Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1888-03-24
TIE WORK REVIEWED.
LESSON XIII, FIRST QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, MARCH rs.

Taught In the Lessons for the First
Three Months OF the Present Year Pre-
pared Especially for This Paper.
The lessons Of the first quarter open with
the conflict in the mind of Herod and his COM
plete surrender to sin--an appalling illustra-
tion Of how rapidly sin accumulates. Once
insnared by the brilliant and wicked Hero
dias, he proceeded to violate in rapid success
sion the mostvital commands in the Jewish
law, marrying his brother Philips wife while
her husband and his own wife were alive,
then living in open violation of the law,
then imprisoning John the Baptist and
finally having him murdered at the instiga-
tion of pro1igate dancing girl Such are
the steps from lust to murder, as so often
shown in our own criminal courts. The
mother sinned, the daughter sinned with her;
in consequence John the Baptist lost his life,
but Herod lost his immortal soul.
John the Baptist had excited such interest
in the minds of devout Jews, who hoped for
Messiah speedily, that soon after his death
some of them came to Jesus and asked ques-
tions. showing that they believed or trusted
that he was John returned to life again.
Jesus retired for a while to desert place."
on the north side of the Sea of Tiberias.
There he performed the miracle Of feeding
the multitude" which is the subject of the
second lesson of the quarter His remarks
to the disciples teach the great lesson of COM
passion-that Christians must do ell within
their power to relieve physical suffering, as
well as moral. How deeply this doctrine
was implanted in the new system is shown
by one glorious and significant fact: Among
the earliest acts of the Christians, after they
obtained liberation, was the Inauguration of
hospitals, and of ell the grand charitable in
stitutions of the world today, not one in
hundred is under other than Christian direc-
tion. The modern hospital system is the
child Of Christianity. Heathenism could
point to its temples and altars, and inidelity
boasts of some orators and public halls; but
neither of them is capable Of such sacrifices
as are shown by the devoted women who
walk in danger and pestilence to relieve the
sick, and neither ever founded such institu-
tions as make glorious and immortal the
names of so many benevolent Christians
The third lesson-Jesus Walking on the
Eea-teaches his divine mastery over ma
ture and the necessity of faith in his power;
and the fourth--Jesus and the Affected-em-
phasizes the teaching of the second. The so
called Oanaanitish woman, whose daughter
was healed, was one of that ancient race
bordering Judca on the southwest-substan-
TALLY the same people as the Phonicians and
Carthaginians, a people detested by the Jews.
Hence this miracle was matter Of surprise
to the disciples. The fifth lesson-Peter Con-
Tossing Christ-contains the material for
many thousand volumes of controversy. It
is sufficient to say here that Peters answer is
the sum and substance Of Christian faith:
"Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living
Godn From this time Jesus began to unfold
his mission TO the disciples but charged them
that as yet they should not proclaim it, 1t
was well for them to fully master the great
fact before they undertook to teach it to
others. The fact of His divinity being thus
set forth, the succeeding lessons 60 on to de-
velop the nature of his kingdom and the
method of obtaining share in it.
First in this serial development is "The
TRANSPORTATION, discussed in the sixth les
son-the divine approval, by messengers, of
the truth revealed to and stated ~ Peter.
In modern methods of law and government
we should say this was formal surrender of
the symbols Of authority by the officials of
the preceding administration. As the Mosaic
dispensation was now at an end, Moses was
there to ''inaugurate his successor" with
reverence the parallel may be permitted,
and with him Elias, who had foretold the
new while he sustained the old and had been
spared the taste of death. They confirmed
C.lrist's mission, and so tho old dispensation
ceased forever.
In the seventh lesson-Jesus and the Little
Ones-is the first requisite for entering the
kingdom illustrated: Except ye be converted
and become as little children, ye shall not
enter into the kingdom Of heaven" Following
upon the entrance into the new life comes q
people. perhaps, the hardest duty of that life:
"a Lesson on Forgiveness" 1t is not sur
pr.sing to any man who viii look into his
own heart and note how anger burns there
against some people, to read that when Peter
was told how very forgiving he must be, he
could only exclaim: "Lord, increase our
faith" Verify hot blooded man as Peter
showed himself to be needed to make that
prayer very often in this matter Of forgive
ness; and SO does every man. Manya Chris
tian has trembled and hesitated as he came
In his prayer to that fearful request, .sFor-
give us our trespasses as we forgive those
who trespass against us.v
The duty OF charity Is next taught in the
ninth lesson-The Rich Young Ruler. He
seems to have been an exemplary young
man as TO the works of the law, and his state
ment shows that he was encrusted with self
Righteousness. But when he came to the rest
of the new dispensation, that mere refrain
ing from evil was not enough, but he must
ssgive up all for Christ, he could not bring
himself to the point Of making such q sacri-
Gee
The principal points as to the Inauguration
Of Christ's mission being now established in
the minds OF his disciples, we are introduced
IN the truth lesson 20 the dark passages pre-