The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1896-04-19
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson III Second quarter. International
Series. April ls.

u. ~
two sons" In our last lesson we saw the
messengers bidding she people to como to
the feast. hnt In this chapter, which Is all
one story IN several parts we SEQ tho great
first and continual seeker Of men showing |
us how IL should he done. We see tho love
of Christ In the shepherd tho love OF the
spirit In thu woman with the candle, ana
the love Of God IN the father receiving inc
nnni.eut sun. Tho lost sheep suggests our |
inclination TO 70 astray; the lost money, |
| our deafness TO n scuse OF our condition; |
! the lost SON, our selishness, ingratitucn
| and rebellion while the elder son makes
| US thirk Of the self righteousness and lack
| OF sympathy Of some Christians,
10 "Hc divided unto them His living
| The younger sons request, which led to
| the fathers doing this, Indicates greater
| regard fo- the goods than for tho father,
| moro thought OF possessions than of God.
l, is the proud, self wiled spirit OF insub-
| lection aud Of independence Of God, the
| / me. mine spirit that wants its so called
| rights God sometimes lets such spirits
have their own way that they may in due
| time see themselves.
IS. "Thcrc wasted his substance With
riotous living" This Is briefly thu story
Of the Younger son who took oil lie pos
sessed Into far country. Illustrations
may be found In Cain. Esau, Absalom,
Manasseh and can be seen in the lives OF
those all about us who live only for them
selves and the present world
IA. He began to be in want" Those
who forsake the only fountain of living
water will soon find that their broken els
terms can hold no water ,jos. Il, 49,; that
all that is under the sun fails to satisfy
and Is only vanity and vcxation of spirit
(Eccl l, u; ii, ID, and that there is IL
| longing in the soul still unSatisted
10 "He sent him unto his fields to feed
swine SEQ a son OF - wealthy father
joining himself to citizen Of u far coun-
try The world is In its thoughts and ways
a far country from our heavenly Fathers
homo. and IN chapter xix, l2 the heavenly
country Is spoken OF rs far country from
this world, When we receive the Lord
Jesus Christ our Saviour, we become
citizons of heaven (John i, IL; Phil Iii,
90, f. W.
is. ''So man gave unto him He
would fain have sought to satisfy his hun
grv body with the swines food, and there
WAS nothing better for him, for no man
| cared for him. Those who have turned
from God to feed on the husks that this
world offers arc indeed! in dire distress.
Whether the prodigal makes lis think OF
the sinner rs one of the all who wandered
through Adams sin, or of the saved soul
who has for the time being wandered! away
from God, the facts are the sanao.
IL "lic came to himself" a man
must get to the end Of himself before he
thoroughly comes 10 himself, and when hC
does thus come he finds himself n very
poor subject 1t WINS the thought of his
Fathers home and plenty conrrnstcd viii
his own poor condition that brought hin
to his senses. One has said that ii some
one had given him "a cup Of coffee and ;
sandwich he might have been longer il
coming to himself.
Ia Is. ~ will arise and go to my Father. ,
is Tho one great separating thing between
God and man is sin. 'Your iniquitic
= have separated between you and you
~ ~ God, and your sins have hid His face from
.s you" Qsa. Tx, - The first returning
OF step Is sense of our sin and n confession
of the same Il John !, ~. We cannot trul,
nj say "my Father" in reference to God til
10 we become His children hence some thinl
81 that the prodigal represents q baokslidin!
-, rather than n penitcnt sinner coming t,
e. God for the first time but there are les
It. sons here for each.
10 And ain no moro worthy to b
Y called thy SON 1t is an excellent thin
", for us when We have come to seq that W
are mo moro worthy that in l,s--thnt is
In our ilost--dwellcth no good thin
(Rom. vii, 49,, for rs long rs wa think TIM
. there is a particle of good IN us we canno
"' appreciate the Lord Jesus as We should
Better thoughts of Jesus, Ms revealed 4
-ES tho Word OF God, will cause us to see OH
unworthinoss. Compare lisa. vi 3; 10
-Ys xiii, 8, q; Dan. Z, S,
20 And ho arose and came to his fl
Ely thcr." 1t WAS n good thing to say, -
will arise, but ii was far better to nris
EAT and como. Many say tho first who move
do the last. 1t was whcr. no arose that TIL
yer father saw him afnr off and ran TO NEE
him Jesus, who knew the fathers hear
ION so we'll, hero gives us "a picture Of Ills 10y
to the crring and His welcome for then
The when thoy return. 500 Jcr. iii, 1914; Ho
ma xiv, 1, 9
2l Father, 1 have sinned agnin
ma heaven and in thy sight and am no MOI
- worthy to be called thy SON" That W,
rs far rs he got with what he had though
to say. Compare verso 10. 1t is gre,
thing to he servant of God and OF JEST
Christ our Lord and in ono sense We cnl
not sock anything higher but our rel
tionship to God is in Christ, that of Chi
dren and heirs lRom viii, Is, ~, and IL
til we SEQ and enjoy this relationship v
cannot we'll serve.
~. Bring forth the best robo and p'
II on him. What u royal welcome fro
the father whose love no had SO slight,
and whose possessions he has, wasted.
scons impossible, but our Lord here shoy
forth thu Fathers heart toward every
turning peniicnt, and as VIZ have sal
none knew the Fathers heart ns dos
did, for He was God manifest in Il
ilosh and He could truly say. He tn
hath seen Mo hath seen the Father"
elisa ILL., rs; John xiv, %.