The National tribune., 1893-02-23


! brought IN the harvest. and loaded the asses
! aud handled the wares yet Nehemiah saws to
them. What frit thing IS this that We do He
justly Charges upon them as their own net
that which they did not use their power to
suppress nor their. example to discourage
They, as leaders Of tho people. were doubIy re-
| sponsible for the sin into which the people had
! fallen. The magistrate who does not punisl,
| crime connives at it. The r1an OF exalted
station who neglects Tire proper observance of
the Sabbath countenances its open violation by
/ those under him"
Rev J. Z. Miller says Nehemiah "began in
/ the right place. with the most influential
classes. and therefore the most responsible"
| T. Did not your fathers thus?" (Y. 1871
| Violation of the Fourth Commandment was a
/ besetting SIN. T. e. see Jer., IL: 21-27. And
| read Chron.. So: 81; Eze., 20: %. 2l Con-
tact with Babylonians was very unfavorabls
! in this respect.
s. In explaining verse 10 one must remem-
Der the Jewish Sabbath was on Saturday.
When the gates Of the city walls therefore
/ were closed on Friday evening they yers not
opened again till Sunday morning
/ g. On VS.. 20, 21. Nehemiah considered him
! self Governor not only of Jerusalem but Of the
/ suburbs The presence all day Sabbath of
some foreign hucksters was unfavorable to the
morals Of the Jews. 1t may be the merchants
imagined the law would soon be rescnded and
! they permitted again to enter the city. Or
they may have thought gate. tenders would
smuRglc them within the walls Nehemiah
| Ike the determined MAN he was forbade them
ever coming near the suburbs again. and
threatened with arrest and Imprisonment any
! who presumed TO approach
10. As 10 Sabbath read the following:
a. As to Eden. Gen., 2:1-3.
! b. As to mamma. Elk, IS % so
c. Punishment for violation, M. Is: 32-41.
d. Commandments as to, Ex.. 90: ell;
81: AN; 81 81; Lev, 10: 80; %: 8;
Deu., B: H.
{. The Prophet Isaiah said SO: Is. 14): "If
thou turn away from doing thy pleasure on
my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight,
the holy of the Lord, honorable: and shaIs
honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor
finding thine own pleasure. speaking thine
own words will cause thee to ride
on the high places of the earth"
III. On the prayer of Nehemiah, Nv. 22,) DIR.
Kenhrick said s. Nehemiah does not hesitate
10 plead before God the purity of his motives
III pursuing this course He had aimed so
sngiy at the honor Of God that he could ask
God to remember and. as il were. give him
credit for what he had done. At the same
time he prayed with all humility, spare me,
and his hope was according to the greatness of
iods mercy. There was no Self-complacency
in this prayer. IL was the appeal to God of A
man conscious of his own thorough rectituds
OF intention, but conscious too, of his liability
to error and sin, and claiming blessings on no
ground but that Of Gods unmerited good
ness"
This prayer has been severely criticised. II
is very clear Rev. J. X. Miller had the right
idea of it. He said There is something
very beautiful in this prayer of Nehemiah.
See also verse II, in which he pleads particu-
larry that his good deeds may not be forgotten
of the Lord. There is no vain Boosting or
self-glorifcation in his words. 1t speaks rather
nfG zlfrTfr 8 ~
done faithful deed. Yet after all that he
had done he rested alone upon the rich mercy
of God"
4. Suggestions.
L. The lesson contrasts two sorts of men
Eliashib and Nehemiah. One is tickle. time
serving. man fearing. compromising; the other
is immOvable in decision, a torrent in action.
fearless OF anything but evildoing fearful to
violatOrs of Gods laws reliable. He testified
against Sabbath breakers in burning words.
He contended with the mobiles. persistent in his
decisions He hurled Tobiah and all his stuff
out from the Temple. He shut the gates of the
city for Sc hours each week. He faced the
foreign merchants and offered them nothing
but obedience or Imprisonment The world
stands painfully in need Of such bold public
ofhclas-unmoved by partiality. unbought By
money, melted only by honest principles, per-
sstent till successful. friends of the good, like
a Nemesis to the evil.
2. Before proceeding in any work we shonId
become acquainted with all the facts in the
case. Nehemiah was very careful on returning
to Jerusalem to verify the reports he had
heard. We see in verse he Understood
of the evil" and in '. 10 he perceived" Com
pare his cautiousness when he first went to
Jerusalem. He was bound to satisfy himself
to get personal information about matters-be-
fore proceeding. q: 11-16.)
3. Keep from bad company. That was q
great mistake made by Eliashib in toIerating
TObiah; also by the Jews in permitting for
eigners into business relations with themselves
4. The great lesson impressed is the proper
observance of the Lords Day.
Blackstone said: 1.-The keeping of one day
in seven holy, as a time of relaxation and
reffeshment, as well as of public worship, is of
admirable service to the State considered
merely as civil institution"
Count Montalembert: There is no religion
without worship. or no worship without the
Sabbath.
s. 7. Coleridge: 81 feel as ii God had, by
giving the Sabbath, given 81 springs in the
year."
Herbert:
Sundays the pillars are
On which Heavens palace arched lies
The other days fill up the spare
And hollow room with vsnitie5."
Lowell:
Six days at drudgery's heavy wheel she stands
The seventh sweet morning folds her weary hands
Yes. child of suffering. thou mayst well be sure
He who ordained the Sabbath loves the poor"
Life may be said to be like a string of beads.
in which every seventh bead is large, heauti-
full golden one As lovers of home church, and
Stofa Lai sI.- H. n