The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-08-13
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOF
AUGUST II.
Lesson Text: "The Ten Lepers." Luke
xviii, 11-10-Golden Text: Luke
xviii, 17-Commentary.

jerusalem" The time draws nigh for Hi n
to be offered up, and ITO Jerusalem" is His
daily thought, for He Himself said: III
cannot be that prophet perish out of Jer-
usalem" CHAP. xiii. 39); "When the time
was come that He should be received up He
steadfastly set His face to 90 to Jerusalem;;"
HE went through the cities and villages,
teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem"
Behold, we 60 up to Jerusalem, and all
cerning the Son of Man shall Be accom-
plished" (chap. ix., 81 xiii, %; xviii, 31).
At Jerusalem He was to finish the work
which the Father had given Him to do, and
He was pressing on to finish that work.
HE passed through the midst OF Samaria
and Galilee." As on another occasion, when
He must needs 90 through Samaria, there
were many who praised God, and are prais-
ing Him still, that he ever passed that way;
20, doubtless, on this journey, many besides
the ten lepers of our lesson were caused to re-
joce because of His presence among them.
IL. "And as He entered into certain vii
lage, there met Him ten msn that were lep-
.rs, which stood afar off," Utterly uncleau,
dwelling alone, without the camp Tor village,
Or city, how sad was the condition Of these
poor men uev. xiii, H46. Afar Off from
human help, and sympathy, and friendship;
living and yet dead to all the ordinary rela-
ionships Of life. Consider the le2rosy Of
Miriam, Naaman, Gehazi, Uzziah and the
four men at the gate Of Samaria Mum. xiii;
Il Kings v, z; xv., s.. Perhaps there Is no
more forcible representation Of sin and the
sinner in the whole Bible than that Of the
leper and his leprosy.
1a "And they lifted up their voices and
said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on usT' They
made no profession; they made no promises;
they knew they had nothing but leprosy, and
rs poor, unclean, cast out lepers they could
,nly beg for mercy, and this they did. What
happy day 1t was for them when Jesus
they heard Of the healing Of other lepers by
his gracious powers. This was their oppor-
tunity, and they seize it. How wise they
we're. What contrast to the maa in our
lesson, who, like many to-day, believed in
larger hope-a possibility Of salvation after
ieath-and 80 after he died cried: "Father
Abraham, have mercy on mer' How vain
was his cry. There Is no one to come to but
Jesus and no time like the present. for now
is the day Of salvation III Cor. vi, p.
IA. "Go shew yourselves unto the priests.
And it came to pass that as they went, they
we're cleansed" Thus he spake unto them,
not disregarding nor setting aside the law,
Tor he came not to destroy but to fulfill the
law, but tod them to do as commanded in
the law Qev. xiii, Q; xiv, 81. They might
have reasoned and argued and have said:
Master, the priests cannot help US, the law
cannot heal US; we do not need to find out
whether we are lepers or not; we know we
are; it is mercy We ask for from Thee, who
alone canst heal IA Bat they did not argue,
they obeyed and went; His word was sufi.
sient; and as they went they were cleansei.
Is -And one of them when he saw that he
was healed, turned bach, and with loud voice
glorified God" As obediently he went at the
Louis command, be finds himself q new mau
as to his body; he is clean, be is whole, he is
no longer leper; no longer shall he be cut
of from home and friends: that very day he
becomes part Of the world again, with its
pleasures and employments, instead Of being
an outcast. And what is now his first
thought Gratitude to the Lord who healed
him to repentance tRom. IL, y, and with q
Loud voice he makes it known.
l6. "And fell down on his face at His feet,
giving Him thanks; and be was Sanari.
tan" Here is humility, gratitude reverence
and worship. Here is the proper place for
every peuitent sinner-''on his face, at Jesus
teet.h And the proper place for every saved
sinner who is teachable is lat the feet OF
Jesus. hearing His word" (chap. Z, 39. The
fact that this man was Samaritan reminds
ms of the statement that 1.-THE Jews have no
dealings with the Samaritans" John w., 81.
But that, no doubt refers to self righteous,
moral, clean Jews. When Jew found him
self a Ieper, he saw himself no better than O
Samaritan leper; they were all in the same
sad case with nothing to boast OF but their
leprosy, nothing to make one think himself
better than another. A deep conviction or
sin is one of the grandest things to take away
o,,l sf mn Hoc nc coo TINT (fnd'a
sight all are sinners together.
IL. "And Jesus answering said: Were
there not ten cleansed? but where are the
nine?' Is it possible that with returnin
health there came also old prejudices and
Jewish pride Of birth, and as they saw this
Door Samaritan glorifying God did they de-
spise him as they kept on their way to their
priests? 1t certainly looks that way. And
are there not many sick and afflicted and
tried ones to-day who are crying unto God
for deliverance, making Him all kinds OF
promises if He will only heal or deliver
them? Many time He hears their cry
and delivers them and saves them for His
names sake, that He might make His
mighty power to be known; but they soon
forget His works, believe not His word,
murmur. and hearken not to His voice Ps.
cvi.. $3.50.
Is. There are not founi that returned tc
give glory to God, save this stranger" he
clme unto His own, and His own received
Him not, but as many as received Him tc
them gave He the right or privilege to be-
come the sons of God John l., II, ~. Out
Of all the multitudes upon whom He con-
ferred healing OF the body we are not told
how many or how few truly received Him
and gave glory to God, but when we remem-
her that only about 100 of all those gathered
in Jerusalem at the passover waited together
for the baptism of the Holy Ghost (Acts H.,
15) we are compelled to think that not even
one in ten of the multitudes He healed ever
became His true disciples.
10. And He said unto him. Arise, 60 thy
way, thy faith hath made thee whole" Or,
as iu the margin of the R. v, "Thy faith
hath saved thee" Happy man! He has now
not only clean body, but clean, blood
washed soul Oh! how much the others
missed by their ingratitude. How much
value is whole body if it is only the taber-
nace of lost soul, which will some day
carry soul and body to perdition? But if
the soul is saved by faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ then we can, with quietness aud con-
fidence, look forward TO the time when even
these bodies of our humiliation shall be
fashioned like unto His glorious body (Isa
XXX, Is: Phil. iii, 20, 2D. In order to
glorify God we must first be saved, for they
that are in the flesh cannot please God; so it
would seem that this stranger became
savel man when in his heart he fell CRATE
fully at Jesus feet, even before his body got
there; but now he has from Jesus own lips
the assurance of his salvation. While as
surance is not essential to salvation, it is the
glorious privilege Of every saved one to be
assured of it.-LeSson Eetner