Newspaper Page Text
8 (990)
The Sunday School 1
THE MISSION OF THE TWELVE.
September 8, 1912. Matt. 9:56-10:16;
10:40.11:1.
Golden Ttext: "He that recelveth you
receiveth me, and he that recelveth me
recelveth him that sent me."?Matt.
10:40.
HOME DAILY BIBLE READINGS.
M.? Mat:. 10:1-16.
en rr ?u. ? A ^ A
J. ILM1KG
W.?ilea. 42:1-8.
Th.?lea. 6:1-8.
P.?Matt. 9:36-38; John 4 :34-38.
S.?Matt. 10:34-42.
S.?2 Cor. 4 7-18.
TOPICAL OUTLINE.
Our Duty to an Unsaved World?
Christ's example and compassion, vs.
36, 36.
Prayer for laborers, vs. 37, 38.
Instruction for the work, vs.
1-16.
SHORTER CATECHISM.
Q. 14. What Is sin?
A. Sin is any want of conformity unto,
or transgression of, the law of God.
LESSON COMMENTS.
TinUf and Place: Perhaps a little before
the time of the last lesson, and in
A. D. 29, the Becond of the Lord's ministry.
Galilee, the northern division of
;ue noiy l^ana, a territory of about 1,600
square miles extent.
The Source: The three Synoptic Gospels
tell the story of this lesson, but
Matthew's with far greater fulness than
the others. And only Matthew gives
those parts of our Lord's charge which
referred to the Apostles' not going to
the Gentfles or to the country of the
Samaritans. The Jewish cast of Matthew's
Gospel shows here with great
clearness.
A Jiew Charge: This was the first time
that the Lord seems to have sent out
his representatives aipart from himself.
They had been now long enough with
him for instruction, and by going out
separately or in groups of twos, they
could greatly multiply both the preaching
and the benerficent work to be done.
Hitherto the thirteen were doing what
hereafter one, or at most two, might
do.
"Pass It On:* The principle of the
new life should be to pass on to others
what each of us has received. "Freely
ye have received, freely give." One will
have none the less by this process."
There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth."
The first impulse of the
truly regenerate heart will .he a keen
desire to have others taste and see, and
the believer will be like Moses when he
said to Hobab, 'Tome thou with us, and
we will do thee good."
The Twelve: Matthew incorporates the
names of the Twelve just here. They
had been selected six months or more
before. They were the brothers. Simon
and Andrew, the brothers James and
John, the probable brothers James the
son of Al-phaeus and Matthew, the two
friends of Philip and Bartholomew, the
two named Judas, and another Simon,
called Zelotes.
The Discrimination: Just why our
T H \ roofnH IKa * *- A
v. V... vvkVu I none IV ACl^l UUl
of the way of the Gentiles, and not *to
enter any city of the Samaritan, la not
mentioned here. It -was profoably because
hla apostles were not yet sufficiently
Instructed and trained on a
matter of so much delicacy and difficulty
as that of giving the gospel to the world.
The Master himself gave sufficient proof
4
THE PRESBYTERIj
of his knowledge and purpose as to the
worldinese of the gospel offer.
The Instruction: They were to go
among their own people. They were to
preach the kingdom, to heal the sick, to
cleanse "the lepers, to raise the dead, to
cast out devils. They were to provide
nothing special for their own support or
for long Journeys. They were to depend
entirely upon God's supplying
them. He would take care of the laborer
who was worthy of getting his
hire. They were to enter such communities
and households as would re
ceive them, but to leave those that
would treat them and their message Inhospitably.
God would take care to deal
with all who should treat them unkindly.
Prayer for Laborers: "Pray ye, therefore,
the Ixjrd of the harvest that he
send forth laborers Into his harvest."
It is doubtful if enough of this kind of
effort is used, as a means of bringing recruits
to the ministry. The best church
we know of for its candidates for the
holy calling is one in which the pastor
never fails, in his regular service, to
make this prayer. The church has never
yet called mightily to God in this way,
but that he has answered, and answered
soon.
The Laborers* Support: "The workman
is worthy of his meat." No one has
ever seen the day in which the wor+hv
minister has not had his needful
raiment and food and shelter. We may
not have had any of these in rank
abundance, but he had enough. Wher.
any have suffered it has usually beer,
hi cases where they have not made good
proof of their ministry in holy zeal ana
earnest consecration. People recognize
and respond to the calls upon them,
and cheerfully too, when they see that
the ministry is wholly devoted to Its
work.
Lessons: Christ was ceaselessly active.
And so he Is to-day. He brings
blessing to the body as well as to the
soul. Ke sees the world's need, and is
tender and of great compassion. He is
the "Good Shepherd." That which most
appeals to him is the shepherdless condition
of the masses of men. The harvest
is abundant, and laborers need but
enlist and put in the sickle. The church
should pray for laborers. Service for
Chris* is a practical form of religion.
The Jews are God's "Chosen People."
They should have more attention from
Christ's people than they have usually
received. The good workman may trust
to his Master to provide for him while
!o ? A I
mc to mituiunJ cu^agcu III VIIC 'WWR.
SI> AXD TROUBLE.
The great question of the Book of
Job is about the relations of sin and
trouble. Everybody knows ijhat sin
sooner or later brings trouble. But
the world in which the writer of the
book lived turned that saying round
and said that trouble always proved the
sin of the troubled one. Do not believe
that for a moment. * The innocent suffer.
The gnilty sometimes seem to escape.
Do not worry about why trouble
comes. Leave that to <5od and attend to
your own call to be true, to be just,
in ue num. Ana never aare accuse the
sufferer of sin, as Job's friends did,
merely because he suffers. To suffer
is the common lot of all. To suffer and
be patient, to be ready for trouble when
it comee, to overcome is the business
o>f a man. So we plunge through h
breaker to the other side. For we are
sure that evil passes and good remains.?Ex.
Is it not Just as we take it?
This mystical world of ours?
IJfe's field will yield?as we make it?
A harveat of thorns or of flowers.
?Alice Cary.
\ N OF THE SOUTH
Young People's Societies
IMPROVING THE MIND.
Topic for Sunday, Seirtcmtier 8: Why
?nd How to Improve the Mind. Proverbs
9:1-11.
DAILY READINGS.
Monday: Feed the mind. 1 Timothy
4:13-16.
Tuesday: By meditation. Joshua 1:8.
Wednesday: Study the Word. Paalm
119:97-104.
Thursday: Profitable themes. Phll'iiplans
4:8, 9.
Friday: Dinners of Ignorance
Kphesians 4:17-19.
HafnPilnvt ?' 4 *- ~ ***
?. i nc urguesi. aim. <FMltppians
2:5.
God has given us minds as well as
bodies. There are laws governing the
use and development of the one as of the
other.
The susceptibility of the mind to improvement
is greater than that of the
body. The muscles can be made to
lift only so much, the body to endure
so much, and there It stops.
The mind rarely tires. "Brain fag,"
which some people talk about these
days, is mostly an affectation. Wfth a
proper degree of rest or recreation, the
mind's working and acquiring power is
unlimited.
"Mental gymnastics" may be practiced
all the life, and the powers which they
develop keep on increasing. Bach year
builds upon all that was built the year
before, and the possibilities are as great
as the years themselves.
It is a great mistake to regard education
as solely acquisition. It is more
than gathering information or accomnlitthmonta
IT* lo *?1-.1 ?? '
, uv ! > UOlUlil^ |K)Wei8. 11
is teaching how to acquire and to become
accomplished, it is tempering the
steel from which to make the sharp
tools.
When the mind is not progressing it
is going backward. Tt cannot stand still.
"Dying alt the top" is a not infrequent
iralady. A machine is powerful and as
nicely adjusted as the human mind will
easily rust if not in steady use. Being
made for great things it keeps great
only in activity.
Compan ion ship with good books is
one of the most fruitful sources of mental
improvement. Books are the store
house* of thought. A thoroughly good
book is the record of thought and fact
and reaaoning. To read it is to come in
contact with the mind of the writer, to
think hia thoughts, to trace his principles.
to familiarize the mind with his
conceptions.
Mental growth and improvement depend
much upon the company one keeps.
If nna's AAmmonlnnc 11 ?v. * ?J
? vvuvj/auivim l/U I 1511L UIIU
thoughtless, frivolous In conversation,
unused to vigorous thought and accurate
reasoning, one will soon become
like them. If one associate with those
of lofty thought and expression, the
better mental habit of the strong will
be quickly acquired.
Association with those of lower mental
development for the purpose of lifting
them up, training them, teaching them,
helping them, will not hurt the stronger.
Association does harm when it 1b upon
terms of equality, when the lower
manes rne sianaarn or rurnishes the
level. The weakest link is the measure
of the strength of the chain.
One has wen said that much of our
reading is but a gargling in the mouth
rather than the swallowing and digesting
of wholesome food. It is not how
much one Teada but how well that determines
thd result. We have today
which "euRurine" which Is posing as
culture. It is the product of light reading
and light books.
t August 28, 1912
The Prayer Meeting ] |
THE PERSON AND WORK OF THE
SPIRIT.
John 1Rslit. Week of September 4.
The ScripturcB -teach the personaltty
of the Holy Spirit Just as they teach the
personality of the Father and the Son.
Acts that are exclusively the acts of a
person are attributed to him. He
pleads, instructs, chooses, hears, speaks,
pur|K>ses. He is not only a person but
a divine person, co-equal with the Father
and Son. The acts and attributes of
Deity are ascribed to him. He createB.
works miracles, gives life, reveals truth,
illumines the mind, and by his supernatural
working transforms personal
character Into the image of Christ.
Wa arp llvlnir nn/tni. ?- - ?'?
- - - . ...n uu-u?t vuo uioircuocrilUIl
of the Holy Spirit. When our Lord was
telling his disciples of his intended departure,
he told them of the coming of
the Comforter, which means "the Helper,"
who would teach them all things,
who would make known to them truth
about Christ and his salvation and show
them things to come, lit is his work
to prepare the mind and apply to it the
results of Christ's redeeming work.
He is sent forth from the Father
through the intercession of Christ who
said, " I -will pray the Father and he
will give you another Comforter that he
may abide with you forever." fey him
the Father deals with his children on
earth, making known his love and administering
his guidance and care. By
him the Father produces in us the realization
of consciousness that we are his
children. "The Spirit himself beareth
witness with our spirit that we are children
of HnH " "TWbii?? ??<> "*
God sent forth the Spirit of his Son into
our hearts, crying, Abba Father. For
as many as are led by the Spirit of God
they are the Sons of God."
He is sent to us (by Christ our Lord,
who said, "If I go not away the Comforter
will not come unto you, but if I
go I will send bim unto you." "When
the Comforter is come whom I will send
unto you from the Father, even the
Spirit of truth which proceedeth from
the Father, he shall testify of me."
The Divine Spirit sustains a special
and direct relation to the Church. On
the day of Pentecost he came in plentitude
upon the apostles and the assembled
multitude. From that day to the
present he has been dwelling in the
whole 'body of believers, which he calls
the Church, the which is his body, teaching,
guiding, assisting, purifying, strengthening,
sustaining and gladdening his
people.
The relation of the Spirit to the individual
believer is that of a person to
a person. Literally he is "the one called
along side to help" the believer in
his entire life. He is present as a companion,
for fellowship, to Impart spiritual
strength, wisdom, holiness, zeal,
submission, faithfulness, Joy and every
needful virtue. So we find Paul saying.
"If any man have not the Spirit of
Christ he is none of his."
i "e opinxs presence la necessary, in
every righteous act. or thought, or purpose
or prayer, or service. His presence
Is essential to every church however
Intelligent or well equipped it may
be. He must he In the pulpit and in the
pew. This was the secret of the
Church's perseverance and growth 1"
the ages of poverty and persecution.
The Church's weakness today Is to be
found in Its failure to realise its utter
-dence on the Holy Spirit.
Zest may be given to virtuous practices
by the loveliness of virtuous precepts.