The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1890-11-19
TIE SUNDAY SCHOOL
AN INTERESTING AND INsTRUC-
TIVE LESSON.
Reflections of an Elevating Character
Wholesome Food for Thought = study
Ing the scriptural Lesson Intoiligentiy
and Probably.


The lesson for Sunday. Nov. %, may be
found in Luke 30: 33-47.
INTRODUCTORY
In the lesson before Us the things con-
corning Jesus, even as he said 10 his dis
cipies. have an end. The cruelty and
saVagery OF man reaches its elimination,
the humiliation Of Christ touches it's lower
most del tbs. AT last he Is lifted up. And
now comes his supremest eXaltatiOn and
his crown. Now does he become. In very
deed, "king OF the Jewsr-spiritual king
Tor all the race OF Adam. This was Christ's
glory, and now let teacher and preacher
say each for himself. "G0d forbid that |
should glory save In the cross OF our Lord
Jesus Christi
WHAT THE LESSON SAYS.
And when. Christ's enemies lost no time.
They led him straight from Pilates court
I'd the cross.-They were come. DIR. CO.
nant renders IL, perhaps mere closely. had
gone away, Pilates court being considered
the center OF the scene.--Calvary liter
ally skull (cranion), from which our crani-
uIn' IL was but mound or knoll on the
edge OF the city.-The malefac tois There
would probably have been three malefac-
tors here, had not Barabbas been released.
Then said Jesus, etc. Omitted by Sim
attic Ms. but retained In Tischendorf' 5 care
fully prepared text, as being found I'm other
parchmenis. What they do. More graph
ically, what they are doing PARTED.
Better divided with the idea OF sharing.
East lots. Putting the portions i'm sep
aratc piles, they cast lots for the better
share, including the seamless robe. John
10: pa
stood. beholding or gazing. 1t was a
sight TO awaken strange emotions. 1t was,
however, with the most OF them but heart
less curiosity, in itself contemptuous.-
Derded. From word sIgnifying TO toss up
the nose. The same word IS used OF the
Pharisees. Luke l6: 1i.-tIe saved others.
The Greek order, preserved i'm the Bible
Union Version gives "A stronger impression;
"Others he saved" let him save himself.
Voice The last Of the seven voices OF
the cross My spirit, His last word a
quotation fIom the Scripture Ps 81: D
Save mp. Suggestive of his voluntary
sacrifice.
Centurion. Formally in charge.
righteous man. His word TO be trusted.
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHES.
They We're come TO the place. At last. 1t
is the parting OF the ways. the meeting
place OF all the lines OF history, the reckon
ing point OF the centuries. Prophets looked
forward To IL. Prlestly fingers pointed to-
ward IL. Even the signboards of a Cyrus
and Caesar lead up toward IT, Away back
there in Eden the first glance was taken.
And now they have come to the place. Men
look and see but tired sufferer climbing a
hillock, with hateful cross upon his back.
Angels summoned from all the universe
troop near and gaze transhNcd upon the
lifting up OF a king.
Let him save himself. Then would he
save himself alone; then were we all lost !,
Never were truer words spoken "Hiinself
he cannot save.n Jesus, our Lord, must
needs DE "obedient unto death, even the
death of the Cross.n There are two per-
suasions 10 the self-saving here, both OF
which form. when rightly viewed, strong
] q st a Ia Of i
"he saved others" Aye, verify, and hence
he cannot save himself. 1t is the just dying
TO- the unjust; and without the death of
"One,n there is no life for the 'Others.n The
other argument l., "If hen Tor "thou,n tho
thief directly SAYS, lettering the villainy
he has been taught abe Christ, the chosen
of Cod He is the Christ, the anointed
one, and Just for this was he anointed,
even as he said at Nazareth. "ChOsen OF
Godn is he; and why? ale humbled him
self" yea, in the very losing OF himself, he
saves himself and his. wherefore God
also hath highly exalted him and given him
a name above every name" What is that
name? "Thou shalt call his name Jesus
for he shall save his people from their
sins"
This is the King of the Jews There was
fearful sarcasm in the superscriptiOn. II
must have cut the Jews 20 the quick.
"Shall / cruelty your kingf" Plate had
said from his chair OF state in n tone of half
reprOOf, half mOckng. ave have no king
but Cgsar,n was the insincere response.
And PLATE knows IT. TO be such, and there is
something almost sardonic in the grim
humor with which he nails the tell-tale
title 70 the cross: "This is the king OF the
Jews.n As much as % say, see the weakling
jew at his best: see, too how the deceitful
Jew treats his king! And there he hung. a
king rejected of his own, a king on "a cross,
Verify this was his mission; and this his
cXaltation. They thought to debase him,
and 10, they, unwittingly, crowned him. 1t
was he who "prevailed.n This is Jesus the
king OF the Jews.
To-day thou shalt be with me I'm paradise.
! a window is here opened into heaven. What
"A blessing il has proven to many be-
nightcd soul. Ii tells Us two things In par
ticular: Cd That there Is hope for the low
lest and (2) that heaven. blessed heaven.
is not far away. "Remember me- was all
the pcnitcnt thief needed to say. There be
those who, following the doctrine of the
I ightC Ousness, have tried to lay worth
Of some sort on the me, rather than the i'm
piled Thou; and so they have coined the
legend of the thief saving the holy family
from his comrades on their journey down
into Egypt. But no. He was doubtless but
/ an ordinary sinner n bandit OF the way.
! Take him, indeed, as a type OF the lowest,
/ and let no portion OF the hope here held out
/ 10 the fallen be snatched away. And then.
/ ion), "Remembcr me when thou contest in
! thy Kingdom presumably a long way
| ahead. Quick comes the answer, "To-day
thou shalt be with me in paradise" With
! Christ i'm paradise. Verify, though the
| glory waits. il is well with our dead who die
| I'm the Lopd-blissfully well, even to- day.
Certainly this was righteous man. Aye,
certainly, without shadow OF doubt. There
was Pilates thrlce-uttered acquittai fol-
| lowing as 1t aid upon the perjured and
empty trial Of the Jews. Here also we have
! just been reading the testimony OF one with
! him i'm the same condemnation, n fellow
| prisoner and a fellow-safferer. That abe
/ hath done nothing amiss," from culprit's
! lips would weigh nightly with court OF
| Justice. And now. fran the centurion, a
| disnterested. nay, an interested observer
careful. we might suppose, 10 have his eX-
| ecution blameless-cOmes the soulful con-
| fession, As | live, this man was Innocent
| We might long TO know what became of the
centurion. Did he put his confession into
actg Was he OF the multitude at Pente-
| cost? or. better. OF the waiting company IN
! the upper rooml Rather let the inquiry be
what is your testimony and mine to-day
| In a multitude of gatherings Christ cruci-
fed shall be lifted mp. Can any one, look
ing, say else than that "this waSa righteous
MANI Righteous, yes, but IL so, what