Connecticut western news., 1890-09-03
;ZACCHEUST PUBLICAN
LESSON x, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
 NATIONAL SERIES, SEPT. 2.

Text of she Lesson, Luke xix, 1-1o. Commit Verses, 7-10-Golden Text, Luke xix, 1O-Commentary by Rev. D. M. Stearns.
 Compiled from Lesson Helper Quarterly by per mission of H. s. Hoffman, publisher, Philadel- phia-l
 1. "And Jesus entered and passed Through Jericho" The last verses of the previous chapter tell of His healing blind man as He came nigh to Jericho; while Matt. XIX, % 34 tells of His healing two blind men as He departed from Jericho.
 g And, behold, there tCGs G man named Zacch1rus, trhich tDas the chief dnlong the publicanS, and he tcas rich" We are not told whether the other publican was rich or poor, but we are sure that be was poor in spirit. Instead of rich ruler, esteemed by $he people as in the last lesson, here is A rich publican, one of the class whom the Pharisee thanked God that he did not be- long to; but presently we shall find this rich chief among the publicans, in the com pany of the healed blind men, a follower of the meek and lowly Jesus.
 3. "Aad he sought to sec Jesus, ,uho He tcds; and could not for the press, because he trus little of stature" His motives are not given, but we infer from the rest of the story that he, too, would be n follower of Jesus if He would have him. Perhaps up to this moment he was merely curious to see this great Teacher and worker of miracles, as when people go to church to hear a new preacher. But how many have thus gone, just to see and hear something new, or even to scoff, and there they were found of Him whom they sought not.
 4. "And he ran beforc, aud climbed up Into sycamore tree to sec Him: for He tU1s to pass that toGy." He was in earnest to so Him, he came out from the crowd, and unconsciously hid himself Tn listen ing to the preaching of the gospel, or the teaching of the Sunday school lesson, all are too apt to lose themselves in the crowd, instead of taking the truth home to them selves. If we are to profit our own souls it must be by separating ourselves from others and by believing that He means me.
 5. "And auhen Jesus cdnle to the place, He looked up and sdp him." He who knows our down sitting and uprising and understands our thoughts afar off Ps. cxxxix, 9; who saw Nathanael under the fig tree John i, 4s), saw also this man when he left the crowd and climbed up into this tree. The leaves of the sycamore could not hide him any more than the trees of the garden could hide Adam and Eve. He saw also the desires of his heart, for He knows the things that come into our mind, every one of them (Ezek. xxi, ). Here is a seeking sinner and a seeking Saviour face to face. What a glorious meeting. The Holy Spirit brought it about. He does all these things.
 "And sdtd unto him, ZdcchGus, make h0ste and come dotrr.; for today must abide at thy house." How Zacch@us' heart must have leaped at these words; and then He called him by name, there was no mis- taking it, He surely meant him.
 6. "And he made haste, and cane dolp1a, and receiucd Htrn joyfully." Thank God for that. However, he came down; he came quickly and received Christ gladly As the angel hurried Lot out of Sodom, saying: Escape for thy life; haste thee, es- cape thither" Gen. xix, 17, 22), so we who are saved would urge the unsaved to make haste and come to Jesus, if we only heartily believed what we profess to believe.
 2. "And aUhen they sae0 tt, they all mUr- nsured, saying, thdt He ,ods gone to be guest a1ith q man that is c sinner" Here 1s Satan resisting, the devil angry because he has lost captive. In Zech. iii, 1, we see Q man clothed with filthy garments stand ing before God, and Satan at his right hand to resist him, but little further on in the chapter the filthy garments are gone, and
  of apparel and the angel of the Lord stands by. Whenever a sinner comes to Christ, the devil is sure to find fault and point to the filthy garments. He did so through Simon, the Pharisee, when the poor wom- an came to Jesus Nuke vii, S9), and again in chap. XIV, 3, when the publicans and sin ners came near to Jesus. He is always doing it; it is his business to resist every thing truly good; to hinder sinners from coming to Christ, and to hinder saints from serving Christ. He is the devil G. e., the accuser or slanderer) and Satan Ii. e., the adversary); he is serpent, for he is subtle and his ways are crooked; and he is a dragon, having great power; but he has not all power, Jesus has that, and He, blessed be His name, will yet destroy all the works of the devil, and the devil, too. Let him resist and accuse all he has mind to; we will overcome him by the Blood of the Lamb, and by the word of our testimony, even if we die for it.
 8. [" And ZdcchEls stood, and said unto the Lord" He could not walk with Christ till this was settled. With sin on the con- science there can be no true fellowship with God. But here comes the evidence of the sincerity of his conversion. His faith be comes manifest in his works. He shows that he has truly repented.
 
 gtUe to the poor: and # haue taken any Rtng from a,py man by false accusation I restore him fourfold." These things were neither his salvation, nor the ground of it. but rather the evidences that he had passed from death to life. We must keep in mind and stand firm on this, that there is no sal vation by works revealed in Scripture Rom. iii, 20; iv, 5; Eph. ii, 9. We rest only and wholly in Christ for salvation but being saved we must prove it in ou1 lives. Titus iii, s, is just as faithful saying as Tim. i, 15: ''This is faithful saying, and these things will that thou affirm con stantly, that they who have believed bs careful to maintain good works"
 g. "And Jesus sdtd unto hin., This daJ 6 sdlUatfon come to thts house, forsomuch as he also is e son of Abrahans" "Salva tion is of the Lord" ''Behold, God is my salvation'' Neither is there salvation in any other" (Jonah ii, g; Isa. xii, 9; Acts iv 12l God manifest in the flesh had come te received; and where Jesus is there is sal vation. It is all in Him, and apart from Him there is none. He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son o1 God hath not life q John V, 12) The sal vation begins when we receive Jesus, but 1t shall never end. When He comes even our bodies shall be like His, and then shal we be forever with the Lord. Whether hs were Jew or Gentlle before he Is now $ true son of Abraham and therefore an heil of the world Gal. iii, %; Rom. iv, II, 13) Not many see the glory of being children of Abraham, and cannot appreciate it, fol they see not the meaning of the Kingdom but blessed are the eyes which see, fol therein lies the secret of being able to givt cheerfully ones goods to the poor
 10. ''For the Son of Man ts come to seeA and to sdUe thdt aChtch lCas lost" This name, 1Son of Man," has special reference to the Christ as Son of David, and yet reache.