Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-06-03
fer the Aullle Circle.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON xI, SECOND QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JuNEs14.

ory Verses, 4A-46-Golden Text, Cor.
~, 3-Commentary by the Rev. d. N.
stearnA
S8. "There they crucifed Him." -Four
words, but how unuttcrnbly significant,
who can measure its Then the events be-
tween the passover and supper Of the even
ing before and this last and browning
event: Gethsemane, the betrayal and ar
rest, Peters denial, the long and weary
and awful night and morning before the
council, and Herod, and PLATE; the nook
cry and the scourging, and now the cruel
flxion, and that between two malefactors
as II He, too, was one. Truly He was
numbered with tho transgressors, and He
complained not. Oh, my soul, 1t was all
for thee! What thinkest thou Of 1t, and
Of Him who was orucifled on thy accountf
"a. Father, forgive them, for they
know not what they do" This was His
first utterance from the cross. II we take
the seven in order as we find them here
and in verse 48, then John xix, 25-e7;
Math. xvii, 48; John xix, %, 30; Luke
xiii, 46, we have suggested to us the
great facts Of forgiveness, glory, oil that
we need between forgiveness and glory,
His being forsaken that we might never
be, His thirst and all that is implied In 1t,
His finished work and then His exit from
the body to His Father.
85. "He saved others. Let Him save
Himself If he be Christ, the chosen OF
God" Thus the people and the rulers de-
rided Him. They were natural men, they
understood not. therefore they talked fool
ishly. He could have saved Himself, for
He said, "No man taketh My life from
Me, lay 1t down Of Myself" (John (, 1S),
but BE could not save Himself and save
others too. 10 laid down His life volun-
tarily that He might save othors.
SO, 81. eff Thou be the King OF the
Jews, save Thyself." Thus the soldiers
also mooked Him, not knowing what they
said. He would not save Himself, but
He would save them If thoy would let
Him, for had He not prayed for thcni even
as they drove the nails into BIS handsP
Let US lay to heart His words, "Ho that
saveth his life shall lose 1t, but no that
save it duke X, 24).
8s. ''This is the King Of the Jews. I"
Thus PLATE caused it to be written over
Him in the languages Of the world, Greek
and Latin and Hebrew, and he would not
alter it even to please the jews. This
was doubtless of God, for the time will
como when all the world shall SOC and 40
knowledge that this same Jesus, once
cruoifed at the place Of skull, is the
King Of the Jews. Then shall He also be
King of Kings and Lord Of Lords. With
out Him all the things of earth arc as
empty as skull, nothing to them, all
vanity and vexation of spirit, but In Him,
and with Him, all is peace and righteous
ness. . ..
!. 80. "And ono of the malefaotors which
were hanged rallied on Him, saying, II
thou be Christ, save thyself and u.s."
Both Matthew and Mark say that the
thieves reviled Him. Luke does not con-
tradict that for If both at first did 1t, he is
correct in saying that one Of them did 80,
and he doubtless refers to the ono who
persisted In doing so. To save Himself
and them was impossible, but to give His
life in order to save them was what He
was doing. -..
40. "Dost not thou fear God, seeing
thou art in the same condemnation"
When q malefaotor turns preacher, some
thing has happened to him, and IN a
short space Of time something remarkable
has come to this thief. His eyes have been
opened to 500 that the One in the midst is
more than He appears to be, and he has
already in his heart believed upon Him
and received Him as Lord.
Al. "And we indeed justly, for we re-
ceive the due reward of our deeds, but this
man hath done nothing amiss." Here is
evidence of the new birth. He condemns
himself and justifles tho Lord, whereas the
carnal mind, which Is enmity against
God, always justifles itself and condemns
God (Rom. viii, 2; Luke xvi, 15). He
confesses his sins and acknowledges that
he is suffering only what he justly de-
serves, while at the same time he testifes
to the holiness Of the One in the midst.
This is the work Of the Spirit Of God.
40. "And he said unto Jesus, Lord, re-
member me when thou comest into thy
kingdom" No man can say that Jesus is
the Lord, but by the Holy Spirit Il Cor.
xii, 81. See, then, the Spirits work In
this mans heart. He believes that Jesus,
though crucifled as an ovildoer, is the
Lord of glory, and that He has kingdom.
48. "And Jesus said unto him, Verify
say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with
Mo in paradise" What Joy to the peni-
tent thief, his sins all gone, his bodily
sufferings so soon to be ovor, and that very
day in glory with his Lordl Let US not
modify or seek to alter the precious words.
They are In porfeot accord with other
words of tho book concerning the death Of
the righteous. ITO die is gain. =" To de-
part and be with Christ Is far better. =
"Absent from the body, present with the
Lord" (Phil. 4, 81, 90; II Cor. Y, 81: But,
says ono, Jesus had not assembled to the
Father when He met Mary Magdalene on
the morning Of the resurrection John II,
17), therefore how could the thief be with
Him in paradise that dayp He spoke to
Mary Of His ascending to the Father in
His risen body, but as to His Spirit He
was surely in paradise as soon as He died.
A. "And 1t was about the sixth hour,
and there was darkness over all the earth
until the ninth hour" He was orucitied
at the third hour (Mark XIV, 25), or 8 In
the morning, and from noon till p. m.
there was this awful darkness, for tho
prince of darkness was doing his worst. 1t
was his hour and the power OF darkness.
As. "And the sun was darkened, and
the veil of the temple was rent In tho
midst" When the Sun Of Righteousness
was suffering for tho sins Of the world, 1t
was surely moot that tho sun In tho heaV-
ems should refuse to shine. Just before
He comes in His glory the sun and moon
shall both be darkenod in the day Of His
wrath (Math. xiv, 80, 30). The veil IN
the temple was symbol Of His body, for
He hath opened for us new and living
way through the veil-that Is to say, His
flesh (Heb. Z, 2o). The veil was worked
full Of oherubim, and whom 1t was rent
the cherubim were rent also. When he