Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-09-23
SUNDAY SCHOOL
SASlESSON ~
BY BIN NEMSOrH
Lesson September So-euarterly


review.
There are varying conceptions Of
Jehovah among the people Of the
present day who claim the name Of
Christian Probably there always has
been this difference. Some people
worship q God of anger and power, a
revengeful deity, Jealous OF his pre-
negatives and eXacting IN his require
ments Others give allegiance 10 q
God OF mercy and forgiveness, long
suffering deity, a loving Father who
seeks only the good Of AN his chill
dren. Disputes have ragged over these
two views. denominations have split.
and even wars waged II is the same
old story OF narrOvness of vision and
difference of viewpoint In f0'J u lt
were not for thcsc differences there
could be no dividing lines IN the
church All deuomunuuual differ
ences. as this writer has frequently
maintained, arise from an undue cm-
phasis upon "a part OF gospel truth
and an undue mininizug of other
truths IL Christians could all Doe I'M
duCcd 90 take the Bibles teachings as
"a harmonious whole. instead OF pick
inE ont hat suits their fancy and
ignoring the rest there would bee no
bass upon which denominations
could differ. This question uf the
conception OF the deity, whether he
be God OF revenge or a God OF
loving kindness Is au instance I'm
point. The Bible tells us plainly that
he is all Of thsee things. and there %
no Inconsistency !u this teaching
either No more forclble argument
II ..rsfN 49, m
he found than the consecutive lessons
Of this quarter.
Ir every one Of them We find JUS !
tice and infleNihihty OF purpose tenn |
pered by mercy and tender sIicitude |
for those who remained faithful 10 |
has law. Attention might be called 20 |
the prayer OF Daniel in which lie an
feSses fully the sinfulness OF his IA
ton and their deserving OF punish
ment, acknowledge Gods patience
and mercy. admits that punishment
10 sinful people Is necessary both as
a vlndication Of Gods law and as a
means Of bringing them back 10 rec
titude: and then with confidence he
pleads that they be gwen another
trial not SO much for the sake OF
Israel as a people but that the world
may know and understand the
abounding mercy OF Jehovah The
|
who also promised and provided the
coming Messiah who would show
mankind the way 10 get back 10 God. |
We wonder AT the obstinacy OF Israel
in rejecting time after time the
mercies extended to them and their
refusal to recognize the hand of God
ia tnoir lives. both nationally and as
individual citizens OF a chosen and
favored race. but when we turn 20
contemplation We find
people just as obstinate in the face OF
free pardon and see that We are just
as much disposed nowadays as we're
the jews OF old TO resent Gods re-
quirenents as an infringement upon
our personal liberty.
Like them too, We have our waves
OF piety and our recurrence OF i'm
piety Great religious revivals sweep
the country until we can almost hear
the opening bugle calls OF the mil
lenium. and then again the whole
world is plugged into sin and despair
One time rs OF one accord we turn
our hearts 10 the sanctuary and then
agaip We impatiently brush matters
OF conscience aside and relapse into
the primal laws OF brute force and
personal aggrandizement But the
God Of mercy is also the God OF chas-
tisement. The world has long been
wandering afar from God. We have
cherished the forms and names OF
Christianity and submerged the spirit
OF tho Holy one beneath an ava
lanche Of sordid qualification. We
have built great churches and
planned spasmodic crusades against
evil. vet all the time the predomi-
nant spirit was one OF modifying the
law OF God 10 suit the convenience
and pleasure Of man. We are reap
Ing the reward OF our Indifference
and apostasy. Two thirds OF the
world is wading in blood and the des-
TIMES OF humanity are imperiled by
gigantic campaign OF anti-Christ to
overwhelm the followers OF the
Prince OF Peace and establish the
bloody and merciless code OF Wodin
and Thor
The Jews OF the captivity or at
least the younger generation born
and reared at Babylon and trained
under the pious teachings OF few
godly men returned 70 Jerusalem a
chastoned and purified nation The
stain of paganism was wiped out for
ever and no more do we find them
hankerinc after gods or wood and
stone They fell INTO other errors so
much so that they failed TO recognize
the promised Messiah when he came
but they were thOroly cured OF the
curse Of heathenism. Perhaps after
the warclouds OF Europe have blown
away and the sun of peace shall shine
forth again over all the earth. we Will
find that humanity has been weaned
from its insincerity and Indifference
10 the true God. Let us hope that
true faith IN Jesus will take the place
OF the prevailing porfunctory ac-
Acknowledgement Of his divinity and
that real religion will supplant the
counterfeit that has sn
long passed for pioty II so, the blood
OF millions will not have been shed
IN vain
II G. Wous. the English astron-
omer novelist pictures the world be-
ing submerged for hours in the tail
Of passing comet. during which
time all living beings lay in a kind OF
stupor and the end OF the world
seemed To have arrived. But on
from that stupor humanity
found itself regenerated. Not only
had old sthinEs passed away, but the
inteuts ana motives Of men had been
purified and elevated. Sordidness
and Shams We're no more thot OF and
and brotherly love were the
principles upon which individuals
and nations founded their acts and |