The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1893-12-21
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
International Lesson for December ~.
18o3-The Birth of Jesus-Matt. e:1-1t.


GOLDEN TExr-Thou shalt call His name
Jesus, for He shall save His people from their
sins Matt 1871.
T1ME--Jesus Christ was born A. M. (Anno
Mundi year of the world) 1000. four years be-
fore the date from which we count the years A.
d. (Anno Domini, year OF the Lord). So that
he was born the last of December, b. G 5, or 1897,
not 1893 years ago. The mistake was made by
the monk who, in A. ID. 526, published the calcu-
lations from which we have since counted the
years. Dr. Schaf makes the matter clear In
this way. Ut should be carefully noted that
the numbers are ordinal, standing for first
second" etc.,. The common era is four gears
too late, not FIVE since we reckon from the
close of the fifth year The visit Of the wise
men was six or eight weeks after the birth OF
Jesus, or February, B. G. a.
RuLERs-Augustus Caesar, emperor OF Rome;
Herod called the Great (the first OF the seven
Herods named in the New Tes tamenD king Of
Judea oath Year,. under Augustus Herod
was an old man, near the end OF his life.
THE BIRTH OF JESUS.
1. His Pre-existence John L: 1-3). He
was with His Father in Heaven from
eternity. BY Him were the worlds
created He was God.
Q. His Coming Foretold. From the be-
ginning He was prophesied and typi-
fed. He was the center of the jew
ish religion and of prophecy.
8. Preparations for His Coming. There
has been no other time in the history
of the world so perfectly adapted for
the beginning of the new kingdom
and the spreading of the news OF sal
vation throughout the earth as that in
which Christ was born. O 1t was
after the Jews had received all that
they would learn about Gods king
dom, but before the destruction of the
nation and the fall of their capital
and the temple. (2) There were many
lands, but nearly all the world was
subject tG the one government at
Rome, SO that the preachers of the
Gospel could travel in safety and be
protected in their work. (3) The
world was at peace, SO that the Gospel
could have free course. (4 The
Greek language was spoken every
where with the native languages, so
that the Gospel could be heard and
read by all (5) The Jews had been
the Old Testament, which bore wit
ness to one God, and held the prophe-
cies of the Messiah. And they had es-
tablished synagogues in almost every
town, so that there was a place in
which to preach the Gospel, and peo-
pie who could easily be reached. (6)
1t was time of great intellectual ac-
tivity, and there was widespread dis
belief in the existing religions.
4. His Parentage. The mother of
Jesus was the Virgin Mary, but his
father was God Himself through the
Holy Spirit. His reputed father was
Joseph, who afterwards became the
husband of Mary. Both Joseph and
Mary were direct descendants of
King David, of whose lineage the Mes
siah was prophesied to come. The
genealogy in Matthew is that of JOS
eph, and that in Luke probably that of
Mary, SO that both really and legally
Jesus was the son of David.
s. The place of his birth was Bethle-
hem of Judea, five or six miles south
of Jerusalem. 1t has many associa-
tions. Here Ruth CLEANED. Here
David was born. Here he was anointed
king. Here, four centuries after
Christ, Jerome, fleeing from persecu-
ton, accomplished the great work of
his life, the translation of the Scrip
lures into Latin (now called the Vul-
gate, or common), the version accepted
by the Roman Catholics.
g. The angels welcome and the visit
of the shepherds are described in Luke
2: S-19.
T. The presentation in the temple,
when he was forty days old, according
to Jewish law, is described in Luke
Q: 21-39.
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS
Yer. 1. Nature rightly studied leads
us to God and to Christ.
We must look up to Heaven to be
guided rightly on earth, as ships are
guided on the oceanby the stars.
Those are the only true wise men
who use their learning to find out
Heaven.
Christ is won't to catch every man in
the way of his own craft-magians
with star, fishers with fish.
Those who know about Christ should
make every effort to find Him. 1t is
worth while to sell all we have to OBJ
| tain this pearl of great price.
God still sends ''stars in the east" tc
lead us to Christ.
Wicked men are troubled by that
which brings hope to the world-as by
revivals, temperance reform, preach
ing and whatever interferes with un
righteous gains and pleasures.
Here is test of our character
whether we rejoice or are troubled al
the coming OF Christ and His kingdom
In this lesson we have types of foul
classes of men which exist still; name
ly, ~ those who earnestly seek the
| truth; (2) those who rest in the letter
of the truth; (3) those who are fear,
fully alarmed at the truth; and a.
those who are affectionate guardian!
of the truth. The magi represent the
| first, the scribes and Pharisees the sec
ond, Herod the third and Joseph ant
Mary the fourth.
| Burmese Virtues and Sins.