Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1889-10-10
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON FOR OCTOBER THIRTEENTH.
THE ARK BROUGHT TO zIoN-II SAM. Vi, II

From the New York Independent.
NoTEs.-Baale JiIdGh.-The old name
of Kirjath-jearim.- stitch upon
the CheTubim.-The golden figures whose
wings were stretched, as if in protection,
over the ark, and whose faces regarded
each other, were called the cherubim.
'That dwelleth between" is perhaps a
better translation. 1t was here that there
was manifestation of the Deity, and
undoubtedly the people thought that God
made this his only hOme."Upof1 q neo0
cart.-The law was that the ark should
be carried by hand and only by its slaves.
The Levitical family were the only ones
allowed in that position. David trans
gressed this law which was important as
test of obedience.-The son Of Abi4s-
adab.-If real sons they must have been
very old, for the ark had been placed
with Abinadab seventy years before.
Probably descendants With all man
ner of instruments instead, with
all their might" See parallel passage,
Chronicles xiii, S.-PsGlteTies.-
thing like lutte. Its strings were proba-
bly, stretched over wooden frame in the
shape of triangle.-CGstGletS.-
the Revisers have gone squarely against
the Authorized Version, which translates
the Hebrew word into "cOrnets." There
were three kinds of cornets used. Two
kinds were probably metallic; the one
straight, the other curved. The latter is
represented by an onomatopOetic word
and trumpet of horn. But the casta-
net or sistrum is different The one con-
sists of number of oval shells carved of
wood or ivory held in the hand and rat
tied while dancing. The sistrum was an
instrument imported from Egypt into
Judah. This consisted of an oval metal
frame through which metal rods passed
loosely. 1t had handle by which it was
shaken, producing a metallic clatter. The
student can take his choice OF these rem
derings. Scholarship hasn't ultimately
decided the value of this instrument
Threshii1g floor Of Nacon.-In 1. Chron.
xiii, 9, it is called Chidon. Macon means
shifting, while Chidon is the stroke, both
referring to the shifting of UZzah.-.
Perez -uzzGh-See margin of Revised Yer
sion.-O Obed-edom was a Levite
and fit by virtue of his birth and training
to guard the Gittite-Of the city
of Gath rimmOn.
INsTRUCTION.!The ark, that which
signitied the presence of the living God,
had at last been reverently conveyed to
the capital of the new empire. This act
of devotion to their spiritual ideal was
supported by the people. Itwas the out
come of national piety. 1t is well that
the capital of nation shall become the
spiritual as well as the political center.
The spires of cathedrals and churches
should vie in cOnspicuouSness with the
dome of the capitol. Bureaus of Christ
ian charity should not be outdOne by a
national Treasury building, and colleges
of theology should start into life with
more enthusiasm than even the Smith
sonian Institute displays. The Roman
Catholics have started University in
Washington, believing that city to be the
most favorable place for proselytism and
theological training. 1t would be well if
the Protestant Church should establish
the ark of God in Washington and not
abandon the fields for foreigners to culti-
vate
That this was national act is proven
by the fact that thirty thousand chiefs
of the people followed David to Baale Ju-
dab. There must be chosen people even
for such duties. All cannot be senators,
nor can every one be the minister, or even
the deacon. The laymen in the church
may not shine at conventions with such
brilliancy, but they have as much power
for good as their pastor if they are intel
ligent Christians. A minister is Christ
ian by profession, and many of his acts
have not the influence that the same
would have when performed by an unOr
dained man. Any man can fulfill with
as far-reaching results any except the
official duties of the chosen one.
1t is not easy to harmonic the doom of
Uzzah with our ideas of tender God,
and it is not necessary to try. We know
that conditions were different then from
what they are now, and we know that
God is merciful, and whatever he does is
reasonable, if we know all the facts. The
teacher must give to the scholar not the
imperfect Jewish, but the Christian con-
ception of God. Gods anger does not
kindle for unintentional disobedience of
formal or forgotten law. Nevertheless,
one does not escape the results of break
ing Gods natural laws by forgetting
them, or by ignorance of them. God pun
ishes, to-day, as ever, infringements
of his spiritual as well as physical
laws. He who touches the hot stove is
burnt, and he who forgets the law of love
wounds himself beyond compute. Christ
banished Journalism, and we have evolved
into manliness of Christian life as su-
perior to that of the time of David as
Christ is to us.
God blesses any home or any heart that
enshrines him. If the words of Christ are
true about immortality, the life without
God is as worthless to us as an unseen
sun. The life beyond is a reality. Shall
we cast it aside through carelessness or
laziness here?
A CHARMING young lady whose father
and mother are absent, describes herself
naiyely as a "grass orphan"