Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1893-12-08
THE 81. DAY SCHOOL.
LEGION ~, Fourth QUARTER, IN
TGRNATlonAL sEL.Es, Dc. 10.

IeNJ OF inc Lesson, ret j, l-l@-hem-
DRY Verses, 80 - Golden Text, Col. 1,
IL - Commentary by the Rev. ID. NJ.
Stearns.
l. peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to
the strangers scattered throughout Pontus,
Galatia Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia."
The writers of the epistles know but one
master---they are either servants or apostles
of Jesus Christ-and being controlled by
the Spirit they glorify Him (Math xiii, 8;
j ohn xvi ~. Their aim is to help their
fellow strangers to be holy in their lives
and fuil cf good works that God may be
glorified Chapter ii, II, 12).
2. ELECT according to the foreknowledge
of God the Father, through sanctication
of the spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling
of the blood of Jesus Christ Grace unto
you and peace be multiplied" Scriptural
election is the choosing of some to bless
Others these chosen ones being taken out
from the rest that they may be specially
qualified for special service (Gph l. 4; Rom.
viii 29). The exceeding abundance of His
grace and peace is given to such that
through them it may he multiplied to 9th
ers If you have received Him, you are one
of His elect. # you have not received Him,
you may do 50 at once John vi, 81; iii, lG;
/ Rev xxi, ~.
3. Blessed he the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His
abundant mercy hath bcGotten us again
unto lively hope 10y the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead" The sgnif-
canoe of the resurrection is fully stated in
| | Cor. XIV. l3 % He who was dead is alive
forevermore and at the right hand of God
are the evidence of our justification and the
assurance of our continued life (Rev. i, IS;
Rom. iv, %; viii, 34). To be identified
with a risen. living Christ, who has all
power in heaven and on earth, and to be
commissioned rs His ambassadors to pro-
! claim His salvation is surely the highest
| honor that mortal man can enjoy on this
earth John xvii Is; II Cor. V, POI.
| 4. ITO an inheritance incorruptible and
undeiiled and that fadeth not away, re-
served in heaven for you" All things here
are perishable, but the word of the Lord
and the glory of the Lord endureth forever
Oversees "a, %; John ii, II; Heb. xii, 2S).
Jesus at the right hand of God is not only
our righteousness and our life, but also the
| assurance that our bodies shall yet be Just
| like His and that we shall reign with Him
/ Il Cor. XIV, %: Phil iii, 81; Rev. V, 9, 10)
5. who are kept by the power of God
through faith unto salvation ready to be
revealed in the last time" jesus does the
saving and the keeping, and we do the
trusting and obeying. See how we are kept
in Jude |; Rom. xiv, 4; lisa. xii, 10. Saliva
/ ton is ours now if we have received Christ.
We are also day by day working it out, and
! yet we are waiting for it, for it is every day
nearer than when we believed I'll Tim l. 8;
| Phil. ii, II, ID; Rom. xiii, IL. 1t is three
| fold salvation. We have eternal life, we
are manifesting that life, and we expect the
| glorilied body and the joys of the kingdom.
e. wherein We greatly rejoice, though
now for a season. if need be, We are in heavi-
ness through manifold temptations" We
will surely rejoice if we believe the facts,
but not otherwise for joy and peace come
only by believing Qtom. XIV, 49,. Jesus told
us that we must expect tribulation, but
that we may have peace (John xvi, 33).
! Paul testites that it is possible to be joyful,
/ yea, even exceeding joyful, in tribulation
/ Rom. V, 3; II Cor. vii, H.
{. That the trial of your faith, being
much more precious than of gold that per-
| isheth, though it he tried with fire, might
be found unto praise and honor and glory
at the appearing Of Jesus Christ" 1t is
most profitable study to mediate on the
word precious in these two epistles Il Pet.
i, I, 10; ii, 1, 4 Il Pet. i, |, ~. Faith that
cannot endure is very questionable faith.
/ We must steadfastly believe and wait pa
/ tiently till He come (Jas V, Z, 8; Cor iv,
! -. Then we shall see how all our light af-
/ fictions have been working out for us a far
more exceeding and eternal weight OF glory
/ I'll Cor. iv, H.
s. "Whom having not seen We love; in
whom, though now ye see Him not, yet be
lieving, We rejoice in the JOY unspeakable
and full of glory" Some think that if they
could only see Him they would love Him,
but He said, blessed are they that have
not seen and yet have believed" John Xxx.
29). To faith unseen things become very
real and may he enjoyed almost as a pres
ent possession The city which Abraham
looked for, and the recompense of the re-
ward which sustained Moses, and the glory
to be revealed which Paul saw, were won
drously real to them and will be to us if we
only believe QHeb. ri, 10, %, 20; ROM 8, 1S).
8. "Receiving the end of your faith, even
the salvation of your souls" This is not
! very clear unless it refers to the joy which
comes from the assurance of present sal
walton, which is an earnest and a pledge of
the completed salvation at the revelation
OF Christ The now of the previous
verse would point that way 1t is our priv
| ilege to rejoice that we are the children of
God and partakers of the glory to be re-
Vealed III Tim /, =; Pet V, /; John iii, y.
10. "Of which salvation the prophets
have inquired and searched diligently who
/ prophesied of the grace that should come
unto you" See Dan tx, 2 3; Y, II, 81. To
search diligently seems to be the sense of
John V, 80, and not any careless reading
Dr. superficial study, rather a constant
day and night meditation as in Ps. i, Pa
! prayerful and perseyerng comparing of
/ Scripture with Scripture in absolute de
| pendence and reliance upon the Holy Spirit.
! II. Searching what or what manner of
time the Spirit OF Christ which was in
/ them did signify when it testified before
! hand the sullerings of Christ and the glory
that should follow" Here is the fact stated
that the spirit of Christ was in the proph-
cts and may give some light upon chapter
/ iii, 1920, for the Spirit of Christ was in
| Noah. "Ibe testimony of Jesus is the
spirit of prophecy Rev. xix, lO). Here is
also the fact that the burden of prophecy
4 is the sufferings of Christ and the glory vet