Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1884-03-13
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
From the New York Observer.
INTERNATIONAL LESS0
MARCH l6.-The Coming Of the Lord
Il Thes. I: l3; 1913.

GoLpgx TExr.--For if we believe that
Jesus died and rose again, even so them
also which sleep III Jesus will God bnng
with him.-Thes. 1 Ii.
Not many months had passed since
the Apostle had gathered at Tnessalonca
the little flock 10 whom this Epistle was
addressed. lie was now at Corinth,
where Timothy, who had remained for
Il time in Macedonia, reioined him,
bringing report OF the state OF things in
that infant church. 1t was no doubt
that report which moved HIM TO pen
this letter. The church was largely
composed of gentle converts, who
had many things yet TO learn. How
slow is our own progress in the knowl.
edge Of the truth 1t is not strange
that they had need to be taught many
of the first things of the gospel.
Turning TO the last verse Of the first
chapter we get partial key to the par
ticular passage before Us. 1t there ap
pears that tue conversion of the ''IT es.
salonians had been a turning from idols
(a) "to serve the living and true God, .
and lJl "to wait f,r his Son from
heaven" SDwe see that their waiting for
Christs coming was no small part Of
their religion. That Coming was to be
triumphant and glorious.
Now, from this anticipation two things
arose. one was such reckless cxpecta.
ton of the possibly immediate dawn Of
the great day as to make them neglect.
ful of every day duties ". ~ As many
among us were in the time OF the Mi
lerite excitement Of some years ago
The other was a fesr lest their friends
who should die before the Coming,
might fail Of a part in il, triumph ana
glory, if they did not lose all share in
the eternal kingdom. This fear evident.
ly gave them much trouble; filled them
with no little distress. Hence the need
of both the comfort and the admoni.
ton conveyed in these verses. We shall
be we'll repaid for the attention to the
several points presented.
J. TIE sorroo IF Hj<irsrs orsr their
dad not, unlike hat 2f others, w7rirsi rth
hope.-li is not said that they will not
keenly feel the Paug Of separation.
Faith does not destroy our natural sen.
sibilities. But it is said that their sor.
row will be mixed with comfort to which
the rest Of the world are strangers. The
heather had no confdeu. expectation
of any life beyond the grave. AN
hopeless are the dead" lTheocrilusl
None ever wake again" iLucreliusI,
and "Once dead there is no resurrec.
ton" (.E'chylus) abound in the writ.
iugs Of the wisest of the sncents. And
so now, for those who spurn the gospel,
there is no comforting assurance "re.
specting the future. Men do not always
consider how much they lose when they
turn their backs on the gospel. They
can guess that we shall live again, and
that by right conduct here we may gain
a happy hereafter But at best dying is
to them "a leap in the dark As they
stand by open graves theirs is sorrow
without admixture Of hope.
.. The beisving dead not to Be ish behind
pken Jesus appears in giOry.-"Them also
that sleep in Jesus will God bring with
him." !. e., with Jesus. Some would read
the sentence, "them, which sleep, will
God through Jerls bring with him And
it is very plainly taught that Jesus is the
resurrection and the life, and that it il
his Office to quicken the dead. But the
meaning which here lies upon the face
of the rendering, in the Revised a. well
as the Common Version, is better. They
that "sleep in Jesus" are they who in
death are still in union with him, being
what and where they are through his
merits All such will God bring with
Christ when he appears in glory.
The ground Of this hope Is said to be
the resurrection of Jesus. The Thessa.
lonians believed that he both "died and
rose again" Though he died, he still
lives. If this be go, how easy also to
believe that all who have come into
union with him, though now fallen
asleep, have not been parted from him.
They sleep in him. They are where he
is. Because he lives, they live also. The
thief was to be, that very day, with him
in Paradise. 1t is reasonable to antici.
pate that they will therefore appear
with him in the day Of his glorious com.
ing. But Paul does not leave US to con.
lecture. lie c6frms that all such, ',oiA
God bring"