The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1888-04-05
CHRIST'S LAST WARNING.
LESSON II, SECOND QUARTER, IN
TERNATlONAL SERIES, APRIL 8.

Text of the Lesson, Matt. xiii, $3.50.
Golden Text, Psalms II, 1O-Memorize
Verses 81, ss and s9-Comment by Rev.
H. S. Hoffman.
[From Lesson Helper Quarterly, by permission of
ii. S. H:fman, Philadelphia, publisher.l
Notes.-V. 81 Hypocrites, persons who act
part not their own. Whited sepulchers,
whitewashel, from respect to the dead and to
avoid legal defilement. V. 30. Tombs, re-
paired out of pretended respect, garnish,
decorate, beautify. " 80 Fill yeup, Jesus
did not wish them to go ON in sin, but he
knew they would go on and may refer to
their plots against himself v. 80. Scrpents,
vipers, like snakes in cunning and deadly
malignity. Can ye escaped implies certainty
of their doom. V. "a. Prophets, inspired
teachers. Wise men, rNen of natural wisdom,
like Solomon. Scribes, those who copied and
taught the wisdom of Others V. 80. Zach
arias, see II Chron. xxiv, 20-2222, or zech. i, l.
V. 36. Generation, age Y. 81 Jerusalem,
city stands for its people. V. 3S. Desolate
was laid waste by Romans A. D. 20.
Y. "a. The sternest words of condemna-
tion that ever fell from Jesus' lips are re-
corded IN this chapter They are worse than
any curse from Ebal or menace from fiery
prophet. He spoke not in anger, but in grief,
that goodness and love had been SO i'll re-
Quilted and abused. His holy wrath was now
kindled, since they sinned beyond the limit
of Gods own mercy. He is our worst enemy
who once was our best friend The bitterest
drop in the cup of eternal woe is 1.-THE wrath
of the Lamb"-of the loving Saviour. His
words are stern and uncompromising, for
L. IL
| mercy and love.
The Pharisees as a party date from the
time of the Maccabees Literal obedience to
the written law and tradition was their ruling
principle. The founders of the party were
genuine reformers, but their descendants de
generated into that which was false and evil
Their hypocrisy prevented their repentance
The Scribes as body were organized in
the time of Ezra, they were learned in and
were teachers of the law, and were employed
as judges, transcribers and expounders of the
| law.
v. 2S-29. Jesus makes a distinction be-
| tween the appearance and reality of godliness.
The pharisees honored the prophets by deco
rating their graves but would not observe
their teachings or initiate their lives What
a travesty Of religion!
|
| the Pharisees did not mean what they said,
but their lives gave the lie to their words
There is a tendency of each generation amid
its own sins to condemn the wrong doing of
| the past.
V. 81. The Pharisees were reproducing
| the same evil traits of character of their
] fathers, whom they condemned. They were
| ready to kill the Christ of whom the prophets
had written. They We're in heart one with
| their fathers, walking in their footsteps
And yet to cover their and their fathers
| wiS-edness beautified the tombs of the mur-
dered prophets. They We're self convicted
| hypocrites. Sin is hereditary, and our daily
acts and words betray our sonship.
| V. 32-33. Every merciful means exhausted,
the Jewish people are consigned to their own
ways. They are left of Goblet to them
selves. When the hour of divine abandon
ment comes to a soul, it goes on to fill up the
measure of its iniquity. The language is of
terrible import. They had committed in
| iquity upon iniquity, God had left them.
| Their committal of one more ghastly crime,
and there was nothing left for their country
but destruction, and for themselves, ''ser-
| pents, vipersn as they had proved themselves
| to be, but the ''dannation of helln The
severity of our Lords language is prece-
dent for rebuke, but no precedent for such
authority and power of rebuke. He had q
| divine attribute to see the character as ii
was, and a divine authority to pronounce Its
| nature, and a right to inhict punishment
| which no mere mortal has
V. 34-35. Christ undoubtedly had in mind
here the treatment he was eventually to re-
ceive from the Jews.
V. Sc. There is a cumulative force in sin
\ a. -.1I~ -
long series of sins. Men by sin can make the
guilt of past ages their own. Josephus gives
a most heartrending account of the fulfill
ment of this prediction, how 100000 dead
bodies were carried out of the gates of Je11I
salem, and how s!the fires Of burning houses
were quenched with human blood"
Y. 81. The laundering 'swoesn give way te
plant Of tenderest emotion for the doomed
city. The Lord deeply regrets that they had
spurned the offers of mercy made them, moi
only by himself while in the flesh, but in al
ages by his servants. ''How often,n implie.
the frequent offers of his pardon and grace
81 would" is the divine side, and "ye would
not" is the human side. The whole scheme
of salvation, the coming of Christ, his min
istry among men and his death for them
show that God desires their salvation. The
reason that they are not saved is that they
will not come to him The bitterest ingredi
ent in the cup of the wicked is that they de
stroyed themselves.
V. 3S. Jesus left the temple on this occa
sion never again to enter it. Once it wa
called "My house" "My fathers house" !" nov
he speaks of it as 'your house, A tempt,
without Jesus presence meant desolation fol
it, dispersion of the Jews and the ruin O
their land. Julian, the apostate, attempted
10 rebuild and restore the temple, but failed
Its doom is sealed till Jesus comes again.
" S9s Our Lord now closed his public min
stry among them. They saw him no NOR
in his Messiaic work and operation. Afte
his resurrection he appeared only to chosel
witnesses. The statement is made that b
win not be seen again till his second comm;
in glorious majesty, when the restoration o
Israel shall take place. When their conver
sion has taken place, then shall they hail hin
as their king. When the Lord came to Jeru
salem, the Jews did not use the word
'sBlessed be he that cometh," etc., but asked
"Who is this?'' The Jews will yet own Chris
as their Messiah, and yet shout their gla'
hosannas to him. The rejected Christ shal
yet be welcomed,