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PAUL’S LAST WORDS.
December 12, 1909. 2 Tim. 4: 1-8;
16-18.
Time; 67-68 A. D. Place: Rome.
Golden Text: “For me to live is
Christ, and to die is gain.” Phil. 1:
21.
SUGGESTIVE THOUGHTS.
What shall I do?
First, Preach the Word. (Verses
1 and 2.) The Lord Jesus Christ is
coming again to judge the quick and
the dead, therefore says the apostle,
preach the word. Among the many
reasons why we should faithfully
preach and teach the word, we give
the following:
(A) Because it is the power of God
unto salvation. (Rom. 1: 16; James
1: 21.)
(B) It will convict of sin. (Acts 2:
37.)
(C) We are born again by the word
of God. (1 Peter 1: 23.)
(D) It will build up the Christian
character. (1 Peter 2: 2; Acts 20: 32;
2 Tim. 31: 16-17.)
(E) It will keep us clean, (Psalms
119, 9; John 15: 3.)
(F) It will keep us from sin. (Psalms
119, 11.)
(G) Christ will judge according to
the word. (Rom. 2: 16.)
These things being true we should
preach the word with energy at every
possible opportunity, “in season, out of
season.” The word should be earnest
ly preached in every form, we should
The Nelv 'Religion bs. the Resurrection of the Dead
(Continued from Page 2.)
after the resurrection were never
spoken.
“LO, I AM WITH YOU.”
But further, if Jesus never rose from
the dead, then there is no spiritual
presence. What is the great comfort
ing text in the New Testament to
Christians in their life struggle? “Lo,
I am with you always; even unto the
end of the age.” How many sermons
we have heard preached from this
text! This last summer I heard a great
sermon of Dr. Jowett, of Birmingham,
England, on that text. He used ah il
lustration of a freight train, hooked
onto the engine. It had travelled very
successfully until it had come to a
heavy grade, and when it reached the
heavy grade, it could not make it.
News was telegraphed back to the
station, and an extra engine, one of
those huge Moguls, was sent out from
the shop and it came and hooked itself
onto the rear end of that train of cars,
and then the throttle was pulled and
the steam issued and the wheels be
gan to turn, and as they turned the
long train of cars began to move up
the hill, and then when they got up
the hill, the engineer decided that in
case there might be another hill he
would just follow along after the train
of cars and be on hand when there was
any trouble. He said that Jesus, the
Lord, had been hitched up as the en
gine to the great train of human trou
bles and responsibilities. It had come
to a dead stand still; the world could
not deliver the souls-pf men, and Jesus
came as an extra engine, hitched Him
self on to the rear end of the world at
its upper extremity and with one migh
ty shove, lifted the world from sin up
into the light and liberty, and even
then was not content to stop. “I am
with you all the days, lest there should
come any stoppage in your progress. I
SUNDA Y SCHOOL LESSON
rebuke and exhort and do so “with all
long suffering and teaching” of the
sound doctrines.
Second, Fulfill thy Ministry. (Verses
3-5.) Whatever your ministry may
be, whether great or small, be sure
to fulfill it. Paul urged Timothy to
make full proof of his ministry, by
suffering its hardships, by being watch
ful in all things and by doing the work
of an evangelist, because the day is
coming when the people will not en
dure sound doctrines. The dav Paul
spoke of has already come. The few
are holding to the sound doctrines. The
many have the “itching ears” and are
seeking to have them tickled with
some new teachings, no matter how
false and foolish it is. (Acts 17: 2.)
The world is governed by its lusts and
they are demanding “teachers after
their own lusts.” They do not want
teachers who preach the old gospel
which condemns their evil ways. They
want preachers that will entertain
them on Sunday with fables, who dur
ing the week will go with them to
banquets where wines and other
liquors are served. Who will go to
entertainments where cards are played
and all kinds of worldly amusements
and evils are indulged in. In view of
the grievous character of the times
in which we live, the servant of Christ
should be watchful, for Satan is seek
ing in every way to put his leaven of
false doctrines into the pure gospel
of Christ and corrupt the whole. We
should not seek easy places but do
will follow along with you, When the
next grade is to be made, I am on hand
to give the shove.”
That story thrilled me. I thought
about it and said, ‘‘l think I see a bet
ter application than that.” To me it
was like this. Instead of Jesus being
at the rear, pushing, He has gone
through the tunnel of death and is
now on the resurrection side, and is
pulling the world toward heaven. That
is the resurrection! That is the spirit
ual presence! That is the abiding com
fort !
The hope of the resurrection of the
body is the comfort of the distressed
in the hour of death that we have held
out to the world for all these ages
past. If Jesus did not arise from the
dead, this is all spurious and untrue,
and where is there the man tonight
that would like to have that hope blot
ted out? Several years ago I was called
to stand by the bedside of a patient of
mine. That was when I was a young
physician. She was a deaf and dumb
girl. She had professed conversion
when a student in the state institution.
She had lived a godly, Christian life.
She had been a model in her commu
nity and example to her family, and
she had been lingering for weeks and
finally the end was approaching. She
was thoroughly conscious. She gath
ered her family around, and then ask
ed if I would not join the circle. She
had been such a beautiful, sweet, pa
tient that I could not think of leaving
her to die without my presence, and I
consented. I took my stand in that
circle of the family. She had a mes
sage beating and burning at her heart,
and wanted to leave a testimony, and
finally made it known to me that she
would like to support her elbow; I
did as she requested, and as I held up
her arm, she spelled out her message
and her brother took a pencil and
wrote It down, ©very word just as she
The Golden Age for December 2, 1900.
By B. Lacy Hoge.
the hard work the times demand. Be
ever giving out the gospel—doing “the
work of an evangelist,” seeking at all
times to give the glad tidings of sal
vation to the lost and to win them
for Christ.
Third, Love His appearing. (Verses
6-8.) Paul was a ready man. Ready
to serve. Ready to suffer. Ready to
be offered. Ready to depart and be
with the Lord, and ready to meet Him
at His coming. He loved the truth of
Christ’s second coming and longed to
see that glorious day. The reason is
given us in the seventh verse. He
had fought the good fight., finished his
course, kept the faith and the crown
of righteousness was awaiting him.
Can we say this? It is not how great
the fight we have fought, but as
soldiers of the cross have w r e faith
fully fought the battle our Commander
ordered us to fight? Have we finished
the work He gave us to do? Have we
kept the faith once for all delivered
unto the saints? (Jude 3, R. V.) If
we have done these things then the
crown is awaiting us. We too will
love His appearing, because we will
receive the crown when he comes.
Fourth, Win the Crowns, (Verse 8.)
There are many crowns promised to
the people of God and we should seek
to win them, so we can do what we
often sing:
“O. that with yonder sacred throng,
We at His feet may fall,
We’ll join the everlasting song,
And crown Him Lord of all.”
said it, She said, “Mother, I shall soon
be gone. It won’t be long until we shall
meet again. When you see me again
you will hear me speak. Father, I shall
soon be gone, and when we meet agaiu
I want that you shall be a Christian”;
and then she asked us to bow our
heads while she spelled out a prayer
to God, and I fancied Jesus bending
over that bed, looking at those feeble
fingers as they prayed a prayer that
came right out of the heart. After she
had breathed her last, her mother with
such comfort and assurance that 1
would not destroy for all the educa
tion of all the universities, in all the
countries of the round globe, nor for
all the money in the world.
May I give you one more testimony?
It was the death-bed of an old preach
er, one hundred and one years old,
with a face that never had been beau
tiful; it was now so wrinkled and mar
red by scars that there was nothing
attractive about him to the ordinary
looker on. But he had been a grand
old man. There sat by his bed the
wife who had been with him for more
than seventy years, and the old vet
eran in the cause of Christ was fast
passing away, and the friends and
neighbors had gathered about just
simply to comfort her; and after
awhile, just as he breathed his last,
the dear old soul sitting there said.
‘‘Precious old. face, beautiful face;
I shall see thee in the morning.” In
the morning when she saw it she
did not see those scars that had been
put there in the days of the great
civil war. When she saw him in
the morning she never saw those
sores, the sign of age. When she
saw him in the morning she never saw
those wrinkles upon his forehead and
that wrinkled skin upon his face. That
was all gone. He was changed in the
morning when she saw him, The indi
cation of age and struggle gone. Be
We must have a crown if we would
crown Him. (Rev. 4: 10, 11; Rev. 19:
21.)
Here are some of the crowns and
how they may be w*on.
(A) The Crown of Life. The tried
and faithful even unto death will get
the crown of life. (James 1: 12; Rev.
2: 10.)
(B) The Crown of Rejoicing. The
soul winner will get the crown of re
joicing. (1 Thess. 2: 19; Jude 24.)
(C) The Crown of Glory. Those
who feed the flock of God and set the
proper example before them will win
the crown of glory, (1 Peter 5: 2-4.)
It does not matter whether your
flock is a Church or a Sunday school
class or your family. We all have
our flock to feed and set the right
example before.
(D) The Crown of Righteousness.
Paul in our lesson tells us that it is
those who love our Lord’s appearing,
that will receive this crown. (2 Tim.
4: 7,8; Phil 3: 7-15.)
Fifth, Stand with the Lord. (Verses
16-18.) Paul’s friends deserted him.
In the time of trial and need men will
forsake you, but the Lord never will
forsake those who serve Him. He will
stand with you and strengthen you,
even as He did Paul. The Lord had
delivered him in the past and the
great apostle said, “The Lord shall
deliver me from every evil work and
will preserve me unto His heavenly
kingdom, to whom be glory forever and
ever, Amen.”
fore I would stand there as some
preachers are doing today and some
teachers, with their Bibles chopped to
pieces, with a mere fragment left, a
fragment that simply complies with
human reason; before I would stand
there by the side of that old saint who
was comforting her dear old heart with
the truth of the Scriptures, with the
hope of the morning, and say one word
with which to mar that hope, I would
pray that my tongue might cleave to
the roof of my mouth and my hands
fall palsied to my side.
Whom shall we follow in those days
of trial? Who shall be our guide in
this wilderness of doubt? Shall we
pin our faith to the book of our Fath
ers, or shall we throw aside this Book
and join the ranks of those who today
so blatantly defy God and try to wreck
His truth?
How to Cure Sores, Boils, Etc.
Every parent who reads this paper has
frequently felt the need of a reliable home
remedy for old sores, boils, chronic ulcers,
bone felons, carbuncles, severe burns, poi
son oak. cuts, bruises and the many
forms of inflammation which are so com
mon in children and older people alike,
also in the domestic animals. Such a
remedy ought to be kept on the medicine
shelf of every home, ready for use at
any time. For more than half a century
“Gray’s Ointment” has filled the need in
thousands of homes in America and in
many foreign countries. It is wflthout
doubt the most perfect prescription ever
written by any physician. You can get
a 25c box at your druggist’s. If you
have never used Gray’s Ointment, send
for a trial box which we will gladly send
free, postpaid. Address, Dr. W. F. Gray
& Co., 805 Gray Bldg., Nashville, Tenn.
Dr. Chas. R. Phelps, of Roberts, Mass.,
writes: “Gray’s Ointment is my main de
pendence in cases of carbuncles and un
healthy granulations, ulcers and blood
poisoning.”
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