The National tribune., 1894-12-06
SUNDAY N MEDITATION

! A Study Of The international Sunday-
School Lesson Appointed for Dec.
ID, 1891.
Subject: The Co,I'rsis>ion, Equipment and
pispat chime nt of the TweIvg Apostles. st.
/ Matt, 10: 4, 5-l4.
| Zone reading these rofts shonld first carefully
study Iac paragraph from tie Holy scriptures Is
| Indicated above
INTRODUCTION
| We should realize the Importance Of the
book which we study-ihe Holy Bible.
Prof Julius II. Seelge once said:
Whether or not | acknowledge the truth
of the Bible, | must confess its power If
| inquire into the secret of this power, | find
that the Bible is occupied with but one
thought Redemption: aud somehow or other
the Bible has convinced men OF the fact OF re-
demption.' The special mission of the sun
day School is TO make this Book understood.
Each teacher should be familiar with it in
letter and spirit.
This lesson relates in special to the Ministry
of Christ's Church When Christ departed
he selected body of men to represent him in
| this world-to be the teachers of his religion
to act for him rs leaders in Christian enter
| prise-to continue the work which He IN fact
only began. The Office is Sacred--should be
! occupied only by men competent iii ability
and holy in life Such men should have the
| countenance, encouragement and support of
society. They should realize the sacredness
OF their position and maintain by every pro-
priety its worthineS5 of respect and malnten-
ance.
! CHRIsT's INSTRUCTIONS TO HIS MINISTERS.
/. Preliminary.
1t is evident Christ gave very similar in
| structions to The Twelve and to The Seventy.
| This is plain to one reading St Matt, 10, and
! St. Luke, 8. We may therefore consider
| them as practically one. From the account
! by ST. Matthew it seems the instructions were
/ for The Twelve, while from st. Luke's ac-
| count they were for The Seventy. St Luke
| alone mentions the commission to The
| Seventy. But he also jointly with SITS. Mat
| thew and Mark gives report of the sending
| forth of The Twelve St John says nothing
| of the commission to The Twelve nor of that
to The Seventy. In strietness to ehronologic
order st. Luke mentions first the instructions
| to The Twelve. (9:l-6) In what follows
we shall be more interested in the instructions
impaired and their meaning than in the per-
sons to whom given.
2. Data.
The accounts 20 be studied are st. Matt,
Il: ], sid; st. NJ rl1, 6, 20, and verse J.
IS Tar as to the words 'againsC them - st.
Luke. . :: ID and O:4-11. BY this plan we
confinc ourselves to the commission to The
Twelve But the instructions being entirely
similar we gain the, Information desired, to
wit, knowledge 7af tie outfit of Christ's
ministers in his OWN Cay,
3. Time.
Our Savior sent forth The Twelve in, we
may say, February, AID. %. This was eight
to nine months beleTc he commissioned The
Seventy The Twelve were formally instruc-
ted after about twefand' one-llalf years from |
the baptism of Christ, or about one year before
the death of Jesus. st. Matthew who gives
one of the accounts of Tie instructions issued
TO the Twelve, was himself one Of that
number. 7..
d. Plqee
The Commissions to Ehe Twelve were pre-
sented to them at probably some point in the
vicinity Of Nazareth CArist's Town country.n
(St. Mark, Gil. Most likely the instructions
to The Seventy were received by them at
Capernaum.
s. The 7iceTUe.
The number twelve may have some reference
to the Twelve Tribes, keeping up kind of
unity OF thought and connection between the
New and the Old Dispensation. The idea is
carried OH into the next life. (See st. Matt,
1929 First, they were IL disciples, mere
learners; but, when clothed with authority to
act in a kind OF official way for Christ, they
were called Apostles We see change and
promotion. They always, however remained
disciples. They were ust such men as are
always found the best witnesses in courts of
iustice-plain men, Of good sense, of fair
character, of great honesty, and with favor
able opportunities of ascertaining the facts to
which they bore witness Such men every
body believes, and especially when they are
willing TO lay down their lives to prove their
sincerity"
6. The Tpstractions
]. They were TO go two by two. This was
not only the case with The Twelve (St. Mark,
81, but also with The Seventy. (St. Luke
101.) There are advantages in coupling
clergymen. Gee, 40, 1O.) We notice a |
tendency thus TO do Moses and Aaron, Elijah |
and Elisha, Peter and John, Paul and Barna- |
bas, Paul and SilaS, Barnabas and Mark, Au- |
gustus and Alypius Basil and Gregory Nazi-
awzum, Bernard Of Cairvaux and Gerard, |
Buss and Jerome, Luther and Melancth0n. |
Wesley and Fletcher. Thus too Bezaleel and |
Aholiab, Zerubbabel and Jehoshua. Modern |
revival work has tended in a similar direction. |
Moody and Sankcy, Whittle and Bliss, Need |
ham and Johnston, Hammond and Bentley, |
A. p. Graves and W. S. Hillman, Taggart and |
Johnston, Ncedham and Stebbins.
2. The Apostles were not to 20 to the Gen |
tiles. Work for the heather was u later con-
sideration. (St. Mt, 2414) They were to |
begin at home, among their own nationality, |
with Israeiites, lost sheep of the house OF
Israel, people needing religious help and in
struction. Begin ut home. Religious work |
should begin in ones own heart and then |
reach out into the home, the neighborhood, |
Town. State, Nation, etc.
3. As they were not yet TO go TO the Gen |
tiles, so they were not for the present to work
for the Samaritans. The Samaritans were
Gentiles. The Apostles were not to leave
Palestine to labor for the heather, nor were
| they TO work first for the heather who were
practically i'll their very midst. Their duty
as ministers was, before all other duties, to
preach for the benefit of the erring and ignorant
Of their own Nation. liaasL
| 4. We have statement as to the nature of
| their preaching. They were to declare that |