Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-06-16
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON XII, SECOND QUARTER, IN
TERNATIoNAL SERIES, JUNE IL.
Text Of the Lesson, Ps il, I-Ie. A Mission
AIRY Lesson = Memory Verses, 1919.
Golden Text. Ps. II. s-cammentary by
the Rev. d. NJ. stearns.

Golden Text, Ps. II, s-Cammentary by
the Rev. d. NJ. stearns.
Some one has said that, as in the first
book of Moses, the book OF the beginnings
OF earth, life, man and Israel, its types
are the lives of men, so in the first book of
Psalms Il to xiii we nave Gods purposes
and counscls in relation to man-man in
general d TO viii), the man Of the earth %
to 15) and the man Christ Jesus xvi to
Kid. The first two psalms seem to give a
summary OF the whole of the first book
and speak of the time when Jesus shall be
king over all the earth. the man of the
earth ov~erthrown, but the blessed man
prospecting forever.
l. "Why do the heather rage and the
people imagine a vain things" Although
there is no title to this psalm. nor authors
name, the Spirit tells us in Acts iv. 25, that
the Lord spoke these words through Da.
vid. The words were the Lords. but He
used David's mouth. See also III Sam.
xiii. ?; John xii, 40. As in the days OF
Noah every imagination Of the thoughts
of mans heart was only evil continually
Gen. vi, 81, so it was in David's day, and
so it is still.
.. "The kings of the earth set them
selves, and the rulers take counsel together
against the Lord and against His anoint-
ed, saying This had a special fulfillment
when Jesus was here in humiliation to
suffer and die tActs iv, 20. 1t has had a
fulfillment in every persecution Of Chris
tians by rulers, but its greatest fulfillment
will he at the second coming OF Christ.
3. "I.et us break their bands asunder
and cast away their cords from u.s." This
is the continual altitude of the carnal
mind toward God ever since man fell
from. viii, -. Such are ever saying, ssWe
will not have this man to reign over u.s.
luke xix, 14l. They make a covenant
with death, and with hell are they at
agreement, but it shall not stand, for the
Lord bringeth the counsel Of the heather
to naught; He maketh the devices of the
people of non effect lisa. xviii, Is, Is; Ps.
xxxiii, 10Y.
4. "He that stitch in the heavens shall
laugh; the Lord shall nave them in deri-
sion.' See the same thought in Ps. xxxvii,
10; lii. s, and more fully in PROV. /, %,
90, "But ye have set at naught all my
counsel and would nom Of my reproof; !
also will laugh at your calamity; win
mock when your fear cometh.n While
God is not willing that any should perish
and is long suffering and slow to wrath,
yet it is possible TO sin away the day Of
grace and bring upon us the wrath of
God so long in mercy restrained III Thess. j
40.
5. "Tben shall He speak to them In His
wrath and vex them in His sore displcas-
ure." Our God shall come and shall not
keep silence; n fire shall devour before
Him, and it shall be very tempestuous
round about Him FPS. |, 81, te has spa-
ken by the prophets, He has also spoken
by His own Son, but for long centuries lie
has kept silence. When He speaks again,
it will be Mt His coming TO punish the in
habitants of the earth for their %iniquity,
to take away the rebuke of His people
from off all the earth, and to cause Israel
to blossoms and u and fill the face of the
earth with fruit lisa. XIV, s; XVI, eli
xvii, G).
o. "Yet have / set My king upon My
holy hill Of Zion, y or, as in the margin,
upon Zion, the hill Of My holiness. There
Is only one holy hill of Zion referred TO In
Scripture Ms being on this earth, and that
is in the holy city Jerusalem, In Pales-
tine. And notwithstanding all the hatred
of Gods enemies, all the soothing Of unbe-
levers and all the unbelief In the church
because of the false prophets who speak
out of their own hearts, jesus shall yet sit
on David's throne and reign over the house
of Jacob.
Z. 81 will declare the decree. The Lord
hath said unto Me, Thou art My Son; this
day have ! begotten Thee The Holy
Spirits commentary upon this is hat II
refers not to the birth Of Christ, but to
His resurrection from the dead (Acts xiii,
33). This is also in perfect agreement with
Rom. /, 4, where Jesus is declared to be
the Son of God, with power by the resur-
rection from the dead. This does not con
flict with the testimony OF the Father in
Math. iii, II; xvii, 5, for in His sight who
sees the end from the beginning the resur
rection was as good as accomplished.
s. ASK of Me, and | shall give thee the
heather for thine inheritance and the ut
termost parts of the earth for thy posses
SION" This is perhaps one Of the most
misapplied and misquoted verses in the
Rible-misapplied because 1t is given to
missionaries as an encouragement to look
for the conversion of all the heather ia
this age, whereas this is the age Of gath
ering out from all nations the elect church
Acts Ky, II; Rev. v, 8, 10Y; misquoted be
cause the next verse is always omitted, as
it would spoil its application to the pres
ent preaching Of the gospel Of peace,
0. 'sThou shalt break them with a rod Of
iron, thou shalt dash them In pieces like
q potter's vessel" This Is not consistent
with the commission Of the church to suf-
fer, and submit, and be like lambs among
wolves, and endure, and be content to be
killed for His sake, but it is in perfect
agreement with the stone smashing the
image dan. ii, "a, 45), and with the prom
Use to the oyercomer REV. ii, 26, 27), when
we shall come back with Him in His glory
after the first resurrection.
10. "Be wise now, therefore, O ye ktnga,
be instructed, ye judges Of the earth.n
When God gave Observation-Disclosures n vision
at tho world powers up to this very time
of breaking to pieces and warned him of
his own impending humiliation, Daniel
advised him to break off his sins BY right
eousness and his iniquitiea BY showing
mercy to the poor tDan. ~, 2O.
II, i'Serye the Lord with fear and re-
joioe with trembling" We cannot serve
the Lord till we are saved, for they that
are in the flesh cannot please God Rom.
viii, 81. The order Is given in Thess. !,
8, 10, where they turned to God from idols,
to serve the living and true God, and to
wait for His Son from Heaven. Thew Ia
Phil. ii, IL, those who are saved are told
to work out their own salvation with fear
and trembling, Not the fear OF losing it..
but the fear OF grieving or hindering Him
who worketh In us both to will and to do
Of His good pleasure.
IL. kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and
We perish from the way when His wrath
is kindled but a little. Blessed are all
they that put their trust in Him" So our
lesson closes with an entreaty to be recon-
ciled to Him who alone can save compare
III Cor. V, 20J, and with a blessing upon all
who receive Him as their Saviour. Comr
pare the blessed of Ps. |, /, and observe
how this epitome Of book / begins and
ends with blessing upon the righteous.