The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-04-17
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
APRIL 21.
Lesson Text: "WatchfuIness," Matt.
XIV, 42-51 - Golden lext:
Mark kill, 33-Com-
mentary.

~. swatch, therefore, for ye know not
what hour your Lord doth come" During
this eventful week, upon which we entered
two or three lessons ago. He taught them
many things from day to day in the temple,
the record OF which, with the events of the
week, occupies nearly 4 third Of each OF the
gospels. One OF these days. as He departed
from the temple, His disciples called His at
tention to the great stones and buildings,
upon which, to their great amazement, He
told them that the whole thing was to be
thrown down. They then inquired some
what confusedly as to when this should be
and what would be the sign OF His coming
and Of the end Of the age. In Mark xiii. 8,
we find that it was four Of the disciples who
asked Him privately of these things as He sat
upon the mount Of Olives. If, in reading the
three parallel accounts in Math. XIV, Mark
kill, and Luke xxi, we distinguish between
the destruction OF Jerusalem and the temple
and the end Of the age at His coming, all will
be quite plain. The Old Testament every
where teaches that He will come to build up,
not destroy, Jerusalem, as in Ps. cii., 16; lisa.
xv., 0. 10; xii, , II; Zech. xiv. 8, 4, 8,9 so
that we must never confound the Lords COM
ing with the destruction OF Jerusalem, but
always associate it with the rebuilding OF
Zion
43. '.But know this-that if the good man
Of the house had known in what watch the
thief would come he would have watched
and would not have suffered his house to be
broken up" The coming OF the Lord is as
sociated with vengeance upon His enemies,
and the redemption of His people Israel. as
in Isa. xxxiv., 8; xxxv., 4; xiii, T. and He
will come upon those enemies as thief, sud-
denly and unexpectedly, for their destruc-
Al hat nf Iinh
will not be thus overtaken, for they are sup
posed to be continually watching for Him
who loved them aud redeemed them by His
blood that they might reign with Him (Rev.
", 9, 10; Thess. ". 4-6).
A. Therefore be ye also ready, for in
such an hour as ye think not the Son OF Man
cometh." We only wait for the completion
OF the elect body, the church, before that
body shall meet Him in the air Il Thess. iy.,
1919, and inasmuch as He only knows when
the last member Of that body shall be gath
cred we keep on bearing testimony, expect
ing any hour to be gone to meet our Lord.
saved by His blood, serving in the power OF
the Spirit and waiting for Himself.
As. "Who, then, Is q faithful and wise SER
want whom his Lord hath made ruler over
his household, to give them meat in due sea-
son?" The virgins of the next chapter tell
us how to be wise, and the parable OF the
talents teaches us how to be faithful. Re-
suits and success He will see to. Wise and
faithful is our part. The only good and
nourishing meat and bread for the house
hold is found only in the Kings larder, the
s'all Scripture" which is all sufficient for
all His people (II Tim. ill.,, 16. 17.)
46. BLESSED sthat servant whom His Lord,
when He cometh, shall find 80 doing"
Blessed Is the man who has learned for him
self TO dwell continually in Jerusalem and eat
al the Kings table (II Sam. tx. 13). Even
though he be lame on both feet, happy and
peaceful and satisfied shall he be. He will
be sure to be telling others OF the abundant
and invigorating food which the King sup
plies day by day without fail (Jer. ill.,. 33, 81;
Ez. vi, 81, and thus He shall minister meat
in due season to the glory of the King and
the Joy of His people. can testify that the
people are hungry for and receive greedily
the food which the King provides without
any Of the accompaniment Of the fixings and
devlsings OF man.
At. .'verily say unto you that He shall
make him ruler over all His goods" AS
Eliezer had control of all the goods Of Isaac,
which his father had given unto him, that he
might obtain bride for Isaac, 80 the Father,
having given all things unto the Son, has
sent the Spirit with full control over all to
complete the bride of Christ and he who is
filled with the Spirit has control Of all as the
human instrument through whom the Spirit
works. SAll are yours, and ye arc Christ's,
and Christ Is Gods" q Cor. ill.,, %. 29).
4S. "But and il that evil. servant shall say
in his heart, My Lord delayeth His coming"
If not wise, with lamps filled and brightly
burning and vessels full also and faithfully
using the talents and the pounds, occupying
till He come, then 1t looks as If we must be
evil servants II not constantly expecting
Him, but saying or acting as we said, He will
not come In my day, He cannot come for
long time yet, such and such things must
happen before He can come. Is there not
danger Of being classed with the evil SER
wants?
40. "And shall begin to smite his fellow
servants and to eat and drink with the
drunken" To eat and drink with tho
drunken is suggestive of all those, profess
edIy the Lords, who find their joys and salts
flying portions with the people of the world,
who are intoxicated with its pleasures and
and follfes. They may be moral and tenn
perate in the eyes of the world-yes, even tee
totalers, 80 called-yet in the eyes OF the
Lord drunken and blinded with the transient
vanities Of this present life.
so. ':The Lord of that servant shall come
in a day when he looketh not for Hin and in
an hour that he is not aware Of" Let all
tremble to say, 'Where IS the promise OF his
.coming2" UI Peter ill.,, ~ lest sudden de-
struction come, from which there shall be
no escape q Thess. ". y. Rather let us see
to it that we 80 abide in Him that when He
shall appear we may have confidence ard
not be ashamed before Him at His coming q
John H.. 28).
ST. "And shall cut him asunder and ap-
point him his portion with the hypocrites.
There shall be weeping and gnashing of
teeth" 1t is impossible for any OF Christ's
sheep to be lost (John K, 1920, for any true
servant of His to perish. Such may have
their work burned up and they themselves
saved as by fire Il Cor. ill.,, IA, 15). But
there are many both in the pulpit and in the
pe WIS who, being hyDocrites, shall have to
share the hypocrites' portion. The Lord
or ly knows who they are. 1t is not for us to
Judge each other, but rather to judge moth
ing before the time until the Lord come Il
Cor. iv., 81. If we Judge ourselves as in His
sight, it will leave us neither time nor incli-
nation to Judge others. Our business is to
be wise and faithful servants, and by tho
Spirit help others to be the same. Wherever
weeping or wailing and gnashing OF teeth is
mentioned it is always for those who profess
to be what they are nnt.--Lesson Helper.