The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1889-07-19

was the period that elapsed after the return
"l the ark before Israel was awakened from
her sin to gather together unto tho Lord.
-.,a!Xs;,.sr.r-.kx4N 1II'rijT v3pr
prepare you" 4 fs ssxEt.Ssss.::c
linn only" This was tho exhortation OF
Samuel tn Israel rs thcy lamentcd after tho
Lord, and he assured them that if they would
thus sincerely turn to- God Bo would deliver
them out Of the hand of the PhiIistines. So
Joshua pleaded with the people ere hc WAS
tnkcn from them tJosh xiv, 1923; and 50
Moses had instructed thcm Dnut. xxx, ., 3,
idol shall go, that he will deny self take up
his cross daily and follow Jesus and nc shall
surely have victory over nll his enemies and
become great power for God
t. Then the children of Israel did put
away Bnalim and Ashtaruth, and served tho
Lord only" Good desires and resolutions
are no use unl~Ss carried OUT tho prodigal
son might have persisted If he hal only said:
II wlii arise and SO" aud hal not actually
arisen and gone; many Christians know thnt
they are far from enjoying fellowship with
God because of idols cherished in their
hearts, and they often resolve to put them
away and be whole hearted for Christ, but
there is nothing accomplished until, like L.
rarl in this verse, they actually do il.
>. 81 will pray for you unto tho Lord" IN
JAS. ". 10, we are told that 'ihe cffectual,
fcrvcnt prayer of righteous man avsileth
much" nnd wo know thnt Moses by his in
trrCe$Sion saved Israel from destruction moro
than once. In Jer. XIV, ], Moses and Samuel
are associated as men mighty i'm prayer. God
told Abimclnch that Abraham would pray
for him and thus bring blessing to him and
his house 0cn. Xxx, 7-10; and Abrabam's in
tcrccs ion for Sodom Gen. xviii. 2O-39 is u
much prayer is simply saying words, hut that
only is true prayer which is asking from tho
hcart, in the name Of Jesus, for that which
NC really desire for His glory.
Ii. "Thcy gathered together, drew water,
poured it out before the Lord, tasted OH that
day and Mid th;r". we have sinnod against
the Lord The pouring out of water sym
holi%"d their helpless and pcnitent condition;
they were water split on tho ground,
which cannot br gathered up again II sam
xiv, 10; they had nothing to plead hut thci.
guilt and their great need and convi inced OF
this tboy turne, with fasting unto the Lord
Z. "rhc Philistines heard" Let the people
of tod come together in true humility to
seek Him and the enemies of God will bc sure
to hear Of it. L! is surely true that Satan
tremblc# when he sees the weakest saint upon
his knees" and il one praying saint makes
him trrmble n nation i'm trIo penitential
prayer must make him awfuily afraid, SO
that we do not wonder that the Philistincs
gather against Israel when they hear that
Israel have gathered unto the Lord
"Thc children of Israel were afraid of tho
Philistincs." That was because of their sins
and wnnderings from God. Had they been
fear than David had of Goliath.
y. Cease not to cry unto the Lord our
God for us This was their prayer to Sam
ucl IL is good to'hear them say 'thc Lord
our God, and they have a right To say it
now sine" they have truly turned To Him.
md He will undoubtedly prove Himself to bo
tho Lord their God" for Ic says: Call
upon Ne in the day of trouble; I will deliver
thee and thou shalt glorify Me- Psalms l.,
lJ).
a UA,l S,,,,,,, too,, - .,,,;,,,x i.,,,, ....,
offered n burnt offering wholly unto tho
Lord, and Samuel cried unto the Lord for
Israel, and the Lord heard him" The burnt
Offering typiiies the sacrifice of the LORD
Jesus, W 10 is oil offerings in one, the only
sacrifice for sin; and rcminds us that without
shedding Of blood there is no remission, and
that only i'm the name and by virtue OF the
merits Of Christ can we draw near or como to
God. OIcb. tx, 81; Acts iv,, 12) Samuel
did not approach God because he was holy or
trusting in his merits, but only one who
believed God and came trusting in the sacri-
iico; thus trusting he came with confidence
i'll Gnd ond was heard.
10. The Philisincs drew near to battle
against Israel; but the Lord thundcrcI with
n great thunder : Z and dscomfited
them" Tho IhilistincS, may have thought
that as they conquered even when the ark
was in tn" Campof Israel so they would con-
pucr now, but circumstances had changed.
AZ that time Israel relied on the ark, and it
Int nnw Israel was relying upon God, and il
wa" n conflict between tho fhlistineS and tho
t'Nd nf Israel, and consequently they could
not but hr smittcn. Thunder is the voice Of
Jehovah ns. xxx, 3, :; Job xxxvii., 1-5;
John xii ~ HN and when He speaks in judg
m"nt non" can stand before Him, all His enc
m"> must fall.
ll-I:. "Ebcnczor, hitherto hath the Lord
helped US Israel pursued anil smotc tho
lhliNin"s, for th" Lord fought for thcm, and
TO t,i
strengthen ISracl'S faith in the future set up
this stone AMI called it Ebcnczcr, saying
"llith"rto hath the Lord helped u.s." Tho
word El~n"zcr is only found in these three
places tchap. iv., |: ", !: vii, IN, the first
two referring Ia the victory of the PhiliS-
tines, but this on" To tho victory of Israel
when they truly rcpcntcd and relied on Jc-
hoNah. How many places can we look back
(" whcr" the cnony conquered because we
were sinful and disohcdicnt, and in how
many such places have we now SGT up an Eh
Cn"Hcr tn mark the fact that where once we
fell on a"r"uuC of sin, we now stand firm he
cause we have rcpcntcl. rely on tho Lord and
servo Him only. Lesson Hciper.
ENGLAND GROWING SOBER.
Rev. y. T. Halo, says in the CoSmopoliidn
w neither any of the great moral wars which
have been set on foSt by such men as Father
Matthew, or the Wa$hngtonians. or by the
red ribbon movement, 0r the woInen'S union.
can show rs great n result as this, it would
pc harh u" say. Inc reiuctiou or thennonn,
of liquor consumed iii England I'm the last de-
cadr was, till 1887, SO considerable as to Gf.
feet visibly what Mr.. Gladstone called 9Th,
drink revenue" The year 1887 brought al
increase but it was supposed that this was
du" To the festivities in consequence of the
Queens juhict--a sad enough issue to q
popular celebration. AT the momenh when
write these liEcs, We have not Mr.. Ba'four's
budget speech of 1855, and can not tell whether
the consumption of liquor fell again after the
jubilee was over
All this reduction is duo to steady "tehper.
anc" work of the old-faShion kind in Eug.
land; to the "Red Ribbon Movement" abld
tho salvation Army and other vigoroi Is
and manly cndeavors TO make men refuse tN
drink who drank before you persuaded them,
Undoubtedly such work cAn he advanced
by cxp"dentS lik" those of "prohibition. y
and by every device by which tho nuisance
of the open bar is suppressed
But the two classes of movement must &c