Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1895-07-18
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON ~, THIRD QUARTER, IN
TERNATIONAL SERIES, JULY 2f.

TERNATloNAL SERIES, JULY q.
Text Of the Lesson. Lev. <. III Temper-
ance Lesson) Memory Verses, eli.
Golden Text, Lev. 1, documentary By
the Rev. d. N. stearns
l. "And Nadeb and Abihu, the sons Of
Aaron, offered strange fire before the Lord.
which He 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
God) is altogether vanity Ps xxxix, 81.
I This shall be fully seen when after / 900
years of the personal reign Of Christ a host
Of liars shall follow the father OF lies when
he shall be released from the pit. See Rev.
Xxx, 70, and Ps. Xvi, 3, margin. After the
completion Of the tabernacle. Aaron and
his four sons were consecrated to the priest
hood to minister unto tile Lord III His ap-
pointed way (Ex. xviii. /; Lev viii, /, 2:
Elk. XXX, g.
2. And there went out fire from the Lord
and devoured them, and they died before
the Lord. " Thus at the very beginning Of
| the priesthood Jehovah made it very plain
that be would have a whole hearted service
or none. So also at the beginning Of the
church in the case Of ABanias and Sap
phira (Acts Y, ), 10). He showed plainly
how He hates deceit and half heartedness.
He does not often judge so swiftly and ter
ribly, but such cases show US His mind on
these things and how He will act in the
judgment.
8. 1'Then Moses said unto Aaron, This il
it that the Lord spake, saying, | will be
sanctified in them that come nigh Ne, and
before all the people I will be glorifed.
And Aaron held his peace" That they
We're to be holy people unto the Lord is
4 the oft repeated requirement from Elk. xix,
| 8, ~ onwards. Jesus Himself in His great
/ intercessory prayer said, For their sakes !
sanctify Myself that they also might be
sanctihed through the TRUTH John xvii.
19). C. H. N. says that whether the fire
came to express approval or displeasure
/ the priest had only to worship, and that as
/ priests of God we must rise superior to all
the claims and influences Of nature and Of
earth. When Ezekiels wife was taken
away BY a stroke, he was forbidden To CRY
or mourn (Ezek. xiv, 1918 Yet Jesus
wept at the grave Of Lazarus In Ps. xxxix,
\ Q, we have parallel to Aaron's silence, II
was dumb, l opened not my mouth because
thou didst it, See also Ps. XVI, 10.
4, >. Come near, carry your brethren
| from before the sanctuary out Of the camp.
/ Thus their bodies, as in the case OF Ananias
and Sapphira, were buried, but what about
| Nadab and Abihu? We never bury people
| strictly speakiug-we bury tile bodies 81
/ temples in which they sojourned for sea.
son. 1t has been great comfort TO me 10
think of this since ever grasped the fact
/ that if my body ever has burial l will not
| be there that day, but absent from the body
and present with the Lord, with Christ
\ which is far better (Phil. j, q, 23; III Cor. "
| 81. There is q vast difference between being
/ cut off from further service on earth as ]
| saved person, and being forever cut of from
/ all possibility of being saved. Some of the
| believers at Corinth were sick, and some
4 died, because Of transgression q Cor. xi
4 30). 1t is plainly stated in | Cor. iii, ia, Is
I that it j. possible To have rewards for serr
ice, and it j. possible to lose ones works
and yet be saved.
VI 6. Uncover not your heads. neither rend
I your clothes" Mourning oittimes has ii
! il a large element Of rebe lion against God.
/ This we must desperately resist. lest we
I find fault with God. We must even take
/ sides with God, even though his cbasten-
4 ings fall on those who are dearest to us. II
we love our loved ones more than we love
I God, we are not worthy OF Him. The great
I est lover must have the greatest love, and
/ in every dark and trying hour we must
still hold to this-"God is love-" and His
/ ways are just and true.
Z. And ye shall lot 90 out from the
| door Of the tabernacle Of the congregation,
I lest ye die, for tile ancinting oil of the
I Lord Is upon you" Because they were The
\ anointed priests of the Lord, chosen to min.
lister unto Him, they were to keep them
selves wholly for Him. The Spirit says
1 through Peter, that believers are a holy
I priesthood. to offer up spiritual sacrifices
acceptable TO God by Jesus Christ q Pet.
\ ii, ), 81; royal priesthood to show forth
Y His praises. In Eph. III, 80, we read that
we are not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God
I by whom we are sealed unto the day Of re-
] demption. we should never desire i'll amy
4 way to 20 out from His service who hath
] called us with such a holy calling-neveI
! in any way be cOnformed to the world
which lieth in the wicked che. but anointed
/ with the same spirit who anointed Him
I walk in Ills steps, going about doing good
4 (Acts \, $751;
I s,9 "And the lord spake unto Aaron,
saying, DO not drink wine nor strong
/ drink, thou nor thy sons with thee, when
We 90 into the tabernacle of the congrega-
tion, lest ye die" In this 50 called tem-
perance lesson we only now at the close ol
4 the lesson come upon the strong drink ques-
ton, and here it is in the form Of a prohi-
bition laid upon the servants Of tile Lord
when Oh duty. "A good word for The I'M
saved who are given ID drink il found ID
/ Cor. vi, 10, Nor thieves nor covetous
nor drunkar,ls shall inherit the kingdom
of Cod" A good word for saved people in
clined to indulge themselves is that in Rom.
I xiv, q, 1t is good neither to eat flesh, nor
to drink wine, nor anything whereby thy
I brother stumbleth or IL offended or IL made
weak" THE story Of Rechabites i'll Jer
xxxy Is helpful one id this connection.
4 AS believers we are to live only unto Him
/ who loyeth u.s. and do all to the glory OF
I God" REV. i, 3, r. Y; Cor. X, 81 This
should settle all difficulties.
10 ''And that ye may put difference be
tween holy and Gnholy, and between I'M
clean and clean" They were, AZ a whole
nation, severed from other people, that they
might be tile Lords Qev. xx, 2d) In
4 Egypt, and the night they left Egypt, the
1 Lord put a difference between His people
I and those who were not His (Ex. viii, -;
XII, y. By nature and by practice all are
sinners aud there is no differenee as to the
fact (I}om. iii, -, 23l till the sinner receives
4 Jesus and comes under the blood, then he
VI becomes d saved sinner, and because of this
4 should have done with the unclean and nm
holy.
I H. And that ye may teach His chili-en
I of Israel all the statues which the Lord hath
4 spoken unto them BY the hand of Muses. =
/ The order is always Doing and teaching
| Mark vi, 80; Acts i, u. Unless we our
selves are holy in our lives, our advice u
Others Will not have much weight, for We
will then he like the Pharisees, who say
bnt do not lMath. xxn. 81 But it, Ike
Levi, we walk with God in peaceand equity,
We shall turn many away from iniquity
l NAL. ii, o.