The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-10-23
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
OCTOBER Ct.
Lesson Text: "Sin, Forgiveness and
Peace" Ps. xxxii., 1-11-Golden
Text: Rom. ", documentary.

Our lesson to-day is one of the seven peni-
tential psalms, the others being the 9th, 51st,
3Sth, 102d, 13Oth and 143d this and the 51st
are supposed to have been written by David
after that dark chapter in his life, and II we
should judge by the contents Of each we
might suppose the latter to have been writ
ten first In the title this is called "a Psalm
of David" and in II Sam. xiii, 1, 2 no
is called the sweet psalnist of Israel, and it
is written that ''the Spirit Of the Lord spaks
by him, and Els word was in his tongue"
therefore we ought to come to these words
of the Spirit through David, firmly believ-
ing Rom. xv., A., and relying on the same
Spirit to give us the comfort and instruction
here for US. The word ''maschil." also in
the title, and used here for the first time,
signifies ito act wisely" and surely David
acted wisely when he confessed and received
forgiveness.
l., 'Transgression forgiven, sin
covered, = = = iniquity not imputed"
Transgression signifies the going beyond
bounds or doing that which we should not do;
sin is coming short Of the mark, or leaving
undone that which we ought to have done;
iniquity signifies anything distorted or per-
verse and seems to refer to the natural heart,
which is all wrong since the fall and mani
tests its perverseness in sin and transgression:
so that here we have the whole matter Of
wrong and wrong doing disposed Of and for
ever settled in Gods appointed way. See if
we can understand that way. The Holy
Spirit, referring to these very words tells us
in Rom iv, SIS, that this doing away with
sin, and consequent imputation of righteous
ness is apart from any works on our part,
but is entirely Of grace, through the redemP-
ton that is in Christ Jesus, and Is freely
granted to every believer The words I'm
whose spirit there is no guile" indicate that
to enjoy these blessings there must be on our
part the absence of all deceit for that is tho
world and sincere confession OF, and turn
inc away from, the sin OF transgression.
Coming thus with true penitence and humil.
ity, and trusting only in the merits and work
of the Lord Jesus Christ, who was made sin
for us, and who bare our sins in His own body
on the cross III Cor. ", 81; I Pet. IL, 24,
we NAV be as sure as we are that God lives
that He, for Christ's sake, has blotted out all
that was against us, and will remember it no
more lisa. xiii, 25; Eph. iv., 32l; that be-
ing justified by faith we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ. Golden
te1t.l
g., :sWhen kept silence" Now, that is
sometimes a good thing to do, and David
more than once practicet it wisely US.
Ixviii., 13; xxx, l, p, but when, as in
this case, there was sin to be confessed, it was
no time to keep silent, and he here tells us OF
his sufferings on account Of his sinful silence
as warning to us. HE that covereth his
sins shall not prosper; but whose confesseth
and forsaketh them shall have mercy"
S. ~ acknowledged, y Thou for
.gavest." Some one has said that sin uncon-
fessed like a gathering wound, swells and
torments, but the lance gives relief; sincere
confession is the lance which brings the peace
of forgiveness.
6. "For this shall every one that is godly
pray unto Thee" Every sinner rejoicing In
the forgiveness Of sins is an encouragement
to Others to come and obtain the like bless
ing; every Christian who has had the joy OF
salvation (which they had for a time lost by
transgtession) restored to him is an encour-
apement to other blacksliders to return.
, Z. ''Thou art my hiding place" Notice
the word 'sthou," three times in this verse;
it is God Himself who is our hiding place,
,preseryer and deliverer. David had been
hiding from God, like Adam and Eve in the
garden of Eden (Gen. iii, 8, 10Y, but now, his
sin forgiven, he hides in God from the adyer-
sary, who no doubt roared against him; this
is a sure and safe hiding place, but all others
will beswept away lisa, xviii, ~.
the way which thou shalt 60" Evidently the
Lord is now speaking in reply to David, for
no one can instruct and teach like Him, and
no one is capable but Him. He has not
promised that we shall have no trouble, that
we shall never pass through fire or water; on
the contrary He has told us that I'm the
world we shall have tribulatior, !" and that "all
that will live sodly in Christ Jesus shall suf-
fer persecution" John xvi, 33; II Tim. Ill,
12); but He has promised to be with us in the
trouble, and thus lead US, while He preserves
us from being in any way injured by it. The
word here translated instruct" signifies to
in 1
z, s: Kings H., 8, where it is SO translated;
but the more common Old Testament word
for instruction signifies chastisement; 1t
therefore becomes us. If we sincerely desire
to be led by Him, to believe that He does
lead us and in what seems ofttimes to be the
most adverse circumstances, We should hear
Him say: II am the Lord thy God who
teacheth thee to profit, who leadeth thee
by the way that thou shouldest go" Qsa.
Xviii, ~.
81 will guide thee with Mine eye" Notice
the marginal reading, which seems equal to
saying: ~ will tell you how to go and then
watch you to see that you keep in the right
way" or as it is plaialy stated IN lsa: XXX;
21: 'Thine ears Shall hear word behind
thee, saving: This is the way, walk ye in 1t,
when We turn to the right hand and when ye
turn to the left" With such great and
precious promises how quiet we should be.
o. BE We not rs the horse or as the mule"
1t is manifest in everyday life that the big
geSt mule is not always the one In the traces,
and that horse often knows more than his
driver. Balaam's ass saw more than lis
master, and opened its mouth to some pur.
pose; but the rule prevails that horses ana
mules have not the wisdom of men and must |
be restrained and guided by bit and bride. |
Now, when men and women, and particularly |
Christians, need to be restrained by the bit |
and bride of circumstances, which are GODS |
providenceS, instead of meekly and trust |
ingly following their Shepherd, its anything |
hut creditable to them, and does no honor to |
that beautiful name by which they are called. |
10. "Many sorrows shall be to the wicked,
but he that trusted in the Lord, mercy snail
compass him about. Sorrows touch the |
righteous as we'll as the wicked, but the sor-
rows of the righteous are blessings in dis !
euise. for the loving hand Of the Lord is in /
every one of them, and no matter what they |
look like they are all goodness and mercy, so |
that the believer may truly say in al! his
SORROWS: ''Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing"
III Cor VII 10) The sorrows of the wicked. |
on the other hand, are only the foretaste OF |
greater SORROWS in the future, when 'Ihe
wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the
nations that forget God" rs. *, ~
H. "Be glad in the Lord and rejoice ye
righteous" Not circumstances nor feelings. |
not things Ground us or within US, not what
we do nor what is done for us, but the Lord
Himself, and the Lord alone, is to be our sal
Tation, our joy, our strength, and that at all
times.
Shout for JOY, all ye that are upright in
heart" We may be glad and rejoice in a
rery quiet way, hut here is authority to make
,ur Joy known; the habitant of Zion is ex-
lorted to cry out and shout because the Holy
)ne of Israel is in the midst lisa. Xii, q; and
when the Lord reigns supreme and alone in
my heart it will be hard to suppress real
.Halleluiahr' As it is only those who come
without guile who can receive forgiveness, SO
t is only the upright or sincere who can truly