Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1896-02-13
NUMBER 27
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON w, FIRST QUARTER, INTER
NATIONAL SERIES, FEB. 16.

TEXT cf the Lesson, Like VII, 2-I6-Mem-
ory Verses, 14-IC-GoIden Text. Luke VII,
Is-commentary by the Rev. d. N.
stearns.
2. There being 50 many verses in this
lesson, we will omit quotations from the
text Of the lesson. We now find Him in
Capernaum, which in Math TX, 1, is called
His own city, probably because when
rejected at Nazareth He made Capernaum
His Galilean center and there wrought 30
many Of His mighty works. The first fact
Of this lesson, next To the presence Of
Christ, is that Roman centurion had a
servant who was very dear to him, and
this servant was at this time very sick,
and it seemed as If he would die Math
viii, 8, says that his sickness was the
palsy, and that he was grieyously torment
ed. He was helpless man.
8. The centurion seems to have known
somewhat Of Jesus, either having heard or
seen some Of the things which He had
done, and hearing that He was in the city
be sent some Of the elders OF the Jews 10
ask Him to come and heal his servant. we
may imagine that the centurion lost NO
time. His dear servant seemed to be dy-
ing; there was no hope for him. no human
helper; the only one who could help was
in the city; the one thinr to do was to
have Him come quickly. Jesus is the very
same today. If helpless, call Him
4, 5. When the elders came TO Jesus,
their plea was that the centurion was
worthy because he had shown his love to
the nation by building a synagogue. The
same thought i In many minds today, for
there are many who think that III they
build a church, or give % much % the
church, Or To the poor, Oh to missions
or to some good cause they will thus
merit the favor Of God, whereas the fact III
that grace means favor for the undeserv-
ing, the poor and the helpless and even
those who are rebelling against Sod. Con-
slider well Rom. V, Z, 8, and kindred pas
sages until you see the meaning of grace.
8. Jesus at once went with them, not
because the centurion was worthy, but be-
cause Of the need Of the poor, sick and help
less servant, but other servants meet Him,
from the centurion, with this message.
Ill am not worthy that Thou shouldest
enter under my roof N The grace of God
was doing something for this man, for 1T
j. only by grace that We get true humility
Job thought great deal OF himself till ho
saw God; then he abhored himself and
magnified God. Compare Job xxx with
xiii, 6, and see also Isa. vi, 5, and Dan
ks.
z. Not only did the centurion feel IN
worthy to have Jesus come into his house,
but he also felt unworthy even to como to
Jesus and now sends By these servants this
message: Say in a word, and my servant
shall DE healed, Y or, a. In Math. viii, 8,
"Speak the word only r. it possible that
he had become familiar with these words
of Scripture, by the word Of the Lord
were the heavens made, Y He spake, and
it was done, "He sent His word and
healed them?i (Ps. xxxiii, 6, 9; evil, 20.)
And was he thus led to have such un-
bounded confidence in this One whom he
evidently believed to be God or sent OF
Gods
8. He knew what it was to obey and to
be obeyed, and somehow he had faith in
this Man that he could command diseases
\ and demons at pleasure. 1t Is written In
/ the Psalms, from which book w. have al-
ready wanderingIy quoted, that fire
and hail, snow and vapors and stormy
/ wind fulfill His word (" and that the an
gels who excel in strength do His COM
mandments, hearkening unto the voice Of
I His word FPS. cxlviii 8; CHI, 20), and
y
respect unto the lowly FPS cxxxviii, g.
Did this centurion learn his faith and hu-
mility from this book?
9. Such faith was so pleasing to the
Lord that He spoke Of it to the people as
I excelling any faith that He had seen in
Israel Without faith it il impossible to
4 please God Heb. XII, 81, but by believing
Him and having confdenca in Him we
can please Him. That the disciples re-
\ ceived the words Of the Lord made Him SD
4 glad that He spoke OF it to His Father in
Z His prayer on the night before His cruei-
1 fixion John xvii, 81. Consider also the
[ faith Of the Syro-Phoenician in Math.
xv, 2S.
10. When the messengers returned, the
servant was we'll. 1t would appear from
u the account ID Matthew that, having sent
/ the elders and then the servants, be after
\ ward went himself to meet the Lord, and
\ that the Lord said unto him. .'Go thy
v way, and a. thou hast believed 20 be Id
v done unto thee we are reminded OF the
n0bleman Of Capernaum whose son was
1 sick, and to whom Jesus said, ''Go thy
way; thy son Hyeth.i The man believed
1 the word and went and found as Jesus
had said John iv, 50). Assurance and joy
and peace all come by believing Rom.
xy. 49,
H. We now find Him entering the city
OF Main, accompanied BY many Of His dis
ciples ana much people. Being sent or
/ God and filed with the Spirit, He went
about doing good and everywhere taught
and healed. He was truly tho Comforter
In the power Of the Spirit He has given
Us the same Holy Spirit whom He calls
''the Comforter, Y that He in us may still
20 about doing good in His name for we
are here in Christ's stead to magnify God.
u. As He entered the city the body Of
dead man was being carried out for burial,
and he had been the only stay Of his poor
mother, and she widow In very short
time the body would be laid away out OF
the sight Of that broken hearted widow.
I3 The Comforter the Almighty Help
eli, the Resurrection and the Life, meets
her He l. sorry for hcr, and He say,
weep not. The time IL coming when
He will wipe away all tears and there shall
be crying no more even on this earth 4 Rev.
I vii, IL; xxi, Al, but until that time the
tears come, and come again even though we
/ wipe them away. Yet there might be
fewer tears if there was more faith In Him.
IA, Is. At His word the procession
( stops. He speaks to the dead man, the
man lives, sits up and begins to speak, and
Jesus, instead Of saying To him, Follow
me- gives him back 70 his mother What
q word il thisl 1t L. even the same that
created the world; that spake and IL WINS
done; the same word thar at the appointed
/ time will bring all dead bodies from their
graves tJ0hn v, 2S) the righteous at the
beginning and the rest AZ the end Of the
hour or thousand years REV. Xxx. 3, 81.
16. They acknowledged Him as a grvat
prophet and glorified God, saying that He
had visited His people. By and by He
viii come In power and glory, and Israel
shall say This is our Sod We have wait
ed for Him, and Hu will save US. v" Then
will He swallow up death in victory and
wipe away all tears elsa XIV, ., %. Let
His word enter us cow and give fore
taste of these things
ChurehilPn Push
When Lord Randolph Churchill was
-. I. U~..m