Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1897-12-28
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL,
LESSON I. JAN. 2, MATTHEW 3.
Til.
Golden Text: This Is My Beloved Son.
In Whom 1 Am Well Pleased-Matt,
8: 1T-Jesus and John-Some Notes
and Explanations.

Christ's life up to the Temptation. Matt,
chaps. 1-3; Mark 1: LII; Luke 1-3; John 1:
LIS. Light From Other Scriptures
Prophecies of Christ.-Isa. 7:14:: 9:6; IL:
l.; Gen. 1910; 2 Sam. z: PHI Micah 5: 2.
John the Baptist.-Isa 40:1-5. Read full
text, verses 7 to II. Time.-John the Bap-
fist began to preach In the summer of A.
ID. 26. The baptism of Jesus was about
January, A. ID. q. Place.-The preaching
OF John the Baptist was in the wilderness
Of Judea-a wild, hilly, thinly inhabited
region {not deserO lying west of the
Dead Sea and the lower Jordan. Johns
ministry extended as far north as Enon,
near Salim. two-thirds of the way up the
Jordan from the Dead Sea. The baptism
Of Jesus was doubtless at the fords Of the
Jordan. called Bethabara, five miles
northeast of Jericho
! Subject: Preparations for the Life Work
of Jesus. BY His Early Life and Train
ing.-F'irst. His Divine Nature.-John i:
Ia; Heb. 1:2, 3. The Word, who became
Jesus on earth. was the External Son of
God. By him the worlds were created.
From his glorious home he came to this
world to reveal to US our Father In heav-
en-, to express his infinite love. to bring
us messages Of forgiveness and hope, to
give his life in atonement for our sins,
to redeem the world from sin to holiness
and heaven. His Human Nature. Jesus
was born. probably In December. Il. c.
8. four years land few days. before the
era marked by his name, A. ID. (Anno
DOMINO, in Bethlehem of Judea. His
mother was the Virgin Mary. but his
father was God himself. through the Holy
Ghost His reputed father was Joseph.
who became the husband Of Mary. Both
Joseph and Mary were direct descend
ants Of David. of whose line the Messiah
was to be. The genealogy In Matthew Is
that OF Joseph. and that in Luke probably
that Of Mary; so that. both legally and
really, Jesus was the son of David. of
the royal line according to the promise
q Sam. Z: 12-16). Note. too. that I'm his
line of descent were a great variety OF
people OF different races. of different
characters, very bad and very good. and
different talents and conditions in life. so
that by Inheritance Jesus was the son OF
man. He was 1.-The heir of all the ages"
Note, that only such being. both hu-
man and divine. could be the Saviour the
world needs-Divine, so that he has all
power. all wisdom and knowledge the ex-
preston of Gods love. forgving sin, ever
leading us upward. and love to him is
love to God; Human. so that he touches
our human sympathies; he makes our
love to him real and strong; he is our ex-
ample, our ideal: we know that he has
tions, our longings. and has triumphed In
regard to all. Here belong The Song of
the Angels, and the Visit of the Wise
Men. His Schools and Schoolmasters.
Jesus lived at Nazareth. after he was 2
years old, through his youth and young
manhood till he was about so years old.
He was at home with Joseph and Mary.
During this time 1t is probable that JOS
eph died. as no mention Is made of him
Mo- 1,,r tha mi, tctr Af Inct
and she was committed to Johns care at
the crucifixion. So that Jesus probably
cared for his mother during his early
manhood. Jesus lived in village. not
large city, but had the training which
comes from both. at is quite noteworthy
how many of the strongest greatest and
most prominent men i'm the cities were
brought up in the country. Yet this is not
the complete picture. Jesus came in con-
tact with busy life, with bad men. with
unjust dealers In his trade. For Nazareth
was a VIGOROUSLY wicked town." And
rumors of the scandal and sin of the en-
pire entered Palestine close to Nazareth.
Illustrations can be seen in the progress
Of civilization. Each advance depends on
what went before. Electric wires and
lamps are Of no use till men have learned
how to produce and control electricity.
The art of printing could not prevail till
men had learned how to produce cheap
and abundant paper, instead Of costly
parchments. There is preparation in
childhood for the work Of life. 1t is often
usually-unconscious of the flu
ture, but faithful in daily tasks and in
using present opportunities. Illustrations
can be seen I'm the early lives of most
people who have done great good In the
world. Illustration: II have read of
king who. having no issue to succeed him,
espying one day a well-behaved youth.
took him to court, and committed him to
tutors to instruct him, providing by his
will that IL he proved fit for government
he should be crowned king: IL not, he
should be bound In chains and made a
galley-slave. Now when he grew to years.
the kings executors perceiving that he
had sadly neglected those means and OPP
portunities whereby he might have been
fit for state government. called him be-
fore them. and declared the kings will
and pleasure concerning him. which was
accordingly performed; for they caused
him to be fettered and committed to the
galleys Thus he Is slave who
might have been a king."-Rev. Thomas
Brooks. Apples of Gold for Young Men
and Women. Illustration: Fear not ter
ror. or acute fright. Is essential to every
soul, and Is universal. II may be I'm its
subtle forms as fear of God, fear OF fail
ure. of dishonor. but every one does fear.
and should fear. I'VE fear God better
because we have feared thunder" "Aris-
totle's conception of education as learning
to fear In due proportion those things
worthy of being feared. would not serve
badly as a definition also Of courage"
Fear IS the rudimentary organ on the
full development and subsequent reduc-
ton Of which many of the best things in
the soul are dependent" "A childhood
too happy and careless and fearless is a
so great that prayer against it
might stand In the old English service
book beside the petition that our children
be not poltroons." Bad and even dan
gerous as its grosser forms are. 'there is
no possible way Of developing the higher
without them."-Pres. G.. Stanley Hall,
A Study of Fears. 242-2H. Baptism: A
public confession of Christ and the re-
,igious life is essential to all best work for
God. THE true follower of Christ must
follow him In the public remuneration OF
sin and profession of religion. 1t is not
true, as Is sometimes said. that Christ
professed religion only by his life."-Ab-
bolt Every one who would be an eff
fcient worker for God and man should
publicly profess his faith in his Saviour:
submit to every ordinance of religion.