The Climax-Madisonian. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1914-1917, 1915-06-09
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson M.-Second Quarter, For
June 13, 1915.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

Text of the Lesson, Ps- ,oe,<ii-Memory
Verse, Golden Text, Ps. s,oeii, I.
Commentary Prepared by Rev. D. M.
Stearns.
1t is certainly restful and most re-
freshing to turn from the record of sin,
as in the last lesson, to this record of
sin forgiven and to hear the Spirit of
the Lord through David tell of this
great blessedness. Nathan said to Da-
vid, 1.-The Lord hath put away thy sin;
howbeit by this deed thou hast
given great occasion to the enemies of
the Lord to blaspheme" III Sam xii,
Is, Ia, and they have been blasphem-
ing ever since. There is forgiveness
for the sinner. but it is an awful thing
to be a stumbling block in the way OF
others. 1t is beautiful to read of such
a sinner as David as 1.-The anointed of
the God of Jacob and the sweet psalm
list of Israel" The title, "God of ia
cob" is to me a most wonderful name
and gives me great encouragement
AS to the psalms of David, see how
he gives God all the glory, 1.-THE Spirit
Of the Lord spake by me, and His
word was in my tongue" I'll Sam. xiii,
/, p. There can be no doubt that the
Lord wrote through him all the psalms
attributed to him and many of the
others. Our Lord Jesus spoke Of him
as writing the One Hundred and Tenth
Matt xxi. 4145. The apostles spoke
of him as the author of the Sixteenth,
the Second and others (Acts ii, 80, 81;
iv, %, &c; xiii. 32-3O. Paul refers to
our present lesson as coming through
David in Rom. iv, SO. This is the
second psalm beginning with the word
blessed" and it is a plural word
meaning literally "Oh, the blessings"
Spurgeon says that it means double
joys, bundles of happiness, mountains
of delight. There can be no real bless
edness till we know our sins forgiven,
and the gospel that does not proclaim
the forgiveness of sins is not the gos-
pei of God, for that gospel says,
Through this man is preached unto
you the forgiveness of sins, and by
Him all that believe are justified from
all things" (Acts xiii, SO, 80; Rom. fiji, 24).
In verses 1, 2, 8. there are four diff
ferent words used concerning our guilt
-transgression, sin, iniquity, guile-and
DR.. Adam Clarke says that the first
means passing a boundary or doing
what is forbidden; the second means
missing a mark or not doing what is
commanded; the third means what is
morally wrong, contrary to equity; the
fourth signifies fraud or deceit. TO re-
move these evils three acts are men
tioned-forgiving, covering, not imput-
ing. All are fully accomplished for us
by the one great sacrifice on Calvary,
and the benefits become ours when
with true pentitence we turn to Him.
We may actually have the forgiveness
and be without the joy because we do
not rest on the assurance of His in
fallible word, for joy and peace come
only by believing Rom. XIV, 49,. If we
do not acknowledge our sin and seek
to cover our iniquity we will be in as
bad a case as was David verses 30,
but If we confess our sins He is faith
| full and Just to forgive us our sins and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness
q John /, 81. The riches of His grace
in this psalm are so exceedingly abun-
dant that the little we can call atten-
ton to seems so poor we can only pray
that the reader may by the Spirit see
the ocean of fuIlness that is here. Eph.
/, 6, Z, are very precious words to me,
beginning and ending with grace and
including acceptance, redemption and
forgiveness. The truly godly can never
perish, but they may wander and need
restoration Verse 6; Ii, II; John Y, 2S).
How rich is verse Z, my hiding place,
our life hid with Christ in God. in God
and in Christ! (Col. ill, 3; Thess. /, l.
II Cor. xii, ~ My strong habitation,
my dwelling place ops. Xxi, 3; xc, ~
how absolutely safe, preserved from
trouble, for, though we must have trib-
ulation, we need not be troubled, and
no real evil can befaIl US John xvi. So
xiv, u. He may let us go to the fur
mace or the lions den, but we shall
come out without any harm whatever
There will be songs of deliverance, fol
God is unto US a God of deliverances
ops. xviii, 20, r. W. The word "se
lah," used only in the Psalms and II
Hab. iii, always suggests that we pause
and mediate. Its use here in verses
4, 3, z, is most suggestive. When there
is no peace consider why; when for
. given consider how great His grace
and always mediate upon Him as oul
refuge.
Inasmuch as sit is not in man tina
walketh to direct his steps" Ger. x, 23)
it becomes US ever to seek from thu
S Lord our God, with all sincerity, tn
way wherein we may walk and tn
, thing that we may do DER. xiii, 3; Ps
cxliii, 81. In verse 8 of our lesson ant
l in lisa. xxx, 81; Elk. xiii, 20, we hav'
: the assurance of sure guidance If onl.
9 we are meek enough to be guided Cps
XIV, 81. There are horses which cal
a be guided by the faintest whisper, ant
there are mules which sometimes seen
more intelligent than their drivers, blu
those referred to in verse are withou
o understanding, and there are man,
such both among horses, mules an
n men. All such will find sorrows enoug
x verse 1O), but to the trustful and ODE
dent it will be always mercy, and vers
10, with xxxiii, 1. may be their cor
- slant experience. When we conside
The Lord and His grace and His glor
there is always abundant cause for tn
upright In heart to be glad and rejoic
=, and shoIlt for low