The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1907-08-22
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM
MENTS FOR AUG. 25 BY THE
REV. 4. w. HENDERSON.

canaan, Mum. 1O;11-13, 2O-30---
Golden Text, Elk. 18.2f--Mem-
ory Verses, 30, 80.
After a season Of preparation in
the wilderness at Sinai the Lord led
israel along the way to the promised
land as far as Paran.
The period Of preparation that God
required before He led them farther
along the way is worthy of attention.
God promised to deliver the children
of Israel out OF the hands of Pharaoh
and out OF the land and bondage OF
Egypt. But He did not deliver them
into the possession of the full prom
ise that He made to them until He
had prepared them to receive It, And
that was wise
Another noticeable feature Is that
so soon as Israel had made ready ac-
cording TO the commands of Jehovah
He led them on. God never lets us
stand still II we do His will. The
man who moves ahead for God always
finds God ready to lead him into a
larger life and into a fuller realiza-
ton OF His promises and Himself. II
Israel had not obeyed at Sinai Israel
would never have gotten as far as
Paran. And the reason why SO many
people do not get any further along
In life, spiritually, mentally and ma
terially, than the Sinai period is be-
cause they do not use Sinai to pre-
pare themselves for the journey
through Paran and for entrance into
the promised land. IL is not Gods
fault that so many people fail to ex-
perience the fulness of realized prom
ise In the Christian life. The fault
Is theirs. II they are content, as so
many are content, with the lesser and
the smaller things that are relative
to Christian experience and do not
use their earlier relationships with
God and His truth to prepare them
for larger knowledge of His truth
and of Himself they cannot blame
God IL they do not move on. For
God is ready to reveal larger mes
sages to those who prove themselves
flt to receive them.
Moses invitation to Hobab and the
circumstances surrounding 1t afford
much suggestive material for study.
The tribe to which Hobab belonged
was a wandering people. They had
no such promise OF expectation of
fixed territory as God had promised
and prepared for Israel. Moses loved
Hobab and his people and was there
fore desirous to have him and them
enter into the same Joys that he was
to possess.
DR.. Robert Watson well says that
Hobab and his followers may be
taken as representing a class in the
present day to a certain extent at
tracted, even fascinated, by the
church, who standing are appealed to
in terms like those addressed by
Moses to Hobab They feel a certain
charm, for in the wide organization
and the vast activity of the Christian
church, quite apart from the creed
on which II Is based, there are signs
of vigor and of purpose which con-
trast favorably with endeavors df-
rected to mere material gain. In idea
and in much of its effort the church
is splendidly humane, and 1t provides
interests, enjoyments, both of an in
tellectual and artistic kind, In which
all can share. Not so much its univer-
salty nor its mission of converting
the world, nor its spiritual worship.
but rather the social advantages and
the culture 1t offers draw towards It
those minds and lives. And to them
it extends, too often without avail,
the invitation to join its march. It
attracts, but is unable to command,
because with all its culture of art It
does not appear beautiful. with all
its claims of spirituality It is not un-
worldly; because, protesting to exist
for the redemption of society, its
methods and standards are too often
human rather than divine. 1t is not
that the outsider shrinks from the
Righteousness of the church as over
done; rather does he detect lack
of that very quality. He could be-
lieve in the divine calling and join
the enterprise of the church II he saw
1t journeying steadily towards a bet
ter country, that Is, heavenly. Its
earnestness would then command
him, faith would compel faith. But
social aims and temporal aims are not
subordinated by the members of the
church, nor even by its leaders. And
whatever is done In the way of pro-
viding attractions for the pleasure
loving, and schemes of a social kind,
these, so far from gaining the unde-
cided, rather make them less dis
posed to believe. More exciting en-
joyments can be found elsewhere.
The church offering pleasures and So
cial reconstruction Is attempting to
catch those outside by what, from
their point of view, must appear to be
chaff."