Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1903-10-21
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
for October 2J. 1OO:,-Blcsscd-
ness of ForEiveness.
THE LESSON TEXT.

]. Blessed Is he whose transgre ssion rs
forgiven. whose sin is covered
= Blessed is the man unto whom the
Lord imputeth not iniquity and in whose
spirit there Is no guile
. when / kept silence. ms bones waxed
old through my roaring all the day long.
L. For day and night Thy hand was heavy
upon me; my moisture il turned into the
drought OF summer
o. l acknowledged my sin unto Thee. and
mine inlquity have not hid. l said will
confess my transgressions unto tie Lord:
ana Thou forgavest the iniquity OF my sin.
.. For this snail everyone that is cody
pray unto Thee in a time when Thou
mayest be found; surely In the floods OF
great waters they shall not come nigh
unto Him.
Z. Thou art my hiding place: Thou shalt
preserve me from trouble; Thou shalt
compass me about with songs OF deliver
ince.
s. will instruct thee and teach thee in
he way which thou shalt go: 1 will guide
-hee with mine eye.
2 BE ye not as the horse, or - the mule
which have no understanding: whose
mouth must be held in with bit and Birdie.
est they come near unto thee.
~. Many SORROWS shall be TO the wicked:
cut lie that trusteth in the Lord mercy
shall compass him about
II. BE glad in the Lord. and rejoice. ye
righteous: and shout for JOY, all ye that
are upright in heart
GOLDEN TENT.-Biessed IL nc whose
transgression is forgiyen whose sin
In cONered.-Ps. 32:1.
OUTLINE OF SCRIPTURE SECTION.
The Blessed OF Forgiveness.......P Fps. @2:i.e
Sorrow Turned to Joy..............Ps.3 $685..
Hope for All in the Psalmists Expert
ences OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. rs. 33:S-ll.
NOTES AND COMMENTS.
The connection between this lesson
and those that have preceded it is plain.
though it is one of thought rather than
Of historical incident. Our last Lesson
included the story of David's sin and
repentance, and to impress its lessons
more strongly upon us, the marvellous
prayer of the broken heart in the Fifty
first psalm. From that study of the eX-
perience of one who had sinned and re-
pented we so on to this study of the
blessedness Of forgiveness and the <ay
in which one may find 1t. ~
Ups. 32:1 p There are three words
| used here for sin, and. while in general
synonymous, each adds shade of mean
Ing not in the others. "Transgression."
| "a breaking loose from God" disregard
| ing His will Sin" This word in the
| original suggests a missing of the mark
for sin is terrible hlunder and failure
| as we'll as terrible wrong. "Iniquity."
| \ distortion or perversion. A fine face,
| distorted becomes hideous, and good
| thing perverted may become the worst
| Of bad things. Whose sin is covered"
| The figure suggests that sin is something
| norrible TO look upon, and that God
| mercifully draws the veil over it. I'm
| puteth not iniquity." Does not charge
| his sin against him. mo guile" No
| insincerity; no pretending.
Tvs $50 When / kept silence"
| Sullenly trying to ignore his sin. MY
phones wasted a|ay" No man can defy
! his conscience with impunity This is
leaf from the personal experience OF the
| psslmist, and we know what he means
! from our own personal experience. Thy
hand was heavy upon me-" The hand
| of conscience Is the hand Of God. 1t Is
/ laid upon the sinner not primarily to
make him suffer, but to make him re-
form. THE droughtA of summer" A
guilty conscience checks all soul growth
and contracts and shrivels and dries I'D
life as the blasts of the hot south winds
dry up all vegetation in a midsummer
drought. Note that the psalmist speaks
of having had regret and sorrow all this
time but it was not repentance. What
was the difference?
Alexander Maclaren has said that this
psalm is "a chart of one mans path
from the depths to the heights, and avails
TO guide all" The change comes in
verse .. 1t was the breaking down of the
stubborn defiant spirit, the dropping of
the fiction of goodness when there was
70 goodness. and the humble opening
of the heart to the Father in confession.
Thou fOrgavest the iniquity" God is
ever ready to forgive and to consider a
man as separated from his sin when He
secs that the man has with all his heart
put his sin away. God cannot consider
a mans sin put away until il is. He
cannot deal in Actions Recall here
/ Uhrists teaching in the parable Of the
prodigal son.
(Vs. GID For this" Because OF
this: therefore. Every one that is
sod.y." Those who are true to God and
strive to do His will--for the best Chris
tians need still to pray for forgiveness.
When thou mayest be found" The
| u. V. marginal reading is I'm the time of
| finding out (sin). This is possible. The
preferred reading suggests that there is
time when it is too late-not because
God is not ready to forgive. but because
man has lost the capacity to become "a
new man" ~ will instruct thee. etc. -
ut is usual to suppose that the psalmist
still speaks. but surely will counsel
thee with mine eye upon thee does not
tit human lips. Alexander Maclaren.
The psaImist represents Jehovah as
| speaking the reassuring words of verse
3. Verse Q suggests the reason why
| many sorrows shall be TO the wicked {,