The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-11-14
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
NOVEMBER IS.
Lesson Text: ssThe Sermon on the
Mount" Luke W., 2O-31-Gold-
en- Text: Luke VII, 81
Commentary.

20. "And He lifted up His syes on His
disciples and said. Blessed he va poor, for
yours Is the kingdom OF God" While this
discourse Is In substance the same as por-
tton OF the sermon on the mount. It is evil
dent from comparison Of Math. ", l, and
Luke w., II, that 1t wns spoken Mt another
time and under different circumstances.
This had better be called "sermon on the
plain" II follows IN the order OF events the
choosing Of the twelve. His first word is
OF Ps. l., 1 xxxli., |; cxix., 1. In Math.
v, 8, He speaks Of the "poor In spirit - in
Jas. H., s. 1t is the "poor OF this world, rich
In faith !" in lisa. Xvi, 2, It Is the "poor and
contrlte spirit that tremhleth at His word"
In every case 1t Is the humble penitent
pleading no good In self and looking only
and wholly to Jesus.
81. "Blessed are ye that hunger'now, for
ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep
now, for ye shall laugh" II we suffer, we
shall reign with Him III Tim. H., 12), and
worthy to be compared with the glory which
shall be revealed In US (Rom. viii., 1s). So
we are to rejoice In being partakers OF His
sufferirgs because Of the exceeding joy at
the revelation of Hi5 glory q Peter w., 1S).
Nothing will 80 fully enable Us to do this as
proper understanding and appreciation OF
the kingdom of which He speaks-the king
dom Of God, the kingdom OF heaven. It Is
not the church, not Christ In US, not heaven,
where God dwells, but this earth filled with
the glory OF God and His will done on earth
as in heaven In the days when He and His
glorlfed church shall return to reign over
the earth Dan. H., A vii, q; Zech, xiv,
8 Rev. ", 9, 10).
%. "Blessed are ye when men shall hate
you and when they shall separate you from
their company and shall reproaeh you and
cast out your name as evil for the Son of
mans sake" Some have thought that II
the perfection Of goodness could be seen on
earth In human form all would love it, but
Jesus has proved otherwise, for He was abb
solute perfection OF love and meekness, of
grace and truth, and yet was hated and put
to death by religious people. His word to
all for His names sake (Math Z, 22). The
blessedness Of it Is our fellowship with Him.
%. "Rejoice ye In that day and leap for
Joy, for behold your reward Is great In
heaven, for In the like manner did their
fathers unto the prophets" Take my breth-
rem, the prophets, who have spoken in the
name OF the Lord, for an example OF suffer-
ing, afaiction, and Of patience GAS. W, 10).
Abraham looked for city which hath foun-
dations Moses looked for the recompense
OF the reward Jesus Himself did not disre-
gard the Joy set before Him. Everywhere
we are taught that it Is suffering now, with
glory to follow. The whole Bible story Is
the humiliation and exaltation OF Christ (I
Pet. l., 1i) foretold, foreshadowed, manifest
in Himself and His people and finally con-
summated.
"a. "But woe unto you that are rich, for
ye have received your consolation" Riches
used for the glory Of God are indeed bless
ing, but riches kept Tor the owners thereof
to their hurt are a curse. Heaping up treas
ure for selfish qualification Is only heaping
up wrath for eternity. Neither silver nor
gold can deliver in the day Of the Lords
wrath (Zeph. l., 18), and they that trust in
their wealth can by no means redeem a
brother nor give to God a ransom for him
Cps. Xix, SD. Those who live merely for
but there Is always the possibility of sud-
den going out into awful torment Luke xvi,
23).
Z5.e"Woe unto you that are full, for We
shall hunger Woe unto you that laugh now,
for ye shall mourn and weep" 1t Is the
pleasure of the Lord that His people should
be full Of joy and peace, full of the Spirit,
slled with all the fullness OF God. satisfied
with favor and full With the blessing OF the
Lord {Rom. xv., 1S; Eph. ", 1S; ILL.,, 10; {;
Deut. xxIiii., 23).
26. "Woe unto you when all men shall
speak we'll of you, for so did their fathers
speak we'll OF Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel,
Daniel or the others VINO were true to God,
as is evident from such passages as Jer. xl.,
10; xviii, 4 Dan. w., 4, etc.
27. but I say unto you which hear,
Love your enemies do good to them which
hate YOU" In verses 80 to 81 He goes on to
say tnat II we love and do good only to those
who love and do good to US We are no better
than the unsaved, for any sinner can do
that, but If we can by His grace love and do
good to our enemies that Is Godlike and an
evidence that we are His children, and we
shall have great reward tverse. IS and
Math. ", A, 45).
2s. "BIess them that curse you and pray
for them which despitefully use YOU" These
are graces ofthe new nature, not OF the old.
The natural man Is not given to this sort Of
thing, but Christ in US can do 1t. The In
dian understood something OF It who, when
he heard this command, excitedly walked up
and down saying: "This Indian can't do 1t.
II God would make a new Indian, he might
perhaps do it," If any man be in Christ, he
is a new creature or creation QI Cor. ", 17).
20. "And unto him that smiteth thee on
the one cheek offer the other. and him that
taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy
coat also." It Is surely more than human
to act thus and yet we read OF those who
took joyfully the spelling OF their wealth.
knowing that they had In heaven q better
and an enduring substance CHeb. K, S4).
Jesus suffered his enemies to smite Him, to
spit on His face, to take away His clothes
yes, even His life-and we are told to con-
slider Him who endureth such contradiction
against Himself, lest we be wearied and faint
in our minds, and to remember that we have
not yet resisted unto blood (Heb. Kill. 8, ~.
80. "Give to every man that asketh of
thee, and Of him hat taketh away thy goods
ask them not again" The principles fthis
sermon and the sermon on the mount shall
be fully lived out when the kingdom comes.
for they are the laws OF the kingdom, but II
we are the children of the kingdom they
ought to be in some measure lived out In US
now when fully considered in the light OF
all Scripture.
81. "And as ye would that men should do
to you do ye also to them likewise" Not
simply the negative form, "Do not to others
what you would not have them do to you,"
but positively "love your neighbor as your
self" Then see verses 46 to 40 concerning
hearing and not doing; also Jas. l.. 1924,
along with Math. vii, 81. The thought
"unto Him that loved me" and "for Jesus's
sake" will greatly heip us.-Lesson HelDer.
Backed His Cow and Won.