The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1890-07-31
the PRopioAL SON.
International Sunday. school Lesson for
August B, 1890.

International Sunday. School Lesson for
August 3, 1890.
1nesoN TBxr-Luke i5:ii!ol
golden TExT-Father, I have sinned against
Heaven, and before thee.-Luke 1914
Tnfn-December, A. D. 30; the same time ~
our last lesson. Na
YfAcn-Perea, beyond Jordsn. f
ExPLANAToRY--I. The Two Sons
Yer. II. Sand He (Jesus) said:" to tho
same audience to whom He had spoken
the other parallels (ver. ~. IA certain
man had two sons" The house,
holder represents our Heavenly Father.
The two sons undoubtedly represent
the two classes whose presence led to
the discourse; the scribes and Pharisees
(the elder sony, and the publicans and
sinners (the younger SOM.
II. The Wandering.-Vers. 10, 18.
First Stage.-A Self-willed Heart at
tracted from Home. IL. "And the
younger Of them" A type Of I'LL sin.
ners, but especially Of all who have
yielded to the temptations Of youth.
"Father, give me tho portion Of goods
(property, that falleth to me-" The
elder son, the representative Of the race,
the prop of the family, was as such
much more deeply attached to the
home and the estate; and as such ire
ceived as his inheritance double share
Of the patrimonial lands, the younger
members single share" (Deut. 21:17).
Leaving His Father and Home. 18.
''Not many days after" But not i'm
mediately. "The younger son gathered
all together" BY this gathering to-
gether Of all, and departing, seems in.
timated the collecting, on mans part, Of
all his energies and powers, with the
deliberate determination of getting,
through their help, all the qualification
he can out of the world. In the Far
Country Of Sin. "And took his journey
into far country" In order
to be far away from the re-
straints and interference Of his father.
A Wasted Living. "And there wasted
his substance" lhis property with
riotous living" The ordinary English
translation pictorially illustrates his
course, which was clearly one Of dissipa-
tion. But the Greek is literally,
scattered what he had, living unsaving-
ly, and this more literal translation
embodies the spiritual truth represented
In the picture. A Famine OF the Soul. IA.
"And when he had spent ALL" This
seems to have happened very soon: the
enjoyment of sin is brief. "There
arose o mighty famine in that land"
The liberty of self-enjoyment is not un-
limited, as the sinner would fain think;
It has limits Of two kinds: the one per-
tanning to the individual himself, such
as safety, remorse, feeling of des-
utution and abjectness resulting from
Woe (when he had spent ally; the other
arising from certain unfavorable out
ward circumstances, here represented
by the famine which occurs at this
crisis. The Slaveryoof Sin. Is. "And
he went and joined himself" Literally
''glued himself to-" fastened himself
upon; he was, in effect, slave "to a
citizen Of that country" either men
hopelessly corrupt and worldly, or per-
haps the powers Of evil. ''And he sent
him into his fields to feed swine." The
tntensity of this climax could only be
duly felt by Jews, who had such a
loathing and adherence for swine that
they would not even name them, but
spoke Of pig as "the other thing"
Cambridge Bible. 18. "And he would
fain:" he was glad to, he was only too
happy to. The "husks that the swine
did eat" are now familiarly known to be
the pods Of the Ceratonia siliqua. of
Linn@us, the kharub of the natives.
I'LL. The Return.-Vers. 1921. In
these verses every element in the ex.
perience of true repentance Is clearly
traced: consciousness of sin, resolution
Of repentance, abandonment of sin, re-
turn to God, confession to him without
palliation or excuse, conservation to His
service. First CONSCIOUSNESS of
Sin and Want. II. Sand when he came
to himself" The phrase is wonderful
ly suggestive. He had been living to a
self which was not his true SELF Sec
ond Step-A Consciousness of Better
Things. The Holy Spirit convinces
men of righteousness as we'll as of sin
(John 1860, 10Y, gives them the knowl-
edge and the assurance Of the possibil-
ity of better life. "He said: How
many hired servants of my fathers" /"
Evidently the lowest, meanest and least
cared for people in his fathers em.
ployment. "Have bread enough and TO
spare" Even these have enough to
eat-not the higher joys and blessings
Of children and heirs, but the peace and
comfort which belong to their lower
natures. "And (his son, member OF
his family,) perish with hunger" Lit
orally, am destroying myself. He real
ly destroys himself who remains in want
away from the abundance of his fathers
table. Observe that the very lowest
possible motive suffices for starting
point in Christian experience. Third
Step-Repentance. is. 81 will arise"
He resolves with all his heart to change
his course of life. 10. Sand am no
more worthy" etc. Genuine penitence
always feels its unworthiness. "Make
me as one," etc. He does not give
up his sonship, but asks only
the treatment given to q hire
ling. for he does not even deserve that.
Fourth Step-FOrsaking Sin and Re-