The Brinkley argus., 1917-11-23
INTERNATIONAL. .SUNDGXSQ1OOL LESSON CBy REV. P B. FITZWATER, D. D., Teacher of English Bible in the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago)
 (Copyright. 1917, Western Newspaper Onion.l
LESSON FOR NOVEMBER 25
A PSALM OF THANKSGIVING.

!
 LESSON TExT-Psalms 1o3.
 GOLDEN TExT-Bless the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benehts.-Ps' i03:2
 This Psalm Is mans response to the goodness and mercy of God. It ex- presses the joy and gratitude of for given sinner as he worships before God. There is too much In this Psalm for one to attempt to set 1t forth, so we must be content to display some of It's most prominent notes.
 |. Man's Entire Being Should Sing Gods Praise, V. 1. The true worship per praises God with every faculty of his being; his intellect, emotion, de- sires, affections all unite in praIsing Jehovah. The entire being responds In a song of harmonious praise. Some praise God with their voices but not with their hearts; some with their in- tellect but not with their affections some with their emotions but not with their wills. That praise which involves the entire being alone Is pleasing to God.
 II. The Benefits Granted, w. 2-6. The Psalmist exhOrts man not to forget all Gods benefits. This seems to be need- ed now as well as then, for most of us are better at remembering our troubles and adversities, our losses and our sor- rows, than we are at remembering our mercies and blessings. It would be a good thing for some of us to keep a record of the good things of life and see that, after all, our blessings out weigh our burdens. We have more days of sunshine than of clouds, more joys than we have of sorrows, more hours when we are free from pain than we suffer with pain. If God were as forgetful of us as we are of Him, life would be n6rd indeed.
 (1) Forgiveness of sins, v. 3. In forgiveness we are freed from the curse of sin and its blight and burdens are removed. We are not only for. given, but we gre healed of sins dis ease! not only freed from the burdens of sin but of its effects, so that we do not go after the things of this world To be saved for heaven means that we are saved from the world. (2) Redemption. v.s 4. We have been saved by Christ giving Himself as a ransom for our souls. -,< .e
 (3) Satisfaction, V 5. When God redeems, He so thoroughly renews the man that the good things which he gets from God satisfy him. His bless' 1 ings are so real that he finds satisfac ton in God. Men and women of the world are reaching out after fieetinG things. They are ever grasping after something, but are never satisfied. Not so with the redeemed soul; he finds absolute satisfaction in the things which God gives him. Workings may be satiated. but Gods redeemed alone l are satisfied.
 (4) Executing judgment in behalf oi the oppressed, V. 6. He is always or the side of the oppressed. God under takes for his own, and sooner or latel He will mete out justice to all. There is q reckoning day for the world com i ing. Those who have done evil shal suffer loss those who have done goot shall be rewarded. ~
 III. Attributes of God for Which He ! Should Be Praised, w. 7-1S. These attributes have been displayed in God: dealings with his chosen people.
 CD Merciful and gracious, V. 8. H. is slow to anger and plenteous in mer cy. An example of his mercy is seer in the father of the prodigal son run ming to meet his son and kissing him A very little thought will make yer! evident how God withholds his anger and waits patiently for an opportunity to extend his mercy.
 (2) He will not always "chide," w SIP. When God forgives he forgive' forever. Men say they forgive, bu how often they "chide" and "keeI anger" God has not dealt with us ac cording to our sins, for, as the heav ems are high above the earth, so grea Is his mercy toward them that the! fear him. So really has God forgives us that our transgressi0ns are as fal removed from us as the East b iron the West. an tncalculable distance.
 (a) He Is compassionate and tender W. 1914. This reveals Gods fathaa! heart. He fully knows our weakness He does not deal with us as though VI were strong. He knows how weak ant fallible We are through the fall. It Il consoling to know that God consider' our frame: He knows that we ar dust"
 (4) His mercy Is everlasting. eternal w. 15-17. Man Is at best transitory but God is eternal. The one who rest his hopes in God is eternally safe This should encourage us to lean no upon man but upon God.