The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1896-05-06
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON VI, SECOND QUARTER. INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, MAY 10.

LESSON VI, SECOND QUARTER. INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, MAY 10.
Text Of the Lesson. Luke xviii. 0-l5-Mem-
DRY yrrscs, i5-l7-Goiden Text. Luke
xviii. Commentary by the Rev. ID. M.
stesrns.
This Is called a lesson on prayer, but IL
might be better called lesson on how to
enter the kingdom Of God. The kingdom
Is mentioned at least seven or eight times
In this chapter and the last part of the pre-
ceding one. The Pharisees were told that
IL was among them or In their midst, not
within them (chapter xvii, 81, margin or
r. W, for Ii GOULD not I'm any sense be In
such Christ haters as they were, but It was
In their very midst, In the person of the
King whom they were watching their op-
portunity to kill. Chapter xviii, In which
our lesson Is, tells us who can and who can
not enter this kingdom, which Is yet to
be set up on this earth Self righteous
Pharisees and rich idolaters, however
moral, and all who love this present world
cannot enter this kingdom, but helpless
blind beggars and such as have the spirit
of little child they can enter. The condi-
tion of things on earth will become more
and more like the days of Noah and of Lot
till the Son Of Man shall come.
o. "And He spake this parable unto GER
tain which trusted in themselves that they
were righteous and despised Others" The
previous part of the chapter speaks of the
coming Of the Son Of Man as time when
God shall avenge His own elect-that Is,
His elect Israel, for His elect church does
not cry for vengeance, but the redemption
of Israel Is always associated with venge-
ance upon her enemies lisa. xxxiv, g.;
XIV, 4; xiii, A. In verse He asks II
there shall be any faith on earth or the
faith when this time comes. The church
having been taken to meet her Lord before
He comes to avenge His elect Israel, 1t will
be dark time. There will be many trust
ing in their own righteousness, but there
will also be an afflicted and poor people
who will trust In the Lord (Zeph. Ill, 49,
10. 1.-Two men won't up into the temple
to pray, the one Pharisee and the other
a publican. The Pharisees trusted in
their own righteousness. 1t Is written Of
them In Rom. K, 3, that being ignorant OF
Gods righteousness, and going about to
establish their own righteousness, they did
not submit themselves unto the righteous
they would see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
all the prophets, and many from north
SOUTH east and west in the kingdom Of
God but they themselves thrust out duke
xiii, 80, 29). He also said that unless one
had more righteousness than that of the
scribes and Pharisees 1t would be impos-
sible to enter the kingdom (Math. " 20).
IL, ~. This is the record of the Phari-
sees so called prayer, as given by Him who
reads our hearts, whose eyes are as a flame
of fire. There is not one petition in 1t. He
did not ask God for a simple thing, but
just told God what good fellow he was
In his own estimation and how thankful
he was for it, He mentioned four things
that he did not do and two things that he
did. There were thus just six things In
his little talk with God about himself,
and six Is the number of man, as 666 is
the number Of the beast, the man who
will be satan incarnate. There was no
humility, no sense of sin. no knowledge
of God nor of himself, yet he thought that
he prayed, and no doubt went away feel
ing we'll pleased with himself. He Is a
picture of multitudes of religious people
today who attend church regularly but
are no more saved than he was. In their
own estimation they are not sinners, never
were They were born children of God by
natural birth, or IL not then, they think 1t
was all made sure by infant baptism, and
now they can tell you Of what they are
glad they are not and OF some good things
which they do, and vainly think that all
Is we'll. They are followers of Cain, who
despiscd Gods way and loved his own.
10. "God be merciful to me a sinner. {"
This is the substance Of the prayer Of the
poor despised publican who would not lift
up so much as his eyes to heaven, but
smote upon truly contrite breast, as he
stood afar off and uttered these words
from his heart. He had no righteousness,
and he knew 1t, but he had plenty of sin,
and he knew that too. He needed mercy,
and he asked for it, and he pleaded moth
ing but his sin and Gods redemption.
His prayer might be rendered, "God be
propitious to me- )" or "be reconciled to me
because of atonement. He, like right
eous Abel, acknowledged his sin and
looked TO "a sacrifice.
IA. 81 tell you this man went down to
his house justified. - The man who want
ed nothing and asked for nothing received
nothing and went back to his house a
poor, self righteous, lost soul, but the
penitent publican who confessed his sin
and asked for mercy received mercy and
was instantly justified from all things
from which he could not be justified by
the law, for by the deeds of the law no one
can be justified. But the righteousness
of God, even Christ Himself and all His
merits, Is freely given to every penitent
sinner who comes to Him (Acts xiii, 80,
80; Rom. Ill, 1924; K, 4; III Cor. v, 81.
10. And they brought unto Him also
infants that He would touch them, but
when the disciples saw it they rebuked
them" The disciples did not know Him
even though they dwelt with Him. Even
James and John had to be reproved more
than once, and the night before He was
oruoified He had to say to another, Have
been so long time with you, and yet hast
thou not known me, Philip" All of
them seemed TO censure Mary's apparent
waste of precious ointment, but Jesus re-
buked them and commended her. We
need fear no ones censure IL only we have
His approval. Therefore let us covet that
above all things.
16. But Jesus called them unto Him
and said, Suffer little children to come
unto me and forbid them not for of such
Is the kingdom of God" 1t Is not their