The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1895-03-07
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.

AhO Assch AouhB Nul6E mAT8
Especially Arranged from Peloubet's Notes.l
GOLDEN TExT.-Seek ye first the kingdom Of
God.-Matt 8:3a
THE SECTION OF HISTORY includes verses
1881.
TIME-March, A. D. 30 A few weeks after
our last lesson.
PLAcE.-on Christs last journey to Jeru-
salem from the village Of Ephraim. along the
borders Of Samaria and Galilee and down the
Jordan valley to Jericho Probably In Perea,
beyond Jordan He had not vet reached
Jericho
JEsus.-Thirty-t years old and two or
three months. About month before His
crucihxion.
THE INTERVENING SToRY.-The excitement
produced by the miracle of raising Lazarus in
famed the hostility of the Jewish leaders to
such degree that Jesus could not safely re-
main near Jerusalem John ll47-54). Accord
fngly He went into retirement for a time at
Ephraim in the mountainous region ON the
northern borders OF Judea. After a few weeks
He journeyed along the borders Of Samaria
and Galilee to the Jordan; crossed over the
river into Perea, where He healed ten lepers
Uuke 17:12-l9), discoursed concerning the
Kingdom of God duke 17:20-3l), spoke some
parallels on prayer (Luke lS:1-14), and wei.
coined the children, taking them in His arms
luke ls:15-l7; Mark lO:l3-l6. AS He was go
ing away from this scene the young ruler came
to Him.
LESSON NOTES.
A Rich Young Ruler Seeking Eternal
Life.-"And when He was gone forth;
from the house where He had blessed
the children. He starts again on His
journey to Jerusalem. There came
one running:" BY comparison with
Matthew and Luke we learn that he
was Q) ruler, probably of a syna-
gogue; a leading man in Jewish re-
ligious circles. (2) He was young. (3)
He was very rich. ~ He was religious
ly trained. (5) He had heard of Jesus
and listened to His teachings, or he would
not have come to Him in this way. (6)
He had a lovable disposition Mark
1O:2D.
His Character. Q) This young man
seems to ha We had from worldly point
of view an irreproachable moral char
acter. He had resisted the corrupting
influences around him. (2) He was a
candid inquirer, breaking away from
the routine religion of his synagogue,
and recognizing truth and goodness
wherever he saw it. (S) He was cour-
ageous. Only brave heart could
have enabled one in so prominent
position to risk the opposition
and reproaches of his associates, and
run and reverence in so public man.
ner the despised Nazarene. (4) He had
high aspirations. He was not content
with wealth and position and outward
morality, but had set his heart on eter-
nal life. (5) He was in earnest, as his
conduct shows. But on the other hand
he was (a) self-righteous. (6) He had
wrong or imperfect motives behind his
outward goodness. (c) He was unwill-
ing to trust everything, even his
worldly wealth, in Gods hands.
Seeking Eternal Life.--Of all things
In the universe this is the great prize
we should seek with all our hearts and
souls. For it includes every other good
God, Heaven, holiness, usefulness,
happiness. Just so far as we have eter-
nal life can we know God, or Heaven,
or any highest good.
The Conditions of Eternal Life.-
"Thou knowest the commandments"
This implies what Matthew expresses,
''If thou wilt enter into life, keep the
commandments. The young man then
asks which? OF what kind? What
special and great commandment do you
refer to? Then Jesus replies by emu
merating those named in this verse.
"Do not commit adultery. Do not KILL"
etc. All these belong to the second
table of the law, which teaches the
duties of man to man. Jesus, it would
seem, desired to show the man the true
nature, the living soul, of ordinary
daily life. Perhaps Jesus did not refer
to the first table of the law because
the keeping Of the second was test as
to whether the ruler really kept the
first. He that truly loves man loves
God.
Here was the second step-a convic-
tion of sin and imperfection, by measur-
ing ones self by the law in its Divine
strictness.
Keeping the Commandments and
Eternal Life. ~ There is no complete
eternal life without the keeping Of the
commandments, and no beginnings Of
eternal life without the spirit which
seeks, longs and endeavors to keep
them. For (2) the commandments are
the expression Of the true principles Of
holy living. Good people, saints and
and angels in Heaven live according to
the commandments. 49, A person may
keep the commandments in outward
form and yet not have eternal life. ~
The commandments are the Divine
standard which shows us how much we
have failed in the true life, and by
which the Holy Spirit convinces us of
sin and need. For (0 no one ever en-
tered eternal life by merely trying to
keep the commandments. (6) Jesus
Christ has come to save us, by implant-
ing that new life, that loving and
obedient spirit, which will lead to the
keeping of the commandments. Jesus
saves not in sin, but from sin.
The Failure. "One Thing Thou
Lackest. ."-"Then Jesus beholding him
loved him." He was SO noble, so earn
est and sincere in his seeking, so Iowa
BILE, that the soul of Jesus was drawn