Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1893-11-17
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
IfSSON VII. FOURTH QUARTER, IN
TERNATlO!NAL SERIES, NOV. 10.

ory Verses. 3O-3e--Golden Text, Eph.
iv. 9e-Commentary by the Rev. ID. NJ.
stearns.
20. But We have not so learned Christ"
He has just been speaking of the gentiles,
who with darkened understandings, alien
ated from the life of God through igno-
rance and blindness, walk in the vanity Of
their mind, and then he adds this word to
the saints. The Christians walk or life is
to be the most marked and manifest con-
trast to that of the wording; we are to
walk not as other gentiles, but worthy of
our vocation in love as children of light,
and circumspectly (chapter Nv, II, 1, and
chapter V, ., s. l5).
81. "If so b. that We have heard Him and
have been taught by Him as the truth is in
Jesus" We hear Christ and are taught by
Him when we hear His word either direct
ly from the Bible or through His servants
even as he said. He that heareth you hear
eth Me- and he that despiseth you despiseth
Me, and he that despiseth Me despiseth
Him that sent Me" duke Y. 49, We must
however, see that all messages are accord
ing to the book, and now more than ever
must watch for the Messenger Clsa. viii, 20)
%. THAT We put off concerning the for
mer conversation the Old man. which is cor
rupt according to the deceitful lusts." Or
as in Col iii. 9, put off the old man with
his Deeds This old man, or carnal mind
or flesh or body of death, as it is variously
called is net subject to the law of God and
never can be. 1t is said to have been cruel
fed with Christ, and we are to reckon it
dead and have done with it from. viii, 4
vi, 6, ~. 1t is the 81, myself" part of us
and know no more.
%. And be renewed in the spirit of your
mind" The new birth, by which we be-
come children of God, is the reception of
something we never had before, even Christ
Himself into our hearts John i, 10, 13).
Then we are to yield our whole being to
Him that He may fill the temples, our
bodies, with Himself and His Spirit, and so
transform us by the renewing of our minds,
conforming us to His own image (Rom vi,
49, xii, |, 2; viii, 20
"a And that We put on the new man,
which after God is credited in righteous
ness and true holiness" 1t is henceforth
to be mot |, but Christ, who liveth in me-"
for we are his Workmanship created in
Christ Jesus unto good works, which God
hath before prepared that we should walk
in them, these works being wrought by
mot |, but the grace of God with u.s. (Gal.
ii, &c; Eph. ii, 10: Cor. XIV, TO- We were
chosen in Him that we should be holy
Chapter i, -
%. "Wherefore, putting away lying, speak
every man truth with his neighbor, for we
are members one of another Our business
here is the building up Of the body of
Christ, and this will never be accomplished
by lying, but by speaking the truth in love
NynN Of lv-
ing are to say we know Him and yet not
keep His commandments, or to say we love
God and yet not love our brethren q John
/ ii, 4; iv, 2O). AS TO deceit and lying read
Ps. CT, L
26 BE ye angry and sin not; let not the
sun go down upon your wrath" 1t must
be possible, then, to be angry without com
hitting sin, and yet in verse 81 we are to
/ put away all anger. 1t is different word
in the Greek in each case, but neither word
seems to Indicate work of the Spirit. Sin
not is plain enough and is confirmed by
John ii, L. therefore let our daily prayer
be "Nouchsafe, Lord, to keep us this day
b without SIM and let us expect Him to do it,
%. Neither give place to the devil" All
doubts and fears and forebodngs are very
apt to be from him. Therefore, as one has
said, never offer him IA chair and consent to
REFER
him instantly TO your Advocate and hold no
parley with him Il John ii, ~ Resist him
with the sword of the Spirit and the shield
of faith GAS iv, 4 Pet. V, s, o. Eph vi,
II, 1G, 10.
%. Let him that stole steal no more,
but rather let him labor, working with his
hands the thing which is good, that he
may have to give to him that needeth."
/ The eighth commandment CEX. xX l5) is
emphatic upon the first clause. The sec
ond is supported by Acts XX 80, where
Paul says, II have showed you all things,
how that so laboring ye ought to support
the weak" Observe why we ought to la
Dor, not simply for our own support, but
to have something for the needy.
% Let no corrupt communication pro
coed out of your mouth, but that which is
good to the use of edifying, that it may
minister grace unto the hearers" The
words of our mouths and meditation of our
hearts are to be acceptable unto Him Cps.
xix, IA. Foolish talking and testing are
not becoming Chapter V, a, and all idle
words must be given account of (Math xii,
&c., Who is sufficient for this? He says,
MY grace is sufficient for thee"
80. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of
God, whereby We are sealed unto the day of
] hNhlptiohs OuIJtlltNtIS may resist lle
Spirit (Acts vii 81, but believers may
/ grieve or qUench q Thess. v, l9). He is a
Holy Spirit and Spirit of trlth therefore
anything impure or deceitful must grieve
/ Him. Ii He fill us (chapter V, 49,, He will
make us as sensitive to evil as the eye is to
the least particle of dust. He is our dear
Friend and abiding Comforter to show us
the things of Christ and guide us unto all
truth John xvi 10, a. He iealously de-
Iireth us to be all for Jesus (Jas. iv, 5, mar
GIN.
81. Let all bitterness and wrath and
clamorand evil speaking he put away from
you with all malice" Perhaps we are most
apt to sin manifestly in the line of evil
speaking. See Jas iv, II. with Zcch vii,
TO- viii, H. But bitterness in the heart is
the most insidious, and the Lord searcheth
our hearts and understandeth all the mag
nations Of our thoughts u Chron. xviii,
81. We can only trust Him to give us clean
and pure hearts and then to keep them so,
for we cannot, but He is able
I