The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1889-02-27
ritz SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Ax}ISTEREsTIS0 AND INSTRUCTIVE
LESSON CONSIDERED.

Z elections az m Elevsting Chsracter-
ing the scriptus. i Lessons Intslligontiy
and Probably.
The lesson for Sunday. March 8. NAV be
found In Mark 4: 27-SS; o: I.
INTRODUCTORY.
We are told In this lesson. worry season-
ably. what " means to acknowledge Christ
Peters earnest word OF acceptance. Thou
art Christ" though great as lip could make.
was not In itself effectual. for
In the next breath. at the same
time indicating how weak at all
times is tho flesh. ne begins to rebuke his
Master, Jesus must needs call tho people
around him. together with His disciples.
and ex plain TO them what IL means TO ac
knowledge Christ. with life as well as the
lip. IL ~ ~ doctrine needed to-day. and
needing TO be taught as Christ taught II In
tho example. May it be said Of none OF Us.
as we present 1t to our pupils. Thou saw.
crest not the things that be OF tod. but
the things that be OF men, May
we teach it out OF hearts touched with
Christ's own self-sacriilcing spirit.
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHES.
Whopt do men say that am. He does not
say. as a human solicitor OF mems sunrages
might say. DO men sp ak OF me2 Do men
say anything about me?" He knows they
nre thinking of him. Here is the PROPOSE
ton; Al men hare their opinions Of Jesus.
We put this question to a mixed congrega-
ton the other evening. Are there any here.
old or young. who have never heard oil
Jesusf" AS you might suppose. there was
no answer. Then this second query Are
there any hero. children or g'ay-hairod.
who have formed no opinion regarding this
Jesusr" And OF course there being no re-
sponse to the former interrogatory. there
was no reply TO this. Hall consciously. but
pervasively and enduringly, we form our
opinions OF Jesus OF Nazareth. And in this
respect how true the word. AS man
thinketh in his heart. so Is he.
Some SAP. Elias. There are various opin-
ions. Some say this, and some say that.
Good man. says Rousseau; great man, says
Renan. There shall never arise a greater.
Great. though deluded. says Yoltaire: great
and gracious. though not God. says Theo-
dore Parker; prophet. but not Christ. says
the jew; Messianic. but not Messiah. says
the Hebrew liberal; good man. great man.
kingly manifold IL he was only man he
could not have been good. Those old jews
knew better than that. for to claim what he
did. being simply human. was blasphemy
and worse than blasphemy TO the souls OF
those who trusted him. Great man? Then
all the more dangerous. hingly man
Thon certainly let him be put TO death. for
he claims mems supremest homage.
Just this: Jesus was either man or he was
God. III man only. he was worse tn an man.
and the called him rightly of Beelzebub-
let our Unitarian friends mark 10. Ii God.
then he claims our instant homage as the
Lord of life and glory.
Thou art the Christ And what Peter
means by this we know from what Matthew
adds: The Son of the living God You
remember that pertinent. personal inquiry
OF Jesus In the twenty-second OF Matthew;
What think We Of Christi You have used
II perhaps in The inquiry-room. Sunday
school. or pu pit BE care ul. 1t Is not a
question for information. or even an evan
gelistic inquiry. so much as rebuke for
erroneous opinion and false conception.
They had been bounding and harassing
Jesus for some time. Herodans. Sadducees.
Pharisees. like snarling wolves about tn cir
seeming prey Christ holds them at bay
with his answers for "A season and then he
turns upon them sternly. crushingly. with
the significant counter-in inquiry, What
think ye OF Christ? Whose son is hep" A.
II to say. What can you be thinking OF the
CHRISTI What b. your conception OF the
Messiah?" Their conduct, in Keeping with
their answer. proclaimed il. They were
looking for David's son, not Gods. Our at
titudc toward Jesus as preached to-day de-
clares the conception we have OF the prom
ised Christ Is he David's son merely? Then
we will probably go on rejecting him oil
trifiing with him. But Is he TO our deepest
soul as he was to Peter. Christ. the Son o.
the living God?" Then what can we do bu
accept him, own him?
He began to teach them. 1t was hard
lesson to learn and they were long while
getting 1t by heart--the lesson OF self sur
render and Of life out of death. Again an
again the book of heavenly instruction wa:
returned To the disciple and pupil OF the
Master as Frances Ridley Havergal has
said it, with the leaf turned down at thu
~ 4 M
slowly, the lesson OF complete devotion foi
souls sake. Tor Jesus sake. Peter. through
ups and downs OF trying tutelage. had al
last learned the teaching bv heart when OF
the day of Pentecost, SpIrit-flll d. be stood
and said: This Jesus nath God raised mp
whereof we all are toitnesseS." /, no
herein the significance of that added vers,
@: ~ And we have not gotten our lessor
fully until we have conned and compre
hended that solemn. earnest word of Pau
10 the Romans: Il beseech you, therefore
brethren. by the mercies Of God. that W
present your bodies living sacrifice. holy
acceptable unto God. which is your rear
sonable service
| II any man loiH come after me let him
deny himself. That is. let him leave him
self behind. 1t is a very simple thing w,
talk of the mystery OF goodness and the
secret OF his presence. Ii is not far Il
seek. Listen, HE that dwelleth in the se-
cret place OF the Most High shall abid.
Qodge) under the shadow OF the Almighty.
Tautology almost. Is II not? He tha
dwelleth shall--just d,oeH. And Is not tina
in large part what IL meansf TO know wha
1t is TO 1--we in Christ. begin right now e
! live In him. He that doeth shall know
| The word above is. Literally, whosoeve
| wills to fDllow after me. let him deny him
self and take up his cross and-folIo,c me
| The way TO abide in the vine is-to abide
This young kpdy has just boon saving. :
! believe IL all. know Christ saves the lost
but l do not feel that personally / have
taken him for my own Savior" We say I,
her: mo. you do not feel. because You dc
not take. Suppose tonight you Just loss
yourself. deny yourself. and go after
l. o.. in the footsteps OF Christ Forge
yourself and everything else-take Christ.
! She says she will. Will your
What shall a man giUe ia exchange for ha
soul. There was wretched Jud bringing
/ back his paltry thirty pieces Of silver ant
/ saving, II have sinned in that / have be
| trayed the innocent blood" He was. as |
were. seeking 10 purchase back his peace
and 10 redeem with gain his forfeited birth
change Tor his soul the poor price OF world
ly barter-that, indeed. the whole OF his &C
emulation. whaiey.r ii be. for which h'
has. first of all. sol himself. What is tb a
TO us2" says the heartless world. See tho'
TO that. Do we wonder that having llrs
abandoned his Lord and sold himself 10
the world. aud now abandoned by tn
world. he should go and hang himself
Every man who makes such deliberate an
desperate exchange ends. like Judas. !