The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1892-03-31
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Day OF the Righteous-Ps. l,1-0-Lessor
for April 8, 1892.


GOLDEN TExr.-Blessed is the man that
wallieth not in tho counsel Of the ungodly, nor
standeth in the way Of sinners, nor sitteth In
the seat Of the scornful.-Ps. III
THE TINE Of Psalm Is uncertain. II is o
preface to tho whole first book which was prob
ably collected by Solomon and therefore must
have been written rs early as B. G. 1900
THE AUTHOR is unknown, but very probably
was Solomon himself, as Porowne argues. But
there is nothing in It that would prevent David's
being the author.
LESSON NOTES.
1. "Blessed is the man." The book of
Psalms, lilse the sermon on the mount,
opens with bcnediction.
',That walkcth not" etc. The verb
is in the present tense. "The negative
side of the righteous mans charac-
ter, his decided aversion from evil, is
regarded as an already accomplished
fact, and therefore put in the perfect"
2. "But his delight is in the law of the
Lord" Bad men may sometimes obey
the law but only the good man delights
in it. To delight in Gods law, to love
it, is certain proof of good man.
This delight does not look at what the
law promises nor what it threatens but
at this only, that 1.-The law is holy, Just
and good" "In the law" It was the
written Word of God, so far Us then
known, and hence to us, the whole BIZ
BILE; for while the commandments are
the law stated in words the rest of the
Bible gives that law as illustrated and
enforced in the history of nations and
individuals. ''Of the Lord" The original
word is Jehovah" i. c., the self-exist-
cnt, living, eternal God. "And in His
law doth lie mcditat,." A strict aorist
is wont to mediate. The quiet solilo-
guy of one who is searching and think
ing. AS the meditation is, such is the
man prov. esq. Meditation is the
touchstone of the Christian it is spir-
itual index. AS the index shows what
is in the book SO meditation shows what
is in the heart. Day and night" When
ever opportunity offers.
8. 'And he shall be like tree" The
points OF resemblance are many and
striking. The tree is an organic whole,
with the properties Of life, growth and
fruitfulness; it has, moreover, the elc-
Inents of grandeur, beauty and per-
petuity. "By thestreams of water" The
original word denotes "cvcry flowing
stream, especially the brook that issues
from spring, and every channel which
one leads from spring over the sur
face of the ground" winter torrents and
| great rivers. such as the Nile and the
Euphrates, being excepted. The palm
| tree often fourishes in the desert, but
| its roots always strike down until they
| reach the living water. The Christian
| is sometimes planted in the desert, but
| God always sends the streams Of living
| water to nourisl him. ''Lil1e q tree
| planted" The righteous man is not a
wild tree, but tree chosen, planted
cultured by God, suggesting Gods un.
ceasing care and providence. He is
planted in that place which will best
| promote his fruitfulness. So Christ
says: Il have chosen YOU, and planted
you" John 1910, where ''planted" is
the true rendering of Ordained
"And it is no small thing, ir
a world where SO many are out OF
| place, or without any place at all, to be
assured that any man who chooses may
do his work and develop his character
in a place of Gods choosing" "That
bringeth forth it's fruit in its season.
Fruitfulness, bearing the fruits Of the
Spirit-love, joy, peace, etc. (Gal. 5:22
cay, and ''every good word and work" il
a constant characteristic of the right
eous man. Fruit is the infallible test
4. "And whatsoever he doeth shall
prosper" Here is transition from
the figure of a tree to person. Holi
ness is happiness, security, stability
fruitfulness; and holiness is based solely
on the law of God. The righteous maj
here described will have true prosper
ity. A world of such people woult
be the happicst and most prosperous
world imaginable. 'Dut are likt
the chaff." Light, shifting, worthless
useless, dead, easily carried away. Th'
threshing floors were usually on higl
exposed spots, where the wind would
sweep over them the more freely. The
chaff, ''the wind driveth away" Tht
very winds that brought life to them a
first will destroy them when they viii
prove themselves shaft.
s. Therefore,. because they arr
hopelessly worthless. The end will b,
the natural result OF the life. ''Shallno
stand in the Judgment" They shall no
stand as acquitted, not stand the tria
safely, in Gods righteous judgments, a
all times and in all places where God'
estimates OF mems character are mani
tested, His providential judgments, bu
chiefly the great day of judgmen
Matt. 25). ''In the congregation of th'
righteous. They shall not be reclzonet
or regarded as belonging to the right
eous; that is, in all places where th'
righteous, as such, arc assembled, the.
will have no place, especially in the las
day when they shall be gathered to
gether to receive their reward.
6. "For." There is much in this littl'
"for." There is always reason TO
what God says and does. 1.-The Lor'
knowcth,"i i. e., regards with watchfu
care and love. Knows from the be
ginning to the end. THE way of th'
righteous" ]. e., the tendency and issu'
of their character and conduct. II,
knows their struggles to overcome; HI
| Knows their pravarS for hnln. TIn know