Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-02-02
9nternational gessu,1s.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON vi, FIRST QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, FEB. 13.


Text of the Lesson, Math. IL, 9-17-Mem-
ory Verses. Ie. I3- Golden Text, Math,
IL, o Com nentary by the Rev. d. NJ
stearns.
Copyright 1897. by D. M. Stearns.1
8. "And as Jesus passed forth from
thence He saw man named Matthew sit
ting at the receipt of custom, and He saith
unto him, Follow Me, and he arose and
followed Him" The leper, the paralytic,
the fever stricken, the possessed with de.
mons, the tempest tossed, the blind, the
hopeless and even the dead are made to
know and enjoy His power The winds
and the sea obey Him, so that the people
might we'll ask, What manner of man is
this9'' The demons know that He is the
Son of God, but the people only marvel at
Him. 1t may be that all these different
phases of the DEVILS work on the bodies OF
people are very suggestive Of the condition
Of Israel spiritually at that time and also
of the condition of all who are out OF
Christ today, but as then He cast out the
spirits with His word and healed all that
were sick so He can now deliver from all
the power of the enemy, for He is still
"this same Jesus" Blessed are the poor
in spirit who are humble enough to receive
Him, and follow Him, and become Ills
disciples Undisturbed by the breaking up
of the roof, He had just honored the faith
Of the four who expected Him to heal their
friend, and now He chooses Lev. (Luke v,
27), or Matthew, to be one of His faithful
few. Matthew is to follow Him, not Peter,
nor John, nor the others who were called
before Him. And so it is still-we are to
behold the Lamb of God and see no man
save Jesus only, and run with patience
looking unto Jesus (John /. 90: Math
xvii, g.; Heb. xii. q.
TO- And it came to pass as Jesus sat at
meat in the house, behold, many publicans
and sinners came and sat down with Hin,
and His disciples This also is a picture
Of things as they still exist There are
true disciples, but there are many who sit
with them in the house of God who might
be disciples also if they would; for whose
ever will, may, but they prefer to continue
unbelievers Matthew modestly refrains
from telling us that the feast was prepared
in his own house, but we find it in Luke
v, 60 In the same way John does not tell
who the other was who followed Jesus
that first day (.Iohn |, 40), nor does Luke
tell the name of the second who walked to
Emmaus duke xiv, 18), nor does Mark
tell the name of the young man who fled
away naked MARK xiv, 52), but as in Mat.
thew so doubtless in the others the author
conceals himself Have we learned the
Mot T. secret of Gal ii, 20; Col. XIV.
10, and are we like her in song of Sol. iv,
16, ever inviting our Beloved into His
garden that He may find us set apart for
Himself" FPS. iv, 81.
IL. And when the Pharisees saw it
they said unto His disciples, Why eateth
your Master with publicans and sinners"
It Is not the way of the wisdom of this
world to have much to do with those not
in their set or circle in society am
writing this lesson as cross the sea from
Japan to China, and there sits in the social
hall with me at another table young
man of Japan. a graduate of the imperial
university, strong Buddhist, who insists
that the teachings of the Bible may bu
necessary lOF SOillC, UuU OliC eSttSAlhSS VI
Buddhism suit him better, for they arc SO
much more profound in his estimation.
l2. But when Jesus heard that He said
unto them, They that be whole need not n
physician, but they that are sick. 1t is
difficult for learned man to think him.
self intellectually sick or for moral man
to think himself morally sick, but until
one Is convinced that he is sick he will not
be apt to want physician. The majority
Of people are whole in their own estima.
ton and going about to establish their
own righteousness (Rom. K, 81, and it ID
only the Spirit of God who can convince OF
sin and show the need of Saviour (John
xvi, 81.
49, But 60 ye and learn what that
meaneth, will have mercy and not sacri-
fee; for am not come to call the right.
eous, but sinners to repentance. This ia
a quotation from Hos vi, E, the context
of which teaches that Israel, puffed up
with pride, continued to offer sacrifices as
a religious act, but continued in their sim
full ways The first sacrifice of which we
read in Scripture, and which was offered
by God Himself on behalf of sinful man
(Gen. iii, 2l), shows mans utter helpless
ness to offer God anything, but that God
in mercy provides garments of salvation
by the shedding Of blood for sinful man.
H. "Then came to Him the disciples OF
John, saying, Why do we and the Phari
sees fast oft, but Thy disciples fast not9'
They certainly put themselves in poor
company when they said, 1--WE and the
Pharisees," but perhaps in the matter OF
fasting they were still very like the Phari
sees and tasted as a religious duty. Per.
haps they had not heard His teaching as
recorded in Math. vi, 1918. Their mis-
take seems also to be that Of giving to
God instead of first receiving from Him
duty instead of grateful service.
15. THE days will come when the
Bridegroom shall be taken from them, and
then shall they fast" He is still quoting
from Hosea, for there He is both Physi.
clan and Bridegroom (Hos. vi, /; ii, l9)
John the Baptist speaks of Him as Bride
groom (John iii, 29). Neither Johns dis
ciples nor Jesus disciples knew of the
days Of separation that were to intervene
before the marriage They were happy
now with Him, and there was no occasion
to fast.
16, II. The patched garments and the
old bottles of these verses set forth differ.
ent phases of the same truth. There is no
patchwork or mixing up of old and new
in the Lords work. If any. man be in
Christ, he is new creation. The carnal
mind, or natural man, is not subject to
the law of God and never can be- In our
flesh or natural man dwelleth no good
thing (II Cor. v, II; Rom. viii, Z; vii
1S). TO become Christian is to receive
from above Him who is in no one as they
are born into this world, even Jesus Christ
the Son of God (John i, IL; John V, l2)
U,boD to live q Christian life is IN renOunCe