Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1889-03-07
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON FOR MARCH TENTH.
THE CHILDLIKE s3EIT-MARK IN, sS-,2.

THE CHILDLIkE S?lEIT-MARK IN, 60
NoTES-''And they came to Caperna-
I'm" The dispute probably occurred
on the way from the Mount of Transfg-
uratiOn to Capernaum. Christ'S rebuke
was uttered in Peters house immediate
ly after the scene about the tribute
money Who 1CaS the greatest 81
1t was common Jewish view that there
were to be distinctions of rank in the
Messianic Kingdom of Heaven. High
rank, thought the rabbis, would be con-
ferred through much learning or merit;
but favOritism was one sure way of COM
manding high position. This dispute
clearly turned in the jealous thought,
Which were Christi favoriteS?- ?-'And
he took q little child child was
probably Peters, and was old enough to
walk, for Matthew states that he was
called. An untruStworthy tradition
makes this child the martyr Ignatius.
I've SdlC ore casting out decaS iR
thy mans" THE fact that this man had
entirely departed from the usual form
OF Jewish eXOrciSm, and had used the
name of Christ, shows how widely ex-
tended and real the belief in the power
of Jesus was. Here is an unconscious
tribute to the widespread reverence Je-
sus was held in by many outside of the
special circle of his disciples. He show
ed right spirit which Christ respected.
Soup Of tCGter."-the least trouble
some and the cheapest form of charity.
"A great milestone acre hanged
about his necK." Not the one turned by
hand but the kind that is turned by an
ass. This effective punishment was
one inflicted by Augustus, and accord
ing to Jerome, was actually practieed
by the Romans in Galilee on some of
the leaders in an inSurrection.
Decentralization one is in the
wrong he generally knows it. The dis
ciples gave good example of holding
their tongues in shame when faced in
their own sinful ambitions. The most
eloquent confession of guilt is silence.
Ambition makes many mistakes; but
the queerest of all is it to suppose that
you truly compass your self-aggrandize-
ment when you work for yourself alone.
The more you do for others, the more
they do for you. The more you do for
yourself, the less others feel disposed to
lend hand. To put it on the lowest
plane, the best policy to follow out to
obtain personal success is to spend ones
self utterly to make others great. Christ
uttered political as well as a spiritual
truth when he rebuked the vain disci-
pies.
A Prince seems to have high rank and
great privileges, but the servant is al
ways in the presence of the King.
The spirit of child is trust. Its
creed is dependence. Its act is love-
This is the atmosphere we must carry
with us if we would be taken in His
arms.
Note the stages of reception. Christ
blOts himself finally out of the success
sion. First we must act tenderly toward
all weakness in the magic name of
Christ. That conditions the second
stage of growth, the holy honor of re-
ceiving the spirit of the Father of Christ
into our lives.
The spirit of exclusiveness seems to
have invaded the heart of the gentle
apostle John. 1t is easy to be intolerant
toward other sects and methods of pre-
senting truth. The question is, not hooD
does man follow Christ, but rather is
he GCith Christ or not? No man will
speak evil of Jesus who honors Him
and tries to initiate Him. A universal
feeling of cordial neutrality should ex-
ist between the more conventional
Christians and those, who in their origi-
nal and perhaps unsympathetic ways do
work, however impeJectty, sin His
name"
The scale of spiritual life can never
be exactly balanced. Either right or
wrong will prove the carrying weight.
There are many who pretend to be spirit
ual neutrals who sit on the fence of
of their superior critical pride. Such
pretensiOns are invalid. Only the unin-
tellectual are taken in. Christ has for
ever blasted the pet delusion that has
taken hold Of so many wavering hearts, |
that the uninfuential middle course is
honorable ground.
To tempt the ductile young to sin is
painted hopeless offense. To sneer at
obedience to parents, to seduce children
to lie, steal, to drink, to obscenity of
thought or expression, to irreverence,
these are but few of the ways of fasten-
ing about ones neck the milestone of
Divine wrath.