Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1889-08-15
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
DISSERTATIONS ON
SERIOUS SUBJECTS.
A Pleasant. Interesting, and Instructive
Lesson and Where It May 30 Found-A
Learned and Concise Review OF the


A Pleasant. Interesting, and Instructive
Lesson and Where It May 30 Found-A
Learned and Concise Review OF the
Same.
The lesson for Sunday. August I8. may
be found In Sam. 15: 1923.
INTRODUCTORY.
The connection calls for brief survey OF
Israels conquests under Saul Conquests.
we have said, because wherever Israel won't
victory perched upon her banners. But
conquest proper belonged TO David's day;
those wars under Saul were mainly defen-
slve and expulsory rather than subjugatory.
1t was the king after Gods own heart who
at later time set the bounds OF the king
dom and establ shed its authority. But
Saul was mighty warrior in his day, and,
had he followed up his advantages. he
would have been great king. His first
victory was over the Ammonites. just prior
TO his full coronation Il Sam. 1D. The Sec
ond triumph was over the Philistines q
Sam. 13 and 14). where Jonathan comes TO
the front. The third was over the MOaOites;
t5o tonrth the Ed9maass, =, and tha aith ths
The sixth campaign. with the Amalekites.
the sub O. t oil to-d days lesson. occurre
ID nut tho fifteenth year of Sauls reign.
lNo other Phiiistine wars mark the d elm
Ing years OF Saul, in the latter of which he
porished. Saul was a man who stopped
short OF his greatest possibilities. He
smote thrice and stayed"
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHES
Bshotd. ne set him up place. stone OF
triumph for King Saul A monumen ito
hmseltl That was II tell-ta shalt. tire
veals to us the fatal weakness Of Sauls
character-he set self above God. Carmel
came before Gigal, stones before sacrifice.
That was the trouble In the initial default,
few years before, there at Gilgal. Tired
OF waiting. for Samuel. Gods prophet.
anxious to be through with the formal cer-
emony OF the burnt offer ng, ambitious to
do for himself he essayed that which be-
longed TO the messenger OF God alone TO
do. He boldly put forth his hand. and
himself offered the burnt Offering. 1t was
essentially an exaltation of self. Saul
thought moro highly Of himself than he
thought OF God. SO hero he has wholly
mistaken the character and object OF this
war, and his place in it. 1t was not merely
for Saufs uplifting. TWAS to be religious
war. war OF determination for Israels
lastllg goSdim M Jssaul thinkiaR Of self agaein,
plumber and Tor PERSONAL glory. Hefco ms
conduct. In the providence OF war COM
promise is often selflshness; it may be
treachery. Abatement Of the issie, how il
pressed upon US in revolutionary days, and
again in the more recent war Of the sixties,
Heaven be praised that there were those
who saw higher purpose. Alas for Saul
that he did not.
hare performed the commandment of the
Lord. Moral alteration. 1t is one OF tho
strangest. saddest things in the world-how
the faculty Of discernment. See, said Saul.
Il have performed the commandment OF
the Lord" And when the man OF God
looked, what did he behold? The fragrant
tokens OF real disobedience. Saul has per-
formed his own will. not Gods. Oh. these
consciences OF ours. how. we can pervert
theml Il have performed the command
ment of the Lord" some one is saying at
the baptismai font; and when we look alas.
what a travesty OF the ordinance command
ha M, Il ant
OF the Lord" some one is saying as he
leaves the sacred desk, and 10, it Is pitt
ful. IL not blasphemous, man. made right
eousness he has been preaching. and right
performed the commandment of tho Lord"
some one is saying at the Lords treasury.
but alas. how meager Is his "ali for Jesus!"
God sees it all. Words will not change it's
character. BLESSED be thou OF the Lord
cant. Not every one that saith unto me.
Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom OF
heaven; but he that doeM the toiH OF my
Father which Is in heaven"
ThepeOpie spared the best TO sacrifice unto
the Lord. Saul was not the last man who
robbed in the name OF religion, or gave
pious names to such odious things as self
lshnes5. and avarice. and cupidity. Jesus
met aftcrward with a people who, in their
wicked covetousness, said to father or
mother, regarding something they would
| fain enjoy themselves, 1T Is corban," 1. e.,
dedicated to God, and so were free" Thus.
said Christ. ye make tho word OF God OF
mono effect" Tney played with the word
OF God, that was all. Alas. how the lusts
| of pride and power and possession were
| humored through the centuries OF Rome's
| domination. and the church. So called. be-
| came in the name OF religion a sef-seeker
and robberl Sacrifice. indeed! And
there is "a lesson for ourselves as indtvid.
uals. Jesus says, IF thy right hand offend
thoe cut it OFT and cast it from thee" And
we understand it is that we let no cherished
| tafV NJ l1nH ft,1n
| eternal we'll being. Yet, in spite OF this
plain mandate. behold us. burdening and
| embarrassing our poor souls with earths
! rubbish or worse. We have spared the
best" we think, but even that which is the
best" becomes the worst for us il it be ke pit
| for self rather than for God. To lay hands
! on that which is deUOted is not to win heav-
ems favor. but to court heavens wrath.
| "Ye are not your own"
| The rest IRE hare utterly destroyed. But
"the rest" will not atone There is no such
thing as partitive obedience. 1t is whole
or nought Neither is there any such thing
as balancing OF good against i'll. No
amount of strength in Yesterdays loyalty
will make up for to-day's weak treason and
| disloyalty. The schoolboy may know how
! to subtract and divide very well, but If he
! know not how TO add and multiply as well
his answer will be all wrong. 1t Is no
| paliation before the court that the en-
| bezzler was fair and honest accountant
| twenty years Of his lie. no more than that.
for the most part, he was a royal good
fellow" and knew how to turn n favor.
MY son. give me thy heart" lys the Voice
within. utterly destroy the reign OF self Is
what il means. Have you done ftp" NO.
But have no great vices. tell no lies.
have stopped my club expenses. 1 have
even dropped my cigars" The rest zoe
hare utterly destroyed. Friend. never mind
the rest, for the present. Come to the main
requirement. Have you "obeyed the voice
| OF the Lordp"
Go and utterly destroy. Here is the end
| of the whole matter. God wants uncom-
promising loyalty. unconditional submis-
sion full and complete devotion. He wants
IL not simply for his honor and glory but
for our comfort and blessing. Would you
offer sacrihce2 Behold, to obey is better
than sacrifice" 1t Is sacrifice. for it is that
in which tho Lord delights. Would you
render servlco2 when thou vast little in
thine own sight vert thou not made the
head Of Me tribes Of Isrdel?" Self-emptying
abatement before God is the way TO leader
ship. Destroy pride, root and branch.
"He that is greatest among you shall be
your servant" o. ye men of holy ambition
In the kingdom OF Christ, believe IL. rebel
lion here is -as the sin Of witchcraft." 1t is
virtually going over to the enemy; IL is de-
3 rtion OF God. Because thou hast neg
lected the word OF tho Lord. he hath also
rejected thee-think OF it-Jrom being
kiao." Saul rejected the word OF the Lord
and lost-a crown. Do we do less2
Next Lcsson--@The Amounting Of David :
Sam. 10: lib.
| "
A FOND father at Dayton, Ohio,
wanted to sicken his boy of cigarettes,