The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-10-21
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
OCTOBER 26.
Lesson Text: "Christ Comforting His
Disciples"-John xiv, 1-3; 1927
Golden Text: John xiv,
16-Commentary.

1o-Somtncntary.
1. "Let not your heart be troubled; ye be.
lieve in God, believe also in Me-" The pass
over lamb had been eaten, the supper to
commemorate. 1.-THE Lords death till He
come" had been instituted, and very soon
now He would go forth to His agony in
Gethsemane, but He thinks not Of Himself;
He feels for these sheep whom He Is soon to
leave, and He comforts them.
In my Fathers house are many man.
sions; II it were not so I would have told
you. l go to prepare a place for you"
After the resurrection He said, .'My Father
and your Father Xxx. ~. Being in Him,
His Father is our Father, and ali the glory
given to Him He shares with US xvii, 22) .
w nat the mansions are we may not know,
but every believer may thankfully say there
IS one prepared for me. If we are redeemed
at such infinite cost, what must the prepara-
tions be which Re is making for our eternal
welfare? And should not such divinely
prepared place wean US from the vanities Of
this present worlds
3. And if go and prepare a place for
you will come again and receive you unto
Myself; that where I am there ye may be
Also" A great perversion Of Scripture has
crept into the church upon this verse. A
very common idea is that when we die our
Lord Jesus comes for us to take us to heaven
and thus fulhlls this promise. So the blessed
Lord OF life and glory Is said to come In the
gulse OF great enemy. the last that is to be
destroyed Il Cor. xv., 26, and instead Of the
complete victory Of a redeemed body as well
as redeemed soul, we are said to have at
tained the highest possible bliss when Christ
obtains part Of us-the spirit and the devil
holds on to the other part-the body in the
grave. Mary and Martha did not so look
upon the coming Of Christ to their home:
read John H, 81, SO. Neither did His disci-
pies understand His coming to mean death
(chapter xxi, %, 23l.
10. IF ye love Me keep My command
ments." The verse we are now upon will be
more fully before us in verse 81, but notice
xv., 10, IF ye keep My commandments ye
shall abide in My !oye;"' and I John W., g,
This Is the love Of God, that we keep His
commandments" Then John ill.,, %, opens
to US the meaning, "This is His command
ment that we should believe on the name of
His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another
as He gave us commandment"
18 "And will pray the Father and He
shallygive you another comforter, that He
may abide with you forever" The Spirit Is
not Christ, but different personality, even
another comforter, who would be to them
all that Jesus was, and who would never
leave them. The same word here translated
comforter" is in I John H., /, translated
advocate" and is used in reference to
Christ.
II. 1.-THE Spirit Of Truth; whom the world
cannot receive, because it seerh Him not
neither knoweth Him; but ye know Him, for
he dwelleth with you and shall be in you"
Because He is Spirit Of Truth we cannot
know Him unless we are truthful. Thou
desirest truth in the inward parts" FPS. H..
~. Jesus is 1.-THE Truth" and He. will not
send His Spirit to one VINO is not willing to
be freed from all deceit and lying.
Is. II will not leave you comfortless; I
will come to you" The comforts Of the
Spirit do not depend upon health, wealth,
position or friendship, but may be enjoyed
by every true believer. Yet the children of
the bride chamber win long for the personal
coming Of the Bridegroom, and like Mephi-
bosheth, will fast and mourn for Him till
He GOMEZ Matt. ix., Is; II Sam. XIX, "a, 80.
10. 'Yet little while, and the world seeth
Me no more; but ye see Me; because live
ye shall live also" He is alive forevermore
REV. j., 49,, and being reconciled by His
death, much more shall we be saved by His
life (kom. ", 10). But we long for the time
when we shall be with Him and like Him
u John ill.,; 2 Phil. iii, 90, 2l.)
90 cat that day ye shall know that am
in My Father, and ye in Ne and in you"
Hearts fixed upon that day when we shall
and see His oneness with the Father and ours
with Him will constrain to whole hearted
service.
21 HE that hath My commandments and
keepeth them, he it is that lovsth Me. and he
that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father,
and will love him and will manifest Ny
self to him" This includes verse fifteen and
indicates how We may know that we love
Him. If we love to do His will and take de.
light in His commandments; II they are
more to us than gold or silver, or than even
our daily food, then we may know, indeed,
that we love Him and may expect special
manifestations Of the Fathers love and OF
Jesus Himself to our souls.
%. "Judas saith unto Him, not IScariot
Lord, how is it that Thou will manifest Thy
self unto US and not unto the world~ This was
Judas the brother of James, the son Of Al
phaeus, who also wrote the Epistle Of Jude
luke vi, IT,; Jude -. Like Philip he knew
not Jesus though he had been 80 long with
Him (verse 81
%. Jesus answered and said unto him, II
q man love Ne he will keep My words; and
My Father will love Him, and we viii come
unto him and make our abode with him."
Here He again enforces the test Of our love
10 f1lLu, as our lONo " INV S<AhA
one be said to love another even In this world
II they love not to hear from each otheI
when absent? If we love not to hear from Him
every day, and take no delight In laying up
His words In our hearts, how can we be said
to love Him?
"a. HE that loveth Me not keepeth not
Nv sayings: and the word which ye hear Is
not Mine, but the Fathers which sent Me-"
He here repeats the marvellous statement Of
verse 10, and chapter xii, 49, that whatever
words BE uttered were not His own, but only
such as the Father gave Him to say. Yet
there are those among US who covet to be
mony which no one else has said. Let such
remember that we are most like Jesus when
we use the very words Of the Spirit speak
ing the things Of God In the words Of the
Holy Ghost rather than in the words which
mans wisdom teacheth Il Cor il, 49,.
25. 'These things have spoken unto you
being yet present with you" The R. v.
says: while yet abiding with your Soon
He would be absent from them, and they
would no longer talk with Him face to face.
How little they knew or appreciated the
privilege they were now enjoying and soon
to lose.
26. "But the Comforter, which is the Holy
Ghost, whom the Father will send in My
Name. he shall teach you all things" Here
is some light upon the meaning of the words
'In My Name" The Holy Spirit was to be
another Comforter (verse 16j, taking the
place Of Jesus as guide, instructor, helper,
friend. full OF power, wisdom, might, and all
because He came "In Jesus's Name"
"And bring all things to your remem,..
brance, whatsoever I have said unto you"
II we first lay up the word Of God in our
hearts, we may then rely upon the Spirit to
bring it to mind as we need it eithsr for our