The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1890-07-24
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON FOR SUNDAY, JULY AZ.
Lost and Found, )" Luke Nv, lilo. Note,
and Comments.
Golden Text, "There Is JOY in the Presence
of the Angels Of God ever one Sinner
that Repenteth."

der to he His disciples they would not bnvo
TO renounco that which is the hardest of ali
TO lay e-religiousness, Of self-righteous.
nesS---for they did not profess to have any
They were deSpisci by the holy people OF the
day. The Kingdom was not for them. SO
thought the righteous in their own eyes, who
considered themselves whole, and in no need
OF physician. But how differently did He
think who looks on the heart and not on the
outward appearance Hear Him as He talks
TO these great professors, Verify say unto
| You that the publcans and the harlots go
lntI the Kingdom of God before YOU" And
the reason was that these sinners. know
| ing their sins, repented and believed. whio
| the seh-righteous thought they needed no
| repentance Matt. xxi, n, 3g.
=. And the Pharisoes and scribes mvr.
INJURED, saying, This man receivcth sinners,
| aud catcth with thc.n." They said n grand
true thing when they said This man receiv-
| eth sinners lie said Himself II came not
10 call the righteous, but sinners to repent
| hnce' iLukev., ~ And Paul, by the Spirit
! rings II out rs "a faithful saving and
worthy OF all acccptation, that Christ Jesus
| came into the world to save sinners" III Tim
L., i5). IL Is strange that these people who
would not receive Him, should try to hinder
others who felt their need OF Saviour and
were willing To receive Him: but IL was even
as lilo said, "Ne shut up the kingdom of
Heaven against men, for ye neither 20 In
| yourselves, neither suffer We them that are
entering 20 so in Matt xxxin. l@. What
n contrast To the blessed are tho poor In
| spirit, Tor theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven"
| Matt. v, iin, which fell from His gracious
lips. II was then even as IL is now the self
righteous are against Him. but the poor and
| broken in spirit are for Him
j. And Hc spake thisparnblc unto them >"
The whole chapter is ono parable in three
parts, showing the love Of the Good Shep-
| herd, the Spirit and the Father, in searching
for nnd welcoming hack the lost ono. Tho
lesson to-day brings before us the first two
parts OF the parable, tho third part being re.
| served for next week.
4. Go after that which is lost until lie
find IT," First We have the Son as the Good
Shepherd seeking the sheep which is lost
Tho same illustration is found in Matt. xviii.
1l-i4, in connection with His saying, The
| Son or Man Is come to save that which wns
lost" The sinner IS brought before us ns a
lost and helpless soul, unable 10 do anything
10 restore himself. not knowing the way
| back, aud even II he knew II ho il without
strength 10 get there SEQ his condition de-
Bcribcd in Rom. v, q, 3 10: without strength
| -ungodl dly-sinners-Cnemes. But the Shcp-
herd Is sorry for His sheep which hns gone
nStray and llc Hets out 10 find IL. Just ns in
the garden Of Eden lie sought Adam when
| no had snnCd and was hiding from God, VI
He has been ever since, and is still seeking the
lost who have gone nstrny. And He seeks to
some purpose, for He seeks Until lie finds
it.' He laid aside His glory which IIc had
with the Father before the world was, and
humb'ed Himself to become man, and u
| servant and a sacrifice John xviii, ); Phil.
H., 5-S that Hc might save the lost.
.. And when He hath found IL, lie layoth
| IL on His shoulders, rejoicing Out in tho
desert He heard its cry. sick and helpless,
and ready 10 die; and the cry Of the helpless
reached His heart He said TO Moses 81 have
surely seen the alllction Of My people which
| Euynt haNa rH
for know their sorrows" tEx.
ILL.,. \. sin all their Affections Ho was
afflicted, and the angel Of His presence saved
them; in His love aud in His pity He re-
deemed them and lie bare them and carried
them all the days of old" And OF Benjamin
lIo said, he shall dwell between
His shoulders isaiah xviii, 0; Deut.
xSxiii., IL. SEQ lTaers High Priest carry
ing the whole nation on His shoulders and on
His breast Tex. xviii, l2, 20, and consider
the welfare Of those who have such strength
and such love as that OF the great High
Priest, who is also the Good Shepherd, man
ifested ON their behalf
q. And when He cometh home" Thank
God for this. that, having found the sheep
which was lost, llc bringcth IL home He
docs not lose any by tho way. Ofthose whom
the Father gives to Him He loses none.
"ltejoice with me; for | have found my
sheep which was lost Not only is his own
heart glad but ho will have his friends and
neighbors TO rejoice with him because the
lost is found. Jesus would have His people
10 rejoice with Him, for lie says: "Thess
things have | spoke unto YOU that My JOY
might remain in you, and that your JOY
might he full"
Z. ~ say unto you, that likewise JOY
shall be in heaven over one sinner that re-
penteth." II shepherd is so glad over the
recovery OF lest sheep that he causes his
ncighbors 10 rejoice with him, How much
| - n Iat th.,, ~ Lac
III. And how much is tho finding and
bringing home Of lost soul better than the
finding and bringing home Of lost sheep.
But here is revelation of the unseen by one
who has been there and knows all about IL
Joy in heaven, and Why Because sinner
has repcnted. But had thov not better whit
ill the sinner gets home 10 heaven before
they rejoice, No, for where there is true
repentance, there is eternal life, and He who
begins tho good work will perform il until
the day Of Christ phil. l., u,
8, EITHER what woman having ten pieces
OF silver; IL she lose one piece, doth not light
n candle and sweep tho house, and seek dill
igently till she find it," In the sheep there
might be u consciousness of its being lost,
but u piece Of metal has 10 feeling and is not
conscious of anything. 1t may be that we
nre thus reminded of the soul that is dead
in sins (Eph H., 81, and requires the con-
victing power OF the Spirit John xvi, -.
The woman with her light is theactive agent
In this case, and Us In tho former, She seeks
till she finds. Israel, as nation, is com
pared to woman lisa. ly., |, .; xiii, II, etc.,
and 80 also is the church as n whole Ill Cor.
XII. .; Rev xix, Z, -. The word of God IL
tsc Light, and the Spirit OF God is in His
Word (Ps cxix., l05; John vi, 63.
o. 'Rejoicc with me; for have found the
piece which 1 had lost" Again, as in the
former case, are friends and neighbors called
upon TO rejoice. All who have the Spirit of
God ought TO rejoice in the work of the Spirit
wherever that work is manifesto and II We
were filed with the Spirit what going forth
there would DO after lost oneS and back
sliders. IL friends and neighbors rejoice
in the restoration of piece OF silver To its
owner, the piece OF money being the peculiar
property OF its owner, how much more
should Christians rejoice in the conversion
of every soul, wherever on the face of the
whole earth that soul may he saved, because
every redeemed one becomes member of
that body of which all the redeemed form a
part and OF which Christ is tho head (Eph.
iy., 1910.
~. Likewise, | say unto you, there is JOY
| In tho presence OF the angels OF God over one
sinner that rcpentethh Not only there shall
be las in verse y, but there is joy in heaven
ovor one penitent sinner. IL We saw only one
soul saved as she result OF II days teaching oI
preaching, we might not feel Very much on
couraged; but whom we remember that every
4 a a ~