The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-12-22
THE SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR DECEMBER rs.

The lesson committee having given the
choice OF this as a Christmas lesson In
stead Of the quarterly review, doubtless
the majority will prefer this to, the review,
and as the quarter has taken US over the
last stages Of Paul's soiourn In the mortal
body aud given us his oft repeated testi-
mony that he was ready to die for Christ
1t Is not aside from 'the main thought Of
the review to turn to Him who died for us
all and was born in Bethlehem that He
might die on Calvary, the just for the un.
just.
9. "In this was manifested the love Of
God toward us, because that God sent His
only begotten Son into the world that we
might live through Him." In chapter iii.,
16, It Is written, Hereby perceive we'the
love of God, because He laid down His life
for us, and we ought to lay down our lives
for the brethren" In Rom. ", 8. 1t is,
that while we were yet sinners Christ died
for u.s." At the Christmas time, when all
are merry and send gifts to each other as
they talk and sing Of Him who was born
. in Bethlehem, do we stop to consider what
It cost Him to leave His home In glory and
become helpless babe In Mary's arfns or
what It cost His Father, God, to give Him
up to this humiliation unheard Of before
In the history Of all worlds as far as we
know?
10. 'sHerein is love, not that we loved
: God, but that He loved Us and sent BIS
Son to be the propitistion for our sins. ("
Precipitation for our sinsr' See Him in
Gethsemane sweating, as 1t were, great
drops OF blood. Hear Him on Calvary cry
out, "My God,. my God, why hast Thou
forsaken Me?" and talk not of Livingstone
for Africa, or Lincoln for America, or q
mother for her child as an analogy or In
any way illustrating his suferlngs for us.
It Is next to blasphemy go to do. His suf-
ferlngs for our sins as far exceeded all SAT-
: fering earth ever, saw as heaven Is higher
than earth aud Gods thoughts higher than
ours. he who knew no sin was made sin
for US. The Lord laid upon Him the in
iquity Of us all. It pleased the Lord to
bruise Him. He WAS wounded for our
transgressions. Who can measure the Sig
niflcance Of such statements? 1lA =
II. Beloved, II God 80 loved us, we
ought also to love enc another" How
often we have read and heard "God so loved
u.s." and we are glad that He 80 loved
us as to provide eternal redemption freely
for us even at such cost. But what do
we know about loving one another and
laying down our lives for the brethren2 Do
we not often know more about hating one
another, or at least disliking one an
other2 speak OF Christians so called.
And as to loving the heather In Africa or
China or Japan or India, or the islands OF
the sea, or the poor Eskimos for Chrfst's
sake-what do we know OF it,
II we love one another, God dwelleth IN
US, and His love Is perfected In u.s." It Is
also written in John l., 18: "No man; hath
seen God at any time. The only begotton
Son which Is In the bosom Of the Father,
He hath declared Him." We cannot know
God except as we know Him .in Christ.
When Philip said to Him, 'tLord, show MS
the Father" He answered, "He that hath
seen Me hath seen the Father" God was
In Christ. We who have received Christ
: and are saved by. His precious blood are
saved in order that God may dwell In US
manifestly and be seen in our words and
works. There Is nothing that manifests
God quite 80 much as love-the love that
was seen in Christ and Is 80 fully described
In I Cor. Kill. Let the children at this
Christmas time be taught that He who
dwelt In the little babe Of Bethlehem will
dwell In them and manifest His love In
them.
ti IS. Hereby know we that we dwell In
Him and He In us, because He hath given
Us OF His Spirit The first fruit Of the
Spirit Is love (Gal. ", az, and love seems
to include all the rest, and love ts the full
filling of the law. Notice that asstreely as
He gave His Son He also gives his Spirit,
and II we are not filed with his Spirit 1t
can only be because our hearts are not
open to Him, and II our hearts are not
open to Him i is because we have not be-
held as we might and should His great
love to us in Christ; the love that spared
not His own Son, but delivered Him up for
US all, and will with Him also freely give
Us all things.
"A. aAnd we have seen and do testify
that the Father sent the Son to be the
Saviour of the world" As the angel said
to the shepherds at His birth, Behold !
bring your good tidings Of great Joy, which
shall be to all people, Guke H., 10. The
Father did not send Him to be the Saviour
of few, but of all who will come to Him:
The time will come when all Israel shall
be saved, and after that all Nations, but IN
world, that all who will may believe, and
thus His body be completed from out OF all
Nations. He is therefore calling upon us
who believe to show these things to all the
world as quickly as possible. What are we
doing about it2
is. "Whosoever shall confess that Jesus
Is the Son of God, God dwelleth In him and
helm God" According to John 4, 39, 86,
the Jews understood the Son OF God to be
equal with God, and Jesus so taught
and said: Though ye believe not Me,
believe the works; that ye may know and
believe that the Father is in Me and I In
Him." To receive Jesus as God our Say.
iour is life eternal, and makes us to be
His dwelling place. Our works should
plainly declare that God Is In US, and this
should be our constant aim and desire. II
1t is really 30, He will work in Us that which
Is well pleasing In His sight. How wonder
full that to be saved we only need to be
willing to come to Him, and to live 9 LIE
to His glory we need only to yield willingly
and fully to Him, and he will by His Spirit
do it. -....
16. "And We have known and believed
the love that God hath to us. God Is love,
and he that dwelleth In love dwelleth IN
God and God In him." We certainly can
not comprehend His love, and we are not
required to, but we know It from His WORD,
and we can believe 1t. Some day we shall
is the breadth and length and depth and
height of 1t Eph. ILL.,, 18), but now We can
each one for himself believe thatit Is broad
enough to take in even me; that 1t Is as
long as eternity; that 1t is deep as from
heaven to Calvary and high as from my
lost condition up to the throne OF God.
Believing this and thus our oneness with
Him to all eternity, we will want to make
it known to all people, and thus hasten the
consummation Of peace on earth under
Him.-Lesson Helper.
JAPANESE GIRL At YALE.
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