Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-06-30
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON i. THIRD QUARTER, lNTEE-
NATIONAL sERiEs, July I.

ory Verses, Io-f2 Golden Text. Lake
ii. i1-coumentary by the Eev. ID. Il.
stearns-
I-3. "There went out decree frosa Cse-
sar Augustus that all tie world should be
enrolled. See Il. V. This Enrichment aud
the jonrneying Of each TO the proper city
10 be enrolled is the first fact in our les
son. We sec worldwide dominion, tue
fourth Of Dan. ii and vii. but the ruler Of
this empire, ike Belshazzar Of the first,
does not giorify TIRE God in whose hand his
breath is and whose areali his ways Dan.
V, s3), yet Gcd uses him to accomplish
His pleasure.
40 "And Joseph also went up from Gal
lice unto the city CT David, which u cali
ed Bethlehem, with Mary. his espoused
wife. y Here is the reason of Caesar 5 decree.
though Casar knew II net. The time bss;l
come for the Christ to be horn. and he
must be born at bethlehem, in Jud;s:,, in
order 10 fuliilI the words az the prophet
in Mic. v, :. Bot Mary lived as Nazare, d.
in 6alilee. several days journc~norsA If
Bethlehem, so He who doeTh according 10
His will in the army Of heaven ard amntg
the Inhabitants OF the cafth tpan. is, Sal
lfiOftti ft2 AAlI F+0ltu IL NNiilNtl4tu n Et 4
the birth Of Kim who shall yet be kirs
overall the earth (Zceh xiv, 81.
e. "And so it was that while they were
there the days were accomplished tlat
she should be delivered The fuilness Of
the time was come, and God sent forth
His Son, made of wom&n. made under
the law, to redeem them that were under
tie law tG9l. ", 1, 81. To every event
there is with God an appointed time. even
to the hour and day and month aud year
(Res. tx, Is, r. VI, and the clock Of His
providence Is never fast or slow, but
strikes correctly TO the minute.
I. "And she brought forth her firstborn
Son and wrapped Him in swaddliag clothes
and laid Him ia a manger, 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 lsrael's national conversion, the
nations viii be angry, and all kindreas Of
the earth shall wall because OF Him (Rev.
XIV, 1851, y.
S. "And there were in the same country
shepherds abiding in the held, keeping
watch over their iloek by night There
fore not at all probable IN December rs one
who lives in Jerusalem said 20 me recent.
ly, but it is the event and net the time ii
the year that is the most important.
g. "And, 10, the angel Of tue Lord came
upon them, aud the glory OF the Lord
shone round about them, and they were
sore afraid" Time was when maa was
not afraid of God, but as soon as sin en-
tered man was afraid and hid himself
tGen. iii, 10y. Since them all are by ma
ture children Of wrath. Some day we
shall shine as the sun tMath xiii, 4g).
10. "And the angel suid unto them, Fear
not. for behold bring you good tidiaes
of great joy, which shall be to all people. .
"Fear not' was also the angels greeting
to Zaehariah and TO Mary chapter i, Is,
30) Consider the first. ''Fear not III
GEM XIV, /, and the last in Rev. /, IL; ii,
10, and among those That come between
fail not to appropriate Isn. xii, 10, 10,
xiii, /; Hag. ii, 4 5; Mark v, SO. Notice
that the good tidings mast ceme to us
personally before they can through us pass
on to all people. These shepherds heard
and saw for themselves, then made it
known abroad oversees II, 2ol.
II. "For unto you is bora this day In
the city of David Saviour, which il Christ
the Lord" In other words, He is Jesus
Christ the Lord. He became man, born
Of a woman, that He might redeem man.
but one has truly said
Though Cllristin bethlehem thousand times
be born.
II He's not tern In thee, thy soul IS stil foriorn.
Other religions and religious teachers
try TO tell people bow to get saved, but
Jesus saves and Is able to save unto the
pttermost all who come unto Gcd by Him
tHeb. vii, 25l.
12. "And this shall be sign unto you.
Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swatl-
ding clothes, lying in mangerp Ie
know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
that, though He was rich, yet for our sslkes
He became poor, that we through His pow
erty might be itch III Cor. viii, 81. Consid-
~ His humiliation unto the Manager Mt
Bethlehem, unto the humble home and the
carpenters shop at Nazareth, unto Geth-
seinane and Calvary, and let the same
mind be in us.
10. "And suddenly there was with the
angel a multitude Of the heavenly host
praisiug Ged AID saying, "One angel only
had appeared thus far, but now multi
tpde are visible IN Rev. V, II, they are
said TO be Ten thousand times ten thou
sand and thousands yof thousands and
oil are heard pislising God. In our lesson
they praise Him in His Humiliation, while
in Revelation they praise Him because Of
the results Of His life and death and resnr-
rection.
Il. "Glory to God in the highest, and
on earth peace, good win toward men, "a
He came TO glorify God. and before He
was slain He said to His Father, IL haye
gloriied Thee on the earth - John xvii, a.
He never sought His own will nor His
own glory John Vi, IS; viii, 500, but ia
all things made manifest that lie repre-.
scented the Father and TINT II was the f'a-
ther who spake the words and wrought
.hs works through Him John xiv, l0l
He came to make peace with God for all
men (Col. i, 20), and when we accept Him
we have peace with God, for He is our
peace (liom. Y, /; Eph, ii, l4l
10. tl.et MS now 20 even unto Bethle
hem and see this thing which is come IL.
pass, which the Lord hath made known
unto us. = This is what the shepherds said
as the angels left them and went away
again into heaven. The angels delivered
their message and returned quiclSly-they
do His commandments, hearkeniDg pnts
the voice Of His " ord 1t is their 10y to
do His pleasure (Ps. ell. 20, 2i) The
shepherds did not doubt nor question the
good tidings brought to them, but believ-
ing implicitly went at once to see the
child. Their mind was like that Of Pun
when he said, ~ believe God that it shall
be even as it was told me- Acts xvii,
25), or like the man who believed the
word that Jesus had spoken unto him and
went his way (John ~, 50).
IS. "And they came with haste and
found Mary and Joseph, and the babe Is
ing in n Manager" So they found it just
as the angels had said. All that was ever
spoken beforehand concerning the humil-
iatiop Of Christ was fulfilled 10 the letter,
and all that has been written by the Holy
Spirit concerning His return in glory win
be fulfilled TO the letter. The time will
come when we shall say, "Not one thing
hath failed; all are cometo pass (Joshua
xiii. 10.