be found In the Golden Text
Only let US read il Alright and as recorded
In the original tongue. Let us hear tho
conclusion OF the whole matter; fear God
and keep His commandments; for this is
the whole OF man" Not simply whole duty.
but whole privilege and opportunity as
well. That is what man is for. All else Is
vanity.
EXPLANATORY.
Jeroboam. He came from the same coun-
try as Elkanah the lather OF Samuel. Mount
want. In the Hebrew. put in an emphatic
position. See Variations. "A servant of
Solomon. The reference is explicitly TO
the prophecy OF the last lesson: Il will
surely end the kingdom from thee. and
will give it TO thy servant" Il Kings IL: l4).
a widow woman. Distinguished be-
cause OF the prominence oil her son. pleas
ing touch in the story.-Even he. The
word even" gives wrong impression
implying as it does somethin wholly un-
"a ar ,lnf nahl unr1i
the Hebrew Is simply and" Considering
the p ophecy just cited. IL was the event to
be anticipated. SEQ Revision: He also.-
l. O.. as well as Halad and Recon, other
adversaries Just spoken OF in the preceding
verses.-Against the king. He seems al
ready TO have been Ia a state OF sedition
when the prophets message came 10 him.
This, on the whole. seems tho best explana-
ton OF all the incidents In the case. See
Smiths Bible Dictionary.
This was the cause. Not necessarily
cause" The Hebrew is not usually SO
translated. 1t means literally word (davar).
Rather. this was the way. and the writer
proceeds 10 tell the story.-Solomo
built Milo. Going back in the narrative
TO the beginning of the events involved.
Milo was the part OF Jerusalem from which
David built inward" the limit pei haps. OF
his improvements. 2 Sam. s. 9.-Re-
paired the breach. Literally. closed the
break. which is in accordance with what
has Just been noted. He took up the work
where David. his father. left it. and filed
up the gap still left in the walls. Breach
Perez is tho word used prominently
in the lesson OF Oct. Is. Perez uzzah.
Ten pieces. Possibly handing the rent
fragments OF the garment to Jeroboam.
They represented ths ten tribes that SUISSE
quently rebelled Il Kings ~: l6-2D -
Thus sa th the Lord. Ii was Gods ludg-
ment on a people who had renelled from
him, following the Tead of an erring king.
One tribe. judah and Benjamin. Ben
jamin ad Joined Judah, incl gniflcant in
extent. and they soon came to be counted
as one tribe, from whence came our name.
the Jews.
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHES.
This was tho cause. Gods hand in the
transaction. This was the way OF il, or
the manner OF il. says the sacred writer.
and then he goes on TO show how God
made even the wrath OF man TO praise him,
while the rema nder OF wrath he re-
strained. SO God moves in all history.
Men live and act, God performs. Ambition.
passion. envy. born OF the evil one. stir in
mems souls. Kingdoms rise and fall. Yet
our all is God. and his eternal purposes
are not thwarted. His designs. seen by
men only in the retrospect. give meaning TO
il all. and ever is it his kingdom that is
coming.
And beyond the dim unknown,
Sandeth God within the shadows
Keeping watch above his own
He was industrious. Here is the human
side. Like Sejanus, the plotting prime
minister of Tiberias Caesar Jeroboam had
his good qualities. those that gave him the
advantage which was his He was worker.
"a man of energy. Literally the word is. he
did the work. Whatever was given him to
do he wrought well. and step by step he
climbed the la ider OF preferment. 1t is an
excellent hint TO every young man. Do the
work days work well, whatever ii may be (:
honor lies along that track.
Take thee ten pieces A good text for
revolutionary days. Perhaps our brethren
of the South now truly brethren. thank
Cod used TO preach from it also. But God
ordained that otherwise and preserved the
Union. since thus was his kingdom to be
best subserved. In the days OF '76 God was
| with the revolutionists, and the few pieces
of that day have become the many. welded
into one. Nor mas the parent kingdom suf-
fered. Gods hand in history has been a
gracious one. and looking back, we may all
see IL to be so.
A1lict the seed Of David. but not forever.
No. mot forever" His chastisements work
/ out presently "tbe peaceable fruits of right
eousness." His affecting hand is sign OF
our adoption. DIR. Perren in his Seed
boys upon the street. He saw a gentle m an
approach and sternly reproach one of the
number. as he took him out OF the throng.
! Why did he not correct the others also no
| less at iaultg They were not his own. IL
| was his own seed that he was affecting and
ut the same time. In love, shielding. Hum
BILE" is the word used here in the Hebrew.
Israel needed to be brought low. But what
was the purpose OF that humbling? Was IL
not that she might ultimately DO lifted up?
Draw nigh to God" saws James. We wish
| we could. but in our human ignorance We
! do not know how. and in our carnal weak
! ness we are not able. Thankful are we for
that added word: Humble yourselves in
the sight OF God and he will lit you up.
| Frustrating our selves at the foot OF the
| cross We find ourselves lifted up into heav-
emily places in Christ Jesus.
The rest of the acts OF Solomon. All OF
! Solomon's marvellous might and wondrous
wisdom hushed and hid in Just this sem
tence at the last. The Bible is terribly just
! with men. No concealment OF their faults
and failings, no undue exaltution OF their
few virtues. 1t tells the truth about them.
saved as they were. and as we. like them.
NAV be. solely by the grace OF God. And
! that bad part of Solomon's life-let US still
hope il was not the least determining part.
stands out in the distinctness that in utter
truth. in utter truth 1t deserves. put over
against tho greatness OF the privilege
granted and the Wilderness OF the page tn mt
was marred. The rest OF the acts" yes.
we all have some good deeds to show along
with the bad. but is II not true the misdeed
Of the child OF God that stands out before
the eyes OF the world: the other Nings. the
rest-you must search TO find them2 And
so for earth's comfort, as for heavens
glory. De We holy"