The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1891-10-22
THE suNpAY-scHooL.
Christ Comforting His Disciples = John
14:1-3, 1B-27-Memory Verses, Ia.

|
LESSON FOR OCTOBER %, 1891.
GOLDEN TExT.-I will pray the Father, oDQ
He shall give you another Comforter, that Eat
may abide with you forever.-John h:l6.
CENTRAL TRUTH.-To tho obedient and faftnr4
full are given great and glorious privileges.
T1ME.-Thursday evening, April 0, A. D. ~
PLAcE.-An upper room in Jerusalem
PLACE IN THE OTHER GosPELs.-Matt. ~
between verses 20 and 30; Mark ID betwo0u
verses o5 and 90; Luke q, between, verses -
and 80.
HELPS OVER HARD PLAcEs.-1. "Troubled:ss
by His death, soon to follow, and by the power
OF their cnomies, AMI by their own weakness-
"Delieve also in Mc:" as the Son OF God. Letl
your faith be stronger. Even when you SEQ Me-
erucined let not your faith fail. Comfort comes
from believing (D that God 10 stronger than all
cneLnes can be; (2) that God controls all the
forces Of the universe, so that (S) lie can malr0
all things work together for good 2. I'm NY
Fathers house:" l. c. Heaven, Gods homo.
Perhaps 1t includes the universe. Many mau<
sions:" dwelling places enough for ALL W.
riety suited to all II go to prepare place for
you:" He will be still working for them, though
they do not see Him. g. II will come again.
| Q) His return to tho earthly living by HIS
| resurrection; (2) the bginning of His Kingdom
| on tho day OF Pcntccost, when he came through
| the outpou~in; OF the Holy Spirit; (3) tho
| words refer to His constant spiritual prescnc0,
in their midst; az he will come ut death nndi
| take us home. IS. Another Cc;nforter:" than
Jesus, who was about to 60 away. The Conn
| forter:" ic.. one called to our sido to aid,
| strengthen ana defend TIo cane first at Pente4
cost. and abidcs with His people forever. II.
| "Comfortlcss:" il tho originnl-orphanAb
| fathcrless, AMI hcnco dcsolGto. 20. "At that
day. when He comes again. 21 IIe # is that
| lovcth Mo-" the absolute test OF love is obcdt-
cnco. 2i "reaca you oil things:" show the
meaning of what Jesus had taught them; un-
fold the truth. "Erins all things to your re-
| membranes" this shows that the New Tcst?-
ncnt is truc and inspired. "a. "Poace:' ~
Peace with God. (2) Peace with Heaven; Q
harmony and sympathy with all that is there-
| G) Peace 'cith nature; II harmony with ell its
laws q, Peace with soil: all the various fac
| ultles ofoUr nature being in accord and working
| harmonioujly 5. Peace with mon. (6) Peace
| of approving conscience. (7) Peace Of q
submissive win. (@ Pcaoo that comes from
| victory (ol a peace which is eternal, un-
broken, perfect. MY peace i give unto you:"
peace like Christ's; peace which He has
procured for US; q peace to be gainod in tho
same way with His; peace that flows from His
abiding presence and love.
LESSON COMMENT.
Though they did not at all realize it,
there lay much trouble before the disci-
ples-not only the trouble and sorrow
arising from tho death of their Master,
but that which was to come upon them
because of their acceptance of Him as
the Messiah. It was no bed of roses
upon which they were to lie. Sin the
world We shall have tribulation and sor-
row." said the Master. And so it proved.
OF the eleven, only one died natural
death. To prepare them for and fortify
them in their dark experiences, tho
! Lord talked long with them in that up
I per chamber. Part of that CONVERSE
ton is given in the lesson for to-day
In that we find three sources of comfort
which he opened up for them.
First Source of Comfort. He revealed
to them the future world. In this
world they were to be without homes
Driven from pillar to post, they were
often to feel that the world looked upon
them as the ''of-scouring of all things
They were to be better acquases-ed with
prisons than with palaces, and hard-i
] ship was to be their lot. AS an Offset
to this, He spoke to them of mansions
prepared and held for them by their Mas
ter. A homo in Heaven was held out to
them as source of comfort, when all
earthly homes were denied to them.
Second Source of Comfort. He re-
vealed Himself to them more clearly.
! 81 am tho Way, the Truth, and the
Life" said He. II anu in the Father,
and the Father in Me-" He added. This
truth they did not at that time fully
understand. But later on, after the
descent of the Holy Spirit, then this
fact became clear to them, and upon ii
they rested, and by it they were COM
] fortcd. When they trusted in Him,
they felt that they were building upon
solid rock. They could say: ''We know
in whom we have believed, and are per
7 suaded that He is able TO keep that
+! which we have committed to Him
against that day."
Third Source of Comfort. He prom
ised, even when absent, to answer their
prayers. This promise gave confidence
: to the disciples, and as result we find
. the Epistles and the Acts full of exhor-
tat'ons to or examples of believing
prayer for all manner of things. Then
in three-fold way the Master comfort
ed His disciples.
Il Many people dislike the Bible and
y call it a gloomy book. They refuse to
n read it and seek for their JOY and COM
d fort in novels and books of all sorts.
Yet, in fact, there is no such comforting
book in all the world as the Word o1
God. 1t is the most cheerful book in
existence. It deadens no sense of abid
4 ing Joy, and yet at the same time it IL
~ lumines every corner of darkness and
n mitigates every woe. Earth has no sor
row that the Bible cannot assuage
& The truths which it contains can MAXI
n Paul and Silas sing in prison, can make
- the disciples glad even when in bite,
persecution, and can make the dying
bed of the saint seem 'soft as down
" pillows are" 1t illumines the darI
grave with the light of the re- direction
day and robs death and tie grave o
their sting. Its truths give peace to tn
troubled conscience and strength to tn
fainting heart. ''Do you wish to b
happy in this world?" Well, the way
to secure this is to take the Bible as tn
nf sal