Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1894-06-28
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
LESSON I, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JULY I.

Text of the Lesson, Luke II, 1-1G-Mem-
DRY Verses, 1914 - Golden Text, Luke
ii, I1--Commontary by the Rev. ID. III.
Stearns.
10. "There went out a decree from Ce-
sar Augustus that all the world should be
enrolled" See r. 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, 22), yet God uses him to accomplish
His pleasure.
As. "And Joseph also went up from Gal
lice unto the city Of David, which is chill
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 Jud9a, in
order to fulfill the words of the prophet
in Mic. v,2. But Mary lived Mt 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 inha bitants Of the earth dan. IL, 35)
moved all the world In connection with
the birth Of Him who shall yet be King
over all the earth lZech. xiv, 81.
8. "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, I, 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.
Z. And she brought forth her firstborn
Son and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes
and laid Him in 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 Israel's national conversion, the
nations will be angry, and all kindreds of
the earth shall wall because of Him (Rev,
XIV, IS; !, y.
s. And there were in the same country
shepherds abiding in the field, keeping
watch over their flock by night" There
|
who lives in Jerusalem said to ne recent
ly, but it is the event and not the time of
the year that is TIE most important.
8. 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" Tine was when man was
not afraid of God, but as soon as sin en-
tered man was afraid and hid himself
Gen. iii, 10). Since them all are by ma
ture children Of wrath. Some day we
shall shine as the sun (Nlath. xiii, 49,.
TO- "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 i, 13,
30). Consider the first. Fear not" in
Gen. XIV, /, and the last in Rev. i, II; H.
10, and among hose that come between
fail not to appropriate lisa. xii, 10, 10;
xliii, l; Hag. ii, 4, 3; Mark V, 80. 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 verses H. 20).
IL. For unto you is born this day il
the city of David Saviour, which is Chris
the Lord" In other words, He is Jesus
Christ the Lord. He became man, borr
of a woman, that He might redeem man
but one has truly said:
Though Christ in bethlehem thousand time
be born,
II He's not born In thee, thy soul is still forlorn
Other religions and religious teacher
try to tell people how to get saved bu
Jesus saves and is able to save unto tn
uttermost all who come unto God by Hin
Heb. vii, 25).
l2. "And this shall be a sign unto you
Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swad
ding clothes, lying in manger." y
know the grace Of our Lord Jesus Christ
that, though He was rich, yet for our sake
He became poor that we through His pov
erty might be rich III Cor. viii, 9) Consid
er His humiliation unto the manger a
Bethlehem, unto the humble home and tn
carpenters shop at Nazareth, unto Geth
semane and Calvary, and let the sam
mind be In US.
10. And suddenly there was with tn
angel multitude Of the heavenly hos
praising God and saying, Zone angel onl
had appeared thus far, but now multi
tude are visible" In Rev " Il, they ar
said to be Ten thousand times ten thou
sand and thousands of thousands, " an
III are utaru pralbluB NOu. III our Iesso
they praise Him in His humiliation, Will
in Revelation they praise Him because {
the results Of His life and death and resul
rection
IA. "Glory TO God in the highest, an
on earth peace good will toward men.
He came to gloitfy God, and before II
was slain He said TO His Father, 81 hav
gloritied Thee on the earth" (John xvii,
He never sought His own will nor Hi
own glory (John vi, 3s; viii, 5O), but /
all things made manifest that He repre-
sented the Father and that 1t was the FL
ther who spake the words and wrougt
the works through Him John xiv, 10
He came to make peace with God for a
men Col. i, 20), and when we accept Hi
we have peace with God for He is OF
peace (Rom, V, /; Eph. ii, l4.
10. Let us now go even unto Bethl,
hem and see this thing which is come
pass, which the Lord hath made know
unto u.s." This is what the shepherds sal
as the angels left them and went ava
again into heaven. The angels delivere
their message and returned quickly-the
| do His n a Inn 70 hpar nDipD II M