The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1911-12-21
INTERNATIONAL
SUNlNS(HOOL
LESSON
LESSON FOR DECEMBER "a
MALACHI REBuKEs JUDAH.

ana i VIII return UNTO YOU, SoieA 80"
Lord OF hosts."-Mal 37.
O. Unto you is born this day In the
city OF David a Savior. which Is Christ
the Lord. Luke 2;ll.
TIME-Some time during the age OF
Ezra and Nehemiah, but II Is not certain
whether about 45S CGzrO or 4i4 or 49,
PLACE-Jerusalem and vicinity
CONTEMPORARY HISTORY Alci-
blades at Athens. The Peloponnesian
war (43l-4OD The republic at Rome, gov
erned by consuls and military trlbunes.
About this time Socrates was teaching
the only approach to pure morality
which Athens ever knew. Herodotus was
nearly through his travels (iS4-4OO). Plato
the philosopher (430-350) was now BOY,
listening to Socrates Xenophon ti44-5o4l
leads the retreat OF the ten thousand
back to Greece (iOO), which retreat he
has immortalized in his Anabasls.
There is no certainty as to the
definite time when Malachi uttered
his prophecies. because no data Is
given in the book, and the sins which
he sought to reform were present
throughout the whole period OF Ezra
and Nehemiah from ASS through the
rest of the century. Most place him
soon after Nehemiah's second coming
to Jerusalem, between 433 and 43O.
He is plain spoken, and direct, with.
out high eloquence, or supreme poetic
power but aboundlng In effective
SMILES, metaphors and imagery which
hit the mark, and do the work. What
a London paper says OF distin
] rr,,t. hnI araga OF
speeches applies well to the sermons
of Malachi: "a sound and healthy
GOSPEL doubly welcome because the
world is waking to the consciousness
of intellectual and moral hunger
which only these truths can satisfy. v
II we read the later chapters OF
Nehemiah and compare the sins and
evils which Nehemiah labored to re
form, with the sins and evils which
Malachi denounces, 1t will be seen
that both are laboring for the same
ends. and realize the same necessity
of reform. God was dishonored, and
religion made mere form and farce,
by offering mean things for sacrifices,
as polluted bread and lame and sick
animals, by refusing to do the sim
plest service in the temple without
pay. by refusing to pay tithes for the
support of the temple worship, by
being weary of serving the Lord, by
intermarrying with the heather In
all these things they broke the d.
vine law; they showed that their
mir DIS were all wrong.
One of the peculiar g'ories of the
Bible is that from the very beginning
its golden age is in the future. not, as
In other ancient nations, in the past
And as the golden age must have
maker, Gods revelation soon brings
into view the one, the Messiah who
alone can make the age CT gold which
is the Kingdom of Heaven. Isaiah
tells us that unto us child is born
unto us son is given; and the gov
ernment shall be upon his shoulder;
and his name shall be called Wonder
full Counsellor, the mighty God, the
everlasting Father, the Prince ot
Peace"
In the last book of the Old Testa
ment., about 400 years before Christ
; was born. the last prophet brings the
hope and ideal and goal in the person
Of the Messiah. Christ, the Jesus who
was born on the true Christmas day
Behold l. God, will send my messen
ger. one coming In Gods name. ant
bearing a divine message, whose
work shall be to prepare the way be
fore me, the coming Of God himself
This messenger, interpreted by oul
Lord himself on two occasions, was
one who should come in the spirit
and power of Elijah. doing the SAME
work, rebuldng sin, denouncing al
wrongs, calling men to repentance
awakening the conscience.
; It is possible that these words haC
partial fullilment in Nehemiah, {
foreshadowing on a smaller scale, o
John the Baptist who completely ful
filed the prophecy. Nehemiah's re
d forms were a part Of the preparation
for the coming of the Kingdom o
| Heaven and fixed the eyes Of thu
| people on the great ideal towar,
which they were slowly moving.
There is a natural connection be
tween religion, morals, generous Civ
: ing. devotion to God, on tne one hand
and a general condition of prosperity
on the other. They tend to cultivat
those higher moral and spiritual qua
tiles which are the source of mate
rial civilization and which are tn
Y great enemy to the vices that are tn
source of poverty But especially d
they transhgure all ear thly things
and enhance their value, and brin
into life the love and joy Of HEAVIER
There Is no greater prosperity thai
9 the privilege OF having some part 4
the elevation Of man. in the comm
of Gods kingdom. and in the songs q
final triumph. and in the BLESSING
d, we'll done, good and faithful!
Supcse we make two mans of tn
world on the plan furnished by III
United States census to show the d.
gree in which ignorance. certain dis
eases, and many other things prevail
by means of higher and darke
shades. On one man we will note tn
u countries where the purest Christian
ity prevails by white A darker shad
will mark the more imperfect form
and then let the shades grow darke
and darker through Mohammedanisn
and the various forms Of heathenisi
till we come to the blackness Of tn
q lowest fetishism.
Then. with entire indenendenc
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