Quarter November 9 we stand, ten of us, we will say, climbing the rugged face of a glacier or some steep snow field on our way to the top of an Alpine peak. Knowing the danger, the guides have roped us together.` We are all members one of another in a most vital sense. It brings a feeling of security. Each man is conscious that he is not left entirely alone to recover himself hastily from the result of some awkward slip he has nine other men to aid him in that effort. But it also brings a new sense of responsibility. If any man should refuse to put his feet in the niches cut for him by the hands of experience, or if he should in any wise move recklessly, he might fall in such a way as to dislodge the man behind him and they two might drag the whole group over the precipice or start an avalanche which would sweep them all away to sudden death. "For their sakes," each man repeats to himself, "for the security and welfare of the other nine, I will order my course with care and conscience!" Charles Reynolds Brown, in The Social Message of the Modern Pulpit. "Gentlemen will not smoke here; Others must not." Unfortunately, all smokers are not gentlemen; and of late years men who smoke without regard to the comfort of others have so greatly increased in numbers that it is not surprising that an organization has been formed to limit_smoking to places where women and non-smokers are not disturbed by it. Formerly in this country smoking was regarded as a privilege and was indulged in in public places only where it was specifically permitted; now it is regarded as a right and is indulged in in public in all places where it is not specifically forbidden. We have exchanged the old attitude of consideration for women in this matter for the indifference to the comfort of women which prevails in some parts of Europe. In public buildings, hotels, railway and ferry stations, dining cars, and many other places where the majority do not smoke, clouds of tobacco smoke offend and distress women and disgust smokers who have the instincts and habits of gentlemen. The Outlook. When it would have been Wrong to Drink Coffee. The Nez Perces have great reverence for the church. This was well impressed upon some of our presbyters at one of our Fourth of July campmeetings near the church at Lapwai in 1895. We, with four white ministers and several friends, had taken our dinner, intending to eat under the trees near the church. We had spread it out on some boards on the ground, when a heavy rain began to fall. We were not long in deciding to go into the church. Two or three of the white ministers picked up the board on which our feast was spread. This procession was headed by one of the ladies carrying the steaming_coffee pot followed by the remainder of the company laden with baskets, etc. They proceeded to carry the decision into effect. Two old Indian women sat under a tree near the door and when I came up a few steps behind the others one of them exclaimed, "Miss Kate, why do you allow those whites to desecrate the house of God by going in there to eat?" When I told the brethren how they felt, they meekly laid down the board, as if seeking protection from the rain only. It was a hungry party that stood there for an hour, waiting for the rain to cease, but not one mouthful did we dare to touch, for there sat the old women, eyeing every move, nor did they leave until we and our provisions were well upon the outside. Kate C. McBeth, The Nez Perces Indians since Lewis and Clark. III THE MAJESTY OF CONSCIENCE To him who accounteth Anything to be Unclean, to him it is Unclean. He who has conscientious scruples about what he eats condemns himself in eating it, for whatever he does contrary to his sense of right is for him a sin, is Paul's teaching. To transgress conscience is always wrong. Conscience is literally con and scio-to know within; it is the best counsellor one has. "Conscience means a man's best actual sight of the law of right and wrong. It may be a dim and distorted sight; but it is his best at the moment. He cannot violate it without sin, nor can you bid him do so without yourself sinning." Said an Indian in Northwestern Canada: "Conscience is a little three-cornered piece of tin inside my heart which turns round and round and hurts; but if I do not listen to it, by-and-by the corners will wear off, and then it will not hurt any more." What does that apt figure teach? The province of the con science is to hurt. Not only does it declare what is right and what is wrong for one to do, but it urges one to choose the right, and it hurts when one has chosen the wrong. But if it is unheeded, it loses its power to hurt, and hence its power to control one's conduct. He who disobeys his conscience, and does what he believes to be wrong, however mistaken his conscience may be, dulls and weakens the power of that inner monitor. You cannot be Another Man's Conscience. "Because you are not his conscience, you must not tamper with his conscience. It is, in this case, mistaken; yes, but what it wants is not your compulsion, but the Lord's light. If you can do so, bring that light to bear, but dare not, for Christ's sake, compel a conscience." Ma's Conscience. In a story by Alice Louise Lee, a woman whom all her friends called "Ma" had induced a friend to invest her money in a company that failed. Long years afterwards, when by the hardest toil she had saved enough money, she announced her intention of giving it all to this friend. A young man tried to reason with her, to coerce her conscience. "But don't you see, Ma, that your sense of obligation is far-fetched?" he asked. "There's no law that could for a moment hold you responsible." "You needn't talk law to me," responded Ma. "That Chatham Trust Company went by law,-some bankrupt law or other, and so left the folks in Maplewood pretty badly off. Anyway you can fix it, I owe Delia Smith that money, and after seein' her all bent over and trembly and hard-workin', you can't get that idea out of my head." Here Ma smiled tremulously and raised a corner of her apron to her eyes. "Don't you see," she added, gently, "I couldn't take a mite of comfort if I didn't do what I see is the right thing? I'd rather feel easy and clear inside than have all the money I ever saw. I couldn't enjoy it a bit if I had to think all the time it really belonged to some one else." Each One shall give an Account of himself to God. You remember in our lesson about the making of the Golden Calf, how Moses besought God to forgive his people, and how he cried, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin—; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written." And what was the answer? "Jehovah said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book." What Moses learned on Mount Sinai Paul taught the people in Rome, when he wrote, "Each one shall give an account of himself to God." You cannot be another man's conscience: To him who accounteth anything to be unclean to him it is unclean: you cannot be another man's judge; Each one shall give an account of himself to God: you cannot suffer another man's penalty for sin; Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. SENTENCE SERMONS Now we that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Rom. 15.1. "No one can clearly see his rights who is blind to his duties." I have shot mine arrow o'er the house, and hurt my brother. Shakespeare. There are two freedoms, the false where a man is free to do as he likes, and the true where he is free to do as he ought. Kingsley. The all-round education of the conscience is as rare as of the intellect. H. Findlay. W. An effort made for the happiness of others lifts us above ourselves. Lydia M. Child. My liberty ends when it begins to involve the possibility of ruin to my neighbor. John Stuart Mill. Freedom means that the will should be governed by the conscience; and it means that the conscience should be governed by God. Alexander Maclaren. Take away the Bible from us, and our warfare against intemperance, and impurity, and oppression, and infidelity, and crime is at an end. We have no authority to speak, no courage to act. William Lloyd Garrison. Quarter November 9 I know very well that the pleasure of drinking is an old heritage of the Germans; however, we must henceforth, in every connection, through selfdiscipline, free ourselves from this evil. Emperor William. "Do you ask me to give up what to me is a lawful gratification because another man is a drunkard?" "Yes, if you do not need the total abstinence pledge yourself, sign it for the sake of those who are weak and need help". John B. Gough. THE LESSON'S MEANINGS FOR US If there comes into our lives a question whether some action is right or wrong, and we have settled that for us it is right, that should not end the matter. There is another question yet which we must settle, whether our practice may cause some one else to take up the same practice for whom it would be wrong. "Where conscience says, not ‘you must,' but only 'you may,' then you must consider the effect your using your liberty will have on others." All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient. Let no man seek his own, but every man another's welfare. Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of Christ. If these sayings of Paul were doings of ours, what a revolution would there be in our daily lives! Let us practise them through the coming weeks and see how they alter our way of living. Whatever is not of faith is sin, Rom. 14.23. To do what conscience says is wrong is to act contrary to faith. He who has no inclination toward intemperance should have sympathy for those who can remain temperate only through struggling, and should help them by example and by self-sacrificing effort. SUBJECTS FOR BIBLE CLASS DISCUSSION 1. Is it right for a Christian to own shares of brewery stock? 2. Essentials and non-essentials of faith. 3. A study of conscience. 4. Duty of mutual toleration. WORK TO BE ASSIGNED FOR THE NEXT LESSON Questions to look up. 1. Locate Mount Nebo and learn what you can about it. (Clipping, p. 421.) 2. Describe the Medeba map. (Clipping, p. 421.) 3. Where do the Mohammedans claim Moses lies buried? (Clipping, p. 420.) 4. How did Stephen characterize Moses? 5. Read "The Burial of Moses" by Mrs. Cecil Frances Alexander. 6. What does Rev. 14.13 say about the dead who die in the Lord? 7. What does Longfellow say in his poem on Charles Sumner, about a great man's long influence after death? 8. What have we already heard about Joshua? 9. When had Moses "laid his hands" on Joshua? (Num. 27.18-23.) 10. Where did Aaron die? II. Miriam? 12. What are the lessons of Numbers for today? (Clipping, p. 28.) 13. What in brief are the contents of Deuteronomy? 14. What is the length of the period covered by its history? 15. What are the four main divisions of the book? (Clipping, p. 29.) Questions to Think about. 1. Why was Moses not permitted to enter the Promised Land? (Lesson IV.) 2. Was his life-work finished? 3. What had he accomplished? 4. What does "over against Jericho" mean? 5. What does "he buried him," verse 6, mean? (Clipping, p. 419.) 6. Was Moses buried on the top of Mount Nebo? (6th verse.) 7. Of whom is it said that "He, being dead, yet speaketh"? 8. How does this apply to Moses? 9. To whom that you know or know about does it apply? 10. Since death is inevitable for everyone, should one put away all thought of death? II. How should the thought of death affect one's life? Memory Work. Commit to memory Mrs. Cecil F. Alexander's poem "Burial of Moses." LESSON VII-NOVEMBER 16 THE DEATH OF MOSES Golden Text Precious in the sight of Jehovah is the death of his saints. Ps. 116.15 HOME DAILY BIBLE READINGS-M. Deut. 34.1-12. The Death of Moses. T. Deut. 3.18-29. Moses Forbidden to Cross Jordan. W. Deut. 4.1-14. Exhortation to Obey God's Law. T. Deut. 31.1-13. Preparation for Death. F. Deut. 31.14-29. Commission of Joshua. S. Deut. 32. Song of Moses. S. Deut. 33. Blessing of Moses. STUDY Dt. 31.1-8; 32.48-52; 34.1-12 READ Dt. 31-34 COMMIT Dt. 34-5-7 I And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And Jehovah showed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan, 2 and all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the hinder sea, 3 and the South, and the Plain of the valley of Jericho the city of palm trees, unto Zoar. 4 And Jehovah said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. 5 So Moses the servant of Jehovah died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of Jehovah. 6 And he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab over against Beth-peor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day. 7 And Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. 8 And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping in the mourning for Moses were ended. 9 And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as Jehovah commanded Moses. 10 And there hath not arisen a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom Jehovah knew face to face, II in all the signs and the wonders, which Jehovah sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, 12 and in all the mighty hand, and in all the great terror, which Moses wrought in the sight of all Israel. WORDS AND PHRASES EXPLAINED Lesson Outline. I. Moses' View of the Promised Land from Mount Nebo, I-4. II. Moses' Death and Burial, 5-7. III. The Mourning for Moses, 8. IV. Joshua Moses' Successor, 9. V. Moses' Preeminence, 10-12. 1. Moses went up. The command given him is recorded in Dt. 32.29.-Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah. Nebo and Pisgah evidently refer to the same ridge, which was a part of Abarim, Dt. 32.49. See the Geographical Background.— Over against Jericho. Facing Jericho, east of Jericho.-And Jehovah showed him all the land. All the places enumerated in verses 1-3 can not actually be seen from any point in this vicinity, but the panorama spread before the eye is superb, being unobstructed toward the northeast and the southwest. The description begins with the north and moves westward, then southward. Compare the description of the views Balaam had, Num. 23.14-16.-Gilead unto Dan. The East Jordan land. See the Geographical Background. 2-4. The West Jordan land. See the Georgraphical Background. "The naming of the districts as they afterwards were assigned to the different tribes, Quarter November 16 points to Joshua as the authority."-Hinder. That is, western, RVm. The Mediterranean.-The South. The district south of Judah, called also the Negeb. -The Plain of the valley of Jericho. Literally, "the oval," which includes the broadest part of the Jordan Valley just north of the Dead Sea.-The city of palm trees unto Zoar. See the Geographical Background.—The land which I sware unto Abraham. See Ex. 33.1.-Thou shalt not go over thither. Recall lesson IV. 5. So Moses died there. "It was appropriate that Moses should die on a mountain; his was the mountain type of mind" (McConnell). "He disappeared, and whether it was by the ordinary process of decease cannot be told. Our text states the enigma without solving it. Elijah also is recorded to have passed from this life into the other in a manner similarly mysterious. It was just these two that centuries later appeared with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration" (Parkhurst). 6. He buried him. Jehovah buried Moses. Or, he was buried, RVm. This is a figurative expression, and means at least that only God knew of his burial place. "God has buried much in his time; he has been the great grave-digger; he has filled up the tombs of the ages and written the epitaphs of æons" (Joseph Parker).—Unto this day. This expression shows that the date of the writing was long after the event; see p. 20 of the Introduction.-In the valley. Not on a mountain top.-Over against Beth-peor. This was in the vicinity of the encampment. 7. A hundred and twenty years old. "Moses' life was divided into three forties. In the first forty years (in Egypt) he was learning to be somebody; in the second forty years (in Midian) he was learning to be nobody. In the third forty years ( in the Wilderness of Sinai) he was proving what God could do with a man who had learned those two lessons" (Moody).—Nor his natural force abated. He had kept his vigor of mind and body. But see Dt. 31.2. 8-9. Wept for Moses thirty days. The customary time for mourning. So they had mourned for Aaron, Num. 20.29.-And Joshua. "God buries the workman but carries on the work."-Was full of the spirit of wisdom. "Joshua does not, however, stand on the same plane as Moses, whom Jehovah knew with perfect intimacy. There are successors similar in spirit, but not equal in rank” (Jordan).—For Moses had laid his hands upon him. This consecration is recorded in Num. 27.18-23.-Hearkened unto him. Obeyed him. 10. There hath not arisen a prophet since in Israel. This remark shows that this part of the history was written long after it occurred.-Whom Jehovah knew face to face. To whom Jehovah revealed his will. II-12. Moses was preeminent in his power to work miracles (signs and wonders). SUGGESTIVE THOUGHTS FROM HELPFUL WRITERS 1. And Moses went up unto Mount Nebo. The picture of the death of Moses as drawn in chapter 34 belongs among the world's masterpieces-the unflinching ascent of Nebo's heights, the lonely figure on the mountain top, the silent gaze upon the promised land in which were fused both failure and fruition, triumph and disappointment, the fatal contact with the infinite, the unknown grave-a picture in which majesty, mystery, and pathos are marvelously blended. But what lessons has it for us? Every masterpiece is the expression of some universal truth, and the manner of Moses' death becomes the type of the fundamental isolation of every human soul, an isolation that may not be recognized for a time by those who are unwilling to face ultimate realities, but which is nevertheless a fact that in the hour of death can no longer be ignored. Moses was no more alone when the infinite swept in upon his finiteness out of the gathering night than each one of us will be, When the last farewell is over. This is a solemnizing thought in its implication of personal accountability, but it should not be a terrorizing thought. It should dignify, not cow the soul; for the touch of the infinite that seems so fatal to all fellowship and makes us realize our isolation most acutely, is, after all, only the caress of God, if we would |