The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1894-08-02
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOE
AUGUST o.
Lesson Text: "Thc Baptism OF Je.
sus," Mark l., 1-if-t;oiden
Text. Mark L., IL
Commentary.

l. "Thc beginning of tho gospel Of Jesus
Christ. the Son of God" This is the gospel
specially OF service. In II we arc reminded
OF the words. "Behold. I will bring forth nv
Servant. tho Branch 90 while "Behold, tho
Man whose name is the Branch :" Is seen
more clearly in I.uke's gospel (Iech. ~. 3,
VI, 12). Here Jesus Ia the patient servant
ana sacrifice for others, spending and being
spent TO serve the sons OF mon. This gospel
ls written that the same life OF unweariei
service may be in some measure reproduced
IN VS. (lt Cor w., ~, but as we aro in this
urst verso intro iuced TO the Son OF Col so
We must be sons OF God before we can serve
God. Let NV Son 70 that He may serve
Me, said the Lord OF Israel (Ex w. 23).
T. As " Is written In TIM prophets, De-
mold, send my messenger before Thy face
which shall prepare Thy way before Thee 80
Ihe whole story OF His sufIerings AMI glory
- written IN the prophets q Pot. e.. II Luke
Ns,N'' OPT. They also spnkc of the her
n'hs who should prrcede Him. John the Bnp-
us., IN tho spirit and power OF Elijah before
his iirst coming, and Elijah himself before
nus second coming. Compare Mai, iy.. 0
Luke l.. II NIath. xviii. 1918. As to rre.
purlng ms way. every bclieyer can. in
mphsut', ho Hts messenger TO do thnt
name! '' ~ ''''
.. Ihe voice OF ono crying In tho wilder.
ness, Prepare yo the way OF the Lord, make
TVS paths straight When John was nskoi
/ " ne was the Christ or Elijah or tho prophet,
. ue snid mat ho was neither. hut only voice
. proca'mlng he Christ CJohn l., 23). He
sought no honors for himself hnt rrjoicei
20 decrease that Christ might increase (John
/ H., 90. 31).
4. John did baptizc In the wilderness and
preach the baptism Of repentance for the re-.
mission OF sins sample OF his preaching
may b" found in Math. lit, T-i2. and Luke
. D. 4 j Ia ola
hveS a'tcrward manifested that they had br.
como new creatures their baptism would
amount 10 nothing. One of the Inst com.
nnndmcnis OF Christ was that repentance
anu remission ofsins should be preached in
MS name among all nations, beginning nj
Jerusalem (liuke XIV. ~.
0. "hni there went out unto Him all tho
land OF Judea, and they OF Jerusalem. and
were all baptized of Him in the river of Jor.
inh coniessing their sins" There must ba
nsensc OF sin, n true conviction OF sin. and
tho deeper the better before any on. will
come To Christ. Tor He came not TO call the
righteous, but sinners, To repentance. This
sthc work Of The Holy Spirit CJohn xvi. \
marsin). and He uses the word and the lives
~ believers. In Acts ", 81: yi., IL. Christ
Is SAID 10 give or grant rcpcntnnc,.
Q, "hnd John was clothed with camcrs
mas, and with grille OF a skin about his
loins, Hpi he did eat locusis n nj wild hcnpy 3"
/ WV Afl'lhu VI hlngN j., N "a, lil,
as 10 iorusts, they wero among tho creatures
/ whlch God had permitted Israel 10 eat Gev
Ni., ~. John was certainly not cxtravayant
IN the matter OF food and raiment What
contrast was Isanc, who loved Esau hocnuso
othis Nonison and would bless him only in
connection Herewith (Gen. XIV. % Xxvii.,
d, ~. Jesus has taught us not TO think TOO
/ much about either food or raiment (Math
w., w., 20), but has assured IA that II ws
max" HIS kingdom and His righteousness
our first copcern Ifn will see : o all our need
In that direction (Mnth. VI. 33j.
Il ANA preachod, saying, There comcth
enc mighier than after mo, the latchet OF
whose SHOES am not worthy TO stoop down
ana unloose., John sought not TO attract
people TO himself but TO the Lamb OF God,
Z o'ssan le fYne 90 herald. Hs had no an.
ton 70 Ia nself a name, but only 10
honor honor ii,1 n,, Snboon n ne said; "He must In
XIV, 81 Tut his watcnS S'bj waS "Noi /"
(GaI. H.. 20 Cor. Xv., lOl.
II Indeed have baptized you with water,
but He shall baptizs you with the Holy
Ghost Both Matthew and Luke add "ani
with fire (Math. ill.,. Ii Luke ill.,. lG),
whlch IRE seems from the context. 10 refer
10 tho judgments OF His second comm: rs
King and Son OF Man. As the Servant,
whirh 40 Is peculiarly In Mark, lie hq-s II
, speak ot IRE. GG, how Hu,h we 10 ncol u
be n'led with tho Spirit--!n t'"t, it "a co..
mini laii upon Us, and rs mucha command
rs ro' 70 "H drunl"1 (Eph. v, lsl. Then
nhai cohion 20 know that IIr. VINO is our
Saviour, Brother, Fricnd, IS the one who
blptiHeln with tho Holy Gnost ljohn l., 80.
We need not think We must bcs an cntreIt
MN, but simply ask Him lIISh Xi., l3).
= AMI II came 10 pass IN tho,r days that
Jesus came from Nazareth ot GIlr" nni
was baptized Of John In Jordan. In Luke
H., %, It Is written that Ho was about thirty
years OF agc. In Math. ILL.,, IL, 10, Il l. -lli
that az first john forbade Him uorauso oi
/ Johns greater neol to BE- baptized ot Him,
/ but Jesus said, suffer II to be- 80 now. .os
thus II becOmeth Us 10 lulilll all righteous
ncss.' lIo humbI0l lIimsolf from heaven
down tothn manIrr OF BrthohnW, ani tn"
homo IN Nazareth, Hn ,du lilc Ot r'JrclluH,
even 10 Gethsemano AMI Golgothn, all lot
VI, ana surely II Ia becoming IN Va TO hum
blo ourselves for Him, yC; II seems s,rrugc
10 say so. tor whcrcas lie actually came down
from great glory. We, tcins nothing, have
nothing to como down from but sinful
pride.
10. "And straghivay coming up ont OF
tine water lie saw tho heavens opened. and
IN" spirit liE" u dove desccniing upun Him "
Here in this gospel we meet the first Gimme
di1telN, use about eighty times I'm the New
Testament. AMI forty times in this gospel
nnl eleven times IN this chnpt"r. sometimes
irunSlntrl "inon' or "iOrthwith.' IL IL tho
word Tor u yOot servant. Tho opened hrnv-
ems make us think of Ezrk. t., Mnth. H..
John l., Acts vi. ant ". Rev. is. ani XIX. IN
each OF which chapters nelyrn isoprnel and
always concerning Christ or HIS cnurrh.
The Spirit coming rs dove makes us think
OF the dova that found no res; except IN the
ark while tn" waters Of judgment were on
the earth. jesus, the true ark. Is tho only
place whore tho Spirit can rest fully II we
urn filled with Spirit, We Will rest only IN
Jesus.
II. "Anlthere came u voice from heaven,
saying. Thou art my beloved Son, in whom
Am well pleased" See also chnpt"r iX, z,
wher" the same testimony waS given at tho
TRANSPORTATION. In John Will, 20, Jesus
-iyS. II do always those things that please
N" Father and IN Ron. Xy., .. II is srd,
Even Christ pleased not Himself Since
the Father IL yell pleased with Jesus, when
VIZ ARE we'll plrescd with Jesus AMI accept
and abi'ie In Him. God Is we'll pleased with
us for Jesns's sake. Let ~ abide Iu Him Il
John H., 2S). Lesson Helper.