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. February 9, 1910. THE PRESBYTERIAN
Sunday School
THE GOLDEN RULE?TEMPERANCE LESSON.
reDruary zu, 1910. Matthew 7:1-12.
GOLDEN TEXT.?"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would
that men should do to you do ye even so to them, for this
is the law and the prophets." Matt. 7:12.
SHORTER CATECHISM.
Q. 96. To whom is baptism to be administered.
A. Baptism is not to be administered to any that are out
of the visible church, till they profess their faith in Christ,
and obedience to Him; but infants of such as are members
of the visible church are to be baptized.
DAILY HOME READINGS.
M?Matt. 7:1-12. Th.?Jas. 2:1-13.
T.?Rom. 2:1-21. F? I Cor. 13:1-13.
W.?Rom. 14:1-12. S.?Gal. 5:1-15.
S.?Rom. 13:1-10.
' TOPICAL OUTLINE.
Further Teachings of the Master.
1. A Study of Censoriousness. 1-6.
2. Encouragement to Prayer. 7-11.
3. The Golden Rule. 12.
LESSON COMMENT.
In this section of the Sermon our Lord deals with the Censorious
spirit of the Pharisees and warns against it. Then
in concluding the sermon He makes a number of applications
of the truths He has been presenting. In addition
to the verses as to judging we have in our lesson two of
the applications of truth, first as to prayer and then as to
a rule of practice based upon what he has been teaching as
to the real meaning of the law and the prophets.
1. A Study of Censoriousness.?"Judge not, that ye be not
judged." Let us at the outset ascertain exactly what is meant
by this passage. Are we to make no decisions as to moral
questions. Are we to lay aside all moral distinctions? It is
clear from our Lord's teaching, from the whole trend of Scrip
ture and from human experience that mankind has constantly
and frequently to make decisions as to questions of right and
wrong not only as touching one's own life, but the lives of
others. Christ said, "By their fruits ye shall know them."
How are we to know them if we are not to pass judgment
as to the fruit? We would make no progress morally if we
were not to judge as to the doing of the numberless things
r\f ovnrv/lov 1J fo
What our Master is objecting to is the spirit of faultfinding
usually known as censoriousness. This was a marked
characteristic of the Pharisees. It is not by any means unknown
in our own day. There are those who seerr^ to be constantly
looking for the faults of others. Jesus warns them
that with the judgment they use they will be judged. He
also points out that it is a foolish proceeding for a human
being with all the faults and sins incident to humanity to
undertake to hunt up the faults of others. The fact that we
make the standard by which we are to be measured is an
important teaching in the Sermon. It is pointed out not
only here but in connection with the matter of prayer. If wc
forgive not the faults and trespasses of others, how can we
expect forgiveness for ourselves. That we are to do a certain
sort of judging is evident from verse six. In giving our
Christian experiences and in setting forth the truth of religion
we are not to do so with those who would utterly misconceive
its meaning and purpose.
2. Encouragement to Prayer.?Our Master not only gave
us a form of prayer, but in many passages of his teachings
He urges us to the use of prayer. What God the Father
wishes is that we come to Him with our wants and needs. It
is an interesting fact about this seventh verse that it forms
In the English an acrostic, thus:
"Ask and it shall be given you;
Seek, and ye shall find;
Knock, and it shall be opened unto you."
Ask becomes the dominant thought in the passage. Ask
[ OF THE SOUTH 173.
ing of God indicates our dependence upon Him. God does,
answer prayer. Incidents such as the following can be
duplicated in the experience of almost every praying Christion:
Just out of Boston a young girl came to me and asked:
"Do you believe that God would save my brother if mother
and I were to pray all night for him?" I told her that I believed
God had put the question in her mind; and that I would
advise her to put Him to the test. She told me afterward
that they returned from the meeting about 10 o'clock, and
that they began prayer at that hour. Thpv cnnMni.mi s
prayer until after 2 o'clock and almost 3. Then believing
that God had heard and answered, they went to sleep. To
my certain knowledge that young man had not before that
been within four miles of the church. But the next night,
with never a word spoken to hinv, he was in the meeting,
and at the first opportunity he rose and said: "I wish you
would pray for me. I have been deeply convicted of sin, and
all last night I felt the greatest desire to be a Christian."
The young man was converted that night, and has ever since
been a consistent member of the church.?Christian Witness.
3. The Golden Rule.?The important thing to recognize
about this passage is that Christ is not giving a new principle
of conduct. He is not shifting the burden of determining
as to the morality of conduct from God, the law-giver, to
man the subject of law. A great deal that is said and
writtpn Q hnn f
UUVu<. me uuiucu ?.uie seems to proceed on this
assumption. Christ distinctly says that this rule is "the
law and the prophets." The Golden Rule rightly understood
and used is a splendid aid in our relations with others. Let
the teachers be careful to get it before their scholars in its.
real meaning and beauty. George D. Booth.
Monroe, Louisiana.
THE CALL TO DUTY.
Tired! well, what of that?
Did'st fancy life was spent on beds of ease,
Fluttering the rose leaves scatter'd by the breeze?
Come! rouse thee, work while it is call'd today!
Coward, arise?go forth upon the way!
Lonely! And what of that?
Some must be lonely; 'tis not given to all
To feel a heart responsive rise and fall?
To blend another life into its own;
Work may be done in loneliness: work on!
Dark! Well, and what of that?
Dids't fondiy dream the sun would never set?
Dost fear to lose thy way? Take courage yet;
Dearn thou to walk by faith and not by sight;
Thy steps will guided be, and guided right.
Hard! Well, and what of that?
Did'st fancy life one summer holiday
With lessons none to learn and naught but play?
uo, get thee to thy task; conquer or die!
It must be learned?learn it then patiently.
No help! Nay; 'tis not so.
Though human help be far, thy God is nigh,
Who feeds the ravens, hears His children cry.
He's near thee whereso'er thy footsteps roam,
And He will guide thee, light thee, help thee home.
?British Weekly..
CHARACTER IS SUCCESS.
There are thousands of men to whom immediate success
rarely comes; they are met by constant failures and Hisannnint
? ??' fl'ViUVraent8;
they struggle with scant reward and a scantier recognition
from the world. The sweets of success are never theirs;
the struggle, the labor and the long-deferred hope are their
dally experience. Such men may not miss the crowning of
life; it may be theirs to pluck from failure the immediate
flower of noble character.?Hamilton Wright Mabie.