Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1892-03-31

LESSON /, SECOND QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES APRIL 8.

Verses. 1-6-Golden Text, Ps. L. 1.
Comm entsry by the Rev. ID. NJ.
Stearns.
l. blessed is the man that walketh not
in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth
in the way of sinners. nor sitteth in the
seat Of the scornful." The whole book of
Psalms is divided into five books, the end
ings OF which are easily seen xii, ID. lxxii,
10 xxxix, So, cvi. AS cxlx g. The an
cient Rabbins saw in the five books Of
Psalms the image of the five books of the
law. 1t has been said that the Law is the
Lords fvefold word to the congregation,
and the Psalter is the congregations We
fold word to the Lord. Psalm is the pref
ace to the whole book or the text of the
sermon. The bject is the happiness Of the
righteous and the destruction of sinners.
The word translated Blessed" or more
literally. 20 the blessings" is used over
forty times in the Old Testament, twenty.
five of which are in the Psalms. The first
Is in Deut xxxiii, 90, and the last in Dan.
xii, IL. 1t is a different word from another
which is translated blessed" signifying
to bend the knee to, or worship, and used
over 300 times. In this negative descrip-
ton of the happy man observe the three
times three of the down grade of the
wicked, which he avoids-walketh, stand.
eth, stitch, the counsel, the way, the seat;
the ungodly sinners, the scornful. The
counsel would be to let religion alone.
The way is that of the theater, the gam
bier the drunkard The seat is that of
confirmed impicty BY resisting the first
we get victory over all. The following are
very helpful texts in reference to counsel
Ps cvi, 43. xxxiii 10, IL; xlxxxii, q; xxi,
s, margin.
9. but his delight ia in the law of the
Lord, and in his law doth he mediate day
and night" This is the positive descrip
ton of the happy man and the secret of his
blessedneSs. In the word of God he finds
God Himself. and God becomes his delight
The entrance of the word has enlightened
him caused him to see his sinfulness and
plead guilty led him to the blood that
maketh atonement for the soul, and now
he Is the happy man whose transgresslon
Is forgiven. whose sin Is covered and to
whom lnlquity Is not imputed (ps cXiX
1870 Xxxii, |, 2, Rom i'll 10, "a Lev. xvii, ~
Having a. IA poor mHn-one possessing
nothing but sin-tound the riches Of the
Lord, yea. durable riches and righteous
ness prov viii. IS l9J his heart goes out
to others who are as poor as he once was,
and 80 carrying to them the word of the
Lord which made him rich, and seeing the
Lords grace to them he learns to delight
greatly In the Lord (ps XII, |, lisa. lviii, s
IL, l4)
s. And he shall he like tree planted
BY the rivers of water that bringeth forth
biy in his leaf "a Ian sbu1
not wither and whatsoever he doeth shall
prosper" He learns to say with Thomas
A. Kempis. Il have no rest but in II nook
with the Book" and thus eating the word
day and night. his roots go down deep by
the living water and he learns to say to
God. All my springs are in Thee" Dps,
Ixxxvii. y. And though he may be out
wariiy oppressed and afflicted, even falsely
accused and imprisoned like Joseph, or
actually beaten like Paul and Silas. yet he
prosperS and can make his Joy in the Lord
to be heard and felt (Gen. XXXiI, g %.
Acts xvi. 25I The fruit Of the Spirit love,
Joy, peace, etc. is only ripeued, mellowed
and brought out more beautifully by the
fruits OF aIliictlon. In Jer xvii Z, s, there
ls Il very similar description Of one whose
trust Is in the Lord, and whose hope the
Lord Is, The secret is that the Almighty
God is the all sufficient home of the soul
or IN other words, in Jesus dweleth all
the tuIlnesS Of the GodheAd bodily and we
are filled full in Him (Gen XVII, |, ii Cor
VI, Il, is Col. ii, 8, TO-
4. The ungodly are not so, but are like
the chat which the wind driveth away"
And yet Christ died for the ungodly (ROm
v, ~ and il not willing that any should
perish I'll Pet iii, 81, entreatiug those whose
SINS are ~ deep dyed a. scarlet and crimson
to come to Him ard be made whittier than
snow lisa, l. lS) But ii they will not turn
to Him, persiSling in disobpdieuce and re
belion. then when He gathers His wheat
into the garner He will burn up the chatf
with unauenchable fire (Math iii, l2) He
will say unto some. depart from me- We
cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for
the devil and his angels These shall 20
away into everlasting punishment, but the
righteous into life eternal tMath XIV. Il.
40 Chafi il Just like wheat IN form. but
it is al. form and no substance Let US
take heed.
5, ''Therefore the ungodly shall not stand
in the judgment nor sinners IN the con
gregation of the righteous" Thus early
in Scripture do we tiud reference to the
distinctive resurrectiOus and judgments of
righteous and UnrGhteOus which are SO
clearly spoken OF III the New Testament
The word stand III this verse is in
Pa lxXXviii, 10 and elsewhere translated
"arise;" so we might read The ungodly
shall not ARISE III the Judgment" The
Scrlptural programme is simply this At
death the spirits OF the righteous enter
into conscious bliss. the spirits OF the lost
| into conscious torment, the bodies of all
alike gong to corruption, when Christ
comes to the air for His saints their bodies
rise, and soul and body reunited appear at
His judgment seat to receive rewards for
service and places in His kingdom Only
believers are in that judgment. They re-
turn with Him to Judge the living nations
and convert Israel and bring in the mil
lennium, or thousand years, at the end of
which the ungodly arise to stand before
! the great white throne and 20 away into
the lake OF fire duke xvi, %, %; Phil i.
! 81, % | Thess iv lG-lS; Ii Cor V, 10.
Luke xix, lib; Rev, iii, 81, Cor. vi, ,,
Rev. XIX. l-l5).
6. FOR the Lord knoweth he way of the
righteous, INT the way OF the uugodly
shall perish" He looks with approval