The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1892-09-14
The Divinity of Christ.

The lesson for Sunday, Sept. IL, may
be found in John 20: 22-90.
INTRODUCTORY.
A lesson is here introduced from the
Gospel of John. 1t takes us back into
the life OF Christ and to his own say
ings. a resort which needs often to be
made. Who was Jesus? Who is Jesus2
1t is the worlds query still. AnS how
refreshing it is to come away from
mems surmises and speculations to
Christ's own word regarding himself.
Surely we can make no mistake here,
the outline is so plain. Il and my
Father are one. On this central prin-
ciple Of the deity of Christ is tased all
Christian doctrine, all Christian benefi-
cence, all Christian hope. Study it
well.
WHAT THE LESSON SAYS.
At Jerusalem. This is the beginning
of new paragraph and might well have
marked the opening OF another chapter.
That which goes before was in connec-
tion with the Feast of Tabernacles, sew
eral months earlier.-The feast of
dedication. Greek: imitation or conse-
Grafton. 1t was much like the Feast of
Tabernacles, and was instituted to COM
memorate the rebuilding of the sacred
place under the Maccabaans b. G. 1854.
Like the feast OF Purim it was of po-
litical character and was added TO the
older sacred festivals of Passover, Pen
tecost and Tabernacles.
Jesus walked. Better, was walking.
Imperfect tense, OF frequentative or
| customary action. SUCCESSFULLY, the
| word peripatetic Is from this verb. Jesus
was the great peripatetic teacher
Solomon's porch. On the northeastern
side Of the temple.
Then came the Jews around about.
AS if anxious to learn. The word means
sometimes to besiege. us to
doubt. A peculiar expression, literally,
hold up our souls, |. o., in suspense
Plainly The word elsewhere rendered
boldly. Heb. 4: IL; 10: 10. Confidence
| at Heb. 10: 80 is the same word. 1t
signifies here strong. free utterance.
l told you; g. e., &: 90. In recent
conversation. Ye believed not. Rather,
believe not, present tense.-Bear wit
| ness, i. e., give the plain declaration OF
his divinity for which they werAasking.
Not of my sheep. The essential quail
ity of lamblke discipleship, then, is
faith
My sheep hear. Faith affecting all
the faculties. The word here signifies
to hearken.-I know them. They
recognized in the accent of his voice one
who knew them. They follow me.
Faith guiding the foot as well as the
ear.
/ give to them eternal life. 4 very
plain answer to their question:
Neon. Greek: into the eternities. - No
man. Better, no one (tis) Pluck.
AS used OF the forcible seizure that
would mark the violent action Of a wild
beast.
My Father. Rather, the Father
Greater than ALL The reference is here
to his might. Fathers hand. One
Of the sweetest expressions Of all the
word.
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHES.
l told you and we believed not? II
was not more information they needed,
but more faith. He had told them over
and over again, and yet how many were
still unbelieving (the verb is in the
present tense, We believe noD. Indeed
all Christ's works kept clamoring OF his
divinity, and yet they kept saying, tell
us again, tell us plainly. How like wit
less, petulant children we all arel
Christ's early miracles are still before
us, his latter day works, more wonder
eternal life, his wonderful career are
known to us and yet we say, How long
dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be
the Christ tell us plainly" What is the
matter with us? The DEVILS unfaith
| give unto them eternal life. Iheard
a famous preacher Of the West giving
his conception of the Christ. He had
come out into a new light. The words
"atonement, substitution, and the
blood" were left behind. Christ was
merely the reconciler, no pun ,shment
borne, no debt paid. Jesus Christ came
to show the way back to the Father and
to declare the love Of God and eternal
life. No wonder the artless and ingenu-
Gus young Christian to whom he was
talking in his large way, but happily in
vain, startled him suddenly with the
query, Doctor, you believe that Jesus
was divine, do you not?" He paused,
why do you ask me such a question:"
Nay, good doctor of divinity, the ques-
ton is not strange; we common people
look for an atonement that Pays some
thing and Christ that gives some
thing. Alas for the pulpits that read
no deeper than II show unto them eter-
nal life.
Neither shall any man plu k them out
of my hand. How about devils? Sup
pose we leave it as written, neither
sholl any one-man, angels. princi-
palities, powers. God is able to subdue
them all and bring his own off more
than conquerors. 1t was Whitfield's
last text preached from English soil,
and with it he babe defiance to all the
powers Of the world and to death itself.
Surely it is we'll with those who put
their trust in Christ. / have just been
reading that marvellous Fifty third of
Isaiah as il tells of him who for this
humble offering of his soul shall be
made to divide his portion with the
strong, and l have dropped my head
on the book and said, prayerfully,
Lord Jesus, my portion with thine!"
Say IL again, If God be for us, who is
he that is against us2" |. O., what care
we, who are kept. Kept by the power
of God, through faith unto salvation.
Duncan Matheson saw death approach
ing, and he ordered this word of min
gled defiance and confidence placed upon
his tombstone, this and nothing more
Kept.
Next Lesson-"The Lords Supper"
Cor. IL: 90, "a, or Quarterly Review.