The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1895-08-09
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON VI, THIRD QUARTER, INTER
NATIONAL SERIES, AUG. ~.
Text Of the Lesson. Mum. xxi. l-0-Mem-
Org Verses, q, 0-Goideu Text. John III.
ll-Commentary by tho Rev. ID. M.
Stearns.

DRY verses, n, O-Ooiueo Iehs, S0un NE
IA-Commentary by tho Rev. ID. M.
stearns.
4. "And they journeyed from Mount
Aor by the way Of the Red sea- to compass
the land of Edom, and the soul Of the peo-
Pile was much discouraged because OF the
way" Edom was Esau, Jacobs brother.
So the Edomites were near kinsmen of Is
rael, according To the flesh. Yet they re-
fused To allow Israel TO pass through their
land, although Israel offered to pay for the
water they might use while passing
through Xxx, 1s-2D. In the previous chap
ter we have also an account Of the death
of Miriam in the first month, and the death
of Aaron in the fifth month of the fortieth
year See chapter xxxiii, 3S. We find Israel
in this lesson about where we saw them
In the last lesson, but IL Is 3S years later
In the story Hundreds of thousands have
died In the wilderness, and new genera
ton has grown up, yet of those 50 years Of
wanderings because OF their unbelief we
know scarcely anything. They were out
Of fellowship, and IL was lost time. We
are reminded of the ID years Of Abrams
life of which we know nothing (Gen. xvi,
IS; xvii, u, and of the lost time Of the
Nazarite (Num. vi, 12). Wherrwe are ont
Of fellowship with God through unbelief
or worldliness, the time Is lost. We are
reminded that the journey of life Is often
q weary one to the flesh, but IL we are In
Christ, who is 1.-THE way" (.Tohn xiv, 81, and
will continually consider Him and
"look unto Him (Heb. xii, 2. 81, we will
be greatly helped and strengthened and
will not he discouraged, even though our
own rclai ions turn against US. Think OF
the brother of Abel, the brethren of Joseph
and of David, and even the brethren of .Je-
sus did not at one time believe in Him
(John vii. s..
g.. And the people spake against God
and against Moses Wherefore have ye
brought us up out of Egypt to die in the
wilderness? for there is no bread, neither
Is there any water, and our soul loatheth
this light bread. Ps. xviii tells the
story Of their sin from beginning to- end.
In Deut. tx, "a, Moses says, "Ye have been
rebeIlious against the Lord from the day
that / knew you" In Mum. XII, l, 1t is
written that when the people complained,
it displeased the Lord" And in Ps. xcv,
10, the Lord Himself says Forty years
long was grieved with this generation"
What relief to turn to Him of whom it Is
said by the Father, This Is My Beloved
Son, in whom l am well pleased, and To
hear the Son Himself say, Il do always
those things that please Him (Math. xvii,
5; John viii, 29) The Word for us is, do
all things without murmurings or disput-
ings" BE content with such things rs
we have" phil ii, IA; Heb xiii, 5; see
also l Cor. x, 6-13).
q. And the Lord sent fiery serpents
among the people, and they bit the people
t1eh Of nj ieH In II
iii, g. it Is said that the tongue Is an un-
ruly evil full of deadly poison, and of sin
ners it is said in Rom. iii, 13, 1.-The poison
of asps is under their lips" The people
had been slandering God with the poison OF
their tongues and now they are reaping as
they sowed. They sowed the wind and
they are reaping the whirlwind (Gal. vi,
z; Hos. VIII, y. Sometimes a swift reck-
oning overtakes the sinner, as in the case
of korah and his company, Achan also,
and Ananias and Sapphire, but 1t is al
ways preceded by much long suffering and
patient forbearance, as in the days of
Noah He that being often reproved,
hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be de-
stroyed and that without remedy" prov.
xxx, u. Because there is wrath, beware
lest He take thee away with His stroke;
then a great ransom cannot deliver thee"
(Job. xxxvi, lS).
7. Therefore the people came to- Moses
and said, We have sinned, for we have
spoken against the Lord and against thee.
Pray unto the Lord that He take away the
serpents from us. And Moses prayed for
the people" In PS. evil we read again
and again that they cried unto the Lord
in their trouble, and He heard and deliv-
cred them. He is full of compassion and
forgiveness, and for us it is written that
''if we confess our SINS He Is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness" U John |, 81.
There is better way to live, however,
than that of constant SHINING and repent
ing. We may walk in the light as He is
in the light have fellowship with Him
and rejoice in the blood that cleanseth
from all sin U John |, D. We shall never
on this side Of the glory cease to need that
cleansing blood, but we may have wonder
full victory over sin and fellowship with
God.
8. And the Lord said unto Moses, Make
thee a fiery serpent and set it upon a pole,
and it shall come TO pass that every one
that is bitten when he looketh upon it shall
live" How strange the remedy, like
ness of that which slew them! How sug-
gestive of the Lord Jesus who took upon
Him our likeness, the likeness of sinful
flesh, and was made sin for us (Rom. viii,
8; III Cory, 2D. The serpent brought death,
and the likeness of the serpent brought
life. BY Adam came sin and death and
the curse BY the Son of God in the like
ness of Adam made a curse for us, come
life and health and peace (Rom. V, IL, II;
GAL Iii, l3). How simple the way of lifel
Though all but dead from the serpent's
bite, If but the glazing eye could see the
brazen serpent there WAS life.
Q. "And Moses made a serpent of brass
and put it upon pole, and 1t came TO pass
that if serpent had bitten any man, when
he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived"
In John ill, Ia, Is, see the Saviour's APP
plication of this to Himself. Write your
own name In full in John iii, 10, instead
of the words 1.-THE world and whose
ever" and believe that God means you,
and the believing look upon Him who died
for you, in the light of John 1, IL, will
surely bring you life. IL G. III. Sturgeon,
now resting from his labors, passed from
death to life by look, in obedience to Isa.
XIV, 90, you can do the same IL you will.
The atonement has been made; the work
of providing redemption has been finished.
II. e. ~as.. tsxrx hA