The American citizen. [volume] (Topeka, Kan.) 1888-1909, 1889-07-05
nrArH or ELI.

1,;onal SUNDAY
p''ED' July H. 1889. onarter,v1
,.,,v arranged from s :, Ouar'er1S''
lspec..rT rxr-I Sam. 4: l-l8. .
LBssON, 1TTrxr-His sons made tnemse Sora
GOLDEN u restrained them not'-A 0sn'
vile, ana -
sls II rprrn-We can not keep the SIN
CEN1SAs he consequences.
and escape = TIA. About twenty years
GIhslo st lesson.
ster the la q" Ebenezer, named from Sam
PLACE. twenty years later 4 SAM !"
ueIs vlc'o-o ffteen miles west OF Jerusar
k12). y mS miles southwest OF Snllon:
len and VIZ" the capital, few miles north OF
Jerusalem About 80 years old. EL1-Judge
SAn nr;est for forty years INV q 800 -
ana ge was Levite' ana 9e aoGnI ..tha u
od. through Ithamar' hofHNI, 10
Aaron rn and PHINEHAs' Inc Drazen'
fgn.sha,d y degenerate sons Of FL: Samson
nOuIn D3Ser BART Of Israel, was Just oegln'
p anG ris exploits, B. 2. lll6-lo9o. Inc
n lng oppression had existed twenty
Pnisuna Continued twenty years longer
(Judg' ~ rrTT,oN-The fearful doom OF ELS
NThooled TO Samuel was not fulfilled
sons reso" .,oorc So much time was given
tor t" o but the result was 10
TOT lep and now the time had come.
prepal a'' orrR HARD PLACEs-1. The WoTd
h h1 this sentence belongs 10 the
Oan'" a+or II shows how wide SamuePs
las1 cno attended during the twenty
innuonOT be pbilfstines: rich, war-llke Ma
years 4ba west coast Of Palestine. Ebene-
ton " pncs. Aphsk: place near Eben-
a. 3. Let Us fetch tle arr InInAln y
e e1s,' fTod would protect the Ark even L
u An he had to save them While sui IN"
Wsn Ontant Which dwelleth bettUeen ~
Tepep ,.n. here God manifested His glory
tRaaD" he cherublm over the Ark.
Detns: mi Phinehas: see above. By this
Ho ~ tbev we're brought into the battle to
pan III, an 10 Into his tent j. e., home Josh.
% S oi" Il Ark Of God taken: a proof that
~ .9hod departed from them. Hophnf and
GOu ~. slain. the sign fulfilled,
snretold BY Samuel (23N. u. Ran: e
IlO1otossiopal runner, accomplishing his
p p,.aon miles in the hours Of daylight re-
me- N:nr after the battle. A tradition OF
lna laws saws it was Saul fleeing with the
. ~ rescued from the Ark. 13- Seat: 9
s s.s.1 seat or throne at the entrance OF
~ itv It had canopy over it, but no
49, n the seat. Is. When he made nael-
y. n the Ark: this shows how Eli priced
nM and his religion above all personal
possessions. oooe,,n- \. -.
,seson text, we shall see that it really sets
tortha great harvest. These are the gath.
svrcs n Israel to throw off the Philistine
voke Tell the scholars about the first futile
stemnt 10 do this, as given in chap. A: 2,
sna about the vain hope that God would as
,st them if the Ark Of the Covenant were
With them, irrespective Of their conduct
towards God. But all their expectations
wereyain, The Philistines gathered cour-
sre fromd despair, and fell upon Israel with
fur7 Israel was smitten before them, and
sei every man to his tent Go on to draw
wildly the scene at the gate, where sat
moor anxious Eli, waiting for tidings. In
cones man with torn garments and horrl-
fed mien and announces the fearful defeat.
ELL old and blind, asks what is the cause
Of the tumult, and receives the message
With its trinity Of sorrows for him, that
Israel Is defeated, both his sons killed, and
the Ark taken. At the mention of the loss
fthe Ark of the Covenant, the old mans
heart fails him, and he tumbles over back
Yards from his judges chair and is at once
nled by the fall.
CoMMENTs-Now return to the idea Of the
great harvest. LAY Israel reaped a harvest
d defeat. How did this come about? Surely
lCsbecause they had not numbers enough
With which to fight the Philistines. For
Gideon with three hundred men had once
defeated much larger army Of Mldianites
han the Phihstines ever assembled. Surely
notbecause God was not able to maintain
me honor OF His Ark. For soon after, the
ARR unaided by any armies, was a source
dbtter vexation to Phlliseine lords. No;
israel reaped defeat simply because they
sNed disobedience. Recall 10 the scholars
WnatGod had said TO Joshua years before
observe to do according to all that is
WnAen IN the law, for then shalt thou
naxehy way prosperous" Josh. ] 81. Al
I800elOre, 50 now, Israel forgot this fun
uanenIa Command Of God, and as a result
le1poO harvest Of disaster. (b) Hophn
~ 80 fanelas reaped an awful harvest
.ApacOus hcentious, blasphemous, they haC
pfOlanad holy things. In common with
80. mey nistook the mere outward sigr
s = uus presence for that presence itself
80. ~ Mus u reality trusted in the Ark, anC
,.. ,muOu. Like many in Israel later, who
~ - ~ serpent Of brass and began to wor
sP'1 iofgettlng that it was only symbo
- Underlying reality, so did these wicked
~. oach being the case, no one wonder:
49, 49, eneir late was what it was. We are
- surprised at the long suffering d
~ - Sparlng them as long as He did
1850. 49, sowed the wind and they reaped The
p; n. .u' 20 Eli reaped sad harvest
!, .. a'e was Dy no means as dark as tina
49,. - Two sons; for though his conduc
man N1 y. nis earthly life, he was Cody
80 aH. AIS heart was bound up IN the honol
- SAFETY Of the Ark, even more than IL
- suns welfare. Still his end was a sal
49, -, @nu MS earthly career ended in dark
Isss compare his death with the death d
iT suua and you will easily realize this
tior a !. Z 4 1s75l). His sowing in the educa
-. 49, = Ms sons had been faulty, and his bar
r ,sss Wa was devoid Of any joyful song Of har
'uone.-Rev. A. f. Schauffier.
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS.
hsr children may grow up bad amid goot
sh 4 = dlsorderly families both parents an
S J are usually to blame.
tnce. lilile 4of h0pon
nra ne most sacred religious forms viii nc
- without the spirit Of religion.