Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1899-12-23
THE SUNDAY school.
LESSON Kill, arr QUARTER, ny.
TgRNATgoNAL SERIES. DEC 81.

Golden Text: See Luke 2; Twin
Comment by YIN. v. FEsher--sub-
isct: .chriss's Corning Foretclu'
isaiah. 81 ~
Ggead Isaiah lI:tsio. Ceaanait vers-
cs 8, u.
The section includes the prophecies
Of she coming Of the Christ N the
huak III isaiaA lisa, I:lul9; 81. IL
1-ilg sur the vision nf tile MesSiaaasc
tiuseS, N:slaps. 40 III. dt3A.
ilp Etiislu HISTORY OF the time af
Isaiah Ii found In III Kings chaps. liz
Il and II C'hron., Chaps. 1ti3
This prophecy BriyeF says, was
probably written during tlie4 fsiga
1T Ailax IN Judah. during the Syro-
Hphrainisisla waF, b. g 40 s331
as to the place Geo. Adam Smith
says, N was delivered IN Jerusalem
Tie fwnplaaS home, 20 Itiah, tbs
prophets people Jerusalesn WAS
alsout one hundred miles fsnm Egypt
ggiay-flye iyona eanaria. one ht.n9la 4
and sixty from Damascus, asnd illlaa
hundred and ninety from The Eliph-
rates. the border OF AsSNria.
Ia mis- suggestions 20 reaehers for
this lesson reioubeT says; Monday
Icing Christmas. II Is natural and
wise to have Christmas lesson to-
day lis preparation for II api to In
spire the day with true religious feel
iis@
Ii is quite possible 70 let orr Inter-
Get in presents. and greetings, and hol-
itlay sports shut oui from oar hearts
the true iseaning of this day which is
the anniversary of the greatest event
in the worlds history
''NNe have been studying tlle dark
times of IsracI's history. aud the iighf
of hone and promise that dawned up
on them,
To-day we see more clearly the
bright promise that was Shining from
afar upon The darkness. the light aud
glory of whoN fulflliment is making
our day SO bright in the present and
SO hopeful for the future.
In his Explanatory Notes pelou
bet says: Tho prophecy Of which this
lesson Is 2 part, begins With chap, III
Israel ana Judah were nearing great
political crisis. The final destruction
Of Israel was only fourteen or fifteen
years in the future. and the forces
which wrought that terrible disaster
were actively 1T work. like the break
ing of a dam high III, among he .uolin-
tains. whence the waters were rolling
down in swift disaster
Not only was Judah under political
darkness. bnt the darkness Of sin as
well. Stanley says: 1.-THE worship Of
Moioch, the savage god Of Ammon,
WAS now established, not only ON the
heights of 0liyet, hut in the valley of
HinnopI. on spot known by the
namc Of Tnpict. close under the walls
Of Jerusalem There the brazen statue
Of the god was erected. with the fur
mace within or at his feet into which
the children We're thrown. III Kings
1Gs. Siperstltions appeared IN every
part OF the country. Gold and silver
statues gliitered throughout Judah.
SoOtIlsayeys. spirits. ghosts were COM
ulteh lisa. 20. s. 20. S:19l. Peloubet
says. Finally. towards the close Of
the reign, he shut up the great doors
af the temple flI Chror. zS:2A. dissoil-
tinued the offering of incense and the
morning and evening sacrifice. and
left the whole interior to decay. neg
srct and unt,liness. t1I Chron. 29.5.
1Gl Thus was trile religion almost
wholly extinguished under this wick.
I'll <lt'G. LII WIN ttfN iNttfdA NftAu
him. rcbukc him, offer him signs,
threaten him. urge him TO rely on Je-
ilovah: he doggedly ,slrsucd his own
course, sought help in every quarter
but the right one. Niawlnson) This
was the state OF affairs when our les
son was written, in which Christ.s
coming was f0retold.
The people that walked in darkness
IA Efrf,f "a
dwell in the land OF the shadow If
death" Cheyne describes as the
Deadly shade properly title OF the
Hebrew Hades: night like that of
Hades.v Godet says: strhis darkness
is shadow OF death because it leads
10 perdition. Just as the darkening of
sight in the dying is a prelude to the
night Of DEATH" Peloubet says: There
is still great darkness to be removed. !"
.si'he darkness OF a blind heart, Of 4
crooked and corrupt will. Many still
dwell in the shadow of death. In the
darkness that does not see God or
goodness. or heaven; in the darkness
that knows no way of salvation, or
pure or holy life. q hopeless, painful
tlarlsDess. full of dangers and sin
.Thou hast multiplied the natona
not Increased the joy; they joy before
thee according 10 the joy IN harvest.
and rs men rejoice when they divide
the spoil
The revised version reads eThou
hast multiplied The nation. thou hast
Increased their joy. We tire told that
the mistake in the authorized version.
which reads .snild not increased the
ioy,r WAS caused lay a transcriber who
wrote mot" instead OF ITO II" the He
brew letters being very nearly the
salae This is an illustration of the
Importance. of some so.called little
things Not increased the JOY aud
ito ii increased the JOY being dis
tlnction with great difference.
"Ifor thou hast broken the yoke Of his
burden and the staff Of his shoulder.
the ROD of his onpressor, as in the
day Of indian"
This prophecy should impress us
~ til the cATss,l teaeSs az the redemp
ton purcha I'd through the Lamb OF
God that takefh away the sin Of the
world. The yoke If sin, In all these