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The Sunday School
JESUS TIIE HEALER.
March 10, 1912. Mark 1:29-45; Mutt.
4:28-25.
Golden Text: "Himself took our Infirmities,
and bare our sickness." Matt.
8:17.
HOME DAILY RE VDTYGS.
Mondnj: Mark 1:29-45; Matt. 4:23-25.
Tuesday: John 4:46-53.
Wednesday: John 5:2-15.
Thursday: Matt. 12:9-21.
Frldny: Acts 16:14.18.
Saturday: Acts 9:32-43.
Sunday: Acts 19:8-20.
TOPICAL OUTLINE.
Jesus, the God-Man?
'Healing all diseases, vs. 29-34.
Praying to the Father, vs. 35-39.
Cleansing the leper, vs. 40-15.
SHORTER CATECHISM.
Q. 95. 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; hut the Infants
of such as are members of the visible
church are to b2 baptized.
LESSON COMMENTS.
The Connection: As soon as Jesus
had called four' dlscip'es to himself for
permanent relation with him, be heean
Ms active work. The storv of to-day
elmnly continues that of last Sunday,
giving rn account of two days' activity.
The Time nnd Place: These are the
same as in the last lesson. The day
immediately following his call of Simon
and Andrew. James and John, and the
scene Capernaum end the territory Just
around it, the beginning of our Liord's
Galilean ministry.
Mark's Gospel: Three Gospels tell of
the incidents of the lesson. Mark's account,
however, has them most in detail.
For vividness, movement, picturesqueness,
one will always find Mark's
narrative the most pronounced. He
wrote the shortest one of all, but It Is
fullest of the mighty acts of Christ.
Sharp, strong. Incisive words are used
to describe them. He sets forth Christ
In his activity and force. He was wr'tIng
to the Roman type of mind. His
key-note was struck when, In his very
first words, he quotes John's saying,
"There cometh after me one that Is
mightier than I." The Roman would
he attracted by power.
Christ's Mission: The Lord's great
mission was to preach the Gospel of
the kingdom, to prepare the way for
souls, not to heal. The latter was
only incidental to his work, and to give
proof of his claim to Messlahsh'p. To
make his healings, or m'racles In general,
the primary object, Is to magnify
them In a way not justified at all, and
Is to pave the way for extravagant and
unwarranted claims as to miracles
in the present day. The healings and
other "miracles" were not wonderworks
but signs, the divine signature to
Christ's commission, his credentials
divinely attested.
The Miracles: They were "signs,"
and are so called throughout the New
Testament. When the claim of Christ
was properly certified to or attested,
they ceased. There is no further occasion
or need of credentials when the
ambassador is duly accredited. The
claim of modern miracles is all hollow
for the simple reason that the miracle
is no longer called for. Its end has
been accomplished.
Peter Ilnd a Wife: It is a domestic
scene on which the story opens. Prom
the synagogue, which he made it a rule
to attend, Jesus repaired to the house
THE PRESBYTERI
of 8Imon and Andrew. There tbey
found Simon's wife's mother sick. Jesus
healed her promptly. It is a little
strange. Is It not, that the first primate
of the church," so-called, Peter, whoBe
sucesBors the popeB claim to be, was a
married man! His clamant followers
do not walk in his stepB.
"And Touched Hlm:w There was
nothing magical in the touch of Jesus.
It was merely Intended to show that it
was from him that the power went that
wrought the healing. And there was
yet another thing in it. When Christ
touched a leper, he took upon himself
that leper's uncleanness. Jesus liter<UneU
- ?? ? ?*?? J 1
any iuuh uui luiuuiiuea uuu uare our
diseases." He was "made sin for us,"
"that we might be made the righteousness
of God In him."
Christ and the Law: When he had
healed the leper, he commended him to
repair to the priest and there offer for
his cleansing "those things which Moses
commanded." Again we see the care
with which the Master observed the
law, from the moment of his appearing
to John the Bapt'st until the last act
and word on Calvary. The healing of
the leper was not regarded as altogether
complete until the act of obedience
to the law was duly performed.
Christ In Prayer: Jesus went out,
long before day-break, "Into a solitary
place, and there prayed." He got both
power and comfort from communion
with his Father. As a man, though the
Son, be learned obedience by the things
which he suffered. So. as a man. and as
a Son, he must needs commune with the
Father. The record of the prayers of
Jesus Is an Interesting one. His prayers
for others were remarkable in their
richness and grace and force. Those for
himself were full of pathos. They
showed how he felt the need of his
Father and of the Holy Spirit. It was
the Man seeking strength for duty. And
It was the Man, sinless an: pure, needing
the rest of heavenly companionship,
from the toil of a work which at times
must almost have overwhelmed him.
Christ In Prophecy: In recounting
some of the incidents of this lesson
Matthew, with characteristic regard to
his Jewish aim, says, "That it m'ght be
fulfilled which was spoken through
Ieaiah the prophet, saying, Himself took
our Infirmities and bare our diseases."
When John the Baptist, immured in
the prison of Machaerus, had a shadow
to come over his soul for a little while
and sent two of bis disciples at once
to Jesus, to find if he were Indeed the
Christ, the latter simply pointed them
to his acts and then bade them go and
tell John what thev had seen and heard,
and how the Scriptures had been fulfilled
in these deeds.
Lessons: Out of worship into work,
was Christ's example to us. In the
home lite one will hnd the hrst place for
Christian activity. Satan has to acknowledge
and yield to Christ. Early
rising for prayer and meditation will
best prepare for a long and busy day's
work. Ihe most forlorn and sinful need
not despair. The leper may be made
sound and clean. The leper's great cowas
for "cleansing." Saving or healing
should be sought in order to the
o.leanBlnar The ?vmno'ti? <>?
o- ? ~ j *?? u t" J vi VUllOt D
heart is as great as the power of his
hand.
In saying that no good thing would
the Lord withhold from them that
walked uprightly, the Old Testament
believer wag not merely theorizing;
he wa9 narrating actual experience. He
had felt the touch that makes everything
work together for good to them
that love God. In his case experience
worked hope, and it was the sort of
hope that was mixed with a joy that
filled the aoul with glory and with God.
To wag not a dreamer merely;-he was
a witness.
AN OF THE SOUTH
Young People's Societies
TESTIMONY THAT COUNTS.
Topic for Sunday, March 10: Christian
Testimony That Counts. John 1:
29-42.
* r
DAILY READINGS.
Mondny: John's testimony. John 1:
6-8, 15-18.
Tuesday: Israel's witness. Isaiah 43:
1-4, 10.
Wednesday: Power to witness. Acts
1 -4-R
Thursday: Splrit-wlnged words. 1
Corinthians 2:1-5.
Fridays Life-testimony. 1 Timothy
4:9-15.
Sntnrday: Undying testimony. Hebrews
11:1-5.
"Witnessing is the primary and fundamental
feature of the Christian life.
The believer is not saved that he may
he hanny or blessed or rich, hut to be
like God, through Christ.
Go ye into all the world and preach
the Gospel to every creature is but tending
the church and her people to start
upon their mission of testifying.
John the Baptist bore witness to
Christ and John the Evangelist and
Peter accepted. John at once sought his
brother Andrew and brought hfm to
Christ.
Christ then called Phll'p, and Philip
made It his first duty to go and tell
Nathaniel and to urge him to "come
and see." Now Nathaniel yielded to the
testimony and came.
A demoniac whom Jesus d'spossessed
wanted to stay with his Master and enjoy
constant communion with him, but
Christ said nay, "Go home to thy fr'ends
and tell them how great things the
Lord hath done for thee."
Just as we are not comforted that we
might be comfortable, but that we might
be comforters, so we are not called to
Christ to enjoy him but to call others
and have them enjoy him with us, In
fellowship In Christ.
"Let him that heareth say. Come."
The believer becomes the partner of the
Spirit and the Bride when, obedient to
God's command be becomes a witness
to the world and seeks the reconciliation
of his fellowmen with God.
"And th A twn (Uaolnloa V
? ? w V" w ucmu Ullll
speak, and tbey followed Jesus." It Is
significant that active testimony leads
men to follow Christ, not the witness.
"Falling down on his face, he will
worship God, and report that God Is In
you of a truth."
The constant appeal of the witness
for Christ should be, "Come and see."
Men should be asked to test the matter
for themselves, not to take our word
for It or t6 trust to one experienced of
God's grace. "Come and taBte and see
that the Lord Is good."
To testify of Christ one must know
him. The witnessing will be soon detected
as artificial and insincere if it
come not from a heart that has felt the
power of divine grace. Ringing and
burning words and earnest tones cannot
be manufactured. They must be born.
"Ye are our epistle." Paul declared
the Corinthian Christians to be as It
were a book, written by the Spirit of
the living God, to he known and read of
all men. Shut the book, seal the
epistle, and how can men read its pages?
witnessing is opening the book and
reading its message to all men.
Effective testimony is testimony
springing from the heart, produced by
grateful love, winged by faith, backed
by a consistent life. It is assured by
hope, strengthened by patience, made
steadfast and Immovable by the knowledge
that it is not in vain in the Lord.
Success depends largely on knowing
where to put your trust.
[ February 28, 1912
The Prayer Meeting
CONFESSING CHBIST.
Matt. 10:32-33. Week of March 3.
One of the great duties of Christian
service is here prescribed. In Involves
a vital relation to our blessed Lord.
If he is to confess us before our Father
and his, we must also confess him before
men. There seems to be no ex
vcfjtiuu iu una ruie; ine neaveniy confession
will not be made unless the
earthly confession Is made also.
It is not only a sovereign requirement,
It Is a reasonable one. Our Lord
has made complete provision for our deliverance
from guilt. We are told that
he came to give his life a ransom for
many and he "gave himself a ransom
for all." But we are not saved merely
because Christ died. God gave his Son
that whosoever believeth In him might
not per'sh, but have everlasting life.
Man's part must he added before redemption
Is made effectual for the 'ndlvldual.
The effects of redemption
must be applied and they are applied
under speclPed conditions. Thnso r>m.
dltions must be accepted and compiled
with. "Therefore" is an important word
In the test. God's care and nourishment
are extended to tbose who confess
him. Everyone who shall ronfeps him
before his Father ps entitled through
b'm to the Father's loving care and
gracious ministration.
Let us note that this confession Is to
be made before men. Not simply are we
to dwell in the secret place of the Most
High. That indeed is a biessed fellowship,
but it can never be ours without
testifying our faith to others. It is
very true that confession is to be made
to God first. It is a confession that
none but God need hear or see, and it
is one in which he welcomes the pridlgal
as his own child, but the genuineness
of It must be attested by confession
before men. The rejection of those
who refuse this confess'on is very specific:
"Whosoever therefore shall be
ashamed of me and of my words In this
adulterous and sinful generation, of him
aiso snail tne Son of man be ashamed
when he cometh in the glory of his
Father with the holy angels."
A secret confession. If genuine, cannot
be permanently secret any more
than can the bloom of the healthy violet
or rose. It is the nature of the founta'n
to flow and of the sun to give light.
It is the nature of the new-born soul
to express Its new life and it is the
nature of that life to honor and glorify
its God. The impulses of the truly
penitent soul will prompt It to make
known the source of pardon and a new
life, and is, to Belf and others a strong
evidence that the new life exists.
As in all Christian service, self is not
alone to be considered. Our attitude
toward the world must he right. It
must be one in which our Lord will use
us for helping the world. Ye are my
witnesses, salth the Lord. The appointed
means of rnnvlrtlnff A
MQ tuo nuliU
of sin, righteous and Judgment is by the '
testimony of his Spirit given through
his people. Such testimony Is Itself a
strong argument for truth and at the
same time is an encouragement to faint
hearts to embrace the truth.
Confession is net made necessarily
before the church session on congregation.
It should be made In this way in
all ordinary cases But religion is more
than formal outwardly. The entire life
as it appears to others will be the expression
of the Inward character. If the
law 0f the spirit of life in Christ Jesus
controls us that law will give evidence
of itself outwardly. A tree is known by
its fruits, and Christian conduct is a
confession of Christ >