Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1894-03-15
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON Xl, FIRST QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, MARCH 10.

meniary by the Rev. ID. VI. Stearns,
II. And the Lord said, Shall hide from
Abraham that thing which / do?" As we
have choice between a temperance and
missionary lesson, unhesitatingly choose
the latter, believing that the greater in
cludes the less, and also firmly believing
that if individual Christians and churches.
societies and Sunday schools would only
yield fully to the Lord that He might
through them accomplish all His pleasure
in preaching the gospel to every creature.
not only would the Lord be greatly re
loced His elect church FASTENED to com
pletion, but these same individual be
levers churches societies and Sunday
schools would know the blessing of
the Lord as never before These five
verses Of this lesson are in connection
with the visit of the LORD and the an
gels to Abraham under the oaks of Mamre
and the approaching destruction of the
cities Of the plain. 1t is Il most suggestive
missionary topic, as the same Lord who
said, shall | hide from Abraham that
thing which | do2" said also some $500
years later when here on earth in His hu-
initiation, AS it was in the DAYS of Lot
they did eat, they drank, they bought. they
sold, they planted, they builded, but the
same day that Lot went out of Sodom it,
raned fire and birthstone from heaven
and destroyed them all Even thus shall
it be in the day when the son of man is re
vealed' duke xvii, 2S-3O) and now over
1900 years still, later those who are A bra
hams seed by faith IN Christ Jesus gal. ILL.,
800, with this thing not hid from them. are
as indifferent to the impending storm thar
is surely coming and the welfare of peo-
pie about them a. if the Lord had never ut
tered these words Please do read Prov
xxi II, u; Eek. XXXiii, 10.
IS Seeing that Abraham shall surely
become great and mighty nation, and all
the nations of the earth shall be blessed in
him" As to the farreachiug blessing. see
chapters xii, 3, and xxi, IS Although it
was not fully revealed to Abraham lust
how this glorious result was to be accom-
plished, it is not hidden from us to whom
has been given the New Covenant as well
as the Old. The New opens with the state
ment that Jesus Christ is the son of David
the son of Abraham Matt i, y, and goes
on to show that He is the one Of whom
Moses in the law and the prophets did
write that though he was rejected by
Israel, to whom He specially came, yet He
suffered and died and rose again accord
kingdom il ostpoucd because of the
rejection of the King He is by the preach
ing of the gospel of His grace gathering
from all nations an elect company who
shall reign with Him as His bride when He
shall bless all nations through His elect.
restored and holy nation, Israel duke xiv,
1871, xix II; Acts iii, 1921; XIV, l4-l0 The
national conversion of Israel will be accom-
plished when they look upon linn whom
they have pierced. as He shall return in
power and gloiy. bringing His bride with
Him; then shall they be smitten with true
conviction Of SIN, like Saul on the way to
Damascus. ard shall welcome their rejected
Messiah, saying; This is Jehovah. We
have waited or Him; we will be glad and
rejoice in His Salvation.' Then shall Israel
blossom aud bud and ill the face of the
world with fruit Sec Xcch. xii, 10; xiii, l;
lisa. XIV, 9. xvii, 6
10. "For | know him that he will com
mand his children and his household after
him and they shall keep the way of the
Lord, TO do Justice and Judgment that the
Lord may bring upon Abraham that which
He hath spoken Of him" The Lord know
eth each of MS thoroughly, even to our
thought and imaginations Qs. cXxxix,
II; Chron. xviii, 81, ard He knows what
lie can accomplish through Us, and wheth-
er we will walk in His way or not Bv
dlsobedIcuce we hinder Him from accom-
pllshing His pleasure in and through us.
If we were only willing and obedient we
would In every true sense eat the good of
the land and be filled with the fairness of
His house lisa. j. 10; Ps Xxi, 10. rs.
XXXvi, s. The way of the Lord is as high
above our ways as heaven is above the
earth l~d ty, 5, 81, yet vain man clings to
his own thoughts and ways, and thus
knows neither the Lord thoughts nor
counse. tMic. iv, 10. Much time and
strength j. thus wasted by individuals and
churches 10y not knowing the Lord way
and purpose
20. And the Lord said Because the cry
OF Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and be-
cause Ihclr sin is very grievous." All sin
cries unto God, and He hears the cry of all
the Cypress ed. The voice of thy brothers
blood crieat unto Me from the ground"
(Gen. ", l0) The cries of the oppressed
reapers enter into the ears of the Lord of
Hosts iJaS. V, A.. His eyes and ears are
open to all things on earth, but because He
is long suffering He tarries to the utmost
II perchance lie may lead men to repent
ance and deliver them from eternal loss
lll Pet III, ., Job NNNiii, 90, 3O). And while
Judgment i, restrained He gives us the
privilege Of intercedng for men as Abra-
ham did, and Of beseeching men TO be rec.
onciled to God or Cor. Y, 2O)
p. Il will 20 down now and see whether
they have done altogether according to the
rry of it, which is come unto me, and if
not will know" He never Furnishes with
nut cause, uor without due and patient in
FeSLlEItl ''Np SbIIl EuO,y that | howe.