The Ottawa free trader., 1889-04-20
THE GREAT COMMANDMENTS.
International Sunday School Lesson for
April FL 1889.


LESSON TEXr-Mark l2 1854.
GOLDEN TExT-Love Is the fulfilling Of
the law-Rom. l3 10.
CENTRAL TRUTu-And now abidcth Faith,
Hope, Love; but the greatest of these is
love.
TIME-A ID. 80, Tuesday, April 4. The
same day as the last lesson
PLAcE-The temple court, at Jerusalem.
PARALLEL ACCOUNTANT. 81 "a 10
INTERVENING SToRY-After Jesus had
spoken the three parallels, one of which
we studied last Sunday, there were three
attempts TO entrap Jesus, so as TO have oc-
casion for arresting Him and bringing Him
before the Roman court. First came the
Pharisees and Herodians, with u difficult
question about tribute. Then came the
skeptical Sadducees with a puzzling ques
ton about the resurrection. And now
comes scribe, one learned in the law with
hard question,
HELPS OVER HARD PLACEs-2S one Of the
scri6es: those who wrote out the Scriptures,
and were learned in them. Which is the first
commandment first in Importance and bind
ing force. This question was a constant
bone OF contention among the scrlbes. -.
Hear, Israel, etc. from Deut. 6:4-9. The
Lord our God is one Lord. One OF the best
services science has done for religion is the
completeness of the proof that there is but
one God, by proving the unity of material,
OF force, OF government throughout the
known universe. The unity of moral law is
another unassailable proof, We believe iu
one God and only one. 30. Al ny heart: af-
fections and will. Soul: the seat of the de-
sires, disposition, character. The mind: re-
Elective and reasoning powers. These in
I,,1,, 10 tha ,l.>1, A.
full and entire devotion of all these powers
81. Thy mighbOr; any one whom you can
help, As hySeJ: not as one does, but as
one ought, to love himself None . . greater:
they include all others 33 More than
burnt offerings! love is the highest act of
which we are capable, -. Not far from the
Kingdom! he only needed repentance and
faith to be within.
REASONS FOR LOVING GoD sUPREMELY-
"a He is supremey good; He Is the sum of
NIL good. He that loves God loves all that is
good and hates all that is evil. (2) He is
not only good, but lovable His goodness is
attractive; it IS worthy of love. (0 All we
have and are we owe to Him; and the only
way IN which we can make any return is TO
love Him and obey Him in love.
That is all that is ours to give;
to withhold it is unutterably mean.
az "The best thing in man is love, and God
wants the best (5) Such love not only
honors God, but elevates man. Love is the
most ennobling act Of the soul; and the
nobler and higher the object and the more
intense the love, so much the more is the
one who thus loves ennobled, purified, en-
larged, exalted in nature. 60 God draws
specially near those who thus love Him.
His infinite power, His loving care, protect
and enfold them. They shall be safe. They
shall be useful. They shall be blessed.
Love FULFILLING THE LAw-Love fulfills
the law in two ways. C 1t makes the
keeping of the law completely full Unlov-
ing obedience satisfies no parent, much less
our Heavenly Father. (2l Love leads to the
fulfilling of the law. BE that loves God
will obey God.
ALMOST IN THE kINGpoM-Those are not
far from the Kingdom who, like this man,
are % of a sincere and open mind. The
soil of their hearts is not so numbered with
thorns of worldliness and formality that the
seed can not enter. (2) Those who, like
him, realize in their minds the true nature
of the Kingdom, and see plainly what they
must do and be. (3) Those who with these
things are of blameless morals, and have
not to break off deep-roOted and firm grown
habits a. Those are not far off who are
yet young, and have been trained under
Christian influence and in BUle truths.
! knowledge of the Bible in its spiritual
meaning brings us near to the Kingdom.
NoTE-Q) That those who are merely
near TO the Kingdom are not saved (2)
That they win not remain near. They must
either enter, or drift farther away. (3) 1t
will be a sad thing to be lost after having
| mill
greatly enhance the misery. "a When one
is near is the best time to enter.
COMMENTS During the life Of our Lord
men came to Him with all manner of queer
questions Among these men was one who
had asked Him, saying: (Which is the
first commandment of allE' 70 this the
Master gave the immortal answer which we
have i'll our lesson for to-day. In the place
Of the ten commandments given from
Mount Sinai, he placed two; and they set
| forth to us the fact that in lOUe is the full
fllment of all that God requires Of us. In
stead of saying: "DOnt do this, and don't
do that" 1t merely tells us TO love God
with all our hearts, and our fellow men as
ourselves and all else will take care of 1t.
self Jesus Christ seeks to elevate men by
| love. He uses fear and desire for reward,
each In its proper place, but He never ex-
ats them above love. Fear may arouse the
sinner to anxiety, and the assurance of re-
ward may gladden. the heart of the striving
saint, and for these purposes they are often
used in the Bible. But they are never for
moment placed above love. The great com
mand on which hang all the law and all the
prophets remains ever the same. This is
the great and unique popularity of the
Bible, that it alone of all religious books
places the foundation Of religion where it
ought to be. 1t alone points out the path
that leads to true religion or reunion of tho
soul with God. Rev. A. f. Schaunler.
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS.
l. When one does any thing well, it brings
more OF the same kind to do.
| 2. The basis of all the commandments is
In Zone God, infinite, eternal, and unchange-
able in His being, wisdom, power, justice,
goodness, truth and love-
3. We must always hold with the utmost
tenacity to the unity of God. We believe in
the trinity,-in three persons mot three
individually, the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit, and these three are one God.
4. The foundation of virtue is supreme
| love to God.
10 hot IT, ,,l,v .,,r,II