The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-11-06

DR.. JOHN HALLS NOTES ON THE
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON.

| Sunday. Nov. 7-Goiden Text. "And
Thomas Said unto Him, MY Lord and
My GOd"-Lesson, John *, 1881.
Our lesson TO day has an interest peculiar to
itself Peter, John and Judas only, OF the
twelve, have Us much notice of them in the
gospels rs Thomas. lie had character
peculiarly his own, like which there are many
among men, and this doubtless Is the reason
for his being 80 outstanding figure in the
Gospel OF John. There are two parts OF thu
lesson but connected together, for we should
not understand the features Of the second
interview if we had not the details Of the
first-very important in themselves.
Il 1t was the Jewish Monday, the first Chris
tian Sabbath called the first day, etc, Us In
Acts Xxx, \, and evening. The disciples knew
tho light in which the Jews regarded them,
and had tho doors of the room in which they
met closed, probably as we would say
barred" or "lockedr Disciples may include
others beside tho twelve apostles. (See
Luke XIV, S)
The words "came Jesus along with the
account of "the doors Shut give the impress
SION that there was no opening of the doors
needfuL The gorified body of Jesus was not
bound by ordinary natural laws, nor prob
ably will those OF saints be. The Iron gate
of Peters prison opened to the angel and him
of It's Gown accord" What power we shall
have when we become equal with the angels,
who can telli We shall sec through questions
about matter that battle us now Jesus
stood in the midst and gave his salutation,
"Peace be unto your How timely! They
were in fear of the Jews" How much
they needed IT. How often he has come into
| chambers where tlmid and pcrpleXed dis
! Cplcs were gathered, and spoken in effect the
same thing! Timid in view of Jewish malice,
| but glad over the news of our Lords resur-
rection, they had secretly come together and
! 10. he is there without any need To open the
| door lie is all he ever was. lie Is the same
| in feeling Us they feel when tue words fall
| on their ears Peace be unto you
V. 20 He knows human dizziness; he knows
| them How good it Is for us that the dlsci-
| pies were not model men. not perfect, but
| like ourselvesl If they had been well nigh
| perfect we should have deSponded. But
their need Of help and of repeated lessons
| concerning truth encourages us, for our Mas
ter knows US MS he knows them. So he shows
them hi. hands and his side. They have
many infallible proofs "a IT'S i, 81 of his rising.
He is the same in body. He is not spirit,
as they thought him on the Sea of Galilee.
He has suffered. He is the "Lamb slain"
John remembered this - "handled"-in l
John /, /, long years afterward How much
all this meant they did not then know or stop
to ask. Their hearts overflowed with joy.
"Then were the disciples glad" etc. And
when we are cast down and things seem to
90 against us, here is the most gladdening
thing in the world-the sight by faith Of
Jesus (See Rom. ", p
V. 81 Again the peace" is given, and the
truth which they failed to understand before
is repeated: "As my father sent me-not to
do my will but his-so send you, not to do
your own but mine; and as | preached the
gospel so are you to do in my name"
V % This living man breathes-breathes
on them, and with the power of God says,
Receive ye the Holy Ghost" He had prom
ised this gift in John xvi, 7, and elsewhere
1t il true fuller blessing of this sort is to he
theirs but even now they need special help.
He had told them that the Comforter would
| bear witness to him This they need now, as
they are TO wait for the Pentecostal power
He is to them Spirit Of prayer (Acts 1, Is,
Ia. Then he foreshadows the commission in
v. 90 "Whosoever," etc. Whatever pow
or was given Peter is here given to all
All stand on the same level The apostles did
not give forgiveness in their name or in vir-
! tue of their office; they proclaimed it. See
Jer. /, 10, "See, have this day set thee over
the nations and over the Kingdoms to root
out, and to pull down, and to destroy and to
throw down, to build, and to plant" Did the
weeping prophet do all that! No; but he
proclaimed the terms, in Gods name on which
God would do it, and Us it was with prophets
80 IL Is with apostles See the same principle
in Isa vi, 10, in Eek. xxi, IS, also in Eek.
xiii, 3, Hosea vi, s, Rev XII, s. 1t is impor
tant to make the pupils understand this.
Words like these are constantly quoted in
favor OF a priesthood and of Rome, and the
rising generation of Americans will need to
understand the case. What the apostles did
explains the sense and meaning OF this COM
mission. They did not hear confessions, pre-
scribe penances and pronounce absolutions.
They preached Christ and remission of sins
In his name.
We now como to the second section, which
gave name to our lesson. Thomas" means
a "twin" The word resembles tom" in He
brew comp Song vii, b, and Didymus Is
the Septuagint Greek rendering Of it.
1t is usually loss to be absent from q
meeting of disciples. 1t was so with Thomas
". 20. Probably it was not an accident, but
his respondent nature that kept him away.
But Of course the disciples told him what
they had seen w. 25D. Then came the words
| which have been taken by some to show q
skepticai, il.condtioned mind, Except"
etc. But they did not. To learn their mean
ing we must know what manner OF man
Thomas was When Jesus intimated that he
was leaving his safe retreat from Jewish NAL
ice aud going to Bethany John Ii, 7, 8, 1G,
Thomas, dispirited, taking the gloomiest view
of the case, said to his fellow disciples LET
us also 60 that we may die with him." l. e.,
Jesus He loved him tenderly. But he
thought his "lost cause" He will be
seized and killed We may as well go and
die with him. He took the gloomiest view
of things. So when at the last supper Jesus
spoke of going away and Of their coming
along, the same spirit breaks out. But it is
| not bad it is only sad. Jesus treats it kindly.
Lord, thou art going, We know not whittier;
how can we so after or with theei We
know nothing of what is meant" He deems
the departure Of Jesus the end Of all OF them.
He was not an unbeliever, eager to get