Newspaper Page Text
? (328)
The Sunday School
THE PARALYTIC FORGIVEN AND
HEALED.
March 17, 1912. Mark 2:1-12.
Golden Text: "Bless the Lord, O my
spul, and forget not all his benefits;
who forgiveth all thine inlqu'ties; who
healeth all thy diseases."?'Ps. 103:2-3.
HOME DAILY BIBLE READINGS.
Monday: Mark 2:1-12.
Tuesday: Acts 3:1-10.
Wednesday: Ps. 25:1-18.
Thursday: Ps. 103:1-12.
Fridny: Isa. 43:18-25.
Saturday: 1 John 1:1-10.
Sunday: Jas. 5:13.20.
TOPICAL OUTLINE.
A Man S'ck with Sin end Disease?
Brought to Jesus, vs 1-4.
His sins forgiven, vs. 5-7.
His disease cured, vs. 8-12.
SHORTER CATECHISM.
Q. 96. What is the Lord's Supper?
A. The Lord's Supper is a sacrament,
wherein, by giving and receiving bread
and wine, according to Christ's appo'ntment,
his death is showed forth, and the
worthy receivers ere, not after a corporal
and carnal iranner, but by faith,
made partakers of his body and b'ood,
with all his benefits, to their spiritual
nourishment and growth in grace.
LE3S0X IVOTES.
Place and T.'me: It is at Capernaum
again that we meet and see Christ
working. He has Just returned from a
tour of some days through Galilee. The
news spreads quickly that he is back.
A crowd gathers at the house where he
stops. They crowd its court and entry
and door
Mark's Gospel: Again it is Mark that
gives us the fullest and most vivid
story. It accords with his a'm, in showing
Christ to be the Mighty One. And
he brings out with special clearness
and force that part of the incident
which illustrates the highest form of
power, the divine prerogative in the forgiveness
of sin.
An Oriental House: It is of one
story, of stone, with low, thick walls.
It is built around a small Bquare court.
The roof over the rooms is arched
underneath and flat on top. protected
by a low battlement, and is used in
summer for a sleeping place. The
rnvprln? nvpr Hip cmirt lnnsplv nut rvn
and eas'ly removed, laid on beams three
or four feet apart, Is of thick branches
of bushes, or leaves of the pa'm tree, or
straw. A rude, narrow stairway, of
stone, on tbe outside of the house, leads
up to the roof.
The Miracle's rnrpose: The Intent
of the miracle is more plainly brought
out here than usual. "That ye may
know that the Son of Man hath power
on earth to forgive sin, I say unto thee,
AriEe, take up thy bed and go into thine
own house." It was the lord's credentials,
the proof of h's claim. The healing
was only incidental, though most
happy to the beneficiary. The more
we read "signs" for "miracles," the
nearer we will be to the Scriptural
Biaiemenm concerning mem, in loe
nature and use.
A Pontile Healing: The aoul was
cured. The body was healed. Christ
emphpslred the splr'tual need and met
It. The physical cure was but the
proof of the soul-cure. The greater
need was first attended to. The Master
may have seen that there was dark consciousness
of sin on the paralytic's part.
He may have seen remorse eating Into
the very soul jf the poor young man.
"florae of Fonr:*' An unusual but line
"ambulance corns" th's! It Is made of
wllllne hands and loving hearts. They
are frleads Indeed. Perhaps, nay prob
THE PBE8BYTERI
ably, they bar* themselves felt tbe
gentle touch of Jesus and received
blessing from him and now would have
other tests and see that he Is good.
They know what he has done and can
do. They have been anxiously awaiting
his return and have just beard that
he Is back, and have hurried to br'ng
to him a young friend who has probably
been but lately stricken. They speak
not a word. Their act tells their wish.
For want of such friends a man lay on
the porch of the Fool of Eethesda at a
certain season for many years.
The Value of Perslstencvs It is woil
to be determined end persistent when
It is Tor a proper end. The four fr'ends
of the paralytic were not to be diverted
from their purpose by any ordinary or
extraordinary obstacles. The court of
the house where Jesus was standing being
Inaccessible through the door and
ppssage, they get up on the roof with
their burden, a somewhat clumsy and
awkward proceeding, and then break up
the loose covering of the court and let
the young man down on the mat whereon
he lay. The houses be'ng very low,
willing hands reach up and tske the
burden as It Is let down. The four are
not to be thwarted. Christ called It
faith on their part It Is faith which
worketh by love, and faith unconquerable
and persistent or perserverlng to
the end.
"Seeing Their Fnlth:w It Is hardly to
be railed, as some have pronounced It
"vicarious faith." It Is their faith that
causes Christ to take up the case, not
because of their faith that he forgives
and heals. The Intervention of believing
friends Is most happy and useful,
and Christ owns and responds to It
often; but after all It Is the sinner himself
who must acknowledge and believe
"Take Up Thy Bed nnd Go:w Why
was he to take up his bed? Dr. Campbell
Morgan answers the question thus:
"Because, as one has beautifully said,
there Is to be no provision made for a
relapse. Oh, how many of us have
made that provls'on In the past! Yes,
we wlil get up, but we will have the
bed ready for the relapse. So far as
you are able, make It Impossible, by the
pbso'uteness of your surrender and con.
secratlrn. ever to get back."
The Divine Prerogative: The scrlhes
are right: "Who can forgive sins but
God only?" The Ix>rd does not deny
their ssert'on. He proceeds at once,
In the face of the challenge, to give substantia!
proof that he can forgive sin.
This is slmplv, according to his and
* ? - -
ii cir lugic, nomine ana snowing that he
is God. It would be blasphemy on his
part, as the scribes aver, to assume the
prerogative of God If he is not very God.
His act and words are without question
Intended to convey to us the fpct, as
coming dlrectlv from him. under a
definite challenge on the subject, that
he claims and asserts d'vlnlty, and that
not In a broad, vague sense, but as
deity himself.
Lessons: When Christ comes Into the
house or life he cannot be hid. He magnified
the word and made It honorable.
He stands ready to be crowded; there
Is no unwillingness In him. Fr'endshlp
never performs a sweeter service than
that of bringing others to Christ. True
friendship and desire to get to Christ
will break down all obstacles. It will
not allow itself to be discouraged or defeated.
It will make a way If It has
to break a way. Jesus Is exceedingly
tender. He calls the sick young man
"child," tenderly seeking to win him.
The Ills of life come from sin. Correct
sin, get It out of the way, and the fru'tful
source of evil Is removed. Christ
made the hearts of men. God alone has
the right and power to forgive sin. In
claiming and exercising this right Jesus
was proclaiming himself to be God.* -
AN OF THE SOUTH
Young People's Societies
WHAT IS SUCCESS!
Topic for Snndny, March 17: Snccess
Worth Having, nud Not Worth Having.
Daniel 4:28-37.
r r
DAILY READINGS.
Monday: Was Lot a success? Genesis
19:15-30.
Tuesday: Dangerous success. 1 Kings
11:9-14.
Wednesday: Our danger. Deuteronomy
32:6-15.
Thursday: Consecrated success. Genesis
41:37-4 6.
Friday: Successful against self. Romans
15:1-3.
Sntnrdaj: Success In failure. John
2:18-22.
Succeeding Is not success. They
spell nearly alike, but they do not
necessar'ly keep company.
Failure is many a time the basis of
the grandest sucess. It clears away the
werk things In tbe battle for the best.
To know how to fall and to pluck the
fruits of such failure are elements of
strength. They teach patience and
nrlcHnm loccrtna n ni-nr foil
help.
"Nothing succeeds l'ke success" is as
misleading as it is popular. .Mere momentum
is never power. Let is run
along awhile, pnd see!
The secret of real success lies back
in prlncip'es and foundat'on of facts.
Seeming prosper'ty does not prove it.
Probe the prosperity and you may find
it hollow.
Benzoate of soda is used to preserve
things that are spoiling or spoilt. Its
presence in an article of commerce preserves
that article, but is not regarded
as in anv way a credit to't.
Working for success does not make
success. The object must be greater,
the motive higher. Just to succeed is
no real aim. It is simply .the obstinacy
of ambition. Some men think they must
never surrender or change. They never
think of the law of "oughtness."
The apostle put't right when he said:
"If we he dead with him, we shall also
live with him. If we suffer, we shall
also reign with him." Derth to many
things, undergoing many things, lay the
foundations for true success. They are
the price one must needs pay.
The success in generalsh'p, in the
organization and discipline of an armr,
in the command of men, which the
world's great 1e?ders have enjoyed, was
the result of their own subjection, in
their training t'me, to the duties and
dlscin'ine which were laid upon them.
There 1b little doubt that the sturdy
b'ows John -Knox pave to rovalty and
sunerstition and hypocrisy were a result,
in a higher sphere, of his hard
life as a prisoner In a galley ship. He
might never have succeeded as a great
reformer had lie not passed through the
bitter experience of bis earlier years.
The greatest success of the universe
was Christ's, in prov'dlng a way of life.
Yet that Buccess had to be laid In
foundations of poverty and shame and
blood and death. Had he shrunk from
one of them his work would not have
been complete. Shall we then call his
sad life a failure, or was It a glorious
victory and success?
The difficulty In the right apprehension
of true success lies In the Inability
or unwillingness to distinguish between
success itself, the happy ach'evement of
the good desired, and the means lying
between us and the happy achlevemens.
Whatever helps to make success takes
on the color and slgnlflrancy of success
and Is success, whether the world Is
willing to regard it so or not The end
tells the story.
[March 6, 1912
The Prayer Meeting
REASONS FOR LOVE TO CHRIST.
1 Peter 1:18. Week of Rnrch 10.
It may kelp us to pause In the course
of our busy life snd group some of the
outstanding reasons for personal love
to our I.ord. Why he loved us to the
extent of being "made sin for us" and
bearing "our sins In b's own body on
the trae," we may never know, but
reuauna iur loving mm are to ce round
at every print from which we view him
rnd In every department of his mediatorial
work.
The apostle 'a here writing to Christians
scattered In many lards and to us
In these last days, having many dlfferIne
Ideas on minor truths of our rellelon.
hut he could say to pll the
Master's true fol'owers, Including ourse'ves,
that though Christ ts unseen
w'th t*e natural eve. his people all
love him. Tt Is a distinguishing mark
of a true Christian. Here Is the dlv'd
ire Une pptwppn tve c^'ldren of light
and the children of darkness.
A reason for loving Christ which
rerdtly suggests itself Is assigned by
the Apostle John: "We love hlra because
he Prst loved us." Real love on
the part of one who Is worthy attracts
love In return. What attractive power
It should have In the one who Is "altogether
lovely." who Is "fairer than the
children of men."
This suggests his personal attractiveness.
Every attribute, every element of
his character was and Is attractive: his
holiness, wisdom, gentleness, patience,
compassion, courage, discretion, resourcefulness,
leadersh'p?every act by
which he Is msde known to us, his entire
discourse, all unite In one harmonious
appeal to our highest admiration.
And If we have enlightened percept'on
through which true beauty and glory
cen appeal to us, we must love the one
being who possesses all perfections In
cn Infinite degree.
A very patent reason for loving Christ
Is found in Paul's statement: "He loved
me and gave himself for me." Not only
did he love, but he gave the highest
possible expression of that love. He
gave his life for us, redeemed by the
blood of bis cross, gave himself a ransom
for many, while we were yet sinners
Christ died for us. If a friend
would g've his natural life to save our
natural life we would feel that we
could never give adequate expression
to our gratitude and admiration. Here
is one who gave his life for us when
we were enemies.
We lnve Vllm nnt k * ~
muv v/uijr uctHune ne was
willing to endure the cross for us, but
because in do'ng so he saved us from
tne stain and condemnation of our guilt.
The chastisement of our peace was upon
liim and with his stripes we are healed.
Through bis death we have life,
through his suffering we have Joy,
through h's shame we have glory, his
poverty brings us endless riches.
Through Christ we have a new heart
and a new life. We are new creatures
Ol * v* * *
iu Lunm jesus, oid tnings have passed
away. We belong to a new kingdom and
are endowed with a new principle of
action, new motives, new vision, new
hopes.
We love our Lord because he has
procured for us a blessed and boundless
inheritance. He has made us joint heir's
with himself. What a wonderful statement!
As the Son of God he la heir of
all things, and we are joint heirs w'th
him. "AH things are yours," says the
apostle, "all are yours and ye are
Christ's and Christ Is God's."