Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1893-02-22
The SUNDAY SCHOOL
international Lesson for February go. SC
Heading tho Law-Neh a. tie

TiNE-Tho irst day OF the seventh month 4
| .. the middle or last OF September. A. d. f4L
| about two mcnths after tho arrival OF Neherni.
an in Jerusalem. and n week after the compile.
| ton OF the walls on the 25th OF Eiui the sixth
| month (AuguSt-Septombe The nrst day OF
| the seventh month was September - in 1924;
IN lesJ IL viii De september H. and IN 1884 Octo-
| Der l.
Ophol' southeast OF the temple are 4. and neal
| the watergato through which water Wa,
brought for use in the temple.
THE SECTION OF HISTORY includes chapter,
elo chapter is q repetition of Ezra 2 re
| viewing the first coming OF the ancestors of the
| present gene ration 20 Jerusalem I'm II. c $50
ninety years before (see Lesson L. a. n basis
OF ropopulating Jerusalem and OF knowing who
| were the true Jews
LESSON NOTES
The Month Of Meetings. The walls Of
Jerusalem, though three or four miles
long, were finished in fifty-two davs.
u week before the beginning of the
civil year, or the seventh month, Tishri
OF the common Jewish year This
month (September-October) included
three great festivals: () The Feast OF
1rumpcts, uShering in the new year
and the new moon; (2) the great Day OF
Atonement, the 10th of the month
and (S) the Feast of Tabernacles. from
the 18th TO the 2ist, the Jewish Thanks
giving In calendar of the Jewish
year for lso9-94, prepared by a
Jewish rabbi, six feasts are assigned TO
this month, while no other has more
than three. In addition to these Nehe-
miah held another solemn meeting of
confession and renewing the covenant.
This month was largely given up 10 re-
ligious meetings, chiefly for the study
Of Gods Word.
At this time began under Ezra n new
era of Bible study. We must remem-
| Der that at this time there was no print
ing and no cheap paper; that copies OF
| the law We're scarce and expensive.
Even in \. ID. 1872 in England il took
the wages of laboring man for thir-
teen years 10 buy a Bible. Probably
there were few copies in existence even
before the destruction of the temple.
and many Of these may have been de-
stroyed. Ezra renewed the study of the
Bible, inaugurated class of scribes,
for copying and teaching the Law, and
synagogue meetings for reading it. He
had the law copied, and doubtless mod
ernized so as To be understood by the
people, rs the English of Shakespeare
Is modernized in all our ordinary copies.
The inner life of the people is far
more important than outward defenses
The real walls of n city are the charac-
ter and heart of its inhabitants. The
walls of Jerusalem would last but a
brief time, unless the people themselves
were renewed. Hence this series of
meetings was as important as the build
ing of the walls, and the task to be ac-
complished by them much harder. :
Massachusetts minister of the olden
time once told his people that 1t was
easier for God 10 create IA world than To
renew their hearts, for he had no oppo-
sition in the creating.
4 Sunday School OFT Olden Time.
Vers. 1, >. This chapter should begin
with the last clause of the last verse, OF
the previous chapter: And when the
seventh month was come" etc.
The occasion was the celebration OF
the new-moon feast of the seventh
month (chap. 5:7S). The beginning of
every month was ushered in as n sacred
festival: but this, the commencement
of the seventh month, was kept with
distinguished honor rs the feast of
trumpets' (Lev. 2S:24). Trumpets were
blown everywhere, unless the feast fell
on the Sabbath. They proclaimed a
day of rejoicing, like our Christmas
bells; they were public acknowledge
ment of Jehovah as king, a summons
for the people to range themselves
under His banner; they were "A call TO
repentance: Rouse We, rouse We from
your slum1er; awake, awake, from
your sleep, you who mind vanity"
It's Members. "All the people gathered
themselves together rs one man" They
came from all the surrounding coun-
try. The numbers present have been
variously estimated at from twenty
thousand TO fifty thousand The con-
grcgation was made mp Of "lnen ana
women, and all that could hear with
understanding (ver. -. l. e., parents
brought those of their children who
were old enough 10 understand. They
we're eager To learn their duty, for they
asked Ezra to bring the book of the
law
The Lcddcr. They spalle unto Ezrn
the scribc:" (Sce Lesson WIZ This is
the first mention of Ezra in the present
book. and tho first proof that we have
had that he was contemporary with
Nehemiah. II seems impossible that he
the events narrated in Nch. &c. and
have played no part in them Probably
he returned 90 the court Of ArtaxcrXcs
soon after cffccting the reforms which
he relates in Ezra 10, and did not re
visit Jerusalem till about the time when
the walls were completed. Ifhc had thus
just returned after an absence Of more
than ten years. it would bc natural Tor
the people 90 request him to resume the
work of exposition Of the law TO which
nc had accustomed them on his former
visit lScc Ezra 7:10. 25).
tn Trrf Book THE book Of the
law The common name OF the five
] books Of Moses, or the Pentateuch.
The book was probably The whole body
OF sacred writings, which had been col
lectcd into one volume by tho care OF
Ezra. The first great scribe. and which
formed in substance what We call the
book Of The Old Covenant, or Testament.
POPULAR PALACES.
THAT To- be great Is 90 be misuudcr