Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-05-22
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON VII, SECOND QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, MAY "a.


TX, 17-Commentary by the Rev. ID. NJ.
Stearns.
8. "a certain man planted a vineyard
and let 1t forth to husbandmen and went
into far country for n long time" Our
list lesson seemed to have special refer
! ence to the present age or the time be-
tween Israels rejection of their King and
His return to take the kingdom. This
parable seems rather to cover the whole
history of Israel, including their treatment
of the prophets and their rejection of tho
King
10-12 This account of the treatment of
His servants will cover the whole period
of the prophets. The fruit He desired was
righteousness, and that Israel should make
Him name among the nations of the
earth, that all nations might know Him
lor their good But read the story in lisa.
V, 7-25, and in Eek. xiii and see what they
gave Him instead of righteousness. As
to their beating and shamefuly treating
the servants, just listen to few testi-
monies: ASA was wroth with the seer
and put him in a prison house" 'Zede-
kiah came near and smote Micaiah upon
the cheek" And they conspired against
him (Zechariah) and stoned him with
stones at the commandment of tho king
N the court of the house of the Lord "
Then Pashur smote jeremiah, the
prophet, and put him in the stocks"
Then took they Jeremiah and cast him
into the dungeon" Oh Chron. xvi, 10
xviii, 90; xiv, 81; Jer. Xxx, 2; xxxviii, 81.
No wonder that James by the Spirit writes,
Take my brethren, the prophets who
have spoken in the name of tho Lord, for
an example of suffering affection and of
patience (Jas. V, 100. The Lord is now
looking for the fruit of the Spirit in those
who have become branches in Him who
is the True Vine, and through whom He
desires to bear much fruit to the glory of
God. Does He find it? If not, why? Let
each answer for himself unto the Lord.
49, "Then said the lord of the vine
yard; What shall do? l will send my be-
loved son. 1t may be they will reverence
him when they see him." In lisa. V, 4,
He asks, What could have been done more
to My vineyard that 1 have not done in
it, And here at a much farther stage He
asks, What shall l do? Then determines
to send His Beloved Son, not to punish.
as well Ho might, but to save and bless
even such rpbelliOus ones. God, who once
spoke by the prophets, hath at last spoken
by His Beloved Son, to whom He gave
this title both at His baptism and at His
TRANSPORTATION. Behold what manner of
love, what long suffering, what forbear-
nnce, what yearning over the erring and
rebellious ones Hear Him, even through
the prophets How shall give thee up,
Ephraim? How shall deliver thee, Israeli
(Hos. XII, 81
IA. This is the heir; come let us kill
him, that the inheritance may be ours"
Joseph's brethren said: This dreamer
cometh Come now, therefore, and let us
slay him and cast him into some pit"
(Gen. xxxvii 10, 20) 1t seems impossible
that human nature could be guilty of the
baseness of Joseph's brethren, and of the
brethren of our Lord, the Jews, who treat
ed Him as He here describes. Think of
men enjoying property that cost them
nothing, then of their refusing to thank
the owner by rendering him some fruit
then of their actually oonspiring to kill
the owner and take the property into their
own hands.
10. $50 they cast him out of the vine
yard and killed him. What, therefore,
shall the lord of the vineyard do unto
themY' Our Lord describes what He
knew they would actually do, for He had
often foretold it. What an illustration of
the fact that the carnal mind is enmity
against God. But believer let us apply
it; let us see ourselves in this awful pic
ture. The Lord Jesus has bought us for
His peculiar property that He may be
glUrified in us. Now, is He enthroned in
the heart that He has bought for Himself,
or is He as good as cast out? Lest we be
as guilty or more guilty than the Jews,
let us give Him cheerfully the whole being
for His ulpnSl1rp Rom vii
IS. "He shall come and destroy these
husbandmen and shall give the vineyard
to Others In Math. xxi, 49, the words
are, "Tho kingdom of God shall be taken
from you and given to IL nation bringing
forth the fruits thereof Israel, having
failed to receive her King, has been for the
present set aside AS nation, while God is
gathering eut of all nations people for
His name who shall be Joined to Christ
and return with Him when He shall come
in glory for the restoration of Israel and
of all things spoken by the prophets. The
great question for the church and for every
individual believer is, Am l bearing fruit
unto Godg
II. what is this then, that is written,
the stone which the builders rejected, the
same is become the head of the corncrY"
This is from Ps. cxviii %, and points to
tho tlmo when the nation shall say,
" Blessed be He chat comcth in the name
of the Lord (Math. xiii, 80; Ps. cxviii,
26). 1T shall DO said in that day: Lo, this
is our God We have waited for Him, and
He will save us. This is the Lord We
have waited for Him. We will be glad
and rejoice in His salvation lisa. XIV, %.
Our Lord was always calling attention to
what was written He had implicit con
1ldence in the Scriptures. He always ap
pealed to them. He made people answer
their own question: by His. What is
writteny How readest thOu?'
IS. "Whosoever shall fall upon that
stOnn shall be broken, but on whomsoever
it shall fall 1t will grind him to powder"
This takes us back to lisa. viii, IA, 10,
where we read that He shall be to some
sanctuary, bat To Others II stone of STUN
bling and "A rock of utfense In lisa xviii,
IL, we read that He is sure and tried
foundation STONE rs well rs "a prppipus pur-