The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1889-02-16
CHRIST AND THE YOUNG.
International Sunday School Lesson for
March ~, 1889.
Especially arranged from $ S. QUARTERLY

Of such is the Kingdom of God.-Mark l0:l4.
CENTRAL Truth Eternal life is gained
by faith in Jesus which gives up all things
to Him.
TME-March, A, d. 80. Several months
after the last lesson. A few weeks before
the crucifxon.
PLACE-On Chrst's last journey TO Jeru-
salem from Ephraim along the borders OF
Galilee and Samara and down the Jordan
valley To Jericho. He had not yet reached
jericho.
PARALLEL AccoUNrs-Matt. 16:l3-22; Luke
1S:l5-23
INTERVENING HIsToRY-Mark 9:43 TO 10:
10; Matt. IS % 10 l9:l2; Luxe 9:5l TO lS:l4;
John ~ TO IL "a.
ISTRoDUCuoN-Seve months intervene
between the last lesson and this, filed with
important events, chiefly recorded by Luke
and John. One OF the greatest was the
raising Of Lazarus from the dead.
The excitement about that miracle raised
such storm of opposition from the leading
Jews that Jesus retired TO the little village
of Ephraim, north ofJerusalem. This was
in February. In March Jesus went north
ward to the borders of Galilee and Sama-
ria, moved eastward to the Jor1ian, crossed
the river, and descended on Us eastern side,
through Perea 1t was on this journey that
to-day's lesson occurred.
HELPS OVER HARD PLACES -l3. And His
disciples rebmfei, etc. because bringing the
children interrupted an important discourse.
They thought Jesus would not wish to
bother with babies when He had men to in
struct. IA. Jesus ioas dtsptea,ed: because
they kept away from Him, Q those who
wanted to come; ~ those who would be
the hope of the church; (3) those whom He
came to save; AZ those whom lie loved; ~
those who were the types of what INA
disciples should be. or such is the kingdom
of God: of such little children. And, as He
explains in v. ID, those who come to God as
children to parent.
BRINGING CHILDREN TO JEsUs-Children
are brought to Jesus Q) by daily, constant,
earnest prayer on their behalf; (2l by teach
ing them the truth; ~ by consecrating
them to God for this life and the life to
come; ~ by training them up for Christ.
H. When He tpds gJae FORTE; from the house
where He was staying. 1 TO the Wdy: the
high road, by this time crowded with tray
elers to the passover. There came one:
ruler, probably of the synagogue (Matt.).
He was rich, moral, attractive, earnest. Is.
WhUcdl est thou Ne god: not rebuke for
calling Him good, but an inquiry whether
he looked upon Hun as IA common teacher,
usually called good MASTER" or as Divine
teacher, good in the sense that God is good
49,, HnolCest he commandments: all in Heaven,
who have eternal life, naturally keep the
commandments, which are summed up in
one word, lore. -. Al tn Sc haze I Observed:
outwardly, in a worldly view; and yet he
was conscious OF a lack. He felt that he
did not possess eternal life. Fl. one thing
thou idcteSt: he lacked one thing, but 1T was
the main thing-that loving trust which
consccrated all to God, which is the soul OF
all good works Sell whatsoever thou hdSt:
use your property for God; give it all to
Him. What does this mean for us' In prin-
cple, the same as to Him. God does not ask
us to give all to the poor, as De did this
man. for He let John retain his home But
whatever He does ask US to do with it we
are to do. Not one dollar is to be kept aside
from His will. FOlloD me: note His possible
future as a disciple, compared with His
obscure future as namcless rich man.
COMMENTS God loves children, God loves
all children, good and bad. How strange
that some people tell child: "If you do
that God will not love you" Who first in
vented that doctrine of Satana The hardest
thing to make man believe is, that God
loves him. The Gospel preacher wearies
himself, almost in vain, in heraldlng the
truth God so loved the world, and points
to Calvary in proof of it. But even while He
does this, the carnal man rejects the proof
and denies the assertion. Since Jesus was
God manifest in the flesh, He is TO US a
proof that God loves children. But what
return does love call fora A return of
love- ave love Him because He first
loved US" Love should beget love, espe-
cialy when the first love was disinter
ested one. God loves us now, therefore we
should love Him now. Remember now
thy Creator in the days of thy youth"
Many of our scholars have probably often
thought that if they could see Jesus as the
children of Jerusalem saw Him 1T would be
easy to love Him. That may be So but yet
we can love Him though He is not here in
bodily form. And one way of showing that
we do love Him is to keep HIS command
ments He SAYS: He that hath my com
mandments, and keepeth them, he it is that !
loveth me-" (John IA 2l.) And the aged
apostle john, shortly before he died, said :
"For this is the love of God, that we keep
His commandments" We need not feel
towards God or towards Jesus exactly as
we feel towards our parents, or those we
love in this world, but we must so love the
Lord as TO be more ready to obey Him than
any one else in the world.-Rev. A. +.
Schaut1er
PRACTICAL sUGG EsTIoNs.
l. We here see the love of Jesus for chill
dren.
Q Children should go to Jesus very early
in life.
8 Older persons should go with the chill
dren to church, to Sabbath-school, to Jesus.
4. Children may be hndered by neglect,
by bad example, by wrong teachi ng, by the
habits and influences of their homes.
5. Eternal life the most important thing
to seek after
6. We should go to Jesus to find eternal
life.
Z. 1t is possible to be very careful of out
ward works and wholly miss their spirit.
s. Outward morality does not satisfy the
soul.
o. Eternal life is given to those who so
trust Jesus as to give up every tn ing into
His hands to be used according to His will.
A Ray of Solar Light.
A ray of solar light is'composed OF an I'M
determined number of variously colored