Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1895-11-21
NUMBER Is
THE SUNDAY SCI DOL.
LESSON VIII, FOURTH QUARTER, IN
TERNATGONAL SERIES, NOV "a.

lGoDON FHlF TODhi IT. YUAN EHg lN-
TERNATIONAL SERIES, NOV "a.
Text of the Lesson, Isa- ", 11-23-Mem-
ory Verses, 1I-13 - Golden Text, IsA.
Y, 11-Commentary by the Rev. d. M.
stearns.
II. 'Woe unto them that rise up early in
the morning that they may follow strong
drink" This IL given To d. a. a temper
ance lesson, but the six woes Of this chap
ter include good deal more than the
strong drink question. THE whole chapter
tells Of Israels sin and the coming jndg-
ments and is suggestive of the Sns Of to-
day which are found ia tho church every
where. The house III Israel was the Lords
vineyard and the men of Judah His pleas
ant plant. He did everything possible for
them and expected from them the fruits of
righteousness, but found only oppression
and coyetousness and self indulgence
| tvcrses z, 50.
~. They regard not the work Of the
Lord, neither consider the operations Of
His hands" There is such q thing as be-
xxx, 9; Ii, 21). All kinds Of living unto
self and for self make US blind and deaf
to the things OF God a. strong drink
tends To produce false and transient ex-
/ hilaration, making one forget sorrow for
the time being, so whatever blinds us to
/ the realities Of our relations To God and
man is q kind Of intemperance and drunk
enness.
13. Therefore my people are gone into
captivity because they have no knOwl-
edge" The leaders who in those days
should have taught the people the knowl-
edge and fear Of The Lord were living unto
/ themselves, and telling the people smooth
things and lies (Ezek. xxxiv, 2; Jer. ', 80,
81; vi, 49, just as strong drink is a de-
ceitful thing and makes a mans vision
and mind to be all wrong, 20 the world
and the flesh controlled by the devil blind
and harden men and they believe lies and
consider them truths. The knowledge Of
the Lord is the remedy
Il Therefore hell hath enlarged her
/ self and opened her mouth without meas
ure" The place Of the l0st lnot the lake
Of fire which is the final abode Of the lost,
\ but the place Of departed spirits where the
l lost in torment await the resurrection Of
| the body becomes rapidly filled by the lit
eral and fgurative drunkards who will
not receive the knowledge Of God; so that
Y it looks as If the place might have to be
| enlarged to receive all who come, SO great
is the multitude.
/ l5. "And the mean man shall be brought
down, and the mighty man shall be hum
| bled. " Compare chapter ii, II, 12, II, and
/ see how all that is lofty and naughty and
\ proud and lifted up shall be brought down,
and the Lord alone exalted Id that day.
Even Nebuchadnezzar testified that those
that walk in pride He il able to abase NJ
for he, when hardened id pride, wa made
to come down (Dan. iv, 81; ', 20, margin).
jeremiah testifies that Jerusalem came
down wonderfully liam. i, 9-l
I 1G. But the Lord Of Hosts shall DE ex-
alted in Judgment, and God that is holy
shall be sanctifled in righteousness. y IL is
I the purpose Of God to set His King upon
His holy hill Of Zion CPs. ILL., 81, and He
has sworn, saying, Surely as L have
\ thought 50 shall it come to pass and as L
I have purposed I'd shall it stand lisa xiv,
I 24D. Behold, king shall reign in right
/ eOusness, and princes shall rule in judg-
ment' lisa xxzii, u, then shall Jesus
\ have the pru-eminence.
I H. "Then shall the lambs feed after
| their manner" "They shall feed in the
ways and their pastures shall DC in all
\ high places lisa xix, Oh David my
servant shall be king over them. and they
all shall have one shepherd" CEzek
\ xxxvii, 24). Then shall The upright have
1 dominion over the ungodly, and the drunk
ards shall see their folly when it is too
/ late.
v 1S- "Woe unto them that draw iniquity
/ with cords Of vanity. and sin, as it were,
4 with cart rope" One in a certain place
suggested that If the man they sought was
Y ID a city they would bring ropes ana draw
I the whole city into the river So we have
in this verse that prevailing iniquity that
II seems to carry everything and every one
along with 1t tII sam. xvii, 15).
/ 10. THAT say, Let Him make speed and
\ hasten His work that We may zee it. m They
\ scoff and blaspheme and dare THE Almighty
to His face We think Of all that was
1 heaped on our Lord in the days Of His hu-
\ initiation and how He Kept quiet and an
\ swered not a word God IL still keeping
Z silence, and were it not that we under
stand somewhat Of His ways we might
think that there was no God But see
I p. l.
/ 20. "Woe unto them that call evil good
and good evil; that put darkness for light
and light for darkness There IL "A fear
! full amount of niiscallingof Of things because
/ people are not subject to tie Word Of God.
All men arc called children Of God. and
there Is q spark of the divine nature in
every one, and there are no hell and no devil
and we are in the millennium now. All
this l. drunken talk ana IsIrk of subjection
to such words a. John viii, 44; iii, Is;
/ Rom. viii T.
n. Woe unto them that are wise in
their own eye and prudent in their own
[ sight. From all such the things " God
are hidden and revealed unto babes (Nath.
\ XII, 25). at best We only know i'll part
now G Cor. xiii, lid ana If any man
think that be bnoweth anything he know
eth nothing yet as he ought 20 know Il
\ Cor. viii, 2)- God resisteth the proud, but
\ giveth grace to the humble; it, therefore,
we viii humble ourselves to know nothing
apart from the Book, VIC shall be wise.
22. Woe unto them that are mighty To
drink wine, and men of strength to min
gle strung drink These are the mighty
on their own behalf, for their own pleas
tire ana benCtit-mightyt to enjoy elf. The
I Christians ambition is to glorify God and
enjoy Him; TO be mighty for God and not
Y
to Him of whom 1t u said, 1.-THE Lord thy
God in the midst Of thee is mighty" fZeph.
iii, 17). a. 10 the world mighty ones it
H. written that Not many mighty are
called II Cor. /. 26), and that we are not
to glory in wisdom or might or riches, but
in understanding and knowing the Lord
tJer. TX, 23, 24).
%. Which justify the wicked for re-
ward and take away tho righteousness Of
the righteous from him. These are the an
just judges who take bribes and declare the
guilty innocent and the innocent guilty;
they call black white and white black,
because Ii suits thcm. They have cast
away the law u the Lord " Hosts and de-
spised the word Of the Holy One of Israel
verse 24). There il but one right way and
that l. the way, even Jesus Christ. the
Righteous One. He Is the only hope for
the drunkard or the moral man. He re-
reives All who come lsa- XIV, -; Acts iv,
~: John vi, 37).