Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1895-07-20
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON III, THIRD QUARTER, IN
TERNATiONAL SERIES, JULY 81.

Golden Text, Lev. n, Commentary by
the Rev. ID. VI. Stearns.
l. And \adah and Abihu. the sons Of
Aaron, offered strange fire before the Lord,
which lie commanded them not" The
last lesson told Us Of failure on the part Of
Israel; this tells Of failure in the priesthood.
Every man At his best state (apart from
Cod is altogether vanity ops. xxxix, 81
This shall be fully seen when after 1000
years OF the personal reign of Christ host
of liars shall follow the father of lies when
he shall Ice released from the pit. See Rev.
, Xx, 20. and ps Xvi, 3. margin. After the
completion of the tabernacle, Aaron and
his four sons were con>ecrated 10 the priest
hood 10 minister unto the Lord in His APP
pointed way tEX. xviii. /: Lev. viii, /, .;
Ex. XNN, ~.
. And there went ont fire from the Lord
and d-vourcd them. and they died before
the Lord Thus at the very beginning of
the prics,hoo Jehovah made it very plain
that he would have a whole hearted service
or more. so also ut the beginning of the
churcn in the case Of AnaniaS and Sap
phira acts Y, ), l0l. He showed plainly
how lie hates deceit aud half hcartedness.
He does not often judge 80 swiftly and ter
ribly, but such eases show us His mind on
these things and how lie will act III the
judgment.
3. Then Moses said unto Aaron. This is
it that the Lord s?ake, saying, will he
sanctilied in them that come nigh Me, and
before all the people | will be gloritied.
And Aaron held his peace That they
were to be "a holy people unto the Lord is
the oft repeated requirement from EX. Nix,
q, 80 EDWARDS. Jesus Himself in His great
microscopy prayer said. For their sakes |
sanctify Myself that they also might be
sanctilicd through the truth (Juhn xvii,
10. c. ii. NJ. says that whether the fire
came To express approval or di>plcasure
the priest had only To- worship. and that as
priest uf God We must rise superior To all
the claims and influences of nature and of
earth. When Ezekiel's wife was taken
away 10y a stroke, he was forbidden To cry
or mourn tEzek. xiv, l6-lS Yet Jesus
wept nj the grave OF Lazarus. In rs. Xxxix,
9. we have a parallel to Aaron's silence. II
was dumb. opened not my mouth because
thou didst it Sc also r.. Xvi, 10
1, ,. Come near carry your brethren
Thus their bodies. as in the case Of Ananias
and Sapphira. we're buried, but what about
Nadab and Ahihuy We never bury people.
strictly speaking we bury the bodies or
temples in which they sojourucd for Il sea
son. II has been great comfort to me to
think a. this since ever | grasped the fact
that ii my body ever has IA burial viii not
be there That day, but absent from the body
and present with the Lord, with Christ,
which = far better Ihil i, II. -; II Cor. Y.
- There isa vast difference between being
cut oil from further service on earth rs "a
saved person, and being forever cut off from
all possibility Of being saved. Some OF the
believers AZ Corinth were sick, and some
died, because of irau~crcssion Il Cor. ii,
30i 1t i, plainly stated i'll Cor. iii. l4, -,
tina, it is possible To have rewards for serv-
ice, and Il j. possible Ia lose ones works
and Vet be saved.
q. L ucovcr not your heads, neither rend
your clothes" Mourning Outlines has in
il Il large element Of rcbc.lio against God
Thi, We must desperately resist. lest we
find fault with God. We must even take
sides with God even though his chasten-
ings fall on hose who are dearest TO rs. II
we love our loved ones more than we love
God, we are not worthy Of Him. The great.
est lover must have the greatest love, aud
in every dark and trying hour we must
still hold to this-"God j. love" and His
ways are just and true
Z. And We shall not 20 out from the
door Of the tabernacle of the congregation,
lest yc die, FOR the amounting oil of the
Lord j. upon YOU" Because they were the
auointed priests OF the Lord, chosen to min
lister unto Him, they were To keep them
a..1s- L.
through Peter, that believers are IA holy
priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God by Jesus Christ Il Pet
ii. ;, -; a royal priesthood to show forth
His praises. In Eph. iv. 20, we read that
we are not 10 grieve the Holy Spirit Of God,
by whom we are sealed unto the day OF re-
demptiun. We should never desire in any
way To go out from His service who hath
called us with such Il holy calling-neyer
in any way be coniormed To the world
which lieth in the wicked one but anointcd
with the same spirit who anoiuted Him
walk in His steps. going about doing good
/ acts y, 3Si.
), 9. And the Lord spakc unto Aaron,
saying, DO not drink wine nor strong
drink, thou nor thy sons with thee, when
I We go into the tabernacle Of the congrega-
ton. lest We die In this 50 called tenn
perancc lesson we only now AT the close Of
the lesson come upon the strong drink ques-
f ton, aud here it i in the form of IA prohi-
bition laid upon the servants of the Lord
when on duty. \ good word for the I'M
saved who are given To drink j. found in
| Cor. vi, 10, Nor thieves nor covetous
nor drunkards shall inherit the Kingdom
Of God" a good word for savtI people i'll
] cliucd To indulge themselves i hat in Rom
xiv, ~ 1T is good neither to eat flesh. nor
to drink wine, nor anything whereby thy
z brother stumbieth or Is offended or is made
I weak. The story Of Rechabites in .Ier
XXXv is u helpful one III this connection.
A. believers we are To live only unto Him
who lovcth Us" and "doall to the glory of
God" (Rev. i, 8, X. v; Cor y. 3l) This
should settle all difficulties.
/ 10. And that ye may put difference be
/ tween holy aud unholy, and between I'M
clean and clean" They were. rs a whole
/ nation. severed from other people, that they
Nigh, he the Lords 1.cv. M. 26j. la
Egypt, and the might they left Egypt, the
Lord put "A difference between His people
4 and those. who were NOT His (EX viii, %:
vi, >. by nature and by practice all are
sinners and there j. no difference A. to the
fact Rom. iii, - ~ i'll the sinner receives
Jesus and comes under the blood then he
becomes a saved sinn"t and because Of this
should have done Wit. the unclean and I'M
holy.
II. And that ye may teach His children
1 Of Israel all the statues which the Lord hath
spoken unto them by the hand Of Moses"
I The order is always Doing aud teaching"
1 MARK vi. 30; Acts j. H. Unless we our
/ selves are holy in our lives, our advice to
/ others will not have much weight. for We
will then bc like the pharisecs, who say
I but do not (Math. NXIii, -. But il, like
4 levi, we walk with God in peace and equity,
We shall turn many away from iniquity
Nal ii. Gi