Connecticut western news., 1890-08-27
ENTERING THE KINGDOM.
LESSON K, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
 NATIONAL SERIES, AUG. 31..

LESSON TX, THIRD QUAR- TER, INT ER-
 NATIONAL SERIES, AUG. a1.'
 Commit Verses. 15-17-Golden Text,
 Luke xviii. I7-Commentary by Rev. D.
 M. stear,s.
 tCompiled from Lesson Helper Quarterly by per mission of H. s. Hoffman, publisher, Phiadel- phia-l
 15 "And they brought unto Him also Snfants, that He trould touch them: but schen Hts disciples sdtC 1t, 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.
 l6. But Jesus called them unto Htfl, and said, S,ufer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such fs the Kingdom of God" Mark adds that He was much displeased. Is there possi- bility that we displease Him by not being more interested in bringing the little chil dren unto Him? Surely here is great en- couragement for the teachers of the infant classes. But in what sense can it be said that ''of such is the Kingdom" It can- not be their innocence, for all are born sin ners, children of wrath RoIn. V, 12; Eph. II, 3, 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, 39, 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 : Czech. viii, 3.
 17. "Terfly 1 sag unto yolt, WhosoeUer shaJl not recetue the Kingdom as c little chtld shdll tn no aCise enter thercf,l" What, then, shall become of such as will not accept the humihating truth that Gin them dwelleth no good thing" and that "by the deeds of the law tour very best do- ings) no flesh con be justified in His sight" Rom. vii, IS; iii, 20) who persist in think ing that if they do as near right as they can God will not cast them out?
 IS. find c certain ruler asked Him, sdyiag, Good Master, tUhat shau I do to inherit eternal lifc?'' 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 deep conviction of sin of the publican, nor the empty condition of the little child Esf
 10 And Jesus satd unto htn, Why callest thou nc good? None ts good, save one, thdt 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 lam God, and therefore do you thus address mel 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. 5aRm 90 "Thos kno lrcst the commandments"
 a1. "And he said, Au these haue I kept from myyo,sth up." He, no doubt, thought he had. He was righteous in his own eyes. He sdtd unto hum, Yet lackest thou one thtsg." 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.s But what availed it all if the one essential thing was lacking?
 "Seu au thot thou hast aud distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt haUe treas urc tn HeGren; and come, folloao me"
 23 "And tphen he heard this he tuas pery sorroacful, for he sDas uery rich." Mark says that he went away grieved He would not follow Jesus at such price The cross was too heavy. His own wealth was more real to him than treasure in heaven It 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 "And aUhcn Jesus satU that he fUos rcry sorrotCful, He satd, Hoso hdrdly shdu they that hape 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 we'll; but when the good gifts of God take the place of God in the heart then all is wrong. aa ss4 M
 25. "For tt is easter for c camel to 90 Through c needles eye than for rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God. It is said that the small gate for the foot passengers might possibly be entered by 8 camel, if unloaded, but for a loaded camel to pass through it would be an utter impossibility. s 26. "And they thot heard tt satd, Who then cGn be sdpedR' Perhaps they did not notice that Jesus spoke only of such as, like this man, chung to their riches. In 1 Cor. 1, 26, the Spirit does not say, Mot any wise, or mighty, or noble," but Not many wise, not many mighty, not many noble are called" and some one has said, "Thank God for the letter M" When we lr,Er oh ho fr,. ( !, may we not we'll ask "Who can be sayeda'' 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
 9. "And He satd, The things tohtch art impossible t1tth men are possible toith God" Or, according to Mark, "With Goo all things are possible" and "All things ar, possible to him that believeth' CMark K, 27 K, 23). .Ah, Lord God, behold Thou has made the Heaven and the earth by Thy great power and stretched out arm, anC there is nothing too hard for Thee" Ger 6; Judg. xiii, IS, R. and He delights tt do wondrously. The Hebrew word for ''to, hard" and "wonderful' in these passage Is the same.
 dU and follotued Thee" According t. Matt. xix, 27, he asks, What shall we hay therefore2'' It seemed to Peter that he an, the other disciples had done, in their meas ure, what Jesus had asked the rich rule to do. But they were not rich; they hal only forsaken boats, and nets, and occupa ton, and home, and friends; yet it wa their all
 %, 30 "Muntfold more tn thts presen tune, and tn the lcorld to come Life Eper Iasttng" Mark says, "An hundred fol now in this time," but adds, with perse cutions." Matthew adds that in the reger eration, when the Son of Man shall sit il the throne of His glory, they also shall sd on twelve thrones Judging the twelv tribes of Israel CMark X, 30; Matt. xix, 28
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