Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-08-29
ENTERING THE KINGDOM.
LESSON TX, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, AUG. 81.
Text of the Lesson, Luke xviii, 1890.
Luke xviii. Parliamentary by Rev. ID.

L
| Commit Verses, 15-1S-Golden Text,
Luke xviii. Is-Oommentary by Rev. ID.
NJ. stearns.
| compiled from Lesson Helper Quarterly by per-
mission of H. s. Hoffman, publisher, Philadel-
| phia.
Is. "And they brought unto Him also
infants, that He WOULD touch them: but
tUhen His disciples san It, they rebuked
them" The two incidents of this lesson
the little children, and the rich young
ruler-are recorded also in Matt. xix, and
Mark X. According to Mark and Luke the
request was that He should touch them,
but according to Matthew He was asked to
put His hands on them and pray.
16. But Jesus called them unto Him,
and said, Suffer little children to come
unto me, and forbid them not: for of such
Is the Kingdom Of God" Mark adds that
He was much displeased. Is there a posi-
bility that we displease Him by not being
more interested in bringing the little chill
dren unto HimP Surely here is great en-
enlargement for the teachers of the infant
classes. But in what sense can it be said
that "of such is the KingdomS" 1t can
not be their innocence, for all are born sin
ners, children of wrath (Rom. v, IL; Eph.
ii, 81, and we go astray as soon as we be
born. But see how empty, helpless and
dependent an infant is; it has nothing,
needs everything; and when we see that
that is our condition before God, and come
in our helplessness to Him, we shall be ac-
cepted of Him, and become children of the
Kingdom. AS to the safety of little infants
who die before they come to the knowledge
Of good and evil, see Deut. i, 80, and re-
member that God knows how to make the
precious blood of Christ avail for them.
The streets of the city shall be full of them
.Zech. viii, 81.
L. "Verily | sag unto you, IVhosocrr
hdu not rccctUe the Kingdom as u little
child, shall in no 1CtSc enter therein"
What, then, shall become of such as will
not accept the humiliating truth that "in
:hem dwelleth no good thing" and that
''by the deeds of the law (our very best do
ngs) no flesh can be justified in His sight"
Rom. vii, Is; iii, 20), who persist in think
.ng that if they do as near right as they
IAN God will not cast them outS
1S and q certain ruler asked Him,
saying, Good Master, lUhdt shall do to
inherit eternal ltfe1" Mark says that he
came running and kneeled to Him. Here
is great earnestness, and in an all impor-
tant matter Here is humility also. He
has none of the proud, self righteous spirit
of the Pharisee in our last lesson; but we
shall also see that He has neither the dee .
conviction of sin of the publican, nor the
empty condition of the little child.
49, And Jesus said unto him, Why
cdllest thou me good1 None Is good sdpe
one, that is God" Jesus knew Just how
much he meant by good" and would
awaken him to think. His question may
have had this meaning, Do you believe that
| am God, and therefore do you thus address
me? When we address God in prayer it is
well to use only such titles as we under
stand the significance of, otherwise we are
saying meaningless words, as far as we are
concerned
90 "T7tOu knolUest the commandments. {"
81. And he said, All these haze kept
from myyOuth up" He, no doubt, thought
he had. He was righteous in his own eyes,
%. "No,D arhcn Jesus heard these things
He said unto him, Yet ldckest thou one
thing" Mark says that beholding him He
loved him. There must have been some
thing specially sincere about him that
commended him to Jesus, who read his
heart. A lovely character no doubt he was,
moral, amiable and earnest. But what
availed it all if the one essential thing was
lacking9
"Seu all that thou hast and distribute
unto the poor, and thou shalt hare treas
ure In Heaven; and come, follo,O me-"
%. And 1Chen nc heard this he toas
very sorrOlcful, for he aUds Very rich. !"
Mark says that he went away greved
He would not follow Jesus at such "A price
The cross was too heavy. His own wealth
was more real to him than treasure in
heaven. 1t seems strange to the natural
man and unreasonable but it is the Law of
the Master for His followers, that to give
away is to keep forever, and to keep for
ones self is to lose forever.
a. nd l0hcn Jesus salU that he ,Das
UcrY sOrrOWtm, He said, HOlU hdrdly
shall they that hare riches enter into the
Kingdom OF God" Riches in themselves
are not sinful, but it is hard to have them
and not be entangled by them. If we could
gratefully enjoy and use for the glory of
God the things of this world all would be
well; but when the good gifts of God take
the place of God in the heart then all is
wrong
25. For 1t Is caster for camel to 90
through needles cye than for q rich man
to enter into the Kingdom OF God. 1t is said
that the small gate for the foot passengers
might possibly be entered by a camel, if
unloaded, but for a loaded camel to pass
through it would be an utter impossibility.
26. And they that heard it said, Who
then can be SdUcdr Perhaps they did
not notice that Jesus spoke only of such
as, like this man, chung to their riches. In
Cor. i, 26, the Spirit does not say, Not
any wise, or mighty, or NOBLE" but "Not
many wise, not many mighty, not many
noble are called" and some one has slid,
THANK God for the letter NJ" When we
look about us and see the race for wealth,
may we not well ask "Who can be savedY'
But it is better to look within, or rather
ask the Lord to look within us, for His
eyes are sharper than ours, and see if there
is any idol in our heart that is either keep
ing us from being saved or, if saved, that
is keeping us from being wholly His for
His service.
81. and He said, The things uhfch are
impossible tOith men are possible totth
God" Or, according to Mark, with God
all things are possible" and "All things are
possible to him that believeth" Mark X, "a;
TX, 23). "Ah, Lord God, behold Thou hast
made the Heaven and the earth by Thy
great power and stretched out arm, and
there is nothing too hard for Thee" der