Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-07-19
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
ENTERTAINING DISSERTATION OH
SERIOUS SUBJECTS.
A Pleasant, Interesting, and Instructive
Lesson and Where 1t May Be Found-A
Learned and Concise Review OF the

"A Pleasant, Interesting, and Instructive
Lesson and Where It May BE Eound-A
Learned and Concise Review Of the
Same.
The lesson for Sunday. July IA. may be
found In Sam. 4: 1. 49,
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHES.
Beside Eoenezer. We shall not fore ct an
experience we had with this name one time
in personal Bible study. We find tie name
used in connection with two prominent but
widely similar events in Israelis history.
namely the loss of the ark. Sam 4: 1. 2; and
the defeat of the Philistincs. Sam z: IL.
mat is. it marks at ono tirl. Isa;lefs van
qu1shment and at another Tune her victory.
coming upon the instance of the defeat at
Aphek, recorded in this lesson. and rec -
nizing the meaning of the word. our first
impulse was to say: Here is a defeat at the
very place marked DictOry. Lesson: Old
experiences of blessedness arc not in them
relves sufficient. the scene OF victory may,
defeat. Then we looked again and found
that the victorious battle of Aiizpah had not
yet been fought and that this nomenclature
at Aphek was simply an anticipation by the
historian OF name afterward given, and SO
the corrected lesson stands: the place of
defeat may become the place Of victory.
Aphek may change to Ebenezr.
Israel 1CGS Snlitten before the Phiistines.
It was needed humiliation; Israels Bull
Run; and a second and more disastrous was
at times. Or rather he smites them him.
SELF using Philistia as o rod. Is it not thus
he proves his love? Whom the Lord
loveth he chasteneth." Israers very at;lc-
tons in her days Of declension we've proof
OF the divine concernment. Sturgeon. COM
menting on the word of Christ: Ia The
norld ye shall haze triOulotiOn, says. lest
thou asking. the reason of this. believer.
look Mp'oo,d to thy heavenly Father and
behold him pure and holy. Wilt thou easily
Nnnfnrpnn1 RI
Christian. turn thine eyes doaonaoard. Dost
thou know what foes thou hast beneath thy
feet2 Dost thou think Satan will let thee
alone? Then look around thee. The
world is not thy friend. Lastly. look
.oithin thee. Sin and self are still within.
All, If thou hadst no devil to tempt thee, no
enemies to fight thee. and no world to en-
snare thee. thou wouldst still find in myself
evil enough to be a sore trouble to thee"
Yes, and when we grow careless regarding
all these adversaries God sometimes sends
us bitter defeat, What is it but his mes
senger saying, Watch"
Let as fetch the ark Of tie covenant of the
Lord. Irreverence is to be read here. 1t
speaks in the very language used. Come.
let us 60 fetch the ark Of the covenant OF
the Lord. Lend hand; haul it alongl"
How shocking the collocaton of words,
half sacred and half profane. 1t was like
Uzza laying his rude hand upon theark. IT.
was worse. - careless. sin-polluted people
and presuming to use them as talisman,
or, indeed, as barrcade against threat
ened and deserved punishment. When
Titus besieged Jerusalem, and captured
point after point. the Jews still stubbornly
declined terms of capitulation, and. pre-
Stunning on the sudden Intervention of Je-'
hovah. fled to the recesses of the great
temple, using the ark again Us q barrlcale
and Gods house as a stockade. But Gods
gates are strength only to those who keep
lii nrlvy hat Intk
Through faith) in the secret place OF the
Most High" can say of the Lord "he is my,
refuge and my fortress" FPS 81 Christ.
sitting on that hill over against Jerusalem'
pronounced truths judgment here, as the
awful havoc Of the city's overthrow gives
testimony. And what shall We say Of a cor
rupt church which while allowing and fol-
| lowing itself the ways of the world pre- ,
tends to secure immunity by resort to-
mystical rights and ceremonies? What Isl
us fetch the ark Of the covenant of the Lord;
out of Shiloh unto u.s." Blasphemy! Who
shall ascend into this hill OF the Lord2 OF
who shall stand in his holy place2--He
shat hath clean HANDS and a pMIe heast,.
very best Philistines though they wcre..
they are more commendable in this trans.
action than were the children OF Israeli
And for this simple reason: they til W
into the battle all the strength they mad.
/ "
prayerlessly, with the form of godliness
but without God, invited the discontinue,
she received. II is what Christ meanti
when He said. The children of this world
are wiser in their generation than the
children Of light" That is, so far as human
strength and sagacity can go, they prepareI
themselves for what is before them. Code
people, given larger and fuller armament
and enduement. often fall far short of put |
ting on the whole armor and of going into
hoff1 f0 nj, ,s,ni
ourselves with the worlds weapons is to
be less than match for the world. We
must wait for the strength of the Lord ere
we can safely confront the world. Only
| when. using in our way the same prudence, I
we take what is prepared for us and say to
each other in the Lord, Quit yourselves !
like men and fight" is the issue victory.
That initial battle at Pentecost was but
specimen of what God will do for those
people who fulfill the divine injunctions Of
the spirit which is the word of truth. o..
the world Is using its utmost energies
against us! Can we meet it without al
! like zeal in the use of the better armament
God has given US?
HIS heart hcm1bled for the Ark of God. i
Eli cared for the ark as the apple of his eye. |
His solicitude for it. along with his meek
ness toward God. was the saving feature Of
his life. There is something deeply pathetic
in the picture of that old man sitting there
ny JIG WdySlue WitCcuiuk. no uau loG Gno
ark go doubtless with misgivings. Cver-l
persuaded by his headstrong sons. Now
he waits in gathering anxiety for news from
the field. At last he describes the messen-
ger coming: His heart leaps as he waits.
than the painting herald he listens for the
word: Israel is fled before, the Philis-
| tines!" His cheek blanches. but he waits
listening for more. perhaps already appre-
hensiye Of such report ~,T Then t like bolt
also. Hophni and Phinehas, are dead!"
Alas, alas. his name departed, the prophecy
of God fulfilled! But still he looks and
listens. Then comes the last stroke: And
the l,t Ark Of God is taken!s It is enough:
breaks and he dies. o. pity not Eli. nor
condemn him. Let US think rather Of our .
When the world at times invades tho
church and lays qnholy hands upon the The
very Ark Of God. where Is the spirit Of Eli
to feel. as it were, q sword thrust at the
| heart?
Next Lesson-"samuel the Reformer."
z: 1-12.