The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-12-21
CHRISTMAS LESSON.
Qsa. ix: 1-T.)


 Introduction. last lesson reterEeo to matters connected with the exSonfS of fS,ssi from Egypt. The planting or ,ors .asss,sie tn a new country signinea more frseI, any of their wisest men coulo sar nr 2 foresseE1s 1t meant preparatl1Dnn .ror,d' mission of blessing to tns sdH M to Xbra- hsyU Wssn. xii:s.5 That mission was .S ha accompIished through the seeu ot % Ahrahafn- (Gal. iii:l9) person. seen n.,ss S1 first dimly through tns nsS,stinetiy stS W declared. Sev.r centuries after Moses there aITSs sSts one who most clearly presenteu @ tha nromieed person, Isaiah, who ls camSH l.st,ons e, evangelical prophet prophet for oOsa Sundays study. Tt Ia remarkable passage sulIso ~ arsIen our holy reflections as a preRatt ation for the proper observance oi S'AA''
 mas, maasss,..,.t,on.-our common English Bi. 1le does not clearly present the senss srta Oe the original in verses ,, alu S v,,rch language of the revised version ls st,,av mI .Thou hast multiplied the nation, Ihop h bast :, Increased their joy: they 3oy pc fore Thee according to the 9oy m ha,.ssas na vest. as men rejoice wnen his burden and the stan of his shoulder the roo 1. Sn his oppressor. Thou hast broken as ns n inc dav of Midian, For all the aInloL ol nnenfs rolled in blood shall even be TOT men men Io nee fmaI of fire" This render ing is not only more lntehiglOIe' ,-, ii1ht sets the remaining verses III new HsS ts,.S and gives unity to the Whoie' maAihs I"7 fnterpretation very easy ~ f.. tS
 Prediction.-It should be borne m mlno that, while our lesson recoros events
 having already transpired, M cotSIs siN sLs future. It is predictive and not nistorlc; as appears by the last clause or the Iast verse. ,. 1t pleased God to grant the seeIs of the ancient time a view or tninsS .ho come. This was usually oons it. Murnh Ife xii:6l. which was a kind of panoramlc representation. This method was ahi- mated, life-lfke and apparently rear portrayal. Doubtless It maee pIolVtSs rS tt.a n impression upon the mind, far more tnan aYly mere words could have done. lt was well calculated to arouse the enthusiasm of men in that day, who. firmly convlnc- felIows what compelled them to feel that fine prophet had been with God. (z Pet; i:2i.) This is the unique character or al. prophetic writing. T. bursts forth out oI i divine and irresistible impulse, and flows on with an impetuosity that car. ries the reader beyond the realms or sense until, in turn, he Is found gazing into the supernatural. |,
 to three great parts. The first part (yerses 2-5) describes time Of great biessedness, when the people, previonsly sitting in darkness, saw great hght' when the nation is enlarged and happy; wher inc onnressor's yoke is broken and the implements of war are destroyed. Ihe second part, (verses s and D shows tnt cause of this state of things A Son II born. whose title indicates his character ana dignity; who, ascending the throne of David, to which He is heir. estap fishes and upholds the government 1T fighteousnessi. whose reign shall be peace fii and perpetual. The third part. tht last sentence in verse ', declares the ground of certainty for all this. which by y this declaration. Is confessed 70 ne n . the future. but sure to come to pass ''rhe zeal of the Lord of hosts will per form it." Or. more briefly, the lessor treats "The Coming blessedness The ahce;" or, again by transposition. God 2 purpose" His Son the Prince. the agent of His purpose" The resultant good tc men"
 seribed is under six heads: "The shining light" The multiplied nation" The re- toicing people" "The broken bondage,
 ''The terminated wars, The destroyed Inducements" In this there is prog ress from spiritual to temporal good thu light being the cause of all the nationa prosperity. the joy and the peace: Ih' land where the light shone is Galile' ness and contempt. But thene is an un doubted reference to every benightcG portion of the globe (Isaiah xxv;D, Th' nation mentioned is not the old lsrae merely then sinking to decay. but tn
 sIhritual Kingdom that was to follow (Psalm ii s; Isaiah ii:2; Zech. HID. whicl would become the true posterity of Abra ham, fulfilling the promise of God t him.. (Gen. xxii:lI; Isaiah Hill; Rev vfi:1a) The gladness described Is likene' to the harvest and to the time of vic &ory when Orientalists were wild witt excitement. The deliverance from op pression and the destruction of war i'm plements came as results of the shinin light the new era of peace ushered fl by larger views of man. The coins o Vespasian represented Peace as burning a heap of war weapons. :. The cause Q blessedness is represented under si heads: '"The Royal Son." The honore titles" "The assumed government" Tn righteous administration" The perma nent reign. The spreading glory" Thi is well suited to Oriental thought an
 monarchicat institutions. All the evil that had befallen Israel appeared to b through the overthrow of their govern nient. Hence they could obtain no con ception of returning prosperity but b proclaimed, His name setting Him abov all that went before, His work and sue cess the results of His character. Tn hope of Israel was in q child, a Prince (Gen. Hi:l5: Isaiah vii:iD, In all the his tory of the nation pious parents there fore welcomed their offspring as God gifts and iamented their death with bit ter grief e Kings iY:ZI; Gen. v;l), be cause the purpose of God was involved Hence. also. the proper care of childre was a matter of public and ma tional con cern (Deut. vi:I; PSaIm lxxviil;6-S), an