The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1901-11-22
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
lESSoNvlH, FOURTH QUARTER, INTER
NATIONAL SERIES, NOV. "a.
Text of the Lesson, Isa. ", S-3o-Mem-
DRY Verses, IL. 12-Goiden Text, lisa.
v, 22-Commentary Prepared by the
Rev. ID. M. stearns.

own way, the way of selishness, self
seeking, self righteousness, self gloriica
ton and remuneration of God. Ii is not
strange that the world, lying in the wick
ed one I'll John v, ID. X. W, should do
this, but il does seem strange that the
protesting people OF God, who are called
in this chapter His vineyard and His peo-
pie verses 4. Z, 13. 25), should SO dishon-
or God Those who would find only SO
called temperance lesson in this chapter
are something like those who find nothing
in all the Bible but how TO be saved The
book is called THE vision Of Isaiah con-
corning Judah and Jerusalem" (chapter
! /, II, and therefore the first application OF
its words must be 10 them. The summit
of the whole book is seen in such pas
sages as verse 16 of our lesson, chapter
| ii, II, II. and similar passages. 1.-The
Lord alone shall be exalted"
IL This passage shows His special
! care of Israel and how instead Of good
fruit TO His glory they gave Him only
wild grapes and unrighteousness instead
OF righteousness. The same story OF base
ingratitude is set forth in our Lords par
! able OF the wicked husbandmen in Math.
xxi, 1916.
$40. That which is here set forth as
|
! that they may be in some sense the only
people on earth is very manifest today ia
the so called trusts" which have become
so prominent in these last days. 1t would
be well if none who bear the name of
| Christ were mixed up with these things.
| The Lord OF Hosts hears and sees it all,
and His complaint in Hag. i, Q, is still
the same. The remedy is in Math. vi, a33.
HIP. From morning until night il is
naught but self indulgence, and in chap
ter xviii, Z. it is written that the priest
| and the prophet those who should he
wholly for man before God and for God
! before man, have erred through strong
! drink and are swallowed up of wine. Our
! verses say that they regard not the work
! Of the Lord, neither consider the opera
! ton of His hands. The same statement
| is found in Ps. xviii, ). and the result
stated "He shall destroy them and not
! build them up" If the adversary can
only turn men from the word of God and
! thus from God Himself. he has accom-
! plished much in his line.
1917. 4 worse bondage than that Of
! Egypt and a worse famine than that
which affects only the body comes upon
them, mot a famine Of bread nor a thirst
for water, but of hearing the words Of
the Lord" amos viii, IL, ~. A terrible
! humiliation must come, for the Lord OF
hosts shall be exalted in judgment and
| the Holy God be sanctifed in righteous
ness Verse 16, margin) The kingdom Of
God shall come, and all iniquity shall be
put away dan. tx, 24) not only in Is
rael, but in all the world. Happy are all
who have a foretaste of the kingdom in
their hearts and lives now.
1S, 10. lniquity takes such n strong
hold upon some that they actually mock
God and dare Him to do His utmost
against them. Like the antediluvians
they say: what doth God know? What
can the Almighty do TO them?" (Job
xxi, -, II, margin.) They say. Where
is the promise of His comingY All
things continue as they were. Because
they will not believe God they are will
ingly ignorant of what has been and what
will be III Pet. iii, 80. These are not
drunken with wine, but with their own
pride and self conceit and unbelief.
20, p. Wise and prudent in their own
eyes. not knowing that they are deceived
by the wicked one, they, like Eve. think
that to be good which God has said they
must not eat. and they count it desirable.
These are the people from whom our
Lord said that the things OF God are hid
den CMath. xi. 90. 1t is written in Prov
XVI II, 'Seest thou a man wise in his
own conceit, there is more hope of fool
than Of him." The word of God can be
received only by the meek, the teachable
(Jas. /. p; Zech. iv -. Ia.
%, %. Wine and strong drink middle
mems brains and blur their vision and
wake up all the evil in them and make
them TO care only for their own present
reward, no matter who may suffer thereby.
Children regard not parents nor parents
their children. The husband thinks not Of
his wife nor the wife of her husband. All
is lost sight Of in the craving for drink
when once this habit has obtained con-
troi. But there are many who never
touch strong drink yet are so drunken
with their own intense selfshness that
they cannot think Of aught but how they
may be pleased and how some one else
may add to their comfort.
"a, %. A sudden end shall come to all
their glory, and they shall find them
selves in trouble from which there Is no
deliverance because they have cast
away the law OF the Lord Of Hosts and
despised the word of the Holy One of
Israel" According to chapter viii, 20,
margin and II. ", there is no morning
for such people-that is. the morning of
Joy, of His coming, of the kingdom, will
mean nothing to them Ops. xix, IA; Xxx,
81 cxxx, O., for they will have only the
blackness Of darkness forever. We do
not know that the rich man Of Luke xvi
was ever given to strong drink, but he
was drunken with his own thoughts and
possessions, and he died and found him
self In torment
26, 80. This Is look onward to the
gathering Of all nations that He may by
them humiliate Israel and then Judge the
nations and deliver Israel and establish
His kingdom on the earth. Compare
carefully Joel iii, /, 2, 1917; Zeph. Ill,
$40; also lisa. iv, 20; vi, 3, margin; lisa.
xiii, 9-13, "The Lord of Hosts hath pur-
posed II to stain the pride of all glory
and to bring into contempt all the honor
able of the earth" lisa. xiii 81. The
kingdom will come, but the unrighteous
shall not see 1t. No drunkard nor sinner
of any other kind. continuing In sin and
dying in the same, can ever inherit the