Middletown transcript., 1899-12-30
iHE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON xiII-FoURTH QUARTER, -Is-
TERNATIoNAL SERIES, DEC. 81.

TERNATIoNAL SERIES, DEC. 81.
Text of the Lesson, lisa. ix, 2-7-Mem-
ory Verses, 6, 7-Golden Text, Luke
ii, ,11-Commentary Prepared by the
Rev. ID. NJ. Stearns.
copyright, 1899. by D. M. stearns.1
e 'The people that walked in dark
ness have seen great light" The Holy
fulfllment Of this and the previous
| verse when Jesus left Nazareth and
came and dwelt in Capernaum (Math. iv,
1916. Phe first verse, according to the
R. v, says that in the former time He
brought into contempt the land of Zebu-
Iun and Eaphtal, but in the latter time
hath He made it glorious. Sin always
brings desolation and aff1iction, but the
presence of Christ brings light aud life.
Apart from Him Is darkness, but He Is
the Light of the world and also the Res
TIRE TIRE ettiieEa The prophet, by the Spirit,
sees not only the awful reality of the
present distress and its cause, but he
also sees the glorious future of the nation
when king shall reign in. righteousness,
the Lord alone be exalted and the peo-
| pie themselves be all righteous (chap-
ters xxxii, i; il, IL, II; TX, 21.) If be-
kevers were filed with the Spirit, the
ungodly, who live and walk in darkness,
would see the light of Christ In our lives
| (Math. v, 16).
sarII1,nxy i0r, baPoro FTbaa 70
the joy in harvest" The r. v. says In
the JOY" When the Great Deliverer
comes, bringing light and life and health,
the joy must be increased. 1t will be
everlasting joy. They shall obtain joy
and gladness and sorrow, and signing
shall fee away. The Lord shall be their
everlasting light and their God their
glory QsaA xxx$, 10; k, 19). Only in
the Lord and before the Lord Is there
true joy, but every bdieyer who is will
ing to walk uprightlN believing just
what God says, may be filed with joy
and peace in believing (Rom. XIV, 13;
Gen. xvii, /; Deut. xvi, IL; Ps. xvi, II;
Phil iv, A.. The things which will be
true Of the nation when the kingdom
comes may be true now in the experience
Of the individual, for when He giveth
Quietness who then can make trouble,
whether against a nation or against
man only? Job xxxiv, 29) The secret is
in lisa. xii, 2.
4. "For Thou hast broken the yoke of
bis burden" He shall break all yokes
and rods of the oppressor. He who tells
us to undo heavy burdens and let the op-
pressed go free and break every yoke
lviii, O., how much more will He do
this, and all that He asks us to do in
His name He is ready to do in us. The
only real Christian life is when God
works in us both to will and to do the
things which are pleasing in His sight
phil. il, 13; Heb. xiii, 21). He says to
all the weary and heavy laden, Take my
yoke upon you and learn of me (Math.
XII 81, the context showing that that
yoke was complete submission to His
Fathers will, heart that could say un>
der greatest difficulties: II thank Thee,
o Father. Even so, Father"
5. According to the r. v, this verse
reads, For all the armor of the armed
man in the tumult, and the garments
rolled in blood shall even be for burn
ing" Every association against God or
His people shall be broken in pieces, and |
all their counsel shall come to naught.
Therefore it becomes us to say, 81 will |
wait upon the Lord; l will look for 1
Him" (chapter viii, 8, 10, 10. When
He comes in His glory for Israel's bene-
fit and to establish His kingdom, it will
be with fire and vengeance upon all who |
persisted in refusing Him Cps. !, 8; Isa. |
xxxiv, s; II Thess. 1, Z, 81.
Tc q ic II
us a son is given" This is similar to |
chapter vii, IA. It takes us back to Gen. |
fill, 15, and the phrase "the seed of the
woman" It is in line also with Mic. v, l
2, where He is said to come out of Beth
iehem. It is seen fulfilled in Luke Il, /
6-14, and the angel said to the shepherds, |
unto you is born this day in the city of
David q Saviour who Is Christ the |
Lord" Another prophecy concerning |
His youth is found in Hos. ii, /, 81 call
Math. ii, 15. The whole story Of His /
humiliation, sufferings, death, resurrec-
ton and glorious kingdom is all written
in the law, the prophets and the Psalms.
The present interval between His rejec-
ton and His return to set up His king
dom was not revealed to them as it is to
US. Paul speaks of this interval in which
the body Of Christ is being gathered from
Jews and gentiles as a mystery kept Sc
cret since the world began, but revealed
specially to Him Rom. xvi, %, 26; Eph.
iii, 5, 6; Col. i, 26). ''The government
shall be upon His shoulder" The next |
verse says that it shall be a government
Of peace, and of its increase there shall
be no end and that it shall be upon the
throne Of David. Now, when we com.
pare this with such passages as II Sam.
vii, IL, 16; Acts ii, 30; Jer. iii, II; Ezek.
xxxvii, 21, %, "a; Dan. vii, 81; Luke /,
B2, 33, and remember that the New Tes.
lament begins and ends with Jesus
Christ as Son of David, it does seem un.
plain that this coming king
dom is to have Israel for it's center,
Jerusalem for its capital, the Lord Jesus
Christ for its King and the whole earth
rs its territory. How comforting to
hnow that where He was once so hui
initiated He shall yet be SO greatly ex
.lted! Then shall the full meaning of |
Zach Of these great names be seen, and
III creation and all creatures shall do | :
Him honor Cps. lxxii, Ii; Rev. V, 9-14}.
In connection with the name "Wonder- |
'uT see Judg. xiii, 1S, and remember
hat the word shard" in Jer. xxi, II,
~, is just the same. counselor" sug-
rests Ps. xxi. 8; xxxiii, IL. The |
mighty God, the Everlasting Father, de-
,lares most powerfully that Jesus is God,
he Son is divine, or, as He said Himself,
i and my Father are one" HE that
lath seen Me hath seen the Father"
John x, 80; xiv, %. II
z. 'sThe zeal Of the Lord Of Hosts will
perform this" He who cleansed the
emple and caused His disciples to re-
member that these words were written
John ii. ~ will do it in His time, and
III the world shall see. Read and believe
sa. xiv, "a, and be established. Now
ct Him who is the Peace of God and J
'ur Peace rule in our hearts and manage
IL our affairs and so fill us with His
Spirit that zeal to give the gospel to ey-
ny creature shall consume as and thus
lis body be completed and the kingdom d
ome tCol. ill, Is: Eph. II, IA; Phil. iv, i d
- 4 ~ - 94sns. a