Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1894-06-29
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON I, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JULY I.


Stearns.
10. "There went out decree from Ce-
sar Augustus that all the world should be
enrolled" See II. V. This enrolment and
the journeying of each to the proper city
to be enrolled is the first fact in our les
SON. We see worldwide dominion, the
fourth of Dan. ii and vii, but the ruler OF
this empire, like Belshazzar of the first,
does not glorify the God in whose hand his
breath is and whose are all his ways Dan.
V, 23), yet God uses him to accomplish
His pleasure.
40. "And Joseph also went up from Gal
lice unto the city of David which is call
ed Bethlehem, with Mary, his espoused
wife" Here is the reason of Caesars decree,
though Caesar knew it not The time had
come for the Christ to be born, and he
must be born at Bethlehem, in Judea, in
order to fulfill the words of the prophet
in Mic. V, 2. But Mary lived at Nazareth,
in Galilee, several days journey north of
Bethlehem, SO He who doeth according to
His will in the army of heaven and among
the Inhabitants of the earth dan. iv, 35}
moved all the world in connection with
the birth of Him who shall yet be king
over all the earth tZech. xiv, 81.
6. "And so it was that while they were
there the days were accomplished that
she should be delivered" The fullness of
the time was come, and God sent forth
His Son, made of woman, made under
the law, to redeem them that were under
the law Gal iv, 4, 81. TO every event
there is with God an appointed time, even
to the hour and day and month and year
(Rev, tx, Is, r. W, and the clock of His
providence is never fast or slow, but
strikes correctly to the minute.
l. "And she brought forth her firstborn
Son and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes
and laid Him in Il manCer, because there
was no room for them in the inn" This
was the reception that the world gave her
King at His first coming in humiliation.
When He shall come again in power and
! glory for Israels national conversion, the
nations will be angry, and all kindreds of
the earth shall wall because of Him (Rev.
XIV, Is; i, -.
s. "And there were in the same country
shepherds abiding in the field, keeping
watch over their flock by night" There
fore not at all probable in December, IS one
who lives in Jerusalem said to me recent
ly, but it is the event and not the time of
the year that is the most important.
9. "And, 10, the angel of the Lord came
upon them, and the glory of the Lord
shone round about them, and they were
sore afraid" Time was when man was
not afraid of God, bat dis soon as sin en-
tered man was afraid and hid himself
Gen iii, 1O). Since them all are by ma
ture children of wrath. Some day we
shall shine as the sun (NIath. xiii, 43).
10. "And the angel said unto them. Fear
not, for behold ! bring you good tidings
of great joy, which shall be to all people. "
Fear not" was also the angels greeting
to Zachariah and to Mary (chapter l. l3,
800. Consider the first Fear not' in
Gen. XIV, |, and the last in Rev. i, II; ii,
10, and among those that come between
fail not to appropriate lisa. xii, 10, 10;
xiii, l; Hag. ii, 4, 5; Mark V, SO. Notice
that the good tidings must come to us
personally before they can through us pass
on to all people. These shepherds heard
and saw for themselves, then made il
known abroad oversees II, 20).
II. "For unto you is born this day in
the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ
the Lord" In other words, He is Jesus
Christ the Lord. He became man, born
of woman, that He might redeem man
but one has truly said:
Though Christ in Bethlehem a thousand time.
be born,
If He's not born in thee, thy soul is still forlorn
Other religions and religious teachers
try to tell people how to get saved, but
Jesus saves and is able to save unto the
uttermost all who come unto God by Hin
Heb. vii, 25).
IL. "And this shall be sign unto you
Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swad
ding clothes, lying in manger." VI
know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
that, though lie was rich, yet for our sake.
He became poor, that we through His pow
erty might be rich III Cor. viii o. Consid
er His humiliation unto the manger al
Bethlehem, unto the humble home and the
carpenters shop at Nazareth, unto Geth
semane and Calvary, and let the SAINT
mind be in us.
10. "And suddenly there was with tn,
angel a multitude of the heavenly hos
praising God and saying, zone angel only
had appeared thus far, but now multi
tude are visible" In Rev. V, IL, they ar,
said to be "Ten thousand times ten thou
sand and thousands of thousands " anC
all are heard praising God. In our lessor
they praise Him in His humiliation, Will,
in Revelation they praise Him because o
the results of His life and death and resur
rection.
IA. "Glory to God in the highest, anC
on earth peace, good will toward men.
He came to glorify God, and before II,
was slain He said TO His Father, 81 hav,
glorified Thee on the earth" John xvii, -
He never sought His own will nor Hi
own glory John vi, IS; viii, 5O), but il
all things made manifest that He repre-
scented the Father and that it was the Fla
ther who spake the words and wrought
the works through Him (John xiv, l0)
He came to make peace with God for al
men (Col. i, POI, and when we accept Hin
we have peace with God, for He is GU
peace Rom. V, l; Eph. ii, ~.
10. "Let us now 90 even unto Bethle
hem and see this thing which is come Il
pass, which the Lord hath made know
unto us" This is what the shepherds sal,
as the angels left them and went ava,
again into heaven. The angels delivered
their message and returned quickly-the!
do His commandments, hearkening unit,
the voice of His word. 1t is their Joy t.
do His pleasure (Ps. CHI, 20, 2D. Tn,
shepherds did not doubt nor question tn
good tidings brought to them, but believ
ing implicitly went at once to see TN
child. Their mind was like that of Pau
when he said, ~ believe God that it shall
be even as it was told mel ACTS xvii