The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-06-19
The Enemies to Fear.

The International Sunday School Les
son for June 90 is "A Prayer for the
Tempted Psalm 141.
(BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.)
AS often, a dual purpose is set by
the International Lesson committee
for the present passage. 1t is a study
of a psalm and a treatment OF the
temperance question. Close students
of the uniform lessons have more than
once suspected that the committee is
careless in its choice of Scripture FOR
the temperance lesson.
Certainly this is so in the present
psalm, which has never before been
selected for study by the Sunday
schools. The most learned critics con-
fess themselves baffled by this psalm,
one of the most difficult in the
psalter. So it is not easy to fathom
the mental processes of the committee
day school teachers and pupils of the
world a Scripture portion which is
battling alike to the ordinary reader
and to the expert exegetist- If how
verses of the psalm are omitted, or
disregarded, the passage becomes
clear and helpful. Here is the Psalm
itself:
Jehovah, I have called upon Thee: make
haste unto me;
Thee.
The lifting up Of my hands as the evening
sacrifice
'set a watch, o Jehovah, before my
Keep the door of my lips
"IncIine not my heart to any evil thing
To practice deeds of wickedness
With men that work iniquity;
And let me not eat of their dainties.
.'Let the righteous smite me, it shall be
And let him reprove me, it shall be as oil
upon the head;
Let not my head refuse 1t:
q prayer continue.
s'Their judges are thrown down by the
sides of the rock;
And they shall hear my words; for they
are sweet.
Gas when one ploweth and cleaveth the
Our bones are scattered at the mouth of
Shoel.
"For mine eyes are unto Thee, Jehovah
the Lord:
In Thee do 1 take refuge; leave not my
keep me from the snare which they have
And from the sins of the workers of in
LET the tSe-1 Wicked fall into their own nets,
Whilst that 1 withal escape"
when Man Needs Help.
What plea did the angels lowering
over the sinking Lusitania hear rising
from the lips of the doomed? The
same cry that is rising hourly from
human spirits facing inevitable death,
or sorrow worse than death. 1t is
the note that sounds in profoundest
literature. 1t is the theme of all the
immortal psalms, and the opening
words of the present one-the call
unto Jehovah for help.
In all ultimate hours. man calls
upon God. Nobody escapes this need.
The spirit of mortals turns toward
the Infinite. in times of distress, as a
little child cries for it's mother. That
is the keynote of this lesson. When
down, look up, where God waits to
help. The Lord of all the universe
is not too high to care for the welfare
of a single human spirit. God hears
and answers prayer. Whatever emer
gency is great enough to vex the spirit
of men is also great enough to claim
the attention of God.
When a man breaks a leg, or his
house burns down, his business
goes to smash, friends rush to his
aid. But in the worse troubles of life,
when his heart is burdened and an
guished, when his manhood is threat
ened. when his faith seems blinded,
when in desolation of spirit he cries
aloud in the silent, lonely hours then
he rarely has a friend to succor him.
greater woes beneath smiling coun-
tenances.
The real troubles of life are spirit
ual. Write that down large. The
state of the human spirit is of vastly
more concern than the condition of
material prosperity. We best help
the world when we help men in the
things of their soul. Iron the lines
of anguish out of human spirits and
you remedy most of the ills of society.
AIS well IF your heart keeps right"
So the psalmist's plea is unto Jehovah
for succor in spiritual distress.
All over the world. in Christian and
non-Christian religions, incense is
used as symbol of prayer. 1t rises
in cloud like the desires of human
hearts. The figure, often employed
in the Bible, is a beautiful one, for the
fragrance of the burnt incense is rep
resented as well pleasing to God. He
who prays offers the sweetest incense
before the altar of God.
Evcrybody's Particular Peril.
A clergyman from the south was
visiting the Billy Sunday tabernacle
In Philadelphia Like several thou
sand others, he remained in the build
Ing between the meetings; and while
waiting for the evening service to be-
gin, he noticed that the man along
side OF him put something into his
mouth every ten minutes or so.
Clearly it was not tobacco, and at last !
my friends curiosity got the better of
him, and he said, Would you mind
telling me what you are eating?"
Turning smiling face to him, the
other made answer, "Oh, these are
peppermint lozenges. You see I'm a
trail hitter. I used to be a hard drink
er. And peppermint lozenges help
take away the appetite for booze
Why. 1 know one fellow who ate four
teen pounds of peppermint lozenges in
two weeks
That man recognized his own ne