The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-02-12
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON WI, FIRST QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, FEB. 10.
Text of the Lesson. Msth. IN, 9-17-Mem-
DRY Verses. ne. 13-Goiden Text. Math.
In. o. Commentary by the Rev. ID. M.
Stearns.

lCopyrlght, 1877, Dy ID. NJ. StearnS.I
o. And as Jesus passed forth fror
thence He saw man named Matthew sit
ting at the receipt of custom, and He salt
unto him, Follow Me, and he arose ant
followed Him" The leper, the paralytic
the fever stricken, the possessed with de
mons, the tempest tossed, the blind, tn
hopeless and even the dead are made 4
know and enjoy His power. The wind
and the sea obey Him, SO that the people
might well ask, "What manner of man i;
this?" The demons know that He is the
Son of God, but the people only marvel al
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 10 receive
Him, and follow Him, and become His
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 Levi luke V,
go, or Matthew, 10 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 IL 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 1, go; Math.
xvii, 8; Heb. xii, p.
10. And IL came TO pass as Jesus sat at
meat in the house, behold, many publicans
and sinners came and sat down with Him
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 II they would; for whose
ever will, may, but they prefer to continue
unbelieves. Matthew modestly refrains
from telling us that the feast was prepared
In his own house, but we find il in Luke
v, go. In the same way John does not tell
who the other was who followed Jesus
that first day John 1, 40), nor does Luke
tell the name of the second who walked to
Emmaus duke xiv, 49,, nor does Mark
tell the name of the young man who fed
away naked Mark xiv, 52), but as In Mat
thew so doubtless in the others the author
conceals himself. Have we learned the |
Not T. secret of Gal. ii, 20; Col. XIV,
10, and are we like her In song of Sol iv.
10, ever inviting our Beloved into His |
garden that He may find us "set apart for /
Himself Cps iv, 3D.
ii. And when the Pharisees saw it /
they said unto His disciples, Why eateth |
your Master with publicans and sinnersg"
1t is not the ways 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 1 cross the sea from |
Japan to China, and there sits in the social
hall with me at another table a Young
man OF Japan graduate of the imperial
university, strong Buddhist who insists
that the teachings of the Bible may be |
necessary for some, but the teachings of |
Buddhism suit him better for they are so
much more profound in his estimation.
~ But when Jesus heard that He said |
unto them, They that be whole need not a
physician, but they that are sick" 1t is
difficult for learned man to think him
SELF intellectually sick or for IA 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. x, ~, and it is
only the Spirit of God who can convince of
sin and show the need Of a Saviour John !
xvi, s..
10. "But go We and learn what that
will have mercy and not sacri-
flee; for l am not come to call the right
eous, but sinners to repentance This is |
q quotation from Hos. vi, 9, the context |
Of which teaches that Israel, pulled up
with pride, continued to offer sacrifices as
4 religious act but continued in their sim |
Iul ways The first sacrifice of which we
read in Scripture, and which was offered |
oy God Himself on behalf of sinful man |
,Gen. iii, 2l), shows mans utter helpless
ness TO offer God anything but that God
n mercy provides garments of salvation |
oy the shedding of blood for sinful man
IA. Then came to Him the disciples of 1
John, saying, Why do we and the Phari- 8
ices fast oft, but Thy disciples fast notS" !
They certainly put themselves in poor I
company when they said, 1--WE and the o
Pharisees," but perhaps in the matter of | 1
asting they were still very like the Phari- |
ees and tasted as a religious duty. Per- l
laps they had not heard His teaching as
ecorded in Math. vi, 1918. Their mis- | /
axe seems also to be that Of giving to
TOD instead of first receiving from Him
luty Instead of grateful service
10. THE days will come when the
oriueBroom snail De taken from them, and
hen shall they fast" He is still quoting a
rom Hosea, for there He is both Physi. ,
Ian and bridegroom (Hos. vi, /; H. l9).
Ohm the Baptist speaks of Him as Bride =
room (John iii, 29) Neither Johns dis i
iples nor Jesus disciples knew of the
avs of separation that were to intervene
efore the marriage They were happy
ow with Him, and there was no occasion =
D fast.
16, IL. The patched garments and the
Id bottles of these verses set forth differ !,
Mt phases of the same truth There is no .
atchwork or mixing up of old and new y
I the Lords work. If any man be in y
hrist, he is new creation. The carnal =
lind, or natural man, IL not subject ~
ne law OF God and never can b.. In our =
esh or natural man dweIIe1h no good y
hing Oh Cor. v, ~; Bonn. yill, 2; VII, :.
3. To become Christian IL " receive ~
ON above Him who IL ia NJ osse A. they
re born into this world, even Jesus Christ
ne Son Of God John !, ~, Jossn y, Iz) / !.
hen to live n Christian life Ia ~ rebOunce "
he old, and let the new vessel, NE divine q
AZURE In Us when ne rD<1,s Christ, BE- :,
He'd with the Gr,frlf ~ GfH (.arfoepfs | a