The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1898-05-12

xoB my H. 49,
CBAssd upeg Psloubst's Select Notesl
THE LD0ooN.-Na4thew N:<2-sL Rsx|
chaptsrs - - and Romans N:l-l&
GOLDEN TEXT.-Watch Therefore: d,
- know not what hour your Lord dDth
THfE-TSssSsy afternoon. Aplai A.A.D
~ The; s61no day - our last lesson, bu,
after Jssds had LEFT the temple. !,
PLACE.-rhe Mount Of Olives. ioverlook.
ine Jerusalem. ON the way to Bethany.g
LESSON EXPOSITION.
I. The Duty of the Hour-to Watch
v. ~. Watch therefore. In view Of
the things which Jesus had just been
telling them, as He sat with them on the
brow Of Oliyet. overlooking the beau,i.
full city SO soon to be destroyed. As in
. panorama the future sweeps befor
their. vision-the destruction of the
city and its temple, wars, famines, pes
tilences, earthquakes, hatred, betray.
ais, tribulntions,, death; the sun and
the moon darkened, the stars iallin,
from heaven, false prophets arising, de.
ceiving almost the very elect. Men
fainting for fear and for expectation
of the things which are coming on th.
world" (Luke 21:26). Then comes ,
wider sweep of the prophetic vision
and they see the end of the world, and
the day of Judgment of which the de.
struction of Jerusalem and of the Jew.
ish nation and the end Of the old dis.
pensation were symbols and types.
II. Reasons for Watching. A PARABLE.
VS.. 42-44. The coming of the Lord n.
fers not only to the great day of Hi,
coming to Judgment and in final tn.
umph, but to His coming at Pentecos,,
and at the destruction Of Jerusalen
(Which coming some Of them were 10
witness, Matt. 24:30-34; Mark 9:1); and
applies to every crisis of our lives, every
parting of the ways, and especially th,
hour OF death.
The Things Which Tend to Put Us TO
Sleeps: The delay Of the coming; cold.
ness and worldliness in the community;
our sinful hearts and desires; unbeliei
insiaious temptations which gradually
lead astray before we are aware. W,
are beset by perpetual temptations to
sleep. to spiritual drowsiness and tor
por. AN opium sky rains down sopo
rifles" The last thing we should have
is a sleepy religion.
The reasons for watching are:
First. The great value of the thinu
we should watch for.
Second. The greatness Of the dangen
we are to watch against.
Third. The hour Of His coming is un.
known. There is no doubt about th.
fact Of His coming. I'm all that future
which lies before us, these are the only
two events Of which we are absolutely
certain: Our own approaching death,
our Lords approaching advent."-Hsn.
M. We also know that many oppor
tunities to do good, many crises Of our
lives, many temptations, are certain 10
come, but what ones we do not know.
Fourth. Net to be ready when HI.
does come Is certain loss and disaster.
Illustration. Sleeping on guard h
ever punished with death, because on
the carefulness of the watch may de.
pend the safety OF the army and the ma.
tion. "In the temple, during the night
the captain OF the temple made bis
rounds, and the guards had to rise At
his approach and salute him in par.
ticular manner. Any guard found
asleep on duty was beaten or his gar.
ments were set on fire. Compare Rev.
16:15,)"-M. r. Vincent.
III. How to Watch; and the Reward.
VS.. 45-47. Our Lord here puts honor
upon those who serve Him by compar
ing them, not to menial or Ordinary
slave, but to the intelligent. faithful
and trusted head slave of the house.
hold, like Joseph in Potiphar's house
Broadus.
THAT promotion shall not be lik.
earthly promotion, wherein tho emf
nence of one excludes that of another
but rather like the diffusion of love, In
which the more each has the more
there is for all. Afford. 8. each sain,
owns all Gods possessions, even now
Il Cor. 3:21-22).-Abbott.
The reward is both outward and in.
ward, more glorics, and blessings, ard
joys, and larger capacities for useful
ness and enjoyment. Larger fields and
wider spheres are given, greater oppor'
tunities for doing good and clearsr
perception Of God, fuller reception OF
NIL that makes Heaven what it is.
". Failure to Watch; and It's Con.
sequences.-vs. 1881. The unfaithful
minister or Christian takes the very
means God has put in his hands for the
aid Of His cause and the blessing Of men
and misappropriates them to selfish
uses. The two forms Of sin most com
mon to those in high places are oppres'
sion and self-indulgence. - Abbott.
Tyranny over others goes hand in hand
with laMty toward ourselves. Perse
cution OF others implies wrong in us
p. The great historical contrast b.
tween the Inquisition and indulgence
will easily occur to the reader.--Langs
Dante's Inferno. In the eighth cir
Gle, and fifth pit, Dante saw the hypc
critics. I'VE found painted people.