Newspaper Page Text
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON lII—FIRST QUARTER, INTER
NATIONAL SERIES, JAN. 21.
Text of the L*»»on, Lnke ill, 1-17.
Memory Versea, 8-6 Golden Text.
Luke ill, 4—Commentary Prepared
by the Rev. D. M. Stearns.
[Copyright, 1899, by D. M. Stearns.]
1, 2. “The word of God came unto
John the son of Zacharias in the wilder
ness.” The heavenly and the earthly
are ever in contrast in this wonderful
book; all things and people on earth are
dependent upon heaven and should wor
ship and adore and glorify the God of
heaven and earth, who giveth life and
breath and all things (Acts xvii, 24, 25),
/et the general rule is forgetfulness of
%nd rebellion against God. God is all
the while seeking to win His creatures to
Himself and came to earth in human
form that He might Himself become a
sacrifice for sin and in due time subdue
all things unto Himself for the good of
all and the glory of God. John the her
ald of Christ is now about 30 years of
age (compare verse 23 and*chapter i, 26),
and the story of those 30 years is briefly
summed up in chapter i, 15, 80. The
civil and religious leaders of Jews and
gentiles are set before us in these open
ing verses of our lesson, but the God who
gives them being they know not. John,
apart from the world and the world’s
ways, lives with and for God, and now
receives from God his commission to go
forth and make ready a people prepared
for the Lord (chapter i, 17). Apart from
the world we hear God.
3-6. Where God sends him there he
goes as the Lord’s messenger with the
Lord’s message. He is only a voice to be
heard and not seen (verse 4 and John i,
23), and as such he fulfills Isa. xl, 3-5,
which is here quoted. Had Jerusalem
received the herald of her king and then
her king, she would have been truly com
forted and the kingdom would have
come, but as she rejected both herald
and king her comfort is delayed until
He shall come again in His glory preced
ed by Elijah (Math, xxiii, 38; xvii, 11),
and then all flesh shall see the salvation
of God.
7-9. Multitudes came to him from Jeru
salem, and all Judaea, and all the region
round about Jordan, and were baptized of
him in Jordan, confessing their sins
(Math, iii, 5,6), for one of the first works
of the Holy Spirit as the word of God is
heard and received is conviction of sin
(John xvi, 8,9). Until we know we are
sick we will not want the physician; un
til we know we are blind we will not
want our eyes opened; and the strange
thing is that the multitudes are spiritual
ly sick, and blind, and lame, and poor,
and know it not (Rev. iii, 17); this is true
of believers, for as to the unsaved they
are all dead and know it not Eph. ii, 4,
5), but as the word is preached the Spirit
causes even the dead to hear (John v,
25). When John saw the multitudes be
fore him he desired the work to be thor
ough and not superficial and so he search
ed them with the word in the power of
the Spirit. While salvation is the free gift
of God, and we are saved wholly by faith
and not by works (Rom. iii, 24; iv, 5;
Eph. ii, 8,9; Tit. iii, 5), yet where Christ
is truly received, and there is really sal
vation, there must be, as a result of that
salvation, the works of God manifest in
the daily life (Eph. ii, 10; Tit. iii, 8).
10-14. As the people, the publicans, and
the soldiers, asked him what they were
to do now that they had been baptized,
he made it very plain that their new life
was to be manifest in deeds, not in words.
They were to show their sincerity by
their love to others, by righteousness
and by mercy. It is all beautifully
and concisely summed up in Mic.
vi, 8. “Do justly, love mercy and
humble thyself to walk with God.”
All manner of work, however good it
may seem, is simply nothing, of no ac
count before God. until the love of God
has been shed abroad in the heart (I
Cor. xiii, 1-3). God having so loved us as
To give Himself for us in the person of
His Son, puts but one thing before the
sinner who cannot by any means save
himself, and that is the acceptance of
His Son. Until this is done all else is
vain and condemnation is written upon
all (John iii, 18, 36). All efforts of the
natural man to please God are like the
offering of Cain which God could not ac
cept, but the sinner who like Abel con
fesses his sin and accepts God’s way of
sacrifice is accepted.
15, 16. “He shall baptize you w’ith the
Holy Ghost and with tire.’’ As the peo
ple wondered whether John was the
Christ or not. he told them of the One
mightier than he whose shoes he was not
worthy to unloose. He said he was not
Elijah, nor that prophet, nor the Christ,
but just one to herald and point out the[
Christ, and he loved to cry, “Behold, the
Lamb of God!’’ He rejoiced to be the.
Bridegroom’s friend and hear His voice,
and to decrease that the Bridegroom
might increase (John iii, 27-30), “and it
was here he said that “A man can receive
nothing except it be given him from heav-'
en.” This truth received gives perfect
contentment under all circumstances, for
God alone is seen as the giver or with
bolder, and w’heii we are one with God
in giving honor to His Son that He
should be in all things pre-eminent (Isa.
li, 11, 17; Col. i, 18) we have a taste of
heaven upon earth. It was said of John
by Gabriel, “He shall be great in the
sight of the Lord” (chapter i, 15), and
the Lord Jesus said of him, “Among
them that are born of women there hath
not risen a greater than John the Bap
tist” (Math, xi, 11). To have only one
ambition, to please God, not heeding
jß'hat men may think or say, seems to me
to be the height of the Christian life (II
Tim. ii, 15; I Thess. ii, 4), and God has
made provision for our living this life
(Gal. ii, 20; Heb. xiii, 20, 21). On our
part it requires a willingness that Christ
may be all, and we just vassals for His
Casure, not seeking our own nor pleas
self, but living only to exalt Him.
17. The reference here to the harvest
which is the end of this age (Math, xiii,
89) makes us think that the baptism with
the Holy Ghost and wdth fire will have
its complete fulfillment at that time also.
It shall all be fulfilled. The chaff shall
find the fire and the wheat His garner;
the kingdom shall come and the earth be
filled with the knowledge of the glory of
the Lord; it shall be at His coming again
In glory. What are we now doing to
prepare the way of the Lord? Have we
the spirit of John leading us not to think
of self or self interest, but only to de
rive above all things to make Him known
that those who will may accept Him and
glorify Him by a holy life and thus has
ten the completion of His body and the
-Mme of His return? Whosoever will may
(Bev. xxii, 17).
The Wavcross
CLOTHING STOKE
Announces for winter the best line of CLOTHING ever openid in Way
cross. In this day of progress when almost everyone advertize so much for
so little; It is a pleasure to know where to go and get
at right figures, It is now almost genera ly known that
tike WAYCROSS CKOTHIJV© STORK.
is headquartersjfor’good Clothing and good fits and at Low Prices. Reliablejlmen wait on
you. It matters not what you buy, you know you have your money’s worth. The stock embrace
CLOTHING, HATS
SHOES, and GENTS FURNISHING 00DS. All at Lowest Prices.
’Call and see us.
J. w.warshall
Real Estate gent and Notary Public
OFFICE NO. i & 2,GETER BUILDING JACKSONVILLE FLA
Eslate, rnd Loans
Tie Waycross Clofhina Store
An Illustrated Household Magazine
Subscription 60 Cents per Year
A few of the more prominent features are collected
below to show that the Southern Home Companion
will be the most instructive, most interesting and
best home magazine published in America
Europe by Gas Light
A serial that promises to be the most captivating
novel of the season
Short Stories
By the best writers of the day
Full Page Illustrated Poem
This makes the finest page of any magazine pub
lished in America
Homes and Home Decorations
To those who wish to improve or beautify their
homes this is an invaluable page
Bird Studies
By Prof, A. C. Webb, with illustrations from life,
showing the birds in their natural haunts
Cullinary and Suggestions for the Household
Wild Flowers of the South
This is only a small portion that will be given. Readers
will readily understand that it would be impossible to
announce in advance all that will be given during the year
Address all communications to the
Southern Home Companion Pub. Co.
234 N. Market St., NASHVILLE, TENN.
First Class Drug Store.
PRICES REASONABLE AS
ANYWHERE.
Magic City Drug Store
KEEPS ON HAND
Drugs,
Patent Medicines,
Toilet Articles,
Cigars and etc.
Dr. G. P, Washington,
IPhysician!
:and Surgeon :
PROPRIETOR
Office Hours— io a. m.,* 2 to 4 p. m.
to 9 p. m.
Residence, 14
WAYCROSS, GA.
Wonderful Discovery
BEFORE AND AFTER TREATMENT.
OZONIZED OX MARROW
THX OXIGINAL—COPTXIQHTXD.
The only safe preparation in the world that
curly hair straight, aa ihown above. It
nourishes the soalp, prevents the hair from fall
ing out and makes it grow. Sold over 40 year*
and used by thousands. Warranted harmless
Beware of imitations. Get the Original Ozon
“ »^® v ße*>ine never fails
to keep the hair, pliable and beautiful Only 60
oenta Bold by dealers or send us • 1.40 Postal or
L x| ?r®“ Mon «y Order for 8 bottles, express paid.
Write your name and address plainly to OSOnUD
•X IIUOW CO., 26 w ABASH ATX, CHICAGO, 1U.4
ESTATE-®®
BOUGHT SOLD
Houses rented and rents collected on
reasonable terms. If you wish to buy
sell, or rent in the city, it will be to
your interest to call on, or address
aoxsyasiJ
P. O. Box, 164 Waycross, Ga.
Waycross Air Line Railroad.
TIME TABLE
Taking effect 12 :01 a. m., ednesday, Nov. Ist, 1899.
Superseding Time Table Dated Sept. 24th, 1899.
Central Time Standard.
Passenger. STATIONS. Passenger.
Daily Daily Sunday Daily Daily Sunday
ex, Sun ex Sun. Only. ex Sun. ex Sun, Only,
No. i. No. 3 No. 5 - No, 2 No. 4 No. 6.
A. M- P. M. P. M. P. M. A. M. P. M.
800 230 430 Lv, Waycross Ar 110 10 00 910
f 8 10 (4 40 Jamestown Lv fl 02 fg o 2
s 8 15 257 £4 45 Waitertown fi2 57 920 f 8 37
£8 24 [4 54 Upchurch fi2 48 f 8 48
s 8 34 ?3 22J {5 04 Elsie si2 40 854 f 8 40
s 8 42 335 £5 12 Bolen si2 31 842 £8 31
s 8 55 400 f$ 25 Beach si2 19 828 f 8 19
f 9 04 f 5 34 Murray’s £l2 03 , , fS 03
S 9 15 428 £5 45 Sessoms sn 53 800 £7 43
s 9 2 5 43® s 5 53 Granville ,sli 49 7 o 57 49
s 9 33 518 s 6 03 Nicholls su 36. 715 sy 36
£9 4 8 . 53 8 s 6 18 Bell’s fu 2i 650 £721
io lo 600 640 Ar Douglas Lv; 11 00 630 700
No. 1 and No. 4 will meet and pass at Bolen according
to rules. s —lndicates regular stop, f —lndicates stop if
flagged.
ALEX BONNYMAN, Supt.
J. E. WADLEY, President.
Subscribe for the
GAZETTE,
the Leading Negro Journal
ef the gouth«
iB4.OOTEKYF.AR