The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1899-05-04
TIE VINE AND TEE BRANCHES.
International Sun day school Lesson
for May 2. 1sO0-Text. John 49,
81. l.11-Memory verses, O-S.

| ESPECIALLY AoopteV from feIOuDct NOteo. ]
| GOLDEN TEXT an the vine. ye are
| the branches.-John ISIS.
| COMPARE John 1916. Matt. 7:le-2o.
LIGHT FROM OTHER SCRIPTURES.-
| Tho Illustration of the Vine-Isa. SILT;
Jer. 2:21; Ezek. 1910: Psa- so:s-l0; Hos.
| 10:l; Matt. q 49, The Tree and Its Fruit
Matt. 7:l6-3o: Luke 1869: Gal 6:ls-2s.
Il TIME.-Thursday eve, April 6. A. d. 80.
the night before the crucifxlon.
PLACE.-An upper room in Jerusalem
EXPLANATORY.
The Suggestion.-lt is uncertain
where this chapter and l6 and II were
spoken. Chap. IA closes with Christs
words: "Arise. let us go hence" and in
1871 1t is said that they went forth. 1t
Is probable that at the close of chap.
IA they arose from the table and pre-
pared to leave, but before they actually
| went out of the room, and while stand
ing, the remainder of the discourse was
spoken. Others think that 1t was
spoken somewhere on the way to Geth-
semane. There was no need OF any
thing outward TO suggest the figure or
metaphor of the vine and its branches.
I. The True Vine Is Christ.-Vs. 1,5.
1. "I am the true vine:" The genuine,
the ideal, the perfect vine. AS the vine
supports the branches, and its life flows
through them all and is their life, so
Jesus is the sustaining power of the
Christian kingdom, and the source OF
the life in all His disciples.
II. The Owner Is God.-V.1. "My Fa-
ther is the husbandman:" Not the
hired laborer, the vine-dresser. but the
owner of the vineyard, the original
planter, possessor, and cultivator Of the
vince. W. Clark.
Ill. The Branches Are True Chris
tians.-Ns. /, 5. every branch
We are the branches" A beautiful
theory has been established in vegeta-
BILE physiology which illustrates in a
most striking manner the nature OF the
union between Christ and believers, MS
symbolized by vine and its branches.
This theory proceeds on the assumption
that all plants, without exception, are
strictly annual. A tree, under which
class the vine, of course, is included, Is
generally supposed to be a single plant,
like a primrose, or lily, only that It
does not fade in autumn, and Is pos
sessed of perennial growth. A tree is
now found to be, not single individ-
ual, single plant, but, on the contrary.
an aggregate of individuals, a body cor
porate. The idea involved in gen.
ealogical tree 10 exactly that which
10 involved in natural tree; the for
mer consisting of living and dead per-
sons, as the latter consists of living
and dead plants. In It's full wealth OF
summer foliage and vigor. tree Is
literally a vegetable colony, propagat-
ing It's individual plants vertically in
the air, instead Of spreading them out
horizontally over the earth's surface,
like herbaceous plants."-Hugh Mac
milan. IL. D.. F. II. 8. Z.
w. The Fruitless Branches.-VA e,
6. The branches cut of are first with
cred and then burned. "Thorns will
generally burn immediately" but the
vine branch must first wither and grow
dry before It Is gathered into fagots
and cast into the fire. 1t is interesting
to note that, according to Jewish
authority, the fruitless and withered
branches Of the vine were not regarded
as fit wood for the sacred altar fires,
either to save fruit-bearing trees from
wanton destruction, or because bear
ing no fruit, they were common and
unclean affairs, which might be used
for any common fuel. but still might
form no part of the sacred contribu-
ton" Sunday School Times.
V. Pruning the Fruit Bearing
Branches.-Vs. 2. 3. Every branch
that beareth fruit, lie purgeth IT."
Cleanseth It. There Is curious play
of words in sound between the taking
away (hairei) of the fruitless branch
and the purging (kathnirei) OF the
fruitful branch.-Cambridge Bible.
3. "Now We are clean:" The same
word as purge" in We. Through the
word:" All Jesus teaching and training
for three years had been cleansing and
pruning the disciples. Imperfect as
they were, they were bearing good fruit
and were prepared to bring forth q
great deal more and great deal bet
ter fruit, as we see In the Acts.
vi. The Fruit. The fruit is the faith,
love and obedience referred to so often
in our last !estcl. Il includes all the
fruits of the Spirit-love. Joy, peace,
long suffering, etc. (Gal. 5:22, 23.)
VII. Abiding in Christ the Means of
Bearing Fruit.-V. 1. "Abide In Me,
and l in you:" How may we abide In
Him? (1) BY faith; (2) by communion
with Him; (3) by doing His will; (4)
by doing all with right motives for
His sake; (5) by loving Him; (6rby the
means of grace, the Word of God,
prayer, the Sabbath; (7) by letting His
word abide in us ". y, continuing in
the school Of Christ.
VIII. Some Blessings That Come
from Abiding in Christ, and Bearing
Fruit.-Vs. I'll. First. VI The an
swer to prayer. Second. V. s. The
glory of God. Third. $50 shall ye be
NV disciples:" Learners in the school