The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-08-17
THE VALLEY OF JORDAN.
yurrUTyDRyy OF ISRIEL ~ run
YfEyor THE PROMISED LIND.
~. s.,,,,..-. school Lesson for To- Morrow
Tells Of the End of the Forty Years
of Wandering.

The children of Israel are now ehcdihp-
az i, rho valley of the Jordan in full
view Of their promised possessions. be-
hind them is that great and terrible
wilderness, before them
Sweet fields arrayed in living green
And rivers Of delight.
The forty years Of wandering are at
an end. an eternity OF bliss seems about
to begin. Every heart is stirred By the
Transporting prospect When once they
have crossed the river their trials VIII
cease. and in Gods land, surrounded
with every evidence Of his love, surely
obedience will be a delight With houses
fun OF good things which they filed not,
and wels digged which they iigged not,
and VINEYARDS and olive trees winch they
plauted not who would ever mufnuf,
and who would care 10 depart from the
law OF the Lordg They are thinking as
children think
Far Inherent are the thoughts which
sir the heart of Moses, VINO knows.
his weak children better than they know
themselves Forty long years he has
borne them IN his arms and Oh his heait'
and now on the very threshold OF tneir
new home he Is about 10 part Win them
for this life. lie is only to get a glimpse
Of Canaan from pisgah's TOP, ANA then
"bv the kiss Of Cod Gas the raDbis
would say, he is TO pass OH TO a better
eouufr. Great az D. hls iaiih 90 con,
he cannot help feeling concerned ABOUT
the future of his people. knowing tAenl
AS he does. the beautiful fields which
stretch beyond Jordan suggest new IAN
gers as Well as new blessings. Ihcy
think that all they need 10 make theih
happy and good IS prosperity, Just as
We think that all we need TO make
hafpv home is ire house and luxurious
furnishings Moses knows better: he
knows that their future welfare viii
depend not upon what Is i'm Canaan, out
upon what is in their own hearts. Though
tic land may row with milk and hO'ey,
they cannot be happy If their hearts are
disioyai 10 the Lord Of the land.
Stirred with these thoughts, be calls
his people together, and. after rehearsing
in their ears Gods wonderful dealings
with them since the day OF their depar-
ture from HOreb. he seeks 20 impress
upon their minds the truth that all their
future welfare viii depend upon their
obedience tc him whose land they are
to inherit. He does not stale 10 as d
proposition 10 be proved. be lays it down
as "A truth which all men admit, but
which few men realize. II IS not an
Cren question: every man knows that
security and peace and all true success
comes 10 the GOd-foaring and law-abid-
ing. and not TO the atheist aud anarchist:
but IL is a truth which the world puts
away on the top shelf. We need 10 have
il brought before MS, and repeated over
and over and over again with ever-in-
cr.asinQ emphasis The truth which the
ffi al is Ia
which everybody admits and nobody ful-
ly realizes.
In seeking to impress this truth Moses
gives his people certain practical difec-
lions which they must observe IL they are
to be a law-abiding people.
/. In the hrst place. they must hear
the law. To hear the Word OF God Alright
81 is necessary 10 give both ears TO it,.
They must keep I'm a listening attitude
toward heaven. They must realize the
| fact that the Lord their God Is one
| LOrd-that he is the only one nom Whom
| they are to receive orders, and that they
are 10 attend 10 his Word regardless
of every other word. The reason why
we are such poor hearers to-day IS be-
cause we give but one ear 90 the Lord.
/ We are willing 10 hear what God Is say
ing, but we want to hear what the world
is saying also. We are willing 10 know
what is Gods WILL but We are anxious
/ to know the --latest decree Of society OF
! politics.
@ In the second place. they must
/ open their hears TO the law. "These
| words which / command thee this day
| shall bee in thine heart To is an easy
| matter 20 open our minds 90 the law
/ Everybody nowadays is ready 10 learn
what the Bible says. Everywhere men
are studying the Bible as "a secular text
/ book We are always willing 90 Sit "a
/ the feet Of the Sunday-scho0l teacher
who will shovel cold matters of. fact
! history. curiOsitles. cOnundrums-l nt1
/ our minds. But 30 is only Jle truth that
finds IT'S way through our minds down
! into our hearts that does us good, ana nQ
/ long as we keep our hearts closed we can
/ pack the whole Bible into our brains
| without affecting our lives.
! g. ln the third place, they must teach
she law TO their children. There are
people who absorb the Bible as a sponge
/ absorhs water. They know how 10 re-
| celve. but not how TO give. They fee
| under no obligation To- give. IL is plain
! TIA. these people are getting only the
! pulp and rot the 5,.eo Of me Word; fol
no man who once tastes The truth can
| keen IL TO himself. II is Il characteristic
| Of the Bible that IL looks out Tor It's own
distribution. We may famil.arize our
selves with the cold facts of the Word
and keep them 10 ourselves. but if We
/ get hold of the warm truths of the Word
we VIII share them with our children.
Z. And We VIII talk Of thcm. 'rhOu
shalt talk of them when thou sittes- in
! thine house, and when thou wallSest BY
the way. and when thou liest down. and
when thou riscst mp" This does not
mean that we are so talk about the Bible
all day long at home, and that when
we 20 out on the street. We are TO button
| hole every man We meet and ask him
/ If he is a Christian. but 10 means tina,
We shall nh our homes with the atmos-
! phere of the Word and that when we
/ 90 out on the street we should take
/ enough of this atmosphere with us 10
| envelope US
g. And thou shalt bind them for a
sign upon thine hand, and they shall
be as frontlets between thine eyes and
thou shalt write them upon the posts
Of tiny house and ON thy gates" The
children of Isreal took this command
| literally and bound phylacterles upon
| the arm and the forehead. just as pco.
| pie to-day keep a Bible in every room
i'm the house, under the impression that
the presence Of the Word will give tC
their homes a religious atmosphere. But
the meaning is that these hands shall
| In all things be guided by the law, ans
that these eyes and this brain shall dill
| gently regard the law, and that III,
whole house shall be ruled according &
the law.
| our lesson closes with a solemn warn.
| ing against the temptations OF prosper
| ity. when the Lord thy God shall have
brought thee into the land wher
thou shalt have eaten and be fun, ther