The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-09-02
THE TRUE CHILDREN OF con
international Sunday-School Lesson ,ros
september @, 1891. t

courts.
CIRCUMSTANCES Jesus returned to the tenn.
PIE the next. day after our last lesson (s:2,.
where crowds stu assembled and taught first
III inc court oil the women, where the treasury |
chesVs were paced tS:2O), and afterwards in |
one vi tne porcnes around the court OF the Gea.
tiles. Here His words convinced MANY. and |
they believed on Him To some of these He |
spoke the opening words OF the lesson.
HELPS OVER HARD PLACES .nisc
PIES: learners, those who 20 to school to |
Christ, taking Him for their teacher. and learn
ing to be good Hike Him. SO. snake Won free ;"
from sin, from prejudice from bad bn oits from
fear OF punishment, free to do right. az
''Never in bondage:" personally. They were
never slaves, though subjects of the Roman
government, 81. Servant slaves of SIM, he.
cause sinful heart ana sinful habits would not
let them do as they wished as people are
sometimes slaves Of intemperance. They also
had to suffer against their wills. 81. "Abidetb
ever" Those who believe in Jesus remain for
ever in the kingdom of God. Sinners, though
they may profess to belong to His kingdom
cannot remain in 1t. 81. "Seeh to kill Me-,
(7:32, Az. 80. Eye have seen with your father:r
Satan (v.44). Shown by their acting like Sat.
an. Their words and actions were the test.
Everyone inherits from his spiritual parents
character, actions, tendencies and DESTINY a.
rye cannot hear my word" receive it so as TO
obey. Their characters were In opposition to
the truth; they hated it; and hence could not
receive 1t without change Of character. a.
IA murderer from the beginning:" by tempt.
ing the human race in Eden he brought death
into the world, and so all men die.
LESSON COMMENTS.
The Gospel of John is by far the most
spiritual of all the Gospels, and for this
reason is harder for the teacher of the
average class to handle. This lesson,
for example, is highly spiritual, and
has little that will interest the restless
boy. All the more must the teacher
toll to make the lesson interesting, SO
that that boy may see the practical APP
plication of those spiritual principles
that the Master lays down. In this dis
course with the Pharisees, we pick out
one utterance of Christ, and press that
home. We in this land are never done
lauding the blessing of freedom, and
that, too, with good reason. Slavery
with all that it means is an awful thing.
It has been one of the curses of the Dark
Continent, and to-day our deepest SYM
pathies are aroused whenever the story
of Africa's woes is retold by some mis-
sionary or traveller. But to the popular
mind slavery means one thing, and one
only. 1t refers to what we call human
slavery, which finds its expression in
the owning by one man of another hui
man being. But there is worse slav-
cry than this.
Jesus in this lesson speaks about the
truth. Now, what we think of as ''the
truth" refers to truth in speech. Words
are true, and words are false, and to
this distinction our scholars have be-
come so accustomed that they rarely
think of ''the truth" as anything else.
But "the truth" is far wider thing in
it's range than the mere truthful use
of language. It refers to all the rela-
tions of life; so that we truly say
that while a man tells the truth with
his lips, he may all the time be living 9
lie. Truth" applies to every depart
ment of our life and action. 1t includes
thought, feeling, word, deed motive
in fact, every possible human expert
ence. Everything in this world il
either in accordance woh truth, or OPP
posed to it. This may be new idea tc
many of our scholars, but it is a gooC
one, and one with which they SHOULD
be made familiar.
| We have been talking about SLAYER,
and its evils, and about the truth. SCI
then what the Saviour says about thu
relations of the two. All liberty come
.,kfrom obedience to the truth, and O
'fcourse all slavery comes from disobedi
ence to the truth. There are NOR
kinds of slavery than that of which W
have heen speaking above. Disobcd
ence to law brings slavery, and obedi
ence to law brings liberty. Slavery
what the great adversary wishes us t.
fall into. Liberty is what God want
! to give us.
Look now carefully at this matter
How does the inventor gain liberty an
power? BY learning what the laws o
nature are, and then carefully obeyin,
them. Edison has gained much liberty
, even to talking to those who are hur
dreds of miles away from him, by obey
ing the laws of nature A gentlema
:. in Boston years ago lost his hearing fo
!, two weeks by disobeying one of nature
. laws and exploding some nitro-glyccrin
!. too near himself. The one was slav
of his mistake and the other tn
freedman of his obedience. So wit
men in every department of life. On
is slave to lust, another to drink, a,
!. other to love of power, another
anger. another to the telling of falls,
:, hood. Oh, yes! there are many kline
:, of slavery, and most of them are wors
= than human slavery. And the only wa
: Of escape is through obedience to tn;
!. law of truth that God has laid down.
" Rev. A. L. Schauffler. d. ID.
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS.
): 1. We prove ourselves true disciple
/ by continuing to study and obey Christ
g Word.
j .. Jesus Christ is wise, lovir
'f teacher, knowing all things.
It 3. We are to learn in Christ's schot
;. to be like Him-holy, true, righteou
t loving, and hence fitted to dwell wi
u the saints in Heaven.
4. Christ teaches us out of His Wor
by His works, His example, the dis,
8. pline and duties of life.
T. s. Becoming Christ's disciples Civ
{, us true freedom.
Il 6. This liberty is freedom of Chr
A. tan action, freedom from sin, from b
v habits, from fears, from oveF-burdeni
cares.
z. We know whose children WE are