The Indiana State sentinel., 1894-11-14


Luke vi, 81 Commentary by the
Rev. d. ". stearns.
20. "And He lif1ed up His eyes on His
disciples and said. Blessed be We poor
for yours is the kingdom of God" While
this discourse is in substance the same
as a portion Of the sermon on the mount
it is evident from a comparison Of Math.
v 1, and Luke vi, II, thai it was spoken
at another time and under different cir
Gums tances. This had better be called
"a sermon on the pain" 1t follows in
the order of events the choosing Of the
twelve. His first word is blessed" re-
minding US of the "blesseds" of Ps. T. :;
xxi, /; cxiv, 1. In Math. V, 3, He speaks
Of the poor in SPIRIT in Jas. H. .. it is
the poor Of this world, rich in faith
in Lsa. Xvi, ?, Il is the poor and con
trite spirit that trembleth al His word 3"
In every case it is the humble penitenc
pleading no good in self and looking only
and wholly to Jesus.
p. blessed are ye that hunger now
for We shall be filed. Blessed are ye that
weep now, for ye shall laugh" IF we
suffer. we shall reign with Him QI Tim
ii. 12), and the sufferings Of this present
time are not worthy 10 be compared with
the glory which shaI be revealed in US
CRom. vii. 10. So we are to rejoice in
being partakers Of His suff srings because
Of the exceeding joy at the revocation of
His glory q Peter iv. 80. Nothing viii
so fully enable US 70 do this as a proper
understanding and appreciation Of the
Kingdom Of which He speaks-uhe king
dom Of God, the kingdom Of heaven. II
is not the church. not Christ in US. not
heaven. where God dwells, but this earth
flied with the glory of God and His Will
done on earth as in heaven in the days
when He and His glorifed church sha..
return to reign over the earth Dan. Ii,
a; vii. 27; zech. xiv, 9; Rev V. 9. 10).
y. Blessed are ye whan men shall hate
you ana when they shall separate you
from their company and shall reproach
you and cast out your name as evil for
the Son Of mans sake" Some have
thought that If the perfection Of gNodnese
could be seen on earth in human form all
would love it, but Jesus has proved other
wise for He was absolute parie- ciJ4 0f
love and me5'Sress, Of e~ace al -r-7r7.
and yet was hated and put to death by
religious p5oILe. His wola to hi
ers Is that they shall be hated OF az for
His names sake CM8th. Y. 29. 1ae
b.eSsednesS Of 1t is our fellowship with
Him.
%. Rejoice We 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
brethren, the prophets, who have spoken
in the name OF the Lord, for an example
Of suffering affiiction and of patience
(J2s. V, 10 Abraham looked for a city
which hath foundations; Moses looked for
the rec0mpense Of the reward; Jesus Him
self did not disregard the joy set before
HiEl. Everywhere we are taught that it
is suffering now with CORY 10 I0.i0W. The
whole bible story is the humiliation ard
eXa-tatiOn Of Christ q Pet. j. ID fOret0ld,
f0reshadOwed. manifest in Himself and
HIS peop.e and finally consunmated.
a. But woe unto you that are rich,
for ye have received your consolation -
Riches used for the glory of God are in
deed a blessing, but riches kept for the
owners thereof to their hurt are a curse.
Hlplng up treasure for selfish gratifica-
ton Is only heaping up wrath for eternity.
Neither silver tlOr gold can deliver in the
day of the LO-d's warth (Zeph, j, 1S), and
they that trust in their wealth can by n
means redeem d brother nor give to God &
ransom for him Ps. xix. 6, y. Those
who live merely for present enjoyment
may have a large amount, but there is al
ways the possibility of a sudden going out
into awful torment luke xvi, 2S).
25. Woe unto you that are full for Y
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. filed with all the full
ness OF God. satisfied with favor and fun
with the blessings of the Lord ROm. XIV.
1S; Eph. Y. Is; iii, 10; Deut. xxxiii. 28.
26. Woe unto you when all men shall
speak well of you, for so did their fathers
TO the false prophets" They did not all
speak well of Isaiah, jeremiah, Ezekiel.
Daniel or the others who were true to
Gcd, as is evident from such passages as
Jer Xi. 49,: xviii, 4; Dan. Vi. j. etc.
p. But 1 say unto you whicn hear,
Love your enemies; do good 10 them
which hate you" In verses 30 to "a He
goes on to say that if we Cove and do
good On.y 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 cur
enemies that is GOd-.ike and an evidence
that we are His children, and we shall
have a great reward (verse So and Math.
V, A, 45)
%. "Bless them that curse you and
pray for them which despitefully use
YOU" These are graces of the new na-
ture. not of the old. The natural man is
not given to this sort of thing, but Christ
in US can do it. The Indian understood
something of it who, when he heard this
command, eXcited.y walked up and down.
saying: This Indian can't do 1t. If God
would make a new Indian, he might per-
hap5 do it," If any man be in Christ he
i5 a new creature or creation QI Cor.
v, IN.
%. And unto him that smiteth thee on
the one cheek offer also the other, and
him that taketh away thy clOke forbid
not to take thy coat also" 1t is surely
more than human TO act thus. and yet we
read of those who took joyfully the spoil
ing Of their wealth, knowing that they
had in heaven a better and an enduring
substance CHsb. Y, 80. Jesus suffered His
enemies 10 smite Him, to spit on his face,
TO take away His clothes-yes, even His
life-and we are told to consider Him who
endureth such contradiction against Him
self, lest we be wearied and faint in our
minds, and to remember that we have not
yet resisted unto blood CHeb. xii, 3. A..
80. Give TO every man that asketh OF
thee, and of him that taketh away thy
goods ask them not again." The princl-
pies Of this sermon and the sermon on the
m-unt shall be fully lived out when the
kingdom comes. for they are the laws of
the kingdom, but if we are the children
Of the kingdom they ought to be in some
measure lived out i'm now when fully
considered in the light Of al Scripture.
81. 'tAnd as We would that men should
do to you do ye also to them likewise" "
Not Simply the negative form, do not to
A. l.