The true northerner., 1898-02-16
PIE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON VII. FIRST QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES. FEB. 20.

Text OF the Lesson. Math. n, s-I5-Mem-
ory Verses. 5-s-Goiden Text, Math. X.
- Commentary by the Rev. ID. M.
stearns.
copyright 1897. by d. NJ. stearns.l
Pa. Now the names of the twelve
apostles are these: The first, Simon, who
is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother "
Jesus Himself went about all the cities
and villages teaching In their synagogues
and preaching the gospel of the kingdom
and healing every sickness and every dis
ease among the people, but the multtudes
who were as sheep without shepherd
touched His heart and He told His disci
"a Piles TO pray the Lord of the harvest that
He would send forth laborers into His
N harvest (chapter TX, 35-3S) When we
pray this prayer from the heart it seems
TO imply a readiness on our part TO go our
selves If He opens the way, for IL is just
following this command SO TO pray that
we have the record of His choosing and
sending forth these twelve. In Luke vi
12, read that just before He chose the
twelve He went out into mountain To
pray and continued all night in prayer to
God In Mark ill., IA, read that He
ordained them that they should be with
Him, and that He might send them forth
y TO preach and to heal the sick The last
ltE might before His crucfxon He told them
lAplA that He had chosen and ordained them
Snd that they should go and bring forth fruit
recon and that their fruit should abide
held to taK6 "These twelve Jesus sent forth,
n<he represe,onppanded them, saying, Go not into
- textgay on the gentiles and into any city
yens re SamAritans enter ye not but go
kliscer to the lost sheep of the house of
PSI ciel" This restricted commission will
,t be understood unless one is familiar
With God plan of blessing for all nations,
which is TO bless Israel first and then all
/[<Y nations through Israel This is fully re-
/<V vealed in the prophets, and He Will not
depart from it, for the gifts and calling of
God are without repentance (Rom. XII 29).
Take sample passages Ps. Xvii; Isa.
xvii, g; TX, l-3 2l Jer iii, II, 1S; Zech.
xiv, l6, II. There are two other prayers
which we would do well 10 pray along
with Math. TX 3S. One is in Isa xii, q,
4 and the other in Rev. xxi, 90 To pray
these three prayers from the heart daily
will bring one very near TO the heart OF
~ Christ His primary mission was to Israel
/Math. XIV 24); hence this restricted COM
mission at this time to the twelve, but be-
Ing rejected and crucfed by Israel He aft
/er His resurrection gave the worldwide
40 commission as in Math. xviii, 49,
z. And as we go, preach, saying, The
kingdom of heaven is at hand. Thus
preached the Baptist and Jesus Himself,
and the 12, and the 20, for in the person
of the king the kingdom verify
80 among them (IIuke xvii, 81 margin) and
had they been content TO receive crucifed
and risen Messiah the kingdom would
doubtless have been set up after His resur-
rection but seeing their decided rejection
of Him, He, before His death, told them
in a parable that the kingdom post
poned till His return from the far country
Uuke xix 11-l5)
s. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers,
raise the dead cast out devils freely We
have received freely give. Some one has
suggested that verses TO 15 of this chap
ter contain special directions for the special
mission of the apostles at that time, verses
10 TO 23 directions for gospel ministry in
all ages, and verses "a to 42 the service of
Christ in it's fullest and widest sense, call
ing attention to the fact that the last verse
in each of these sections has His Verify,
/ say unto you.
g. Provide neither gold nor silver nor
brass in your purses !" In Isa vi g. the
question is, Whom shall send and who
will go for us?' If any one will go for
God the Father, Son and Spirit their
business and wholly in their interests, they
may rely upon Phil iv, 10, being made
true to them, MY God shall supply all
your need according to His riches in glory
by Christ Jesus" Or, as one has para
phrased it, " Make thou His service thy de
light, He make thy wants His care "
10. Nor scrip for your journey, neither
two coats, neither shoes, yet stayes,
for the workman Is worthy of his meat.
If we are the Lords messengers the
Lord s business we have occasion to be
anxious about food or raimc1t or money
but disentangled and free and without
fear (verses 26 %, 31) follow where He
leadeth in quietness and in confidence, for
the silver and the gold and the cattle
upon a thousand hills are His
IL. And into whatsoever city or town
ye shall enter, inquire who in ii is worthy,
and there abide till ye go thence" The
prophets plainly taught that not all
- would receive their message, but that some
would hate them for it (Jer. i, II, 10; Eek.
ii, 6, z; iii, -. In the second section of
our present chapter and in John XIV, Is
90, we are taught TO expect the same thing,
but also taught that some will wei
come Him. and also us for His sake. He
will direct steps in this matter also
and if some day He wants to have fell
lowship with Him in being refused, His
grace will be sufficient
~, 49, And when ye come into
house, salute it, and If the house be worthy
let your peace come upon IL, but If 1t be
not worthy, let your peace return to you.
Even Israel not TO fight against a city
until that city had rejected their offers of
peace which they were to proclaim tc 1t
(Deut. Xxx, 10-12). Every believer is to
count himself messenger of the Prince of
Peace and like the angels at His BIRTH
n we are to proclaim peace in His name
Is Luke H. IA Preaching peace by Jesus
Christ is work (Acts K 36), for He has
made peace by the blood of His cross (Col
4, 20). Blessed are the peacemakers How
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