The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-04-08
SABBATH SCHOOL,
LESSON FOE
APRIL 5.
lesson Text: 'sWarning Against Stn,"
Luke kill, 22-3O-Golden
Text: Luke kill, 24
commentary.

When we are having but one lesson In each
chapter 1t seems pity to pass chapter by,
but as the Resurrection is the greatest topic
In Scripture, including all others, we feel led
20 choose the Easter lesson. II any prefer
,hapter xiii.-fail not to notice the corruption
,ugcested by the heaven, and the hypocrisy
which shall in due time find its home where
there Is weeping and gnashing OF teeth. Be-
fore the door Is shut let all enter who will by
:ruly receiving Him In whom alone tss saliva
ton
l. "They came unto the sepulcher, bring
ing the spices which they had prepared" In
Mark XVII l, we find that it was two OF the
Marys and Salome who did this. Verse 20 OF
our lesson mentions some Others. Their SER
work of faith, and therefore In a measure
fruitless, for "without faith it is impossible
to please Him" [Heb. XII. g.. The order in I
Thess. l., 8 Is "Work of faith. labor OF love,
patience OF hope" If we keep Gods order
In our service all will be we'll.
q. And they found the stone rolled away
from the sepulcher." Mark xvi, 8. says
that they talked among themselves as to who
should roll away the stone from the sepul-
cher; for Mark xv., 46. At, saysthat they saw
the burial Of His body and the stone rolled
unto the door OF the sepulcher. The ap-
parent or real dif1ulties will vanish as we
move on in love to Him constrained by His
love to us. These women were ready to
minister at His death, but they had also
ministered to him in His life (Mark xv., 40,
l).
s. "And they entered in and found not
the body of the Lord Jesus" They were
looking for q wrong thing in wrong place
through lack of knowledge because OF lack
fott arnsI1rppaGfnl
the people who looked for the body OF Enoch
or the fifty men who looked three days tor
the body OF Elijah (Heb. XII, S; II Kings, H.,
III. There will be some more unsuccessful
searchers some of these days when all the
dead in Christ shall have left their graves
and the living saints shall nave been caught
I'D with them to meet the Lord In the air q
Cor. xv., %, 81, So; Thess. iv., 1919.
4. "Behold two men stood by them IN
angels who came with the Lord to visit
Abraham (Gen. xviii, 2. %; xix. y, all the
way through the Scriptures they are always
spoken of as men and never as women. l
only mention this to show how unscr1ptural
are our pictures Of angeS. Heb. l., Il, Is
very comforting concerning the ministry OF
angels, and Ps. GILL, 20, Fl, Is very lnspir-
ing, making US long to be like them IN SER
vice and In obedience.
D..
dead?" For "the living" the margin says,
"Him that liveth." The previous verse says
they we're much perplexed, and now we read
that they we're afraid and bowed down to
the earth. Unbeief always produces these
things, while Joy and peace come by believ-
Ing (Rom. w., 13). Our departed friends
who have died in Christ are alive and well,
although their bodies rest In the grave.
They are with Christ" ''present with the
o-l opl 10
faith that clinGs to the tomb as II they were
there.
6. "He Is not here, but Is risen; remember
how He spake unto you when He was yet IN
Galilee." The words Of the Lord are very
plain words, easily understood II simply be-
iieved, for Through faith we understand
(Heb. xi., 81. As to both law and prophecy
being very plain, see Deut. xvii. 8: Hab.
H.. Now we cannot remember the words
ofthe Lord II we have not received them, II
we have not laid them up in our hearts.
z. ''The Son Of Man must be delivered into
the hands Of sinful men and crucifed and
the third day rise again" He had said Just
these words to them over and over again
(Math. xvi, 81; xviii, %; Xxx, l9, ana he
had meant Just what he said. and 1t had all
come to pass exactly rs He had said, so that
their whole difficulty was that they mad
failed to take Him at His word.
8. "And they remembered His words. 80
we, in the morning of His coming again. will
remember His words and see everything full
filled exactly as 1t Is written. we would
therefore do we'll to remember them now
and hold them fast and be ever saying for
our own announcement and for the encour-
agement Of others, "Be Of good cheer Tor
believe God that it shall be even as 1t was
told me-"
9. "And returned from the sepulcher and
told all these things unto the eleven ana 10 all
the rest" Read Math xviii, So, for further
details Of the angels message to the women.
You will see that they departed quickly with
fear and great Joy and did run to bring His
disciples word. To run errands for Jesus,
bringing glad tidings Of His resurrection and
coming glory, Is good cure for sorrow. IL
was as they thus went that Jesus met them
and suffered them to hold Him by the feet
and worship Him. He meets those who re-
joice and work righteousness.
10. ut was Mary MasdaleIe and Joanna,
etc. It would seem that Mary Magdalene
got somehow and for a time separated from
the other women (she will explain 1t all to
us when we see herr and that the Lord ap-
peared to her the very first and spoke to her,
but would,not allow herto touch Him, for He
had.nct then ascended to His Father in His
resurrectionibody (John Xxx. 16, I'D, but be-
fore He met the other women whom He al.
lowed TO TOUCH dlm ne uuSt udfc u5SonuSo
and returned. The movements OF the re-
deemed and glorified bodies may be as quick
as lightning (Ezek. L.. A.
II. "And their words seemed to them as
idle tales, and they believed them not"
When Paul at Rome faithfully e1pounded
the Scriptures, some believed and some be-
lieved not (Acts xviii, "a 24). They were
natural men to whom Paul preached the
gospel, and, as always, some received 1t and
some did not. But these in our lesson were
saved people, the apostles and Others, and OF
the apostles the Lord had said that they
were f'clean every whit" (John kill, 1O), yet
in reference to the fact OF His resurrection
they were unbelieying.
12. "Wonderlng in Himself at that which
was come to pass" This is the record con-
cerning Peter even after he had seen the
empty tomb-not Joy and peace in believing,
but simply wonderment. So with people
then and now. there is much wondering
Chapters iv.. 20; tx, 49; xi., A., etc., but
there is no profit apart from faith (Heb. iv,
p. It seems 50 simple and reasonable that
we should say as Mary did, "Be it unto me
according to Thy word" or as Paul, 81 be-
lieve God" Let US do 1t, and we shall sure
lv know His joy and peace.-Lesson Helper