The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1890-01-22
THE BIRTH OF JESUS.
International Sunday school Lesson FOL
January &C. 1890,

January go, 1890.
LESSON TEXT-Luke $500.
GOLDEN TExT-Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace, goodwill
toward man.-Luke 2:14.
TIME-About six months after the
first lesson. The last Of December,
B. c. s. Four years before the COM
mencement of our common era, A. ID. 1.
DATE OF THE BIRTH OF CHRIsT-lt is |
very perplexing to many to find that
Jesus was actually born four years be-
fore the time from which we count His
birth. The simple reason is that no one
calculated dates from the birth Of Christ
till centuries after He was born, and
then Dionysius Ezigook, the monk who
published the calculations in A. d. 526,
made mistake of four years. He
placed the birth OF Christ A. d. in the
year of Rome (U. c. 754. But Herod
the Great, who slew the innocents of
Bethlehem, died in April of the year OF
Rome $50; so that Christ must have been
than the last of 749. Jesus was proba-
bly, born at the very close of b. G. 5,
which would be only four years before
our era, for in week after the 25th of
December, B. c. 5, it was January, b. c.
A.. Since it is impossible to rectify the
dates in all books and records over the
world, we simply apply the true dates to
the life of Christ. He was five years old
at the close of A. d. 1.
| PLACE-Bethlehem of Judea, a village
five or six miles south of Jerusalem. Its
name, Bethlehem (''house of bread'),
was due to the fertility of the adjacent
corn-helds. 1t was the town of Ruth
and Boaz, and was called the city of Da-
vid because it was his birthplace; it
now contains about five thousand inhab-
itants. The exact place of Christ's birth
was probably cave in the southeastern
part of the town, where is now Latin
convent.AAndrews. The field of the
shepherds was about mile from the vii
lage. ......
RULERs-Augustus Caesar was EN-
peror of Rome. Herod the Great (the
first of the seven Herods mentioned in
the New Testament), King of Judea,
but Palestine and most of the known
world were subject to Augustus.
CIRCUMSTANCES - Six months pass
away after the birth of John the Fore
runner, and then came the birth of Jesus,
the Messiah, the most important event
in the worlds history, the most marvel
GUS proof of Gods love to man; the ris.
ing above the horizon Of that Light
whose dawning rays have been our
theme, and of which John was the Morn
ing Star.
ExPLANAToRY-I. The birth Of Jesus
the Christ-His pre-existence John
1919. The Word, who became Jesus
on earth, was with His Father in Heaven
from eternity. BY Him the worlds were
created. He was with God, and was God
From His glorious home He came to this
world, as the highest expression of Gods
love, to take upon Himself our human
; nature for the salvation of the world
: from sin to holiness and Heaven.
, II. The Heavenly messengers announc
ing His birth.-Vers S-12. 8. And tier
| scere in the same country. In the fieldi
near Bethlehem. The traditional place
I is about mile from the town; 9Th,
same fields from which David had beer
Q summoned to feed Jacob, Gods people
Q and Israel His inheritance. Cam
n bridge Bible. Shepherds abiding in til
t fields. Instead of in the town, as wa
n usual with farmers in the East.-P
n The sheep of Palestine are housed a
j night only in the very coolest parts Q
= winter, not always even then. TIL
r shepherds watch the mat night, sleepin
e on the ground or on beds made O
J. branches of the trees, and wrapped il
/, the heavy cloak or burnoose.-Abbott
G Keeping scatch Ocer their .focks By nigh
t Literally, keeping the night-watches
!. Thieves, wild beasts and the dangers O
= the rough precipices form the chief rea
|. sons for night-watch over the flock
s Prof. Isaac Hall.
d III. The song of the Angels.-Vers
It 10, IA. 10. And suddenly there acas aoit
]. the angel a multitude Of the hearenl
b host. Literally, of the heaven ly army
a The vail between the seen and the un
q seen was rent, and the sky above Beth
q lehem was peopled with hosts of angels
4 for the King of angels was born there
i If when Elisha was in certain city
Is was surrounded with chariots and horse
q of fire, much more would angels circl
# round the birthplace of the Only Begot
d ten.-Sadler. Praising God. Even tn
q angels could find nothing more worth
,s of praise than Gods love in the sal
l. walton of men.-P.
w. Seeking and finding the Saviour
-Vers. 1920. Is. Let as moo 90. A
" once, without delay. So should we eve
y seek the Saviour. They had so nue.
= faith in the angels message that the
~ proceeded to investigate and see 70
. themselves. So should all do who hav
= heard others tell Of this Saviour.
" PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS.
u /. Out of times of enforced rest an
II silence, as by affection or poverty 0
sickness, often comes the best work G
y, our lives; as this Benedictus froI
Il Zacharias' nine-months' silence; as tn
n Pilgrims Progress from Bunyan's twelv
J. years imprisonment, when he was shu
u out from preaching.
y 2. Ver 81. 1t was not that Zacharia
II was filled with enthusiasm, filled wit
J, earnestness, filled with knowledge, file
i with poetic fervor; but that he wa
filled with the Holy Ghost; that CAV
his words power. To be good parent,
good teacher, good preacher, GOO
> Bible student, good man or a GOO
II women, one needs to be filled with tn
u Holy Ghost; there is no substitl.. fC