Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1889-01-25
PARDON AND HEALING.
LESSON ", FIRST QUARTER INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JAN. 27.

Text of the Lesson Mark II. 1-12-Commit
Verses 1O-1a-Golden Text, Psalms Gill.
Commentary by the Row ID. NJ.
stearns.
Compiled from Lesson Helper Quarterly, by per
mission Of H. S. Hoffman, publisher, Phila-
dephia.l
l. "And again He entered into Caper
naum." The Joy of the leper who had been
healed led him, notwithstanding the COM
mand of the Saviour to blaze abroad the fact
of his being healed, and such multitudes
focked to Jesus that he had to leave the city
and withdraw into the wilderness, where
Luke tells us He prayed luke v, 49,, and
Mark says that even there they came to Him
from every quarter. Mark 1, 49, But now,
after some days, He returns to Capernaum,
and the news of His return is soon spread
abroad When He went at one time into the
borders of Tyre and Sidon He entered into an
house and would have no man know it, but
He could not he hid Mark vii, 24) How is
1t that today He seems to be hid in the homes
and lives of SO many who profess to have re-
ceived Himl Why is it not clearly manifest
that He is in us If indHd He isl Let each
ones heart reply.
q And straightway many were gathered
together, insomuch that there was no room
to receive Them In Luke v, II, it is said
that there were Pharisees and doctors of the
the law sitting by, which were come out of
every town of Galilee and Judea and Jeru-
salem; and the power of the Lord was pres
ent to heal them But though there was such
power present, these Pharisees and doctors
were not healed, for they had no idea that
they needed healing.
8. "And they come unto him, bringing one
sick Of the palsy, which was borne of four"
While these blind, self righteous Pharsees
and doctors, who might be healed if they
only knew their need, are listening to HIS
wonderful words, here is a case for the mani
festatlon of His wonderful power-a case OF
realized and manifest need.
4. They could not come Nigh
they uncovered the roof they let
down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy
lay" Luke V, 10, says they let him down
through the thing, with his couch, into the
midst before Jesus. Here is zeal and deter
minaton sure to accomplish its end if it be at
all possible to be accomplished
g. "When Jesus saw their faith" With
out faith it is impossible to please God Heb.
xi, O., but confidence in Him does always
please Him for 1.-THE eyes of the Lord run to
and fro throughout the whole earth to show
Himself strong III behalf of them whose
heart is perfect toward Him. III Chr. xvi, 81 !;
and how often we hear Him say, According
to your faith" "As thou hast believed APP
parently making the measure of blessing we
enjoy to be just III proportion to the meas
ure of our faith in him. When we consider
the record in Heb. XII and in the history of
the kings of Judah who relied upon God, may
wifi sk
act as if | had faith in Code"
HE said unto the sick of the palsy, Son,
thy sins be forgiven thee" Matt. tx, 2, says
that He also added, "Be of good cheer"
What power there is in word of encourage
ment, and how many we might drop by the
way as we journey on if we were not SO self
absorbed, but more filled with the Spirit Of
Christ, who went about doing good, so for
getful of self, and then how kindly He adj
dresses the sick man-no word of rebuke
either to him or his friends because of their
seemingly rude intrusion and sudden inter
ruption of His discourse, but a most kindly
and encouraging greeting.
q. The scribes sitting there were reason
ing in their hearts" They were His enc
miles, they did not believe in Him, they knew
| Him not.
Z. "Who can forgive sins but God onlyf'
| III Cor. X, s. margin) Why, of course no
one can, but here in this house, and in this
man, was God manifest in me flesh, and they
knew it not There they sit critlclsing, con-
demning, sitting IN judgment upon Him who
will one day be their judge, but now desires
to be their Saviour and their King. Will
they not say in that day, "Oh, il we
had only known!' Well, if they had only
compared the words and deeds and well
known history of this man with the testi-
mony of their prophets they might have been
convinced that this was He of whom the
prophets spake.
g. Jesus perceived in His spirit that they
so reasoned within themselves" Some one
has called this "mind reading extraordinary,
and indeed it is. How could He tell what
they were thinking about in their hearts
Just for the same reason that He could for
give sins, because He was God. OF Him i,
is written, Thou understandest my thought
afar of. There is not u word ON my tongue
but 10, o Lord, Thou knowest it altogether,
(Ps. cxxxix, 2, A.; and He Himself has said
II know the things. that come into YOU
mind, every one of them" Ezek x, 81
8. "Whether is it easier to say to the sicl
of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or t.
say, Arise, and take up thy bed and walk +
Either would require more than human
power, and either result would prove Hin
more than man. and yet a physician nigh
heal by skill and medicine the disease, Will,
only God could forgive sins; and III this case
sin being evidently the cause of the disease
the cause must be removed if a cure would b.
effected. As 10 the words used, 1t was us easl
to say the one as the other, but there must b
the power behind the words
10. Tine son of Man hath power on eartl
to forgive sins" Now il only God can for
give sins, VINO is this Son of Mani In tn
Eighth Psalm He is spoken of as havin,
dominion, and ali Things put under Him. Il
the Holy Spirits commentary upon Ps. viii
i'll Heb, H. we fad that this Jesus is the Son o
Man; and in | Cor. XIV, where He is Gale,
the last Adam, it is said that He must reigl
till He hath put all enemies under His feet
and that the last enemy to be destroyed i
death. Then III Dan. vii, -, we are toll
that it Is after the Judgment of the na
tions, and the destruction of the bias
pheming Antichrist that the Son G
Man is to receive His kingdom and dominic
over ell the earth which shall never he dc
stroyed. This Son of Man. then, is the ma