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The Sunday School
THE LAW OF LOVE.
May 12, 1912.
Luke 6: 27-38; Rom. 13: 8-10.
GOLDEX TEXT.?"Thou shalt love
thy ne?ffhbor as thyself."?Rom. 13: 9.
HOME DAILY BIBLE READINGS.
M.?Luke 6: 27-38; Rom. 13: 8-10. The
l^aw or L<ove.
T.?Matt. 5: 38-48. Marks of True Discipleship.
W.?Luke 10 : 25-37. The Good Samaritan.
T.?Rom. 14: 1-10. The Law of Liberty.
F.?Rom. 12: 9-21. Christian Manliness.
S.?Jas. 5: 1-6. The Self-Indulgent
Warned.
S.?1 Cor. 13. Supremacy of Love.
SHORTER CATECHISM.
Q. 104. What do we pray for 1n the
fourth petition?
A. In the fourth petition, which is,
"Give us this day our daily bread," we
pray that of God's free gift we may receive
a competent portion of the good
things of this life, and enjoy His blessing
with them.
LESSON COMMENTS.
The Time and Place.?These are the
same as in the last lesson, the Slimmer
of A. D. 28, and on the plain, or level
place, below the mount where the preceding
great discourse had been delivered.
The portion from Paul was written
in Corinth, in the winter at A. D.
57-58.
From Luke's Gospel: It Is again from
Luke's record of our Lord's preaching
rather than from Matthew's that the
lesson is drawn. Luke's account of this
part of the Sermon on the Mount, or of
the partial repetition, of it "on the
plain," Is more positive than Matthew's,
more suited to universal humanity, less
determined by the special cast of the
Jewish thought.
A Bible Commentary on Love: Besides
the passage of the lesson and the paral
lei passage In Matthew's Gospel, one
should study here that picture of "love"
which the Apostle draws in First Cor.
lnthians, chapter xlii, and by means of
which Paul asserts that he shows unto
us "a more excellent way."
Love a Debt: "Owe no man anything,
but to love one another: for he that
loveth another hath fulfilled the law."
The L?ord puts the matter as strongly,
and unfolds the fact that "another,"
whom we are to love Is not our friend
only but our enemy as well, and that all
men are to be regarded by us as our
neighbors.
The Breadth of Love: Genuine love
reaches to our enemies, lit regards
their very enmity as showing their need
and as the making of a special appeal
to our mercy. And genuine kindness is
Is not that which is shown because
thAro fa n HItaHHAA/1 ? Ti
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not commercial. It rejoices In manifesting
Itself where one need not look for
any recompense. The L*>rd names
"them which hate you," "them that
curse you," "them which despltefully
use you," as the objects of generous,
disinterested, love.
Two Regulative Principles: First,
"Be ye merciful, as your Father also is
merciful." Second, "As ye would that
men should do to you, do ye also to
them." James says, "If ye fulfil the
f/wnl low nnoftxilU? a1 *
...... u^uiuiuk iu tne acnpiure,
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself,
ye do well." A greater exemplar than
God himself, and a more comprehensive
purpose and principle than doing to
others as we would have them do to us,
cannot be named.
Favors to the Unthankful: Is one absolved
from doing good to those who
show no appreciation of It, who are unthankful,
or whose notion is that one's
HB? 4
m
THE PRESBYTERI
kindness or pleasant yielding i's simply
a tribute to their greatness? The law
of love has nothing whatever to do with
the return of love or kindness or of
special favors. If love, doing good,
lending, are to be with "hoping for
nothing again," then it must rise even
above considerations of gratitude or ingratitude,
and be poured out without
reiercuce 10 me inanns or appreciation
of its objects.
Love is not Calculating: True love
does not feel Its act complete In meeting
the mere letter of law or in forward
compliance with the new legal demands
of the case. It does not stop at a mile if
two will be better, or at one garment
if another will b? a fuller payment of the
debt of love. It heaps up, presses down,
shakes together the measure, and makes
it run over. The graclousness of any
act of generosity or obligation is lost
when one performs it simply as the
letter of the law requires, and makes ft
appear grudging and forced.
True Love Not Patronlz'ng: The law
of love, as the Lord expounded it , prevents
one most unhappy phase of it
which one sometimes sees. It Is not
unusual to encounter those who make
their kindness a species of patronizing
of those to whom it comes. It thus bernmPR
nffpnsiua nn/1 nnlr nonoooi^w
pels its acceptance. The word "beneficiary"
has come to be almost a term of
obloquy. Genuine love will seek with
holy Ingenuity to put itself in such
shape that this will never occur. The
"royal law" will make the effort successful.
Goodness, Gmce, Mercy: These are
closely related, and are all phases of
love, and love is not complete that cannot
show every one of them. Goodness is
general kindness. Grace is kindness
shown to those who have no claim.
Mercy is kindness shown where there
is not only no claim but actual desert of
the opposite of the goodness. It is
mercy which is set forth in the words,
"God commendefh his love towards us,
in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us."
SUMMER CONFERENCE, 1912.
The members of the. churches of the
South are invited to the conference on
the new property of the Blue Ridge
Association, near Blacfc Mountain,
North Carolina, June 25-July 4, 1912.
For nine years annual conferences for
church workers have been held In the
South. The first was held on Lookout
Mountain, then for a few years at Kenilworth
Inn, Biltmore, and then at the
Normal and Collegiate Institute, Ashvllle.
But this summer, the conference
will move Into the new home already
mentioned.
The Rev. H. F. Williams, D. D., of
i-saauvnie, lenneBsee, win preside. Tile
Rev. E. H. Rawllngs, D. D., and the
Rev. E. F. Cook, D. D.t of Nashville,
the Rev. T. B. Ray, D. D., and the Rev.
A. L. Phillips, D. D., of Richmond, are
among the leaders of the conference,
which guarantees a real missionary atmosphere.
The Laymen's "Missionary Movements
are co-operating with the Missionary
Education Movement In the conduct of
the conference and several laymen's
leaders are expected to attend. The
Rev. E. C. Cronk, of Columbia, South
Carolina, will teach a study class for
men only. Other laymen's leaders, Including
Mr. "W. E. Doughty, of New
York, are expected to participate. Mr.
H. "W. Hicks, General Secretary of the
Missionary Education Movement, will
be present.
For descriptive announcement, send
to your denominational secretary. Rev.
A. h. Phillips, D. D., Richmond, Va.
"It Is better to go down on the great
seas which human hearts were made to
sail, than to rot at the wharves In Ignoble
anchorage."?Hamilton -W. Mable.
AN OF THE SOUTH
Young People's Societies
INITIATIVE.
Topic for Sunday, May 12: The Value
of Inltntive. 2 Kin its 18:14-19.
DAILY READINGS.
Monday: Lost opportunities. Mat
thew 25:10.
Tuesday: Pathfinders. Numbers 13:1,
2, 17-20.
Wednesday: "Waiting until asked.
Matthew 20:1-7.
Thursday: The man that did. Galations
1:11-17.
Frid?y: At duty's call. 1 Kings 19:1921.
Saturday: Meeting emergencies. Acts
6:1-7.
Opportunity has no back-look. It
can-not be grasped after it has passed.
The rule of acton with wise men is
always, "Do it now." Now is the accepted
time."
In the religious life one does well
to endeavor to impart as much common-sense
as Into the secular life.
Besides doing things well, there is
such a thing as Btarting things well.
There is much talk these days about
"the initiative."
How many more people are actively
engaged in other lines of work than that
of starting things! But these "starters"
are the chief contributors to progress.
Anybody can pull to pieces what only
the most gifted can construct. The
power of criticism is among the lowest
that mankind possesses. And yet many
think themselves gifted because they
are critics.
To build on the foundation that another
has laid, or on the lines and elevation
which another has drawn, requires
no great genius. The accomplished
draftsman need be much less gifted
than the architect or engineer.
The copyist or executor creates nothlnn>
* ?- -* *
me. iucu DuiucumeB mugn ai dreamers
and theorists, but these are the originators
most of the time. The miner
bringing up the gold contributes more
than the man who merely melts it or
stamps it.
Next to mere copying, or rather as
the cause of copying, Is standing still
to see what others will do and not acting
until others act. There must be followers,
of course, and all cannot be
leaders. But all should aspire to take
as advanced a place as possible. No
one should be content to be In the rear
rank.
The capacity to develop our ideas and
lines of activity, in addition to faithfulness
in carrying out the orders of employers
and performing routine duty, is
one of the prime grounds for promotion
of those who are in subordinate places.
Initiative Is regarded as a valuable
business asset. It is the secret of advancement
and growth.
The king whom. Elisha visited was not
told to shoot bis arrow many times more
than three, symbolizing his smiting the
Syrian more than three times. He
should have done it on his own motion.
The proper intensity of Interest would
have prompted it. A good son does not
wait for his father to tell him to act.
God's child should be Just as ready to
act.
Careful study of the duties of the
Christian, of the needs of the Church,
and of the promise of God should he
made by every believers. Such study
will stimulate thought and promote initiative.
"Without it there is not likely
ivr uc auj nturc uiuveiiieiii or progress,
or if there be activity 1t will be In constant
danger of being imrw'ise or misdirected.
There Is nothing like a great faith In
a great fact to hold people steady. That
explains the steadfastness of some
young Christians.
[ May 1, 1912
The Prayer Meeting
CHRISTIAN GRACES.
1 Peter 1:5-8. Week of May 5.
Thos qualities which we usually call
Christian graces are so called because
they are the product of God's grace.
i ney are not natural, tnougn many or
them have a counterpart In the better
class of natural qualities. There Is
much that is unselfish and noble in lives
that are not distinctly Christian, yet
it would be Inaccurate to regard the
best natural qualities as graces. It 1s
usually the divine method to so influence
the higher natural characteristics
of the individual as to impart to them
a spiritual quality and develop them
in the realm of grace rather than in
the realm of nature. They could never
survive this natural life if they were
not subject to a new creation by the
Holy Spirit.
Under his mysterious operation, which
our Lord likened to the moving of the
wind, the soul is born again, not of the
Will of man bnt of find, "nnt of nnr.
ruptible seed but of incorruptible, by
the word of God which Uveth and abldeth
forever." Certain good characteristics
which existed before remain, but
while they were once natural they are
now spiritual and are pleasing to God
as the fruits of his Spirit. The element
of grace having been Introduced into the
life, has produced "a new creature; old
things are passed away; behold all
things are become new."
Christian graces are spoken of as the
ornaments of character. Believers are
exhorted to exalt the wisdom which is
from above and "she shall give to thine
head an ornament of grace; a crown
of glory shall she deliver unto thee."
Peter tells us that our adorning should
be "the ornament of a meek and quiet
spirit which in the sight of God is of
great price." To pure eyes those qualities
which compose Christian character
are attractive. Certainly that which is
moBt important is true; they are well
pleasing in the sight of God.
Christian graces are permanent. They
will endure through all change. Some
of them may not be needed in the eternal
life, but their substance will endure.
There may be no need for self-sacrifice
or forgiveness in the heavenly world,
but the character which gave expression
to these on earth will abide, and
the exercise of these graces will have
contributed to its eternal completeness.
"The world passeth away and the lust
thereof, but he that doeth the will of
God abideth forever."
We may expect of the graces of the
Spirit that their growth will continue
in the heavenly world. Such is their
characteristic in this life. We may assume
that the law of experience and
culture will be continued. The water
of life which Christ gives is 1n the soul
a well of water springing up unto everlasting
life. God's people go from
sirengtn to strength; their path shfnefh
more and more unto the perfect day.
Seeing their Lord's face, serving him
day and night in his temple and being
free from the fetters of sin warrant the
hope of endiesB progress.
LOVING KINDNESS.
"Come, break your fast." Christ has
nourishing food for every hunger. Behold
him at Bethany mingling his tears
with the sorrowing sisters. Behold him
at Cana furnishing wine for the wedding.
Behold him recreating with forgiveness
the woman that was a sinner.
Behold him opening the fountain of living
waters to the woman at te well. Behold
him feeding the hungry In the
desert. Behold him replenishing the
weary, disappointed disciples. "Children.
have ye anything to eat?" What
visions of loving kindness?
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