Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1889-01-04
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON I, FIRST QUARTER, INTER
NATIONAL SELlES, JANUARY 6.
rCxt Of tho Lesson aiark 1-It-Commcnt
Verses 6-S--Coldcn Text I, 3-Com-
mcntary by the Rev. -. VI. stearns.

mission of II. 5 Hoffman, publisher, Phiadel-
phia
!. The beginning Of the Gospel Of Jesus
Christ, the Son Of Cod" We shall now be
privileged for six months to study again the
earthly life. or rather the unearthly life on
this earth, Of our Lord Jesus Christ; for al
though He was perfect man, yet He was an
unaarthlv man, at home among men, SYM
rathzinE with all men, and yet ever speak
ing of and pointing men 90 a home from
which He had come and TO which He was re-
turning. His thirty-thrco or four years on
earth as IA man among men was but an event
IN a life which had no beginning and shall
have no end, for He was in The beginning
witch God, all things were made by Him and
for Him, and lie shall subduo MI things unto
Himself. Although it is over eighteen hun
drcd years since He was earth, yet he is
real man today, unchanged and unchange-
able. and as We rod OF Him in the Gospels,
80 we IRE to think of Him, saving healing,
sy!npath2ing, comforting; calling MS To fol-
low Him. serve Him. wait and look for Him
while VIC yield our bodies unto Linn that He,
by His spirit, may live His iit3 over again in
each of His followers. II the Old Testament
lie was forotold Gs not only the seed OF tho
woman who should bruiso thc gerpent's head,
but also as the seed OF Abraham in whom all
nations should he blessed the Son of David
who should sit on Davids throne, the servant
Of God, doing all His pleasure. the Sen Of
Man subduing all things uuto Himself and
restoring the dominion lost by Adam, and
the Son of God, equal with God and reveal
ing Col to man. III Matthew's gospel VIC
learn of Him as Son OF David, Son OF Abra-
ham, King Of the Jews; yhlc in this gospel
We SEQ Hin rather as the servant spoken Of
in lisa. Xii, l, "Banold my scrvant;' also
13a xxx, &; lii, II, Lick XxxVii, -, %;
Zach iii, x, etc. There IS ono word in this
gospel which peculiarly points Him out as
the servant it is used about eighty times IN
the New Testament, and hall that number Of
times Il is found i'll this gospel; ten or eleven
times it is found i'll this first chapter and il
translated "immediateiy," "straightway,n
'forthwith," "anon,n but in the Revised
Version it is always "straigEtwGy." Nh.le
each gospel has its distinctive features, we
nlso find moro or less Of each in them all, and
this iirst verso brings before us jesus, tho
Saviour who saves not only from tho wrath
to come, but also from OR sins: Christ, the
Messiah, the anoiuted King Of israol, and
the Son of Cod, equal with God, one with the
Father The beginning of tho gospel OF glad
tiuings i'll my soul was when received Him
as NY ovil Saviour, and blessed be God while
there was a te8innug there shall bo no end.
. us ii Is written in the prophc,s. Inc
whole history OF His humiliation, sdlccinCs,
death, resurrection and future glory is all
written in the Prophets, for they oil spake of
Him, the Holy SPIRIT speaking through
them.
'Eehold send my messenger boforo Thy
face who shall prepare Thy way" This is
quotation from Malachi III, l, and rctors 70
John the Baptist o. the herald OF JESUS Christ
Observe carefully GGbriel's announcement
CONCERNING him in Luke j. 1917, and his
f1ti,a,., nj p,-rucO Ij1.- in lait-n
j. 76--2.
3 Tho voice Of ono crying in tho wilder
ness This is a quotation from Isaiah II, 3,
and carries Us beyond the first coming Of
Christ, when lie came to suffer, 70 His second
coming, when lie shall comfort Jerusalem,
parIonin@ her iHlqulty and cause ali hesh to
see the glory Of the Lord; when Ii shall APP
pear ia lii glory 10 build up Zion Ps cli l6l;
when lie shall oppear the second time with
out sin unto salvation licb. ix, ~ tho saliva
ton ready to be revealed at he revelation Of
Jesus Christ. q Pct 3, I, 49,
:. "lEe baptism Of repentance for, orunto,
tho remission Of sins Such was the prrach l.
ing Of John ami such was the commission
t. and the preaching of the apostles Luke
XNly, Il; ACES iii, 70; :, 81, with hi, dil-
ference, that John pointed h Il Saviour
I. JuC 10 como, whio the apostles pointed %
Saviour who had come, suffered was crUci-
fed. risen, GsceuGcd and would C mo AGAIN
to restore all Things Of which tho prophets
lad spoken (Acts III, 12-2l
H. hlst essential TO present happiness
and future glory Is the forgiveness OF our
sins and that We cannot have without re-
renten"e-thnt IS, true turning from sin to
God, or, as our catechisn has il, "a change
OF mind t)wl"I God, the effect of the con-
v-ctiou Qi sin wrought w. the Holy Ghost
:, "lherc went ont unto him al! Judcan
Grelt multitudeS c2luc q hun cOnfessiuE
Their sins and desiring baptism, but ms csti-
T!ate Of their sincerity and tue repentance
we may SatEar from his preaching luke III,
tbs. No outward form or mere say so is
worth anything Whichever in h. matter Il
repentance, or faith, or service, nothing tut
rceLloAest heart work is Of any avail, and
JOHN gave them TO understand that unless
their 1--we, proved their sincerity they would
like cha.7 como to the IuGucnch@b.c fire.
G. Clothed with camcls bar.n Jonn was
no fashionable preacher, either as 10 person
or style; food and ralmeat were matters Of
small Importance 70 him, aud as u his
preaching he Sought NOT 10 please men, but
God. Gubric, had said that no would CONS
in the spirit and power q Elijah luke t. IN,
and although be was not Elijah John /, 2D,
10 WIS wonderfully like tim.
:. "OHr ml-hter than In And John did
not consider hl'n3clI worthy to be privileged
to Un-oosc his shoes. GabTle! himself would
crver sucn an honor, and what angel in
Heaven would not rejoice 10 Do Him the
LOWEST scryicei Bur tho is so mighty in
most Of IN that Johns "migh.ier than |,
whom he 50 delighted to honor, finds 10 but
poor witnesses. Ito Is "rhc Mighty God, the
Everlasting Father, tho Prnca of Pcace;'
and II wo only believed what we profess to
believe, that We Cra joint heirs with Him
who is Her OF al things, and arc thus ex-
allied through HIS sulfernGs, our devotion to
linn would he such that thought of self
would not be tolerated We would say with
Paul, Nor me n live in Christ Gad to dio is
gain, lei Him be glorited either BY my life
Or DEATH Q'hll. j. 70, ~.
s. "hc shall bapviss You with tho Holy
Ghost Unless VIC nave this baptism we shall
never amount TO anything III Christs service
o. Jesus was baptized OF john in Jordan, .
Read the more full account OF this event in
Matt ill., 1917; John i, 2D-34 Jesus had nc
Gin TO confess; lie needed no repentance iout
He said to john, Suffer It 70 be SO now, iol