The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1897-08-18
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
International Lesson for August a,
1S07-The Excellence of Christian
IOye-I Corinthians 13s1-13.

| ARRANGED from Peloubets Notes.
| GOLDEN TEXT.-And now abideth
faith. hope, charity, these three: but the
greatest of these is charity.-l Cor 1913.
THE SECTION includes chapters IL and
EXPLANATORY NOTES.
/. The Soul, the Life, the Heart of
Christianity Is Love.-Vs. 1-3. /. Though
l speak with the tongues of men end of
angels. Although L have the gift of
tongues bestowed by the Holy Spirit at
Pentecost, can express in every Ian
guage with the utmost eloquence, every
rapt emotion, every highest experience
and ecstasy of the human heart, that
"harp of a thousand strings" yea,
though l have eloquence and the per-
feet language of the angels. "And have
not charity" Love, a word as impossi-
BILE to define as it is impossible to de-
fine life. Il am becoming as sound
ing BRASS" Not musical instrument
made of brass, which has some dignity
about it, but to piece of gathering
brass, which makes a senseless noise.
The same brass of which were made
the thinking (better changing as r. W
cymbal," large, broad plates of brass,
crashed together by the hands. 1t is
mere noise, and nothing more.
2. "And though L have the gift of
prophecy" i. e., the gift of speaking
Gods will, not confined to predicting
future events. "And understand all
mysteries:" The hard questions that
had perpleXed rabbits and people, the
dark things of Gods providence, and
His Word. and His world; the enigmas
of the age which all philosophers had
failed to answer. "And all l<nowl-
edge" The truths revealed and known,
the whole range Of Christian doctrine.
"And though / have all faith" Not
saving faith, but miraculous faith; the
faith by which persons were enabled
! to work miracles. 80 that l could re-
move mountains" as promised in Mat
thew 1920; 21:21. The highest and
strongest faith as 10 miracles. "And
have not charity" He does not assert
that one can have these things without
charity, but says if he could. Il am
nothing" A moral cipher, without
any moral worth or significance what
ever; weighed in the balances and
found wanting.
B. Though L bestow all my goods to
feed the poor" He may do all this
from vanity, or from the fear of perdi-
ton, or to purchase Heaven. So the
Pharisces did, to be seen of men. "Give
my body to be burned" AS martyr,
but from pride, or self-glory, instead of
love for Christ. Even of these things,
which Christ so praises in Matthew 25,
when done without love, it must be said,
=. L. MI
virtue in it to be rewarded.
Love is compound thing, Paul tells us.
1t is like light. AS you have seen man OF
! science take a beam of light and pass 1t
! through crystal prism, as you have seen
1t come out on the other side of the prism
| broken up into its component colors-red,
! and blue, and yellow, and violet, and
orange, and all the colors of the rainbow
| so Paul passes this thing love, through
| the magnificent prism of his inspired in
! tellect, and it comes out on the other side
| broken up into its elements. And in these
| few words we have what one might call
the Spectrum of Love, the analysis Of Love.
! VIII you observe what its elements are?
| VIII you notice that they have common
! names; that they are virtues which we
! hear about every day; that they are things
which can be practised by every man
in every place in life and how, by a null
! titude of small things and ordinary vir-
tues, the supreme thing the summum
! bonum, is made up? The Spectrum of Love
has nine ingredients: Patience, Love suf-
| fering long,; kindness, And Is kind;
generosity, Love envieth not" humil-
! ity, Love vaunteth not itself. is not pulled
up" courtesy, Doth not behave itself
unseemly;" unsel1shness, "Seeketh not
her own" good temper, 1T is not easily
provoked" guilelessness, "Thinketh no
evil" sincerity, "Rejoiceth not in in
! EQUITY, but rejoiceth In the truth" These
| ma lsa tir no Gift the stature of
the perfect man.-Prof. Drummond.
III. Love the Most Enduring Thing in
the World.-Vs. S-13. s. Charity never
faileth:" like fading flower lisa. 2S:1
~. 1t is eternal in is very nature, as
long as God and goodness endure.
PROPHECIES: the gift of prophecy,
"they shall fall" II. V, be done
away. There will be no need of
them when they are fulfilled. Tongues.
they shall cease" There will be no
need of tongues, when all speak one
Heavenly language. knowledge, it
shall vanish away" in the fuller knowl-
edge of the Eternal World as the stars
are not seen or needed in the light OF
the sun.
o. For we know in part:" and
very small part. How small, science
is revealing more fully every day.
10. "When that which is perfect is
come, etc. All the parts areabsorbed in
the whole. The separate parts, seen in
q different relation, become other than
they were.
-. For now" in this earthly life,
eve see through" Tin, by means of
glass, or rather, in a mirror The best
mirrors were made at Corinth. These
mirrors were small, and only part of a
large object could be seen in them.
Them" in the life to come. Face
to face" Without the intervention of
any distorting media or imperfect COM
PARSONS.
13. "And now" in conclusion,
"abideth faith, hope, charity" These
three graces-faith, hope, love-remain
imperishable and immortal. But
the greatest of these is charity:"
Love. 1t brings us closest to God,
makes us partakers of His nature, His
children and heirs. 1t is the one thing