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The Sunday School
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FEASTING AND FASTING.
March 24, 1912. Mark 2:13-22. 1
1
Golden Text: "I came not to call the
righteous, but sinners."?Nlark 2:17.
j
HOME DAILY BIBLE READINGS.
Monday: Mark 2:13-22. '
Tuesday: Matt. 4:12-22. '
Wednesday- T.nko 10*1-10
Thursdays J.sa. 58:1-11. 1
Friday: Matt. 22:1-14.
Saturday: 1 Tim. 1:12-17. i
Saturday: Luke 5:33.39.
TOPICAL OUTLINE.
Jesus Answering His Critics?
Proclaiming himself the Saviour of
sinners, vs. 14-17.
Showing how the New Testament
supersedes the Old, vs. 18-22.
SHORTER CATECHISM.
Q. 97. What is required to the
worthy receiving of the Ix>rd's Supper?
A. It is required of them that would
nui usij puriuive ui me j-?wa ts oupper,
that they examine themselves of their
knowledge to discern the Lord's body,
of their faith to feed upon him, of their
repentance, love, and new obedience;
lest, coming unworthily, they eat and
drink judgment to themselves.
LESSON COMMENTS.
Time and Place: By most students
the feast given by Levi Is placed immediately
after the latter's call, and
was Levi's, or Matthew's method of
showing publicly his choice and of
bringing his former associates and
Christ together. He was introducing
his new Master. By other students it is
placed several months later, after a very
long intervening journey southward
and back. This matter is of very little
importance just here. The lessons are
the same, no matter when the words
were spoken or the incident happened.
John's Disciples: These joined with
1-1 i
uuo ? uaiisccii in uriiiuiom v?i vun?[ ana
his disciples. It was an exaggeration
on their part of the importance of outward
form. This led to the'r making
common cause with the Pharisees who
were sticklers for outward observance
and contemptuous of the spirit of religion.
Their master, John, had utterly
repudiated this sect and its tenets.
Evidently they were not representing
John's spirit or attitude or teachings
here. They were simply allowing a
certain Jealousy of spirit, which he himself
would have rebuked severely, to
control their conduct and affiliations in
this case.
The Publicans: The Roman government
sold the right to collect taxes in
me iiivvunca iu cerxacn great companies
or Individual*, and these "farm- '
ed" It out to subordinate tax-gatherers. 4
The latter would extort, for their own 1
profit, as much as possible above the 4
amount needed to pay those from whom
they had houeht the privilege. Thus 1
the tax-gatherer, or "publican," was an
o^clal utterly desp'sed by the Jews, and {
the more so If he was, as with Matthew, 1
one of their own raoe who thus became 4
the aeervt of an onnresslve foreign 1
power and a cormorant to feed upon
his own people. Their very business ''
and the method of securing and prose- '
cutlne it tended to make them base and
unscrupulous, unreellnc, d'sloyal, un- {
principled -extortioners. Witness the '
hietnrv of the "seallawac" In the days '
of "ReconstnictloTi" In the South. The
prood name T^evl and the office of pub- (
lic?n vent poorly toeether.
The Trne Fa?t: The practice of fsstInc
for rel'tfons purposes has about
cone out of fashion. ' Tt would he better
for us If we had more of that deep
conviction of sin and sense of need <
I
THE PRESBYTERIA
which prompt ?uch an observance. It 1
Is the heart In it more than the abstinence
from food which makes proper fasting.
God's words, 4n Isaiah, are
worthy of note here: "Is not this the
fast which I have choeen? to loose the
bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy
burdens, and to let the oppreesed go S
free, and that ye break every yoke? Is 1
It not to deal thy bread to the hungry,
and that thnil hHn?r tho nnnr ttio* o
cast out to thy house? When thous
seest the naked, that thou cover him; ^
and that thou hide not thyself from
thine own flesh?" j
Christ's Friendliness and Companion- y
?hip: "He eateth and drinketh with 5
publicans and sinners.' They would
have been equally critical had he been 5
like John, autere and holding himself
aloof from these classes. But Jesus 4
had little regard for the Pharisees'
talk. His great heart led him to affect- a
lonate relations with all whom he came
to seek and to save, and he came to v
seek and to save the lost. A man's need c
af him was all the passport he required, a
MPpnt fihat thi? aMiml n01J ho on/lnro
ed by a sense of it. Behold, I stand at ^
the door and knock. If any man hear
my voice and open the door, I will come s
in to him, and will sup with htm, and he ^
with me." to
Not the Righteous, but Sinners: The a
first requisite to coming to Christ and p
claiming his grace is a genuine con- e
miction of sin. Those who esteem them- a
3elves good enough already to be saved b
need him all the more for the very belief,
but the need not bring a conscious
ind acknowledged one, Christ is not for b
them. On the other hand, no matter e
flow guilty, the penitent sinner may s
com? to him freely. He has no re- a
proaches to utter, no dicouragement to n
express, no fault to find, no scathing n
vituperation to pour out, no rebuke to p
administer. He will deal gently with p
the penitent, as gently as a tender n
mother does with her child when the
little one throws its arms around her n
neck and tells, btween sobs and tears, fl
the story of Its misdeed. *<
------- 1!
Explanatory: "Seaside:" The Sea of e
3-alilee, Christ's favorite place of teach- p
ng. "At the receipt of customs:" a toll n
K>use, for collecting from the caravans p
5n the Damascus run passing here. <j
'All the multitude:" The people of p
Capernaum never tired of his preach- ^
Ing, though many failed to live up to p
their privileges. "Levi:" called "Matthew"
In the first Gospel. His call, the a
reast at his house, the fact that he was p
'the son of Alpheus, and that he was g
a tribute gatherer, or publican, are all p
we know of him* He wrote the first v
GSospel. "Follow me:" accept my doc- n
trine, profess my name, become my v
sompanlon. "Sat at meat:" a feast n
given by Levi, at his own home. 0
'Many:" a large company, chiefly of g
tils own class, present. "Publicans and g
sinners:" The tax-gatherers or "rent
l u ncio du uuuutiuuD iu uie jewsxnai r
they were classed with the outcasts, j
'The Pharisees:" The straltest sect o? ^
the Jews, laying great stress upon out- g
ward acts and ceremonial. "Eateth and u
irlnketh:" significant of close oom- r
panlonshlp and frlendllnees. "They that ^
are whole:" whole, hale, health, are all B
said to be derived from one Old English r
word, "hal." "John's disciples:" per- j,
haps a little Jealous of their new teach. ^
er, whose glory eclipsed that of their ?
leader. "Sons of the bride-Chamber:" r
companions of the bride-groom. "New
cloth:" undressed cloth. "Old bottles:" r
old wine-skins. "New bottles:" fresh
wlne-sklns. "Burst:" through ferment- 8
Fition and expansion. f
h
Religion demands all from every man, 1
and yet no more than each man can t
give. So you love God with all your i
heart and with all your soul, all your o
o?wn and yet all his.?Selected. * i
N OF THE SOUTH
foung People's Societies
SALOONS AND THEIR ALLIES.
Topic for Sunday, March 24: Tlic
ialoon and Its Allies. Huhakkuk 2:
-15. jl
" ' I
DAILY READINGS.
Monday: The saloon's supporters. 1 d<
Corinthians 6:9-10. w
Tuesday: A nest of corruption.
'salm 64:1-10. ?
? 1U
Yednesdny: Idleness an. ally. Isaiah n,
: 11-17. u
Thursday: The "license" ally. Isaiah k
: 22-23. ol
Friday: Our neglect an ally. James C(
:17.
Saturday: The saloon breed. Rom- p,
ns l:-28-32. 8l
"Were it not for its allies the saloon n,
rould long ago have disappeared from m
ivilized and Christian lands. Those u,
.llies have made it and sustained it h<
nd are responsible with the traffickers p)
hemselves for all its ills and cost. gi
The bums, loafers, grafters, office- Si
eekers, vote-sellers, drunkards, crooks, {n
arlots who frequent the saloon and 0,
y their presence and number show its q,
daptation to their ends and congenial- tl
ty to their spirit and ways, are bad h<
nough. but they are the feeblest of its i
Hies. One naturally expects them to i>
e there. If
Those who, knowing better, practice is
before the bar" and give to the men as
ebind the bar a large share of their
aralngs, taking the latter from the p<
tomachs and backs of their children, si
nd out of the hearts of their wives, b?
lake the saloon. Sordid men would A
.ot run the business if it were not b<
>atronlzed. They are not in It for 1 ij
(hilanthropy, but for what they can in
lake. The drinker Is helping him. ei
Those who tolerate the saloon, per- vi
fitting it to exist, when by their in- si
Suence or votes they could easily stop b?
t, are its allies. "To him that know, fe
th to do good, and doeth it not. to him in
t is sin? Ind'fference, idleness, inert- It
ess, fear, dislike to offend, courting of tu
opularlty, Ignorance of the true foun- a?
ation of prosperity, are among the In- CI
uences which are at work to suBtain ui
he unholy traffic hy simply tolerating
L st
Courts and fffcers are the saloons tii
llles. In too many cases, especially gi
a the cities, men Who desire office w
eek It through the saloon. "Ward poll- it
fclcians and the saloon are almost al- fo
rays wedded together in the popular hi
rv'nd. And when men are in office they vt
rill do nothing to offend those who n(
lade them, no matter what duty and ct
ath and patriotism may require. If a w
aloonist h'mself wants an office he can 01
enerally get it pi
Those "who justify the wicked for a w
eward" are strong allies of the saloon, w
n an evil hour the practice was begun hi
>f trying to make the bad bus'ness a h*
ource of revenue. This gave It a clutch 01
ipon the state, Because, forsooth, the F<
evenuee from high license helps to ar
mild the streets and support the w
chools, patriots and parents must give
ights and privileges to a business that "I
b is the curse of the community and of in
he home! Why not license thieving in
nd arson and murder for the same ct
oo oau 9 nr
Streets and buildinrs made with such al
evenue are cemented with the blood y<
f the community's best life. Schools ci
upported from liquor licenses aTe at e\
he cost of the souls of many of the
toys and rirls who are trained in them,
"here is woe to those who put the hot- oi
le to men's lips, and It matters not to
?hether it he for rain or conviviality o\
r revenue the consequences and the ri
roe are Just the same. a<
[March 13, 1912 1
The Prayer Meeting ]
CHRISTIAN GIVING. i
Acts 20: 85. Week of March 17.
V
The state of the soul?the affections
ldgments and motives?which prompts
s to minister of that which we possess,
) the needs of others, is one of the
l-nsif hou lit I fill nP OhrTaHon ?rono.c Tr*_
Bed in our Revised Versions the word
hich stands for this grace is trans- *
ited "love." The grace expresses itself
i many forms and describes a perma.
ent attitude of the heart toward others
pon whom our help may be bestowed.
; deals with all our relationships to
tthers and qualifies all our thoughts
>ncerning them.
The intent of the text applies eseclally
to the bestowment of worldly x
lbstance in behalf of those who are in
Bed. The duty should not be regarded
i a burden, but esteemed as a priv
ege. To enrich (he l'fe of another, by ?
awever small an offering, cannot be
roperly regarded with indifference or
lunned as distasteful. To so treat
loh oppotunity is to miss Joys which
ihere in the very act, and blessings to (
irselves which follow as a conse- ,
jence. This is a saying often used in
ie big conventions which are being
?ld, "Not how much of my money shall
give to the Lord, but how much of the
ord's money shall I keep for myself."
done in (he Christian spirit the giver
blessed more richly than the receiver,
i indicated in our text.
As to giving our goods to feed the
x>r or giving our substance for the
ipport of the Gospel, It is poss'ble to
i more harmed thereby than blessed,
sympathetic and generous heart must
5 back of the gift. The support of re- w
gion should be a real delight. Helpg
missions, foreign and domestic, may
llarge our thinking and clear our
slon of the things that endure. In
ich offerings in connection with the
meflcence of the Church, we enter into ,
llowship with God's people in fulflllg
the trust commited to that Church.
is wen to De generous to cne destiite
in wisely directed helpfulness, but
i subjects in Christ's kingdom our
irlstlan work is to be done usually in
tison with that kingdom.
A just portion of our worldly subance
does not constitute all of Chrisan.
beneficence. There are values
eater than any sums of money that
e might bestow. Time Is precious and
may be dedicated to helping others
r the Master's sake. Did he not give .
s time Sanctified knowledge is a
ilue: we may impart it to others who
;ed and will receive it Sympathy,
leer and encouragement are gifts
hich may be dedicated to the help of
lr fellows. A godly example may
*ove to be a real endowment to those
ho are brought into habitual contact
Rh our lives. No nobler gift in beilf
of others than Inportunate and
ibitual prayer. It calls the powers of
lr souls Into exercise In their behalf,
yr the time It makes their cause ours,
id we plead as though our own souls ,
ere famishing for the coveted gift
Paul's Instruction for giving was,
2very man according as he purposeth
his heart, so let him give"; not grudggly
nor of necessity, for God loveth a
leerful giver." His assurance to all
ho gave in such a spirit was, "God is
)Ie to make all grace abound toward
>u, that ye always having all sufflency
in all things, may abound to
rery good work."
Nothing is too little to be ordered by
ir Father; nothing too little in which
i see his-hand; nothing which touches
ir souls an entrance into a larger,
cher life, where development of charter
still goes on.?L. D. M. ^