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The Sunday School
REVIEW, MARCH 31. 1312.
Uolden Text: "The people which sat
in darkness saw great light; and to
them which sat in the region and
shadow of death light is sprung up."?
Matt. 4:16.
HOME DAILY BIBLE READINGS.
Monday: Luke 1:5-23;Luke 1:57-80.
Tuesday: Luke 2:1-20; Luke 2:22-39.
Wednesday: Matt. 2:1-23; Luke 2:4052.
Thursday: Mark 1:1-8; Luke 3:1-20;
Mark 1:9-13; Matt. 4:1-11.
Friday: Mark 1:14-28; Luke 5:1.11;
Mark 1:29-45; Matt. 4:23-25.
Saturday: Mark 2:1-12.
Sunday: Mark 2:13-22.
SHORTER CATECHISM.
Q. 98 "What is prayer?
A. Prayer is an offering up of our
desires unto God, for things agreeable
to his will, in the name of Christ, with
confession of our sins, and thankful
acknowledgment of his mercies.
nr. t it 11.
I. The Birth of John Foresaid.
Golden Text: "Without faith it is impossible
to please him."
II. The Birth of John the Baptist.
Golden Text: "Blessed be the Lord God
of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed
his people."
III. The Birth of Jesus. Golden
Text: "For unto you is born this day
in the city of David a Saviour, which
is Christ the Ix>rd."
IV. The Presentation in the Temple.
Golden Text: "For mine eyes have seen
te salvation, which thou hast prepared
before the face of all peoples."
V. The Wise Men T^ed by the Star.
Golden Text: "Look unto me, and be ye
saved, all the ends of the earth; for
I am God, and there is none else."
VI. The Boy Jesus in the Temple.
Golden Text: 'How is it that ye sought
me? wist ye not that I must be about
my Father's business?"
VII. The Ministry of John the Bap
iisi. uuiueu ie*i; tvcjieui; ye, ior me
Kingdom 0f Heaven is at hand."
VIII. The Baptism and Temptation
of Jesus. Golden Text: "For in that he
hiimBelf hath suffered, being tempted,
he is able to succor them that are tempted."
IX. The call of the First Disciples.
Golden Text: "The harvest truly is
plenteous, but the laborers are few.
Pray ye therefore the Ix>rd of the harvest,
that he will send forth laborers
into his harvest."
X. Jesus the Healer. Golden Text:
"Himself took our infirmities, and bore
our sicknesses."
XI. The Paralytic Forgiven and
Healed. Golden Text: "Ble3s the Lord,
O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
who forglveth all thine iniquities,
who bealeth all thy diseases."
XII. Feasting and Fasting. Golden
Text: "I came not to call the righteous,
but sinners."
Places: The temple, hill country of
Judea, Nazareth, Bethlehem, Jerusalem.
"The East," Egypt, The Jordan, Bethabbara,
Nazareth, Capernaum, the Sea
of Galilee.
Persons: Zacharias, Elizabeth. Mary,
Joseph, Augustus, The Shepherds,
Simeon, Anna, The Wise Men, Herod,
John the Baptist, Andrew, Simon,
James, John the Evangelist, L<evi.
Incidents: Announcement to Zacharias.
Zacharias stricken with dumbness.
The ' announcement to Mary.
Mary's, visit to Elizabeth. Elizabeth's
and Mary's songs. John's birth. Ills
circumcision. His naming. Zacharias'
tongue loosed. His song. The visit of
THE PRESBYTEEII
Mary and Joseph to Betnlehem. The
birth of Jesus. The Angels' song. The
visit of the shepherds. The circumcision.
The presentation in the temple.
Simeon'8 recognition and song. Anna's
recognition. The visit of the Wise Men.
Herod's plot. Its defeat. His cruel
sliceme. Te flight into Egypt. Herod's
death. The return to Nazareth. Growth
of Jesus. His attendance on the Passover
and loss by Mary and Joseph. His
discourse with th*? tpaphom Sr.
temple. His return to Nazareth and
subjection to his parents and growth.
John's ministry at Jordan. Christ baptized.
The opening of the heaven, voice
from above, and descent of the Spirit
as a dove. The temptation. Return to
Nazareth. Home fixed at Capernaum.
Galilean ministry began. Four apostles
called. Miracles wrought. The palsied
man "borne of four," forgiven and healed.
Levi called. Levi's feast. Fasting
discussed.
The Sources: Luke's Gospel, which
dwells chiefly upon the humanity of
Jesus, the fMessiah, the fulfilment of
pel, which emphasizes the authority of
Jesus, the Mesiah, the fulfilment of
prophecy. Mark's Gospel, which brings
out the wonderous power of the Lord
Jesus. The (Jospel of John has not been
touched in the lessons of the quarter.
That writer gives the only Judean ministry
of Christ, and a number of incidents
and miracles occuring before the
Galileean ministry. The omission of
these is a consecutive history of Christ
is, we think, a serious mistake on the
part of those making up the lessons. It
wdll be well to remedy it by a supplemental
lesson or two, for which any
good Harmony will answer, or even a
simple reading of the first four chapters
of John.
MORAL COURAGE.
A sublime example of moral courage
was shown by the representatives of
the thirteen colonies assembled in
Philadelphia in 1776. The Declaration
of Independence had just been read.
Should it be signed? To put their sig- (
natures to that paper would 'make every
man of them a traitor, and jeopardize
his head. But the principles therein
enunciated were true, and the America
->f the future was calling upon them to
be loyal to conviction, and take the
eful step that would give her freedom.
Thank God, they did not fail us!
Fully conscious of the danger involved,
those brave men rushed forward and
affixed their names to the document.
Old John Hancock wrote his name in
big, bold letters; and as he laid down
the pen, cried with satisfaction,
"There. John Bull can read that with
his spectacles off!"
At the close of the Civil War General
Lee accepted the position of President
of Washington and Lee University in 1
exington, Va., at the modest stipend of
$1,000 per year. The officers of the
Ixtuisiana Lottery asked him to become
president of their concern at what was '
then the princely salary of $10,000.
General Lee needed the money, as his ^
estate had been ruined and finances ex- 1
hausted by the long war; but his con- (
science did not approve the lottery. So 1
he firmly declined, saying he knew J
nothing about the business. But the 1
lottery men persisted. They replied <
that he need not know anything about
the business, or give himself any care c
concerning It?they wanted only his |
crnrwl noma onH ronnto Hon A A aT rn
nv?u igj/uiauvn. XXL A, 11 ID JJCC E
drew himself up to his full height; and, i
with the blush of indignation on his ]
fine face, answered, "Sirs, my name and <
reputation are all I have left now, and <
they are not for sale!" Would that the i
same spirit animated all our public \
men!?Er. j
<
"Better to work and fail, than to sleep 1
one's life away."?'J. K. Jerome. tl
ln of the south
Young People's Societies
FOREIGN MISSIONS.
Topic for Sunday, March 31: The
Foreign Missions of My I>enoniiiiation.
A Bird's-eye View. Matthew 28:10-20.
DALLY READING/
Monday: A Missionary ?hnro.h 1
Thcssalonians 1:5-8.
Tuesday: The power behind missions.
Acts 13:1-3.
Wednesday: Pioneers. 2 Corinthians
10:12-16.
Thursday: Generous support. Philippians
4:12-20.
Friday: Visions beyond. Acts 16:912.
Saturday: Great ambitions. Romans
1:8-16.
What a wonderful missionary book
the Bible is; what a wonderful missionary
ChriBt was, and what wonderful
missionary commands and possibilities
were given to the Church!
The incorporation of heathen into the
royal line, such as Tamar, Rahab, Ruth,
Bathsheba; the prophesy of Judah,
"..iu mm .->uan me garnering of the
nations be;" the prophecy concerning
David's and Solomon's kingdom, all tell
of world-wideness.
The preaching to Ninevah, the dispersion
of the Jews, the planting of
Jewish expectations in heathen hearts,
the wisdom of the Magi, the last command
of Christ, the vision on the Joppa
house-top, Peter's visit to Ceasarea,
Paul's great tours, all show that the
news was for the world.
Our own Church?how has she responded
to the call and demand? By
God's blessing, right nobly. In the
:kroes of the Civil War she looked westward,
to the only field open to her in
that great Btruggle, and made the Indians
her foreign work. It was this
early faithfulness, at her very beginning,
to the spirit of her Lord that gave
her that impulse which has to-day made
llOr n OVl +A 1? wrvAni "* *" A-\~ t ?
utAi LU iuc migciil Bivtjr 10 III1S
great cause.
To-day she supports great missions in
China, Japan, Korea, Africa, Brazil,
Mexico, and Cuba. Churches schools,
colleges and hospitals, theological
seminaries and printing presses show
tho permanency of her work and are
like trees whose leaves are for the
healing of the nations.
During the last year she had 297 missionaries,
all told, in her field. $452,999
were raised for the support of the work.
A host of 3,836 souls was received into
her fold in these foreign lands. Relief
was brought to many thousands of
sufferers. Training was given to
thousands of men and women, boys and
girls. .
In other ways than numerical results
me outcome of the work has shown its
beneficence. If the South had never
ione more than was accomplished by
[.^ighton Wilson or Hampden C. Du
Bose, tue result in either of these two
;ases would justify all her expenditure
af men and money. The one was the
sreat agent for the suppression of the
African Slave Trade- The other was
he agent for the suppression of the
T'hinese Opium Traffic.
Just now there is the shadow of a
.L .? ?v?l nuui any
'allure in the field, nor from any lessoning
of the promises of God, nor from
iny abatement of the conviction of duty,
lor from any decrease in the urgency
>f the call. It is from the fact that the
shurch has allowed her support of the
vork to be unequal to the amount of
t which she has felt should be underaken.
There is a debt upon us. It is
musing sleepless nights to our execu-.
ive officers, and anxious fears to some
imid hearts, and suffering to our work
[ March 20, 1912
The Prayer Meeting
TIIE BE WARDS OF SERVICE.
Mk. 9:41. Week of Mareli 24.
mnsuan service Hits its Rewards.
They are not bestowed as an equivalent
or compensation for service rendered.
They are rather given because obedience
affords a channel through which
expressions of Gods goodness and love
can flow. These expressions of love
take the form of gifts -which we call
rewards.
Our master in his ministry very often
mentioned and promised rewards. In
the sermon on the Mount and especially
in the beatitudes these promises are
made. "Rejoice and be exceeding glad
for great is your reward in heaven;"
"When thou doest alms let not thy left
and know what thy right hand doeth,
that thine alms may bo "in secret, and
thy Father which seeth in secret himself
shall reward thee openly. Again
he says, "Give and it shall b? eiven
unto you, good measure, pressed down,
and shaken together and running over."
Specific rewards, however, are not
the impelling motive for service. The
one supreme, abiding impulse of the
active Christian is Uhe constraining
love of Christ. When he chooses to tell
us that his love will be expressed in
some difinite form in view of our rendering,
some definite service we should
rejoice, but the great object of service
is to translate the devotion which our
hearts feel toward him into active
obedience Which Ip leases Him. The
reason for denying ourselves, enduring
hardness, making sacrifice, toiling or
patiently waiting is to be found in the
intention and expection of glorifying
His name.
There is a reward which under the
provision of his gracious plan inheres
in the service itself. Meekness is itself
a tolessing and, like other virtues, is its
own reward. Its cultivation and practice
constitute a true enrichment to him
who is exercised thereby. The cultivation
of the soul which comes from the
possession and expression of this grace
is a preparation for inheriting the earth
according to his promise. This suggests
that our Lord's gifts of reward are not
arbitrary but are bestowed as a fitting
fruitage of the grace with which the
soul is endowed, and in the very service
itself we are reaping a part of the
reward. When the final inheritance
Shall be attained it will be a gracious
culimination .of processes that have
been in progress here. Christian graces
are the seal of the Holy Spirit of promise
and are "the earnest of our inheritance
until the redemption of the purchased
possession."
In the Beatitudes the word "blessed"
accurs 'algain and again. It means
happy. It suggests spiritual riches, the
love and favor of God. It indicates an
endowment rather than a possession.
It promises heavenly qualities and exnftriPHTfifl
ATlH thorofrvro n^nrno 1 In llinlr
duration. This blessedness Is indicated
in the parable of the two builders.
The character that is wrought by grace
through obedelence Is built upon a Tock
and cannot be shaken by storms or
floods. To them who by patient continuance
in well-doing seek for glory
and honor and iftimortality, God will
render eternal life.
cm uieuiueiveB. ?nan we let these go
on? The church has the ability to stop
them, by wiping out the debt. She witl
not be doing her duty till this is doneBut
this means personal work. It
means you and me. It is easy to say
"the Church," "the people," "they."
Shall we say "we," and then go at it
with all one's might, as individuals?
What do we now resolve and intend to
do about it?