Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-04-06
CHRIST'S LAST WARNING.
LESSON u, SECOND QUARTER, IN
TERNATIONAL SERIES, APRIL 8.

tFrom Lesson Helper Quarterly, by permission Of
II. 5. Hoffman, Philadelphia, publisher.l
Notes.-V. "a. Hypocrites, persons who act
q part not their own. Whited sepulchers,
whitewashed, from respect to the dead and to
avoid legal deflement. V. 30. Tombs. re.
paired out of pretended respect, garnish,
decorate, b%eautify. V. 80. Fill We up, 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. Serpents,
vipers, like snakes in cunning and deadly
m%alignity. Can we escaped implies certainty
of their doom. v. "a. Prophets, inspired
teachers. Wise men, men of natural wisdom.
like Solomon. Scribes, those who copied and
taught the wisdom of others. V. 35. Zach
arias, see II Chron. xiv, 2O-22, or Zech. i, l.
V. 36. Generation, age. V. 81. Jerusalem,
city stands for its people. V. IS. Desolate,
was laid waste by Romans A. D. 20.
V. q. The sternest words of condemna-
ton 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 ''the wrath
of the Lamb"-of the loving Saviour. His
words are stern and uncompromising. for
they were founded on justice, preceded by
mercy and love.
The Pharlsees as a party date from the
time of the Maccabees. Literal obedience to
the written law and tradition was their ruling
principle. The founder 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 a body We're organized in
the time of Ezra, they were learned in and
were teachers of the law, and were employed
as judges, transcrlbers and ex%pounders of the
law.
V. 1929. Jesus makes a distinction be-
tween the appearance and reality of goodness.
The pharisees honored the prophets by deco
rating their graves but would not observe
their teachings or initiate their lives. What
a t%ravesty of religion!
V. 30. There is no need of assuming that
the Pharisees did not mean what they said.
but their lives gave the lie to their words.
There is a tendency of each generation mid
its own sins to condemn the wrong doing of
the past.
" Of. Inc fnarlseeS were reproducing
the same evil traits of character of their
fathers, whom they condemned. They were
ready to kill the Christ of whom the prophet
had written. They We're in heart one with
their fathers, walking in their footsteps.
And yet to cover their and their fathers
wickedness beautified the tombs of the muir
dered prophets. They were self convicted
hypocrites. Sin is hereditary, and our daily
apts md xrorIs hatro u n,,. c,,el;.
V. 1888. 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. Tn language is of
terrible import. They had in
EQUITY upon iniquity, God had left them.
Their of one more CHASTITY crime,
and there was nothing left for their country
but destruction, and for themselves, ''ser-
penis, vipers" as they had proved themselves
to be, but the elimination of hell The
severity of our Lords language is a prece-
dent for rebuke, but no precedent for such
authority and power of rebuke. He had a
divine attribute to see the character as it
was, and a divine authority to pronounce its
nature, and a right to inflict punishment
which no mere mortal has.
V. 3+-35. Christ undoubtedly had in mind
here the treatment he was eventually to re-
ceive from the Jews.
V. Ri. There is a cumulative force in sin.
The final punishment at last succeeds the
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, now COG, 900 dead
bodies were carried out of the gates of Jeru-
salem, and how the fires of burning houses
were quenched with human blood"
V. 81. The laundering ''woes'' give way to
a plant of tenderest emotion for the doomed
city. The Lord deeply regrets that they had
spurned the offers of mercy made them, not
only by himself while in the flesh, but in all
ages by his servants. How often" implies
the frequent offers of his pardon and grace.
Il would" is the divine side, and I'VE 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. 81, Jesus left the temple on this occa-
sion never again to enter it. Once it was
caiieu my nOuse, NJ latner 5 mouse, now
he speaks of it as ''your house" A temple
without Jesus presence meant desolation for
it, dispersion of the Jews and the ruin of
their land. Julian, the apostate, attempted
to rebuild and restore the temple, but failed.
Its doom is sealed till Jesus comes again.
V. 80. Our Lord now closed his public min
istry among them. They saw him no more
in his Messiaic work and operation. After
his resurrection he appeared only to chosen
witnesses. Thu statement is made that he
will not be seen again till his second coming
in glorious majesty, when the restoration of
Israel shall take place. When their CONVEX
sion has taken place, then shall they hail him
as their king. When the Lord came to Jeru-
salem, the Jews did not use the words
blessed be he that cometh," etc., but asked,
"Who is thisF' The Jew will yet own Christ
as their Messiah, and yet shout their glad
hosannas to him. The rejected Christ shall
yet be welcomed.
L.