Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-05-04
international 9essoll5.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON WI, SECOND QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, MAY 10.
Text Of the Lesson, Math. xiv, 42.61.
Memory Verses, 44-48 - Golden Text,
Math. xiv, 42-Commentary by the Rev.

Memory Verses, 44-46 - Golden Text,
Math. xiv, 42-Commentary by the Rev.
ID. NJ. Stearns.
ICopyrIght, 1895. by d. NJ. Stearns.l
~. Watch, therefore, for yc know not
what hour your Lord doth come" Tho
title of this lesson is "Watchfulness, and
If we consider tho special topic Of this
whole chapter and the next ono, "Tho
Second Coming of Our Lord" there Is no
event for which we would more eagerly
watch If we loved it rs we should, and we
would surely love 1t If we understood 1t.
The lesson committee suggest that 1t may
be used as temperance lesson, and II we
understand tho word temperance IN It's
Scriptural significance of tho whole mat
ter of self control there is no truth that
tends more to denial Of self and complete
self renunciation than that Of the immi-
nence of the return of our Lord. Having
uttered His last public " ord to the hypo-
critical Pharisees and having announced
tho desolation of Jerusalem, Jesus and
His disciples left the temple and as they
did so His disciples tried to draw His at
tention to the buildings and the stones,
and the adornings, but Ho surprised them
by telling them that the whole thing
would be thrown down. This led to q
question privately asked Him by four of
the disciples (Mark Kill, g., and the ques-
tion led to this discourse, in which Ho re-
fers to the approaching destruction of
Jerusalem, but chiefly to events onnectcd
with His coming again at the end OF this
age.
4S. "But know this-that if the good
man of the house had known In what
watch the thief would come he would
have watched and would not havo suffered
his house to be broken up" On former
occasion our Lord used the same words
(Luke xii, 39), but in connection with
watching for His return from the we'd
ding. In this sermon and in the gospels
Of Matthew, Mark and Luke wo must re-
member that the commission was to Is
rael, and the messengers were forbidden
to 90 to the gentilos, and while there are
lessonsf or us all in all the Bible we must
not attempt to apply some things which
are specially for Israel to tho church, or
vice versa. Truth for the church concern
ing the second coming of Christ is found
chiefly in the epistlcs. Notice specially
that the coming as a thief does not or
should not apply to the church Il Thess.
v, 4, 81, for she is loving His appearing
and looking eagerly for Him and CONSTANT
" saying, "Comc, Lord Jesus" (Rev. xxi,
2O).
A. Therefore be ye also ready, for in
such an hour as ye think not the Son of
Man cometh." Now, to be ready and
watchful is a word for every believer at all
times Having received Christ and be-
come clothed wit; His righteousness, we
are ever ready for lis presence, for moth
ing moro is necessary to fit us to enter
heaven than His merits only. But we are
expected to be ever ready for any manner
of service end watchful to see His way and
hear His words (1I Sam. XIV, 10; Chron.
xviii, 81; Nah. ii, l; Hi,b. ii, y. This
is not, however, the special thought OF
these words, for the coming of tho Son Of
Man, as I understand it, Is always His
coming with His saints in power and
glory for tho special benefit of Israel and
the overthrow of her enemies. 1t is never
death Eor Pentecost nor tho destruction
Of Jeursalem lisa. Xvi, 5, 10; Zech. xiv,
4, 81.
49, "Who then is a faithful and wise
servant whom his Lord hath mado ruler
over his household to give them meat in
due season." Here is something child
of God can always lay to heart. Two things
required of US are that we prove faithful
and wise.
46. blessed is that servant whom his
Lord when Ho cometh shall find so doing. !"
One of His accusations of the Pharisees
was, "They say and do not' (chapter
xiii, 81, and His warning in chapter vii,
21, is, "Not every one that saith, but he
that doeth." He was never idle or indo-
lent, and it is impossible that those in
whom He has full control can be either
the one or the other.
AZ. "Vcrily I say unto you that lie
shall make him ruler over all His goods. !"
In tho story of tho talents in the next
chapter both the one who gained five and
the one who gained two received the COM
mendation: "Wcll done, good and faithful
servant. Thou hast been faithful over fow
things. will make thco ruler over many
things. Enter thou into tho joy Of thy
Lord" What can it all mean but that
tho faithful servants will have places in
His kingdom according to their faithful
ness? Saved by grace, but rewarded ao-
cording to works (Rev. xii, 12).
4S. "But and if that evil servant shall
say in his heart, My lord delaycth his
coming" Whether all that talk that way
are evil servants or not wc cannot say,
God knows, but we do know that there
are many who bear His name, at loast out
wardly, who not only say 1t in their
hearts, but are very bold to sny 1t with
their lips, and even after the fashion of II
Pet. Iii, 3, 4.
40. "And shall begin to smite his fell
low servants, and to eat and drink with
the drunken" There are many Christians
both in the pulpit and in tho pows who
seem to take special pleasure In the smit-
ing of others, ut least with their tongues,
unmindful Of tho word, "The servant Of
the Lord must not strive, and of that
other, "Judge nothing before tho time, l"
and "All things whatsoever ye would that
men should do to you, do ye even so to
them" Il Cor. iv, 8; II Tim. il, 24; Math.
vii, 12). AS to eating and drinking with
the drunken, tho Lord secs those who bear
His name doing even this also, and open
" without shame and In very literal
sense. 1t is still true that many walk
whose god is their belly, who mind earth
ly things phil. ill, IL, 19). Whether there
are many who weep over thom or not, the
Lord knows. If you are clear OF the guilt
of tho literal fulhllment, remember that
there are many seemingly lawful things,
as study, business, innocent amusement
the bicycle, etc., which arc very intoxicat-
ing and take time and strength and money
which ought to be wholly devoted to Him
50, 81. 1.-THE lord of that servant shall
come" He may seem to delay and not to
care, but in an unexpected day and hour
SIc will deal with his unfaithful.scrvants.
There may be present dealing in the way
of treading under foot of mon, like the