The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1893-06-08
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
l.EssoN FOR SUNDAY, JUNE IL.
Tho Creator Remembered" Eccles.
XII, 1T. 3.11. Golden Text; Eccles.
Kill, l. Commentary.

I. Remember now thy Creator IN the DAYS
Of thy youth, while the evil days come not.
| nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt
| say, have no pleasure In them" In tho
last two verses OF the previous chapter the
young man ia warned that there Is judg-
ment TO come, In the light Of which all pres-
ent things should be tested, and now he Is
| entreated to think OF HIS Creator in the DAYS
| OF his youth and strength and 20 consider
Him who Is the giver of every good and per-
feet gift. Let Samuel, David. Joash ans
Josiah be studied a. examples.
| z. while the sun, or the light, or tho
| moon, or the stars be not darkened, nor the
| clouds return after the rain" This IL sug-
| gestiye OF days Of judgment, ns in lisa. xiii,
10 Math. xiv, 29 Rev. Will, IL; Jer. kill,
10, Tor those who persistently refuse the
mercy OF God. But the content seems rather
| TO indicate the time OF old age. when the
| senses become dull and with no light from
heaven In the soul the condition OF such n
| one IL dark and gloomy indeed. Listen to
old Barzillai when invited by King David to
make his home with the king in Jerusalem
81 am this day four score years old. and can
l discern between good and evil? Can thy
| servant taste what eat or what I drnk2
| Can hear any moro tho voice Of singing
men and singing women? Wherefore, then,
should thy servant he yet n burden unto my
| lord the king" (II Sam. xix, 3j)? Barzilai
was doubtless q good man. yet he simply de-
scribes the ordinary failures OF the body in
| old age.
| 3. "In the day when the keepers Of tho
house shall tremble. and the strong men shall
| bow themselves, and the grinders cease be-
| cause they IRE few, and those that look out
| OF the windows be darkened." This Is sug-
| gestive OF the failure OF hands and arms, feet
and legs, teeth and eyes. The earthly house
| begins to decay. failure Is evident Ia every
| part, and II there Is no light shining from
above the sun II IL n dreary picture But
| listen 20 Caleb. the friend and companion Of
| Joshua, each OF whom wholly followed tho
| Lord 10. am this day four score and FIVE
| years old. As yet am rs strong this day a.
| was In the day that Moses sent me. As my
strength was then, even so Is iAy strength
now for war. both TO so out and 10 come in
| (Josh. XIV, 10, III.
| 4. "And the doors shall be shut in the streets
J when the sound OF the grinding Is low. and
| he shall rise up ut the voice of the bird. and
| all the daughters OF music shall Dc brought
| low" Suggestive OF lips closing In upon
toothless gums. inability 10 sleep and failure
| OF the voice. Comment seems unnecessary
rather consider the possibilities of an old age
| In the fear Of God. Think Of Moses Of whom
IL Il written that at the age Of 100 his eye was
| not dim nor his natural force abated. At that
| age he walked up the mountain Glona and
went out TO be- with God. and 1900 year later
We find him alive and well (Deut. xxxiy., =
Math. xvii. 3).
/ 8. "Also when they shall 10 afraid oi that
/ which Il high. and fears shall be- In the WAY,
and the almond tree shall flourish, and the
| grnsshopper shall b. "a burden, and desire
shall fail. because man eoeth to his long
home and the mourners 90 about the streets
This Is probably suggestive Of the easily terri
fed old person 10 whom everything l. q tur-
den and nothing Il satisfying The almondtrre
may suggest the white head % old age. and
the grave Is spoken Of a. the long home.
| "Under the sun" Il still the key for rejoicing;
believer anticipates no long home n the
grave, but with Christ In paradise " ''ab-
sent from the body, present with the Lord"
Uuke xxiiL, - II Cor v, -.
G. 80. ever the silver cord be loosed, or
the golden bowl b. broken, or the pitcher be
hroseH y. .hs fonntstn. or the wheel broken
at The cistern-" Possibly the reference her
may be 20 the spinal cord and whole nervous
system, the brain, the heart, with its veins
and arteries. However much or little the
writer may have known about these things,
the Holy Spirit who wrote through him was
perfect In knowledge" dob xJxyi.. ~
Z. Then shall the dust return 20 the earth
a. {: was, and the spirit shall return unto
God who gave 10. God said % Adam
Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou re-
turn" And the psalmist wrote concerning
vain man, His breath go-th forth he ~
turneth 20 his earth In that very day hil
| thoughts perish (Gen. IT., - ; y. cXlyt.. -.
| Through Jesus. the last Adam. the second
man, we learn oi victory over death and ot
| the fact that many shall never iie. I'VE
1 shall not all sleep but We shall all b. changed
| In moment. In the twinkling ~ an eye NJ
! the last trump. for the trumpet shall sound.
/ and the dead shall D. raised incC uptiblp,
! and We shall DO change I Cor. XIV, IS, ~,
/ 6l. 52). See also / Thess. iy.. lois And IN
| contrast 10 this whole dreary picture % truu
! old age, with no light from heaven. listen %
! this contrast, Though our outward man
] perish, yet the inward man T. renewed day by
day" BY receiving Him who became man
and q sin Offering FOR u ws may be sure Of
an endless life and eternal youth.
IS. Let Us hear tho conclusion O, the
whole matter. Fear God and keep His coul-
mandments, for this Is the whole duty oi
/ man But inAsmuch "a no mere man since
! Adam fell, ever kept the commandments Of
God there Il little comfort here. 'Wh0soever
shall keep the whole law. ami yet offend IN
one point, he T. guilty ot all" lJas. H., lOl
! And II Il written that the law was given %
condemn man and prove 70 man hts helpless
/ pess, that he might b. led % receive Him
/ who Il the fulhlment ot the law and the end
| OF the law for riShtenou ussuess 10 every one
| that belieyeth (Ron- III, -, 20 x, I Gal.
| H.. n ill.,. ~, 22). The Lord Jesus Christ Is
the only man who has ever done the whole
| duty OF man. He was made SIN for u that
| We might be made the righteousness Of God
| IN Him III Cor. v, 2ll. Receiving Him He
| becomes our life and righteousness John T.
| II; John v, u; Col. iii, Cor l. 3O)
| and His love cOustrainins; u we live hence
/ forth unto Him, rejoicing N hope OF the
glory Of God I'll Coz. v, Ia, Is Ron. v, /.
~.
~ "For God shall bring every work into
| Judgment, with every secret thing whether
Il be good or whether u be evil IL We are
| IN Christ, We can rejoice that the Judgment
for our sins Is past, aud they shall be remeul-
oered no more John v, "a Rom viii.
isa Kilt, 25) Every believer will, however,
appear before the Judgment seat OF Christ
that all hts works as n Christian NAV De trieI
III Cor. v, 10 Rom. xiv, 10 | Cor. Ill. IL
IS; Luke xix., 1920, and position IN the
kingdom win depend upon bb, taithhllDess.
SO IN due time and IN due order the secrets u
all hearts shall be made manifest, and only
those who ere IN Christ and the works which
He has wrought through them shall stand
AL else shall rersh. lesson HelIer
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