Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1895-04-20
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON III, SECOND QUARTER. INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, APRIL 2i.


Text of the Lesson. Math. xiv, 1881 Mem
ory Verses, 4+-46- Golden Text, Mark
Kill. ~ Commentary by the Rev. ID. VI.
SteRrns.
~. Watch. therefore for ye know not
what hour Your Lord doth come" Dur
ing this cvcntful week, upon which ween-
tered two or three lessons ago, He taught
them many things from day 10 day in the
temple, the record Of which, with tho
events Of the week, occupies nearly third
Of each Of the gospels one Of these days,
a. He departed from the temple. His dis
ciplcs called His attention 10 the great
stones and buildings. upon which, TO their
great amazcment, lie told them that the
whole thing was 10 be thrown down.
They then inquired somewhat confusedly
as to when this should be and what would
be the sign Of His coming and of tho end
Of the age. In Mark xiii, 3, we find that 1t
was four OF the disciples who asked Him
privately Of these things as He sat upon
the mount of Olives. II, in reading tho
three parallel accounts in Math. xiv,
Mark xiii 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 everywhere teaches that He
will come To build up, not destroy, Jeru-
salem, as in Ps eli, IL; lsa. XIV. Q, 10; xii,
IL; Zech. xiv, 3, 4, $, 9, So that we must
never confound the Lords coming with
tho destruction Of Jerusalem, but always
associate it with the rebuilding Of Zion.
AZ "But know this-that II the good
man of the house had known in what
watch the thief would come he would
have watched and would not have suf-
fercd his house to be broken up" The
coming Of the Lord is associated with
vengeance upon His enemies, and the re-
dcnption of His people Israel, ms in Isa.
xxxiv, $; xxxv, 4; xiii, 1, and He will come
upon those enemies rs n thief, suddenly
and unexpectedly, for their destruction
III ThesS. j. 79), but children Of light
will not be thus oyertaken, for they are
supposed 20 be continually watching for
Him who loved them and redeemed them
by His blood that they might reign with
Him CRev V, Q, 10: Thess. V, 4-6)
A. Therefore be We also ready, for in
such an hour as ye think not the Son Of
Man comcth" " We only wait for the com
plction of the elect body, the church, be-
fore that body shall meet Him in the air
Il Thcss iv, l6-lS), and inasmuch as He
only knows when the last member of that
body shall be gathered we keep on bearing
testimony. expecting any hour to be gone
to meet our Lord, saved by His blood,
serving in the power Of the Spirit and
waiting for Himself
10. Who, then, Is faithful and wise
servant whom his Lord hath made ruler
over his household, to give them meat in
due season." Tho virgins of the next chap
ter tell us how to be wise, and the parable
of the talents teaches us how to be faith
ful. Results and success He will see 10.
Wise and faithful is our part. The only
good and nourishing meat and bread for
the household is found only in the kings
lardcr, the ''all Scripture. which is all
sufficient for all His people I'll Tim. ILL.,
i6, IL.
40. Blessed is that servant whom His
Lord when He cometh. shall find so do
ing" Blessed is the man who has learned
for himself to dwell continually in Jeru.
salem and cat at the Kings table (II Sam.
tx, l3l Even though he be lame ON both
feet, happy and peaceful and satisfied
shall he be. He will bc sure TO be telling
others Of tho abundant and invigorating
food which the King supplies day by day
without fail (Jer. lii, 33, "a: Ez. vi, 81,
and thus He shall minister meat in due
season to the glory of the King and tho
joy of His people. i can testify that tho
people arc hungry for and receive greedily
the food which the King provides without
any of the accompanimcnts of the flxings
and devisings nf man.
IL. Verify ! say unto you that He shall
make him ruler over all His goods As
Eliczer had control of all the goods OF
Isaac, which his father had given unto
him, that he might obtain bride for Isaac,
so the Father, having given all things unto
the Son, has sent the Spirit with full con-
troll over all to complete the bride OF
Christ, and he who is filled with the Spirit
has control of all as the human instru-
mcnt through whom the Spirit works.
"All are yours and ye are Christ's 5, and
Christ is Gods II Cor. iii, 80, 23).
Is. But and il that evil servant shall
say in his heart, My Lord delaycth His
coming" II not wise, with lamps filed
and brightly burning and vessels full also
and faithfully using the talents and the
pounds. occupying till He come, then it
looks as il we must be evil servants II
not constantly expecting Him, but saying
or acting as If we said, He will not come
in my day, He cannot come for long
time yet, such md such things must hap
pen before He can come is there not a dan
ger OF being classcd with the evil scryants'
40 And shall begin TO smite his fellow
servants and to eat and drink with the
drunken" To cat and drink with the
drunken is suggestive Of all those, pro-
fcsscdly the Lords, who find their joys
and satisfying portions with the people of
the world, who are intoxicated with its
pleasures and pursuits. its aims and am
bitions, its fashions and follics They may
be moral and temperate in the eyes of tho
world--yes, even tcetotalcrs, so called
yet in the eyes of the Lord drunken and
blinded with the transient vanities of this
present life
So Tho Lord of that servant shall come
in a day when he lookcth not for Him and
in an hour that Ire is not aware Of" Let
all trcmblc to say, Where is the promise
Of his cOmingi" QI Peter iii, ~ lest sud-
den destruction come, from which there
shall be no escape Il Thess. V, 81 Rather
let us see TO it that we so abide in Him
that when He shall appear we may have
confidence and not be ashamed before Him
at His coming Il John ii, PSI.
81. And shall cut him asunder and
appoint him his portion with the hypo-
critics. There shall be weeping and gnash-
ing Of teeth" 1t Is impossible for any of
Christ's sheep 10 be lost (John X, 27-29l
for any true servant of His TO perish.
such may have their works burned up
and they themselves saved as by firc Il
Cor. iii, II, i5) But there are many both
in the pulpit and in the pews who, being
hypocrites, shall have TO share the hypo-
critics portion. The Lord only knows who
they are Ii IS not for us To judge each
other, but rather TO judge nothing before
the time until tho Lord come ii Cor. iv, -.
II we judge ourselves as in His sight, il
will leave US neither time nor inclination
TO judge others. Our business Is 10 be
wise and faithful servants, and by the
kpirit help others to bc the same. Wher-
.vcr weeping or wailing and gnashing Of
&cth is mentioned it is always for those
sho profess to be what they are not