The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1897-08-12
THE Sabbath SCHOOL LESSOR.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR AUGUST IS.

Wv. documentary by Rev. Stearns.
Il. "Now as touching things offered unto
Idols, We know that we all have knowl.
edge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity
ediieth." Tho r. V. has for the last clause,
"Love edifieth, or buildeth up" The words
Now as touching" introduce us to new
section OF the epistle. Compare chapters
to reach to the end OF chapter xi., and
might be summed up In the words Of chap
ter K, 81, whether therefore We eat or
drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the
glory OF God" The great incentive to this
Is Remembrance Of Him till He come"
(chapter XII, 24-26).
=. And II any nun think that he know
eth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as
he ought to know" It Is said that "to
know our Ignorance Is the first step to
knowledge" Tho great men, the Bible
story knew nothing except aSsthey were
told by God. Noah knew nothing concern
ing the ark, nor even when to enter It or
leave 1t, except rs God told him Moses
knew nothing concerning the tabernacle,
nor the Journeyings Of Israel, except as
TOD told him. The prophets, and even our
Lord Jesus Christ, were told by God what
to say (Ex. w., l2; Deut. xviii, i8: Jer. l., y.
y. But II any man love God, the same Is
known of him." The Lord knoweth them
that are His. and those who know His name
will put their trust in Him. We love Him
because He first loved us. He so loved as
to give His only begotton Son, and the Son
OF God loved me and gave Himself for me,
Unless His great love so takes hold OF me
and constrains me that l give myself
wholly to Him to serve and please Him
only do not know His love as should.
Love seeks not It's own. and Is not provoked:
but sufrereth long, and Is kind and beareth
oil things (chapter KILL, 40. God is love,
and will manifest 1t in us.
4. I'VE know that an idol is nothing In
the world, and that there Is none other God
but one" This is fully set forth In Isa. XII.
"a; Xiv, 800: "Ye are worse than nothing,
and your work worse than OF viper. An
abomination chooseth YOU" "They that
make craven image are all OF them vani-
", and their delectable things shall not
profit, and they are their own witnesses.
They see not nor know that they may be
ashamed" But the people of God are wit
ncsses that He Is the living and true God,
sna that there Is none beside Him Qsa. XIV.
Gs -4ssss,s,,
: 6. "For though there be that are called
gods, to us there Is but one God, the Faith
or, OF whom are all things and we in Him.
and ono Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are
all things, and we by Him." All things
were created by Him and for Him, and He
Is before all things, and by Him all things
consist (Col. L., 16, 10. From Rev. iv., II,
and l Pet. w., II, we may learn to say,
"Thou art worthy. o Lord. and am for
Thy pleasure, that God in all things may
be glorilled through Jesus Christ"
z. "Howbeit, there Is not in every man
that knowledge" There are those to-day.
as there were these at Corinth, who bear
the name Of Christ and yet offer their time
and strength and money to the idols OF
fashion and pleasure and the vain things
OF this world, and think 1t all right so to do.
lfyou ask, Are they truly Christ's people?
we can only answer that II they are they
are not truly serving him. As to this being
His, chapter ILL.,, IA, Is, and ", 8, seem to
suggest that possibly they may be, and
they may bo saved as by fire, just barely
saved.
8. "Bn. meat commendeth us not to God"
What we eat or do not eat is a small ques-
ton, except as regards the body's health,
The Kingdom OF God is not meat and drink,
but righteousness and peace and Joy in the
Holy Ghost (Rom. xiv, ID. Our Lord Him
self said, Whatsoever thing from without
entereth into the man, 1t cannot defle him;
that which cometh out Of the man. that de-
hleth the man" Mark viii, l8, 2O). The
salvation OF the soul depends wholly upon
the finished work Of the Lord Jesus, and
we are accepted by God as His children en-
tirely upon the merits Of Christ. We de-
Yet, coming rs sinners, we are justified
freely by His grace (Rom. ill.,, 2i. The
same grace, and that alone, makes accept.
able what we do unto Him.
y. But take heed lest by any means this
liberty OF yours becomes stumbling block
to them that are weak" Liberty is always
out OF place when 1t hurts others. Love
seeketh not her own. Many things may be
lawful for us that are not expedent. The
10 NOT Inv tl,in tl,nk
me, but how will it affect Him and His
cause for whom nm living here? We arc
on the witness stand all the day long, and
we are either true or false witnesses unto
Him by the books we read, the company we
keep and the places we frequent. We are
either pointing people to Christ and draw
Ing them to Him, or we are like Naomi,
sending some Orpah back to Moab and
ldolatry.
10, IL. Through thy knowledge shall
The weak brother perish, for whom Christ
died" As Christ died for all, then all who
will may come to Him and be saved. But
IL |, Christian, am seen In the idols tenn
pie, the theatre, the ballroom, the card
party, and there Is present some poor soul
enjoying these things because he knows OF
nothing better, yet hungering for some-
thing he has not and cannot find. although
possibly having heard that Christ can sat
ASiy, anu ne SeeS me IN Sucn place, then he |
may we'll say or think that there is nothing
In 1t, for, see, these Christians are Just as
hungry as am for tho pleasures of this
world.
IL. "But when ye sin so against tho
brethren and wound their weak conscience
ye sin against Christ" Al. that is done for
or against child Of God is done for or
against God and His Christ. The "Inas-
much" OF Math. XIV, 40, 45. is always ap-
piicable. Christian may be stumbling
block over whom some unsaved soul may
stumble into eternal torment, or may by in
consistent conduct not only lose his own
works, but lead others so that their works
Will perish too. This will be avoided IL We
remember that We are ambassadors for
Christ and that we are here in His stead to
say and do what He would If He were here
II Cor. ", 20).
"1S. Wherefore, II meat make my broth.
or to offend, will eat no flesh while the
world standeth, lest make my brother to
Offend One says that whatever hurts
the weak ought to be avoided by the
strong. Sometimes 1t is as important not
to do as to do. Daniel was great re.
Trainer. He refused the dainties and seem.
ingly essential things Of the kings table
Tor conscience's sake toward God. Lesson
Helper.