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The Sunday School |
THE CREATION.
January 5, 1913. Gen. 1:1-2:3.
Golden Text: 'Tn the beginning God
created the heaven and the earth."?
Gen. 1:1.
HOME DAILY BIBLE HEADINGS.
M.?Gen. 1:1-2:3. The Creation.
T.?Isa. 40:18-27. The Creator.
W.?Job 38:1-18. The Creator's Wis
dam and Power
T.?'Ps. 104:1-16. Providential Cfcre.
P.?Ps. 148-1-13. All Creation to
Praise God.
S.?Rev. 21:1-8. A 'New Heaven and
a New Earth.
S.?John 1:1-10. Creation through
Christ.
SHORTER CATECHISM.
Q. 81. What is effectual calling?
A. Effectual calling is the work of
God's Spirit, whereby, convincing us of
our sin and misery, enlightening our
minds in the knowledge of Christ, and
renewing our wills, he doth persuade
and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ,
freely offered to us in the gospel.
LESSON OUTLINE.
The beginning of all things, vs I, 2. '
The days of creation, vs. 3-30.
God's verdict upon the whole, vs. 31.
' LESSON STUDY.
The Year's Studies: The International
Lesson Beries now turns from the
New Testament to the Old Testament.
The entire year will "he devoted to the
study of the period covered by the five
books of Moses and so much of Joshua
as will complete the story of the occupation
of the Promised Land.
The Pentateuch: The greater part of
the year's lessons will be taken from the
first five books of the Bible: Genesis.
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
These, collectively, are popularly
called "The Pentateuch," meaning
"The Five Rolls." They tell the story
of the earth and mankind from the creation
down to the death of Moses. After
a very brief ethnology of all peoples,
following the Flood, the story traces the
line of Shem, narrowing directly In the
line of Abraham.
Critical Questions: The battle has
raged about these Ave books. The theories
of the advanced critics have been
exploited over them as In no other part
of the Bible. The problems of authorship
and date have been the chief.
Whether there was a composite authorship,
whether several documents were
pieced together, whether the documents
were edited and re-edlted by later "redactors,"
and like questions have been
endlessly discussed. Happily for us we
need not be troubled about these probInma
t?W >-?- - *
>?aw. vui 101 D ICDll IIJUU V IU I lie DOOKS
Is quite sufficient tor the faith of his
people.
Higher Criticism: It 1s well that we
understand fully that there Is a legitimate
"higher criticism" of the Bible.
The term Is properly used as a name
for that study which, distinguished
from the "lower criticism" that deals
with the ascertaining of the "text" of
the Bible, and therefore usually and
more properly called "textua\ criticism,"
takes the "text" which is put Into Its
hand and analyzes It, studies Its style,
origin, date, authorship, and like questions.
with a view to ascertaining Its
meaning the more accurately. It is not
to "higher criticism," legitimately pursued,
that there is objection, but to that
form of it, followed by some, which subjects
the Word of God to rationalistic
ideas and evolutionary methods, forget
YS E PRE8BTTERI1
ting the supernatural and so cutting to
pieces God's divine message that no
Bible after all is left us.
Genesis: The first book, and that
from which the present lesson Is taken,
is Genesis. The word means birth, origin,
beginning. It is a Greek word.
This name for the book, like many others
of the Bible books, is taken from the
Greek version. The ancient Hebrew
names of the several books were either
the first word In each one, or the letters
of the Hebrew alphabet.
The Tmthfnlness of the Record: Conscious
truth Is borne upon the very face
of the record of Genesis. There Is a
sublime simplicity in It. The characteristics
of the book are Its directness, simplicity,
straight forwardness. It has
nothing to conceal. No effort can be
proved, by even the most destructive
critics, to have been made in it to mislead
or deceive anybody. The book also
deals with matters which no other has
ever touched, and gives an account of
the origin of things. It has answered
some of the great questions of the soul,
as whence came we, what are we, whither
are we bound. It has shown the
origin and nature and guilt of sin. It
has also given a glimpse of the way of
life, through the woman's seed.
Christ in the Book: In this the oldest
of all books and the first in the inspired
Scriptures, God has not failed to
tell the story of redemption or to point
out the way of life. It will be an interesting
and useful study to see, as our
lessons progress, the clear intimations
which this book gives us, not merely of
a scheme of redemption, but of the Person,
God-man, through whom the sinner
may come back to God and be renewed
in his Image.
The Creation: The account given U6
in the lesson is evidently not intended to
be technically scientific. While no statements
In the Bible have thus far been
found, when properly studied, to contravene
science properly so-called, God
seemed to have in mind the giving to us
of such an account of the origin of the
world and such a statement of matter of
a supernatural nature aa would be
adapted to the ordinary mind. He Inspired
holy men of old to give us everything
In popular terms. So far as the
difficulties of adjustment of revelation
and science are concerned, wo have
nothing whatever to do with them.
When the Bible is fully and properly
interpreted, and when the actual facts
of science are all clearly and Indisputably
known, It will be found that there
is no disagreement
In the Betrlnnlngs The frtatement is
simply one of fact. There is no attempt
to indicate a time. It Is useless
to seek to Interpret the phrase. God did
not try to fix a date for us In this expression,
but to state a fact. So also
in mar oiner mucn mooted question, as
to the length of the "day" given In the
narrative. Neither science nor biblical
interpretation have ever fixed the limits
or explained the precise nature of the
"day." It Is an order which Is described.
and the stress is to be laid upon
that, not upon the time.
The 8i>irlt of Clod: It Is noteworthy
that the Third Person of the Trinity
was the agent of the Godhead. "The
?piru or uod moved upon the face of
the waters." That the three Persons
were all concerned In the creative acta
Is also shown, according to the view of
many, by the fact that the Hebrew word
for "God" Is In plural form, Elohlm.
John's Gospel clearly shows that the
Son had a part In the work. "Without
him was not anything made that was
made."
Let There Be Light: The first creative
act in the bringing of order out of
chaos was the making of light. There
Is no need to theorize over the exist(Continued
on page 20.)
LN OF THE 809TH
[Young People's Secieties]
CONSECRATION.
Topic for Sunday, janunry 5: The
Ideal Christian. I. His Consecration.
Mark 12:28-34.
DAILY READINGS.
^Monday: Consecration call. Exodus
32:29.
Tuesday: A living sacrifice. Romans
12:1, 2.
Wednesday: Pull detachment. 'Mark
10:28-31.
Thursday: All for Christ. Phil. 3:714.
Friday: Consecration spirit. 'Psalm
40:4-8.
Saturday: Full consecration. 1 These.
6:14-23.
Resolutions are In order just now. It
will not take longer this year, however,
to forget them than It has taken In the
year eone hv
What is needed 1b something back of
the resolutions, something that will keep
them alive, something that will feed
and strengthen them, something out of
which they will grow.
Genuine consecration, wrought by the
Spirit, will produce resolutions which
will be kept; nay, it will produce resolution
rather than resolutions, the real
thing out of which substantial resolutions
grow.
By consecration is meant complete
surrender to Christ, becoming wholly
his, wishing his will, willing his wish,
expressing his life, returning his love,
living in him as the source of life, the
guide of life, the reward of life.
The consecrated Christian is the ideal
Christian. Wholeheartedness is his
principle, both in spirit and action. The
springs of life being perennial and
abundant and pure, the streams flowing
from them never fall.
The consecrated Christian is not a
fanatic. It Is not needful that he be wild
In his expression, nor that he seek to
Impress his fellowmen with the idea
that he Is wild. True consecration of
spirit Is quiet rather than otherwise. It
avoids that which savors of ostentation.
Neither is the consecrated Christian
an enthusiast, In the ordinary meaning
of the word. If It be enthusiasm that
is 1101 upon me surrace merely, but tbat
sinks its roots deep into the life, then
he may suffer himself to be so, and the
world will not object or criticize.
Nor Is consecration a thing, If It be
genuine, to be repeated over and over
again. If It is action, not spirit or
principle, this might be true. Then it
would be proved, by the very act of repetition,
that it was not complete, that
is, that It was not consecration.
For the essence of consecration lies in
its wholeness. It does not have to go
back and correct or reconsecrate. It is
forever or not at all. It may be Intensified.
Its active manifestation In the
life and by the life may be made more
and more evident. In itself It Is the
stamp of Christ put upon the soul.
In the warfare between nations, if a
man say. "I surrender," It finishes the
' ase. Until he Is liberated and is again
in the old attitude, there is no occasion
for him to repeat his act of surrender.
He is already a captive. When fhe
Turkish governor of 8cutar! lately failed
to observe the armistice that had
been agreed upon, the Montenegrin gen
erui uemi. wun mm ine Bame as in active
warfare.
Much of the go-called consecration of
Christians is a mere form. It Is with
the Hps, not with the heart. It Is upon
the surface. It does not reach down
Into the soul. It Is an expression borne
of an impulse of the moment, not a stirring
of the Inner life by the Spirit of
God. If It Is from God It will be like
[ December 25, 1912
| The Prayer Meeting |
THE LORD REIGNETH.
Ps. 97:1. Week of December 29.
The sovereignty of God is at the basis
of our religious conviction. Because he
is supreme no promise of his word or
assurance of his purpose can fall. Because
he is supreme, no enemy, nor all
combined being can defeat his plans or
bring his counsel to naught. Unless we
believe in his supremacy we cannot have
an intelligent expection of the fulfillment
of those fundamental assurances
upon which our eternal destiny depends.
However, if there is one truth which
the Scriptures emphasize more than an
other, either by direct statement or by
necessary Inference It Is this primary
and comprehensive doctrine. We are
taught that he rules In the army of
heaven. The angels fulfill his word, are
his ministers that do his pleasure. He
has authority over the external world.
In wisdom has he made all. The earth
is full of his riches. He has stretched
out the heavens as a curtain. He laid
the foundations of the earth. According
to his will "the earth Is filled with
the fruit of his works," or "he looketh
on the earth and It trembleth."
Moreover his dominion extends to the
affairs of Individuals, nations and races.
Those thingB that affect our external
circumstances and our inward life are
according to his purpose?his efficacious
or his permissive decree. The nations
of the earth are at his disposal.
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"All the nations are as nothing before
him." He will make bare his arm In
the eyes of all nations," and the time
is coming when "all nations shall call
him blessed."
Especially is his sovereignty exercised
over his Church. Its destiny Is
precious in his sight. Its welfare is
promoted by him through the agency of
his Spirit and his Word; and by the
testimony of his witnesses and labors
of his servants. He controls the interests
of his kingdom by controlling the
lives and promoting the welfare of its
individual members. Each one is the
object of his loving care and the subject
of his constraining, hallowing grace.
Each is the choice of his eternal purpose
and of his changeless love. Each
ie appointed to obtain salvation through
our Lord Jesus Christ and the means
to that end are foreordained.
The earth may rejoice because its welfflrft
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bv infinite wisdom, power and benevolence.
Hence all things will be controlled
for the accomplishment of wise
ends, the glory of God in creation,
providence and redemption.
Instances of God's wise control are
found in the history of the Israelites
in Egypt, their sojourn in the wilderness,
their subsequent captivity and their
being widely scattered over the world
before the coming of our Lord. Many of
theBe dispensations seemed adverse and
grievous, yet great purposes of grace and
glory were wrought out by them.
In the affairs of the Church we must
believe that God is ruling. The varying
reasons of declension and revival, the
struggles of missions, the loss of workers,
the winning of heathen communities
and the leaving of nations with Christian
principles are the unfolding of his
plan for finally nresentinar tn ?
?
glorious Church.
him, in completeness, harmony, power.
Consecration will lay hold upon outward
things. It will seek to bring not
only every thought Into subjection to
Christ, but every relation In which one
stands to others, every opportunity,
every duty.
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