The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1907-06-19
Sunday School Column.
Side Lights on Next Sundays Les
son for Teachers and Pupils.
Sunday School Association omesrs.
BY CHAs. K. MEYERS.

Sunday School Association omesrs.
President w. c. Van Ness. Denison.
Vice President j. B. Alfred. Manila.
Secretary and Treasurer Chas. X MEYERS,
Denison.
Department secretaries are follows: Home
department Mrs; Pierce. Denison. Normal de-
to house Mrs. HARPER Dow City. Primary: Mrs.
Voss, Denison. Temperance. Sears McHenry.
Denison. Missionary Miss Sadie Neeley, Manila.
June 2-Review of the Quarters
Lessons.
The lessons of this quarter began
with the vision of Jacob, when God
told him that He would he with him
and bless him. of course conditioned
upon the faithfulness of Jacob to
Gods commands. The second lesson
tells of the struggle of Jacob with
the angel and the bestowal of his
new name of Isreal'' which, means
to prevail or overcome. While many
have much fault to find with the life
Of Jacob yet he is a type of many a
man and woman of today. He had
deep in his nature the desire to serve
God but. stronger than that in his
early career, was human ambition.
cunning. desire to over reach. de-
pendence on self. rather than God.
There came time, when he became
aware of the supernatural by person
al experience, he saw his helpless
ness, viewed his crooked career and.
surrendered his life. This did not
allow him to escape the consequence
Of his cary wrong doings. for he was
weighted with sorrows. but through
it all he now had the consciousness
of supreme trust in God. Jacob had
what our holiness friends would call
a Second birth" and this is con-
dition which very many should pray
for.
Greater men than Jacob have been
brought to attention in the last quar-
ter. One of these was Joseph, the
one man of the old testament on
whose record there is no blemish.
The towering strength of his char
acter lay in his devotion and faith
fitness to the one true God, and his
magnificent generosity in forgiving
his bretheren for wrongs they did
him. Those familiar with the history
of Joseph know that he was tempted
and urged to commit a great sin. to
be unfaithful to his master. Poti-
phar. The way he met this. is the thing
we desire to emphasize. He said in
substance How can l commit a
breech Of trust to my master. for he
has put everything in my charge and
kept nothing back from me but his
own wife," In view of the trust put
in me How then can l do this great
wickedness and sin against God?''
How many men today could afford to
have constantly before them. these
sentiment of Joseph. He said have
been trusted and will not fail to do
right. We give a man credit if the
base motive of danger of imprisment
restraints him from crime. we think
the more of him if consideration for
his mother, father wife. and children
controls him. but what words of pro-
per commentator are worthy to ex-
press the praise due to one who holds
back saying II cannot do this sin
against God". This should be the
stand of every one tempted to do
wrong. Then consider his forgiveness
of his brothers who had it in their
hearts to kill him. but did sell him
as slave. who lied to his father as
to his failure to come home with them
and who through. many years saw
their father Jacob crushed down
with sorrow over the loss of his boy,
and the ten of them kept back the
truth from the old man. for at least
twenty years. Joseph saw that all
his suffering and that of is father had
worked out for good, and so he for
gave, but the guilt of the brothers
was as deep as if things had turned
out wrong.
We must briefly speak of Moses
for the notes are stretching out now
too long. He was the greatest OF all,
some say the greatest man of all his
tory. The laws set forth by him in his
remote times show wisdom of trem-
endous depth. and have not been i'm
proved upon in all the centuries since.
We draw but the one lesson now from
his career, and it is this that he chose
to become lowly. despised Jew and
thus acknowledged himself believer
in the one God. rather than be
powerful Egyptian prince enjoying
outward satisfaction for the time be-
ing but FORGETTING. as. it would have
turned out. Immortality both in spirit
and in standing before the world for
all time to come. The lesson comes to
US to stand for God and endure hard
ness rather than seek ease .nd