Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1891-01-09
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
THOUGHTS WORTHY OF CALM
REFLECTION.

THOUGHTS WORTHY OF CALM
REFLECTION.
A Pleasant, Interesting, and Instr,ctlvo
Lesson and Whsro It May he Hound-A
Learned and Concaso RSviow or tha
Same.
The lesson for Sunday. January IL, may
be found in Kings IL: 25-33.
INTRODUCTORY.
This lesson in "Idolatry In Israel" will bo
valuable to us according as we apply it to
in America, and in Christian America at
that. are too marked to be overlooked The
teacher should warn against these dangers
and point out. from Israel's career where
the bad issue begins. The eccentric Nom
such professor has two-fold division for
text work which We regard as most wise and
sagacious. 1t is. briefly stated, first, cut
out your garment then put 1t on. In our
Explanatory" we endeavor to do tho first,
and in our .Expositoryn the second. 1t is
to the teacher and pastor, however, that wo
must look to make 1t fit.
WHAT TIE LESSON SAYS.
Jeroboam. widows son. Il Kings IL:
2e) The responsibility put thus upon him
doubtless helped to develop his strong char
acter.-Shechem. Its name meaning
strength. Strong also in historical prestige.
Abraham made it sacred (6ichem). Gen.
1a:6 It was City Of Refuge, Joah. q: 81.
1t was the scene of the PRONUNCIATION Of the
law, JOSH 81: 20. In the New Testament
days it was called Sychar John &: s.. Nab
lus, q city OF 5000, now occupies the spot.
Built Penuel. i. O., built up. strength
ened. This is that Penuel or Peniel (face
OF God) where Jacob wrestled with Jehovah
Gen. 32: 80, BY.
WHAT THE LIES SON TEAonEs.
Now shall the Kingdom return. He n be-
ginning to doubt so soon. And right here
begins his own downfall. Potter walked the
wave right bravely and Justify till he took
his eye away from his Master and fastened
it upon himself aud his own efforts. Then
he fell. 40. thou Of little faith, wherefore
dost thou doubt?n--that tells the secret Of
his downfall 1t is the weak point In Jero-
boum's character. He was u strong man,
we'll fitted to rule. with splendid possibili-
ties before him. There was the trouble.
He put his Thought and effort upon him
hope to be WIS through the purpose and by
the grace Of God, meekly accepted. He
overlooked that promise made to him back
there sin the field" "And 1t shall be- II
thou wilt hearken /" - that will be with
thee and build thee sure house.n 1t shall
be and here he is saying In miserable skep-
ticisnl, Now shall the Kingdom return.
Faith with the Kingdom does begin to re-
turn from him because OF his unfaith. O.,
let us DO careful. lest with the very next
breath after we sny sthy kingdom come. n
in the Lords prayer. we be found saying
doubtfully, self-deDendently, now shall the
Kingdom return; ana what shall I do to
prevent II? Right here we lift an alien
altar. Gregory At Rome. Henry VIII. I'm
England. was each a Jeroboam In his way.
And this became u SIN. No, 1t was not in
tended as Il sin. 1t just became one-that
nl II. n N n Eyo
mean tn at the taking OF the apple should be
q transgression. 1t speedily became SUCH
mistrust and disobedience bearing theil
early fruit. Abraham did not intend thai
his prevurlcation, whereby his wife should
be called his sister, should be a sin. II wal
J simply word of convenience, it enabled
, both him and his wife, forsooth, to live, To-
the time being, comparatively unmolested
i'll the enemies country. But 1t soon be-
calnc sin. and Abraham was rebuked TO
it. and before the eyes of the heather, q
y often Gods people are to-day. Solomon di.
! not intend that his adoption of the fashion
, and customs OF the nations should be
G menace to God. He merely wished to ca
e tabiish his realm and reign in the goo
!. esteem Of the kings around about. Blu
j, even now, In the lesson before us, we begi
; to see the bitter fruits of such compromise
! The first cigar, the first glass. the fri
game OF cards--O. no. they were not mean
:. for sin. just for amusement, or to pass
il pleasant hour, or to make ones self agree
II 'sie to the people of the world. But thi
o IL ,g has become sin, fearful sin. An ap
e pa. ut tritiing departure from Christl
> comir"nd and apostolic procedure Just 70
,, conyc... nee. if you please. Alas, alas, III
" sin 1t ha. ,ut uaon Gods own Zion.
J. Even ui, Dan. They go the whole road
e Yield an in, =. and 1T will presently be- ar
G ell. When 14G! stan Us down the way TOWARD
Sodom he does ct stop till he reaches tn,
4 end of the line. Presently we find hin
leaving his pitching: tents and verify dwell
} ing in the city of destruction Perhaps
= Jcroboam fixed upon itathcl as a slight de-
G parture. then yielded little further Il
. cOnciliatc the northern tribes, giving then
!, q provisional or perhaps u tentative place
of meeting. one which could be used IL
time OF extremity when it was exceedingl,
= difficult or painful to push the way down Il
: the farther city. Now behold he sees tn,
g people preferring the farthest point They
y have wholly swung OFF. They are thorough.
I going latitudinarians. Doubtless it was
. tender, kindly thought that first suggeste,
. clinic baptism ard all other substitutes TO
: the true and original ordinance. Nos see
even Bethel is not enough. The confctler
: :lted tribes Of Israel have gone clean owe
y to Dan. And they verify think by SO doinl
e to worship God. Worship it may be. through
e Gods condescension, but O. why not conn
back to Zion? Thus only unity.
He placed in Bethel the priests. Yes
you can always find priests to watch tn
high places. First Il sinful departure. The
that departure organized. for We read tina
abe made house of high places" Now b
puts his priests there to establish and per
II petuate the iniQuity. There is never al
;. apostasy so pronounced and atrocious bu
: that prurient priesthood can be found t
!. give it apparent sanctity and SO to mis-
lead the very elect. Mormcnism has don
I vilely, but with all its viciousness 1t ha
l. never been priestless. Indeed its hig
n priests have fostered and promoted it
misdoings. Man-placed priests. Jeroboam'
4 brotherhood Of the high places, beware y
: them. Only the servants whom Go
!, anointed are to be- trusted. "By. thei
fruits ye shall know them" o, that tn
u priests and prophets were all Gods men
X to lead the straying focks back to God
4 house! Luther started out from Dan t
$ Jerusalem, but he got no further tina
- Bethel Cranmer also, but he halted PAL
:. - way; and Anglicansm has its altar to-da
: somewhere up among the hills Of Samaria
So he offered upon the altar which he ha
made. Men are always ready to do that
Z Let them make their own altar, and no,
v easy the sacrificed! Affairs OF fashion, altar
, of selfshness affairs of Worldliness sin