The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1905-07-19
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON w, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JULY %.

Rev. d. VI. Stenrns.
| Copyright. 1865, by American Press Association
The salvation OF Jehovah includes an
absolutely perfect righteousness for the
whole nation Of Israel and for all ma
tions, and it can be obtained only from
God Himself. Their righteousness is
Of Ne, saith the Lord" In the Lord
have l Righteousness and strength
Civ, Il; xiv, ~. When the kingdom
comes Israel shall be i righteous ma
| ton, their king shall reign in righteous
ness, and he work Of Righteousness
shall be peace, quietness and assurance
forever Ok, 81: XxXii, !, IL. AS to ev-
cry individual now the need is just the
same-righteousness, without which we
can neither see nor enter the, Kingdom
Of God q Cor Vi. 8; Matt V. 20).
Whether it be an individual or !: ma
ton, the great need before God is
righteousness. and it can only be OBJ
tanned from God Himself, whom We
saw in our last lesson providing it IN
the sacrifice. the death and resurrec-
ton Of His Son. God made Him to be
sin for us that we might be made the
righteousness Of God in Him. Christ
is the end of the law for righteousness
to every one that believeth, and there
is no way to receive this righteousness
but by beliering-that is, receiving Q1
Cor. V, u; Rom. Y, i Gen. Ky, g.. We
must receive it as Adam and Eve did
the coats Of skins. and then we can
sing: He hath clothed me with the
garments Of salvation: He hath covered
ME with the robe OF righteousness
(Gcn iii, 21; ISa. Xxi, 10y.
This beautiful lesson today, like last
weeks lesson and all prophecy, pri-
marily concerns Israel, but there is al
ways an application for all people at
all times. Let us lay 1t to heart.
The first three verses show how vain
are the efforts Of man to obtain that
which God gives freely. No one can
satisfy the soul but God Himself, and
all souls are consciously or uncon-
sciously thirsting for God. The major
ity do not labor and spend money and
sometimes pray and read the Bible and
give to the poor and try to do good in
order to find peace but they seek in
vain. That which the soul thirsts for
is not found except by hearing the
voice Of God and coming unto Him and
receiving freely that which is repre-
sentcd here by wine and milk and fat
| ness. Note carefully the following
texts: Ps. Xix, G, /; John iv, 10, II; V,
"a; Rev. xxi, G; xxi, II; Rom. iii, "a;
", 5-S; Song =, l.
The sure mcrcies of David include all
the kingdom promises to DAVID to be
fulfilled in his son risen from tie dead,
even in Christ. Compare Acts ii, 1886;
xiii, $3.50. When He shall sit on Da-
Tid's throne at Jerusalem and reign
over the house Of Jacob. the faithful
the people. a righteous king and
righteous people, then shall nations
run to Israel because Of the Lord their
God in their midst See how plainly
this is stated in the following passages
as well as in verse 5 Of our lesson: 1sa.
tx, Is: lxti, ], 2; Jer. iii, II; Zech. viii,
%, %; Rom xi, y, IS; these and many
others
Verses 6 and I may be applied uni
versally. We are all by nature
wicked and unrighteous and have our
own ways and thoughts, which we must
forsake If we would turn to the Lord
and receive His righteousness, and it
must be honestly and whole heartedly
(Jer. xxx, 49, lest time may come
when, having refused to hear His voice
when He called, we may seek in vain
| Prov. !, 1888. There are exceeding
abundant grace and pardon for all
who turn to Him now Il Tim. I, a;
lisa. i, 49, and the assurance that no one
who comes to Hin shall ever be cast
out (John Vi. 80, but the persistent re-
lection Of His mercy can only end IN
eternal torment Why should we toll
crate or indulge in our thoughts when
His, which are all thoughts Of peace
Jer. xxx, 11), are as far above ours as
heaven is higher than the earth?
Verses 10 and II ought to give perfect
rest to every sower Of the incorruptible
seed of the word Of God. for here is the
blessed assurance that it will never
return to Him void, but always accom-
plish bis pleasure and prosper in the
| thing whereto He sends it. When the
devil sowed his tares he went his way
perfectly sure that the tares would
grow, and yet there are many Christian
workers with less confidence in the
word of God than the devil has In his
tares, for having sowed the seed, they
seem to feel that they must somehow
get It into the soil and see it sprout
right on the spot. While we are al
ways to look for and expect results,
do not find that we are authorized
to try to force matters, but rather rest
on the assurance that God will see to
It that our labor is not in vain.
The last two verses Of the chapter tell
Of Israei's future glory and Of the time
when the curse shall have been re-
moved from the earth and thorns and
thistles grow no more, for as truly rs
our Saviour wore the crown OF thorns
so surely shall the whole creation be
delivered from the bondage under
which 1t has groaned ever since sin
entered and enjoy the liberty Of the
glory Of the children Of God (Rom. viii,
p, 22). The kingdom OF Righteousness
ard peace and joy shall not only reach
all people. bnt even all creation, and
so shall the name Of the Lord be mag
nIhed in all the earth. THE Lord Will
be magnifed from the border Of Israel"
For from the rising Of the sun until
the going down Of the same My name