The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1899-07-21
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON w. THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JULY 20.

| - hNNNs documentary PrCnnrc
by the Rev. ID. VI. Stcnrns
Copyright. 1899. by D. NJ Stearnsl
IL. Lct thy gifts bc to thysclf and giyo
thy rewards to another yet Twill read tho
| writing unto the king and make known
| 10 nm tho interpretation. Thus snake
| Daniel to Bclshazzar when brought i'm to
| rcad ana interpret the handwriting o., Tho
| wall. For tho third time the wise men of
BABYLON had failed to understand tho
| things OF God. In chapter ii they could
not tell tho dream, in chapter iv t..cy
| could not interpret a dream when th,,y
heard it, and now they fail either 10 read
| or interpret four words plainly written on
| thc wall before them (vcrSc 81. These
| three instances fully demonstrate the utter
| inability of the wisdom of this world to
understand tho things of God How much
| n chalr is needed to teach our students
how to depend upon tho Holy Spirit,
| 10 ~ 20 thou king, tho Most High
| God Envc Observation-Disclosures, thy father. u
| kingdom and majesty and glory and hon.
or Then kc refers to its worldwid,
| charicter ana the power of the king Tho
| great thing to be noted in these two verses
| is that all this kingdom and glory was tho
| gits OF God. The king did not obtain II
by any power that he had One of tho
| great truths which God sought to impress
upon Israel was that all their power and
Wcalth was not gotten by their hand, but
| that He had given it to them (Dcut viii
IL, Is; compare Chron xxx, II, la).
20. But when his heart was lifted I'm
| and his mind hardened in pride. he was
| acposcu from his kingly throne and they
| took his glory from him. " The story of
his humiliation is fully recorded i'm his
| cpistlc to all tho world found i'm chapter
Nv. lie was faithfully wa ned by Daniel
as Gods messenger and had whole ycar
gwen him in which to profit by the warn
ing, but he failed to lay it to heart. and
the chastcninG came upon him.
2l. It'll he knew that the Most Hipb
GOD ruled III the Kingdom of men, and
that he appointcth over it whomsocvcr Ho
will. =" The name Most High God" is
first used i'll Gen. xiv, 1S 10, in conncc-
ton with this other title, "Tho Posscssor
OF Heaven and Earth As such He has
perfect right to do what He will with His
own, and this Nebuchadnczzar learned, as
he states in his cpistlc "Ho docth accord
ing to His will in the army of heaven ana
among tho inhabitants of the Garth. and
none can stay His hand or say unto Him,
What docst Thou? (chaptcr iv. 80: com
pare Ps. cSNXv, 6; lxyv, 6, a.
22. And thou his son, 0 Bclshazzar
hast not humblcd thine heart, though
thou kncwcst all this" Anon and Zcde-
klah are mentioned among the kings as
those who humblcd not themselves, though
they knew they ought To III Chron. yNyiii
20; xxxvi, l2). The Spirit says by James
that God rcSiStcth tho proud but piyeth
grace unto tho humble (.jas iv, G), and in
PROV. xxx, 90, A mans pride shall bring
him low, but honor shall uphold tho hum
bic in spirit"
23. Tho God in whose hand thy breath
is and whose arc all thy ways hust thou
not glorificd. How apt we arc to forget
that I'm HiIa VIC live and move and have
our being (Acts xvii, 2S); that it is not
~ 1nan-toat naiiirih IN dircct-bis ft",ast.lp
t'-'0 ".E.. ser.-,s ~s,r.o,v @ .r..-I .,,,.
man heart dcviseth his way, but tho
M i1oiu N uircctcth his steps (.Jcr x 23: PROV
W. ~. 90 we go on not CONSIDERING that
VIC iiie Hod gives and the llnccasinp corc
uay ana night from tho beginning Of our
eNistchce arc intended to lead us to Him.
seit that we may know Him.
This Is the Interpretation of tho
thing: MEME; God hath rumbcrc, tbU
Kingdom and finished it," IL w,s not
whole hand that was seen writino thosa |
words but part of n hand; only tho flnpcrs |
Nerscs D, 24) Sometimes GoI c,,ccs -
'oicc 10 DO hcard and sometimes the mos
scngcr is wholly visible He doctb occora
ing 10 HIS will and always with n rcoson
1rcat things docth He which wc connot
comprehend (Ezck. xiv 90; Job xxxyii. ~
IL we are wholly His. He will perfect that
which conccrncth u.s.. ''
27. "TEKEL; thou art wciybod l., ,h
balances and found wanting Tho IN .mS
is God Of knowledge. and Inv IIim nn
tlons are weighed. All the ways of n mon
arc clean in his own eyes, but tho Iord
weigheth the spirits U Sam. ii. q. prov
Avi' ~. JOB desired to bc weighed i'm nm
'Ven paianco, but while men Of low dcgrco
arc vanity men of high degree arc a lie: to
Do y, iale IN The balance they are altogether
nghter than vanity Dob XXI. 6; Ps' xii
2S. "PERES; thy kingdom 10 d,r;ao,
md given to the Medcs and PcrsinnS - ~
nc 1irst year of Belshazzar Daniel saw in
nc vision of wild beasts that which NJ
had seen in the vision of tho
S'C iinhSc' tho succession OF kingdoms
S"py roman, Mcdo- Persian Grccian and
1olhan, {. then the Kingdom without cnd
me dlftcrcnccs in tho visions are MT ln.st
ussestive or this fact-that to a man of
no world like the king of Babylon power
soliicthlhs precious as gold or silver.
w " ihan OF God, waiting for tho king
ON Oh God, the present governments of
arth are like dcvouring wild beasts
sS' They clothed Daniel with scorlct
ho put II chain Of gold about his ncck
ha made proclamation concerning him
ia0 nc should be the third ruler i'm tho
ihsoom. thus he is again honored be.
're men because hc honorcd God. Asit
written, "If any man serve Me- b;,n
III My Father honor" (John xii, cor. and
gain, Them that honor Mo will hon. 7
Il Sam. ii, 30). All earthly honors 2
&c very necting, and Daniel sought them p
o6 Ho sought the honor that comctb G.
ON Cod only (Joi.n V, 40. e.
~. In that night was Belshazzar. tbo ii
ing or tho Chaldeans, slain." And what a
ms soul, tho person, tho ono who I'm -