Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1889-12-19
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
ENTERTAINING DISSERTATION ON
SERIOUS SUBJECTS.

Learned and Concise Review OF tho
Same
The lesson for Sunday. December ~. may
be found In l Kings. IL: 26-4S.
INTRODUCTORY.
We have come to the close OF great lie.
All careers are great In their ending. and
those especially that have been prominent
before the eyes OF men. Solomon's was
such. and tho lessons OF his life are peril
nent and powerful. In his death. as In his
days Of Hvings he Is conspicuous for in.
struction. His Proverbs. Cahticles. and
the Book OF Ecclesiastes, are scarcely more
seiviceable than the record OF his own ex-
perience In the Kings and Chronicles. He
was a living epistle to be known and read
OF all men. And tho central lesson OF his
shining ana eyentful career is best ex-
pressed. perhaps. at the close OF Ecclesi-
astes. and TO be found In the Golden Text.
Only let us read it Alright and as recorded
IN the original tongue. Let us hear the
conclusion OF the whole matter; fear God
md keep His commandments; for this is
che whole OF man." Not simply whole duty.
out whole privilege and opportunity as
WELL That Is what man 10 for. All else Is
vanity.
EXPLANATORY.
Jeroboam. He came from the same coun-
try as Elkanah. the father OF Samuel. Mount
Ephraim at the north.-Solomon's SER
want. In the Hebrew. put in an emphatic
position, Bee Variations. "A servant OF
Solomon" The reference is explicitly to
the prophecy OF the last lesson: Il will
surely lend the kingdom from thee, and
will give it to thy servant" q Kings IL: lA.
"A widow woman. Distinguished be-
cause OF the prominence OF her son. pleas
1 ing touch In the story.-Even he. The
word even gives wrong impression.
implying as 1t docs somethin wholly un-
| expected or unexplainable. The word In
! the Hebrew is simply "and." Considering
! the p. ophecy Just cited, 1t was the event to
be anticipated. SEQ Revision: HE also."
/ 4 a WI nd RaZnn-
adversaries just spoken OF in the preceding
verses.-Against the king. He seems al
| ready to have been In a state OF seditlon
| when the prophets message came TO him.
| This, on the whole. seems the best expiana-
| tion of all the incidents In the case. See
Smiths Bible Dictionary.
This was the cause. Not necessarily
cause" Tho Hebrew is not usually so
| translated. 1t means literally word (davar).
Rather. this was the way. and the writer
| proceeds to tell the story.-Solomon
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. perhaps, OF
| his improvements. 2 Sam. 5: 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. loft it. and filed
| up the gap still left in the walls. Breach"
| perez Is the word used prominently
in the lesson OF Oct. 13. Perez -uzzah.
| len pieces. POSSIBLY TonI
fragments OF the garment to Jeroboam.
They represented the ten tribes that subse-
| qiently rebeled q Kings IL: 16-2D -
Thus saith the Lord. 1t was Gods judg-
ment on people who had rebelled from
| him. following the lead of an erring king.
One tribe. judah and Benjamin. Ben
| jamin adjolned Judah. significant 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 caHse. Gods hand in the
transaction. This was the way OF it, or
the manner OF 1t. says the sacred writer.
and then he goes on to show how God
made even the wrath OF man TO praise him.
| while the remainder OF wrath ho re-
strained. SO God moves in all history.
Men live and act. God performs. Ambition,
passion. envy, born of the evil one. stir in
| mons souls. Kingdoms rise and fall. Yet
our all is God, and his eternal purposes
are not thwarted. Ills designs. seen by
| men only In the retrospect, give meaning to
it all. and ever is it his kingdom that is
coming,
And beyond the dim unknown,
| Standeth God within the shadows
Keeping watch above his own.
He was industrious. Hero is the human
side. Like Seianus. the plotting prime-
minister of Tiberias Cesar. 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 lder OF preferment. 1t Is an
excellent hint to every young man. Do the
work days work well,'whatever it may be;
honor lies along that track.
Take thec ten pieces. A good text Tor
revolutionary days. Perhaps our brethren
of the South NOW truly brethren. thank
God) 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 &c God was
with the revolutionists. and tho few pieces"
of that day have become the many. welded
into one. Nor has the parent kingdom SUI
fered. Gods hand in history has been
gracious one. and looking back, We may all
see It to be so.
AfIiict 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 q sign Of
our adoption. DIR. Perren In his Seed
Thoughts" tells OF company OF unruly
boys upon the street. He saw gentleman
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 fault? They were not his own. 1t
was his own seed that he was affiicting and
at 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 humbllng2 Was It
not that she might ultimately be lifted up?
Draw nigh to God" says James. We wish
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 lift you up"
Prostrating ourselves 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 ard 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 exaltation 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 it was not the least determining part.
stands out in the distinctness that in utter
truth, in utter truth II deserves. put over
against the greatness OF the privilege
granted and the whiteness OF the page that
was marred. The rest OF the acts" yes.
We all have some good deeds TO show along
with the bad. but is it not true the misdeed
OF the child OF God that stands out before
the eyes OF the world; the other things. the
rest-you must search to find them? And
so for earths comfort, as for heavens
glory. BE ye holy"
Next Lesson: Review. Temperance les
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