The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-12-13
THE SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR DECEMBER ~.

Malachi expostulates with the wicked for
their hard speeches, and declares that God
will make fearful distinction between
them and the righteous. See Job 81: "A,
Is. Your words have been blasphemous
aud void OF all reverence und duty. Ye
have spoken injuriously OF me, and have
uttered such things as dishonor me. Ye
no have even b my Ss and
God takes careful notice OF all the ways Of
men. He does not forget their abuses ex.
cept as they seek pardon, and their sins
a~e then blotted out OF the book OF His re-
membrance forever. "What have we
spoken 80 much" They impudently deny
the charge as In ", s, last lesson; therefore
the prophet reneHs 1t against them In the
following words. In this question they
infer that the Lord Is grleved over trivial
matters, too small to be mentioned, and
they are not disposed to seek reconcilia.
tion.
II. "It Is vain to serve God" There is
no real advantage to be gained from 1t. 4
rebuke of'persons who were impatient un.
der temporal trials and murmured against
God because they did not ut once reap the
fruit Of thelr service In temporal pros
perlty. They presume to dictate howthey
shall be rewarded for service, forgetting
how dependent they are upon an inde.
pendent God, debating to the author Of
all good how he shall bestow His bounties.
he, the fountain OF all good. Ia reproached
for not bestowing HIS blessings upon those
who count themselves worthy, being for
getful that In themselves dwelleth no good
thing.
IS. "we call the proud happy" We can
now do no less than think them hsppiest
who do not concern themselves about the
nhoar ~ q VIC hnf n.
Ing to their pleasure and do everything
that their inclination prompts them to do
without any fear Of Gods calling them to
account for It.
16. "They, that feared the Lord" God
always has remnant OF faithful people.
When they saw tae awful tide OF infquity
sweep into their borders they were
alarmed for the safety OF Zion. "Spake
often one to another" In former years
the Jews had been instructed to talk In
their families, upon thber journeys, and
with these with whom they met, about the
laws OF God. They had them written In
parts upon their door.posts. In tlmeS OF
depression the faithful souls were thought
fuf OF duty and sought comfort In the exer-
else OF all the means ofgrace they knew.
II. "They shall be Nine" The Lord
will own all His faithful ones. In the
great day OF final judgment He will not
mistake which are His peculiar ones.
They are reserved as His jewels, to be
honored before His Father and the holy
angels. II will spare them" will pre-
serve them from those 'calamttles which
shall fall upon the:wlcked and unbellevlng.
1s. "Then stall ye." Ye wicked con:
.emners OF God and religion. "Return and
discern" See clearly that God makes and
keeps distinctions. - ~ - 4fht's.'H, :.
Al. 1.-THE day cometh that shall burn
as an oven" God Is described as aeon,
suming fire when He comes to execute Bis
Judgments. De1t!! ,4:24.; ;"Ali the proud"
Those that have Been esteemed happy 10
verse Is. y'tAllthat do wickedly." Allim,
penitent sinners, OF whatever kind. ,"As
'stubble.""1 As the dry stalks Of grain latt In
The field after reapl1g, Just suitable for
destruction. "Shall leave them neither
roo nor branch "A. .proyerbial expression
ior utter destruction, and signffying, as
Applied to the unbellevlng Jews, that both
:hey and their families should be utterly
destroyed. I, -" - -,
2. "But unto you that fear Ny name
such as spake often together; who wor-
ship, reverence and obey God. ,"shall the
Sun OF righteousness ariss:" Righteous
aess has here the common sense Of fdeliver.
ance, salvation, blessedness. The sun
which God sends to produce in hispeople
Righteousness and blessedness h!ch comes
only with righteousness. "With healing
In Ills Wings so called to signify that
His light consists In clearing up mems un-
derstandings and chasing away the dark
ness OF their minds-whose rays and kind
ly warmth will heal all the diseases OF the
soul. Healing from trouble and from sin
nnd all the miseries with which they we're
surrounded. This doubtless refers to the
W. nI.a ~ mi h.
srty and new life, saved from evil, equipped
for a.better life, strengthened and enlight-
oned. Grow up as calves OF the stall. u
Leap or 9ambol as stall.fed calves which,
when let out to the fields, caper and frollc
In the exuberance OF healthy life. Grow
up In strength, vlgor and spiritual stature.
safely guarded, we'll ordered and provided
Tor.
8. "Trsad down the wicked" Right.
,ousness shall be victorious over evil.
;'Ashee." All false ideas, all boastfng ire
religion, all vices aud crimes, all oppres.
dons, all wrong fashions and customs:
shall be like ashes under the feet OF the
righteous. The triumphs Of saints are all
owing to Gods victories; It ts not they
who do this, but God does It for them.
ed for solemn conclusion OF this prophecy.
and Is plain information that they were
not to expect any more prophecy until the
beginning OF the Gospel Of the Messiah.
"The law OF Moses" Keep up an obedi.
ant veneration for the law OF Moses; not
only the law OF the ten commandments but
all the other appointments, ceremonial
and judicial. The law and all the prophets
we're to be In force until John; therefore
they are told to remember" for In the
absence Of living prophets they were likely
to forget It. .,
Elijah, John the Baptist, who was ami.
mated by tho same spirit. Elijah was
man OF great ustsrlty, Jealous for God,
bold in'reproving sin; and activeto reduce
an apostste people to God and their duty.
The call to repentance. the vision OF the
fruits OF sin, the terrors Of the law, the re-.
proofs OF conscience, the stern and awful
rebukes OF sin, are still the Elijah who
comes before the Messiah to prepare the
Way for Him In the individual heart and In
the nations. "Great and dreadful day"
To warn In mercy before He smites IN judg-
ment Is evermore the order OF Gods throne.
Hence the second Elijah should come be.
fore the Jewish people, and polity should
be smitten down by the terrible homaf
arms. They were feariully corrupt already
8. "He shall turn" The reconeiliatioI
to be effected was that between the unbe
lievlng, disobedient children and the be-
lieving ancestors-Levi, Moses, Elijab. etc
The threat here Is that, II this restoration
was not effected, Messlah's coming woplq
prove curse to them. It proYedso to the
land of Judea when 1t rejected the Messiah
at His first coming, though He brought
blessing to those who accepted Him.
cATLINc's AUTOMOBILE PLoW.