The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1896-02-07
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON VI. FIRST QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, FEB. 8.


l6-Commentary by the Rev. ID. NJ.
Stearps.
Al. "And why beholdest thou the mote
that Is In thy brothers eye, but perceivest
not the beam that Is In thine own eyer"
We have in this chapter the all night
prayer, the choosing of the twelve apostles
and the sermon on the plain, of which our
lesson is the closing portion. 1t Is some
times called 1.-The Sermon ON the Mount, 4"
but, while 1t Is somewhat the same in
substance as that discourse of our Lord,
found In Math. v, to vii, glance at verse
IL of our chapter will show that this dis
course must have been delivered at an
other time and certainly on plain to
which He had come down after choosing
the twelve. He closes this discourse by
telling them that the main thing for each
one Is to be right with God himself before
he attempts to set his brother right, lest
what seems like beam in our brother s
eye may be due to beam in our own eye
while there Is but mote In our brother s
eye.
AZ. Cast out first the beam out of
thine own eye, and then shalt thou see
clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy
brothers. eye." 1t Is too often the case
that in judging another we condemn our
selves, being guilty of the same things
(Rom. ii, u. In this very sermon, as well
as in the sermon on the mount (verse 81
and Math. vii, u He commands us to
Judge not, ;" and in l Cor. iv, 5, by the
same Spirit through Paul. He commands
us to Judge nothing before the time, I'M
til the Lord come who will make manifest
the counsels of the hearts" While we are
not to judge others until we ourselves are
more like Christ, we are always at liberty
to judge ourselves U Cor. XII, 81 by the
light of His life and His law, and this we
should do continually, but the best way
to do this is to set the Lord always before
us, and let His presence and approval be
the constant test.
43. "For good tree bringeth not forth
corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree
bring forth good fruit" 1t seems to me
that il lis not another, but ourselves that
we are to contemplate as the tree in ques-
ton. Am l plant or tree of the Lord S
planting? For if not L shall some day be-
surely rooted up (Math. XIV, 13)-in other
words, unless 1 am born from above /
shall surely perish, but if L have become a
child of God by faith in Christ Jesus then
/ am tree or plant of the Lords plant
ing, rooted and grounded in love (Eph
iii, 10, and Am here to bear much fruit to
His glory John XIV, 1-s).
A. For every tree is known by his own
fruit for of thorns men do not gather figs
nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. &"
When God created plants and trees, He
caused that each should yield fruit after
his kind Gen. /, IL, 12). When He created
man, He made him in His image after
His likeness and commanded him TO be
fruitful, but before man began TO be fruit
full he sinned and fell and lost the image
of God and begat children in This own like
ness, after his image (Gen. 4, 81, 20; v, 81 ;
hence every child of Adam has been born
in SIM is q corrupt tree (Rom. viii, z, 9,
and cannot bear fruit unto God until
made a good tree by being born again.
As. For of the abundance of the heart
his mouth speaketh. A good man from
the good treasures therein and an evil
man from the evil treasures therein. There
Is no patchwork with God. He does not
put new cloth upon an old garment nor
new wine into old bottles (chapter V, &C.
3S). Not reformation, but regeneration, is
the Lords way of saving men. If any man
be in Christ, he is a new creation, born of
God. Christ has come to dwell in him,
his body has become a temple of the Holy
Spirit, and the old nature which once lived
in us and controlled all things is now to
be reckoned dead, wholly subdued
46. And why-call we me Lord, Lord,
and do not the things which l say?" He
tells us in chapter xiii, 25-27, that when
the door has been shut many will say,
Lord, Lord, open unto us, )" TO whom He
will have to say, Il tell you l know you
not whence ye are" In the sermon on
the mount He said, "Not every one that
saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter in
to the kingdom of heaven, but he that do
eth the will of my Father which is in
heaven" (Math. vii, 21) James tells us
in chapter /, 22 that we are to be doors Of
the word, and not hearers only, deceiving
our own selves. 1t is the plain and uni
versal teaching of Scripture that we are
not saved by any works of ours, but who'll
ly and only by the work of another, but it
Is equally plain that being saved by His
work 1t is in order that He may then ao-
complish through us His pleasure.
AZ. whatsoever cometh to Me and hear
eth My sayings and doeth them, will
shew you to whom no Is like" Salvation
Is seen here in the looming to Him."
Compare John vi, 81, for If we are not
cast out we are surely accepted. Then
comes the service included In hearing
and doing" See Eph. II, 8, o, and Titus
Iii, 5, on salvation apart from any works
of ours, then see Eph. ii, 10, and Titus iii,
8, on works as the result of that salvation.
James Is as clear as Paul on the fact that
Abraham was saved by faith (see Rom
iv, B; Jas. IL, 23), but James emphasizes
the fact that the faith which saved Abra-
ham was afterward manifest In his con-
duct (Jas. Ii, 81, 22). The faith which
does not prove It's reality by works is like
light which does not shine, q painted
light.
As. "He Is like man which built an
house, and digged deep, and laid the foun-
dalton on rock" Such house will stand
because of its foundation. "Other founda-
ton can no man lay than that is laid,
which is Jesus Christ q Cor. iii, ~. He
Is the Rock, the only one on whom to
build or in whom to hide-in other words,
the only salvation Is to receive Him in
whom alone Is salvation, but as truly as
He Is received He will work in and through
that individual to the glory of God. See
Phil. ii, 10; Heb. Kill, 81. The soul that
has thus become part of Christ can only
be overthrown when Christ Is overthrown.
40. "But he that heareth and doeth not