The Tupelo journal., 1907-09-13
MOSES PLEADING
WITH ISRAEL
sunday schoolLessonio Tor sspt.ls.l9o7
Specially Prepared for This Paper

TIME.-Just before the Israelites cross
ed the Jordan to enter the
Land. A few months after the last les
son. Forty years after the Exodus. Ac-
cording to the margins Of our Bibles. b.
c. 1851.
PLACE.-The Israelites were encamped
In the broad space between the River
Jordan and the mountains of Moab.
about opposite Jericho, on the eastern
bank of the river. This tract has a
breadth of -four or five miles.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
Reasons for Loving God Supremacy.
ID He is supremacy good; he is the
sum of all good. He that loves God
loves all that is good, and hates all
that is evil. (z) He is not only good.
but lovable. His goodness is attrac-
tive; 1t is worthy of love. (3) All
we have and are We W to him; and
the only way In which we can make
any return is to love him and e
him in love. That is all that is ours
to give; to withhold 1t is unutterably
mean. (4) THE best thing in man Is
love, and God wants the best" (5)
Such love not only honors God, but
%elevates man. Love Is the most en-
nobling act of the soul; and the nobler
and higher the object, and the more
intense the love, SO much the more
Is the one who thus loves ennobled.
purified, enlarged, exalted in nature.
CO. In him are found all that ought
to move the highest affections of men.
The Foundation Of Religion, or
Character, of Righteousness, lies in a
right heart, a heart that loves God
and loves men. No act of goodness
without this is true goodness. And
men will not long continue to do right
toward all without this deeper motive.
This love is not national, but indt-
vidual. Each heart must do the low
ing, and when all hearts do 1t the
whole nation will have this heart OF
love.
He that has this love In his heart
has the fountain and source of all vir-
tue. 1t is to the life what the main
spring is to a watch, what a fountain
is to a stream, what the soul is to
the body, what the two olive trees OF
Zechariah's vision were to the lamps
they fed. This is what faith in Christ
brings to the soul.
The one great essential, both for
the individual and the state, is a new
life in the soul that supremely loves
the good and hates the evil. This Is
the one way to the best life here and
hereafter. The state is made up of in
dividuals, and, therefore, if every one
had this new life the whole state
would be free from its corruptions
and crimes. The newspapers would
give US the morning news of good
deeds, instead of its flood of crimes
and wrongs.
Education in Religion and Right
eousness.-(O "And thou shalt teach
them diligently unto thy children"
In every way, by home instruction.
and by schools, and by sabbath wor-
ship and teaching. and shalt talk
of them when thou sittest in thine
house." etc. The atmosphere of the
home shall be full of these truths.
Men will speak often Of that which is
of the greatest interest. Conversation
Is a marvellous power for culture and
training. The events of the day, the
deeds of ourselves and of others, can
be made the occasion of moral instruc-
ton, In a concrete and vivid form.
They are to great moral principles
what the particles in the air are to
the light, which would be generally
invisible but for the objects which re-
fleet and dispense 1t. The home Is in
its nature a university. 1t is a large
part of the true university extern
sion' movement.
Family Training is the greatest in
f1uence around the young.
Family Religion is the foundation Of
church, of Sunday school, of religious
life, of the whole country's morality
and prosperity.
Family Prayers are a great aid to
family religion, and the International
Lessons for the whole family are one
of the greatest helps to this end.
The Family Atmosphere, of reli-
gious life, of benevolence, of temper
ance, of kindness. of intelligence, of
bright conversation, is the largest fac
tor in family training.
(8) Thou shalt bind them for a
sign upon thine hand" etc. 1t was a
literal and formal Interpretation of
this command which led to the use of
phylacteries upon the arm and upon
the forehead. These are small cubi-
cal leather cases, in which are parch-
ments containing four passages of
scripture in four columns Eek. 10:
Ito, 11-16; Deut. 6: 40 and IL: 1921.
These are bound upon the arm and be-
tween the eyes by leather thongs.
is that Gods law should be In every
deed of the hand, in the sight of the
eyes, in the plans of the head. Every
part of the daily life should be ruled
by Gods law. 1t should never be for
gotten.
Practical Points.
The way to get the revival of right
eousness we so much need is by a re-
vival of true religion, a revival that
changes the heart, a revival of love
to God and love to man. AS Herbert
Spencer said, Golden conduct does
not proceed from leaden instincts"
What Charles Kingsley says of Eng.
land is true of our land as well. "Men
say AS long as England is ahead of
the world in coal and iron, she may
defy the world I do not believe it.
for IL she became a wicked nation.
all the coal and iron in the universe
would not save her from r1,fp