Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1895-05-31
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON TX, SECOND QUARTER, IN
TERNATloNAL SERIES, JUNE 2.

rext of the Lesson, Mark xvi, 1-8-Mem-
DRY Verses, @, 7-Golden Text, Luke
xiv, 34-Commentary by the Rev. ID. NJ.
Stearns.
|. And when the Sabbath was past,
Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of
James, and Salome, had bought sweet
spices that they might come and anoint
Him" In Lev. xiii, 10, II, we read that
sheaf of the first fruits of the harvest was
to be presented to the Lord and by Him ac-
cepted for the people, ION the morrow after
the Sabbath" In | Cor XIV, %, we find
that the resurrection of Christ was the full
filment of that type The women men
toned in this first verse of Our lesson were
some of those who followed Him and min
istered unto Him. They loved Him de
votedly, but they We're lacking in faith, for
had they believed His words that He would
rise again the third day chapters viii, 81.
tx, 80 they would not have thought to
anont His dead body on the third day
Without faith it is impossible to please
Him.
2. And very early in the morning, the
first day of the week, they came unto the
sepulcher at the rising Of the sun" How
thoughts? After all His wonderful works
and teaching concerning the kingdom, to
have it end this way was disappointment
Undesirable. Oh, if they had only believed
lisa. lii and the words of His own lips,
what sorrow and darkness they might have
been spared Mary of Bethany believed
His words and anOinted Him beforehand,
and evidently expecting His resurrection,
as He had said. was not found with the
others at the tomb What darkness would
be dispelled from sorrowing hearts if those
whose friends have died in Christ would
only believe phil. i, q, %; Thess. iv, 10
| 49,, and what sums of money might be
saved for better use which are vainly spent
for the dead bodyl
3. And they said among themselves,
Who shalt roll us away the stone from the
| door of the sepulcher?" 1t was a real diff
Guilty from their standpoint, yet they moved
| on as if it would some way be removed.
Love is not hindered from acting by APP
! parent difficulties When it is work Of
! faith as well as a labor of love q Thess. i, -,
then all is well. but faith should be first,
lest love perform unnecessary labor, and
there can be 10 faith apart from the word
Of God CRom y, ~.
t. And when they looked they saw that
the stone was rolled away, for it was very
great Difficulties vanish as we 90 for
ward How often we have found it sol In
! Math xviii, .. we find that the angel of the
Lord descended from heaven and came and
rolled back the stone from the doorand sat
upon it, for seals and soldiers We're nothing
to him The angels who excel in strength,
that do His commandments, hearkening
unto he voice of His word FPS CHI, POI, know
no difficulties, and nothing is hard to them.
Read the angel stories in Acts xii and I>a
XXXvii. 81 and rejoice that they are still
mnistering spirits who minister unto the
heirs of salvation 0ieb. i, a.,
5. "And entering into The sepulcher they
saw young man sitting on the right side
clothed in long white garment, and they
were affrighted" Ii we believed in the
ministry of angels and that they are evel
with us serving unseen and unthanllrd
perhaps we would not be afr"i'l if some day
one or more should appear 10 us 1t is tru'
that most Of the people in the Bible recort
to whom they appeared seem to have beer
afraid, but we do not read that eithe
Abram or Elisha were afraid, and Elijal
was not afraid TO have them come for hin
with IA carriage that day chat he went home
Notice that this angel, who must have beer
several thousand years old, is called
young man-oh, the joys of eternal youth
If spared TO the day on which this lessor
shall be taught, | will be 81 years old, bu
am sure | feel more like 10 than 81, and
am perfectly sure that ! shall feel younge
still 10000 years hence.
6. And He saith unto them BE not at
frighted. Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth whicl
was crucited. He is risen He is not here
Behold the place where they laid Him.
The angels always say, Fear not Gen. xxi
II; Luke i, 49, 30; ii, l0) and so does tn
Lord Himself from Gen. XIV |, to Rev. i, II
! ! His thoughts to all His people are peac
and not evil (Jer. XXX ID Therefore le
our hearts say, II will trust and not b
afraid" Qsa. xii, p. In Math xviii, &, tn
angel said, "He is risen, as He said, as
they might also have said, why did 20
} not believe Him." Let us have a simple
o chiidlke, unwavering faith in every wor
of God, and thus He will be glorlied i'll III
= T. But 20 your way, tell His disciple
\ and Peter that He goeth before you int
! Galilee There shall We see Him as He sal
unto you" Oh how Chrstlike to have
special message for poor Peter, who mu.
have felt, because of his awful conduc
. that he was no longer worthy to be one {
II them But the Lord loved this errng on
7 and he alone of all the disciples is mentione
. by name in the resurrection message III
, is risen, -" Go, telln' may well be called IL
u watchwords of Christianity. If He be NJ
~ risen, our faith Is in vain, we are yet In OF
= sins, and all who have trusted in Him an
u u have died have persisted q Cor. XIV, l4-le
u If He be not risen from the dead, then ii
10 spotless life and His death on the cross a
go for nothing, as far AS the work of r
10 dempton is concerned. But He is rise
lc God hath raised Him from the dead m