Middletown transcript., 1899-08-19
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson WIN, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, AUG. 20.

Memory Verse, 12- Golden Text,
Rev. xii, II Commentary Pre-
Eared by the Rev. ID. NJ. Stearns.
copyright. 1899. by D. NJ stearns.l
"Afterward he brought me again
unto the door of the ho1se, and, behold,
waters issued out from under the threshold
of the house eastward" do not know
how to take the last eight chapters Of
Ezekial otherwise than just as they read,
and therefore expect that there will yet be
a temple at Jerusalem answering to this
description and that from this temple lit
eral waters shall flow eastward to the Dead
sea and westward to the Mediterranean,
according to Zech. xiv, 8; that at Jerusa-
lem the Lord will have throne in the
midst of His people, and that the name Of
the city will thereafter be The Lord is
There, or Jehovah Shammah (chapters
there are too many difficulties In the story
to take it SO literally, but can only an
swer that in trying to spiritualize the story
you will make great many more difficult
ties Now let US receive the spiritual les
sons for our own hearts.
2. And, behold, there ran out waters
on the right side." While we expect that
from the temple mountain real waters
shall flow forth the great spiritual lesson
may be found set forth in such passages as
Jer. ii, 13, and John iv, IS, IA. God
Himself is the fountain of living water,
and he who seeks rest of soul elsewhere
will fail to find it.
8. HE measured a thousand cubits
and he brought me through the waters
The waters were to the ankles" Our first
experience of the enjoyment Of the saliva
tion that Is in Christ for us is apt to be
very slight and superficial when compared
with the fullness of that salvation as after
ward revealed to u.s. do not mean that
there may not be at the first very great
joy, but it is apt to be joy because of our
own personal salvation because we have
passed from death to life and are sure that
our sins are forgiven.
4. 1.-THE waters were to the knees. The
waters were to the loins. Thus the next
two stages found the waters greatly deep
ening and strengthening, suggesting that
aswe go on in our spiritual life there is
much for us to learn and enjoy. Perhaps
the analogy that is found in the third,
fourth and seventh chapters of John may
help US to understand it. In the third
chapter there is the first step, or the new
birth by water and the Spirit; In the fourth
chapter an advance upon this when the
believer becomes a well of water, and in
the seventh chapter still further advance
when the believer may become as river
of water
g. "a river that could not pass over"
Thus our appreciation of the great saliva
tion ever deepens, until, while at first we
thought we knew it all, we come to see
that we know little about it, or rather
about Him who is our salvation, for it Is
all in Him, and nothing apart from Him.
Not until VIC are gathered with the whole
church, the body of Christ, shall we be
able to comprehend with all saints what are
the breadth and length and depth and
height of the love of Christ which passeth
knowledge tEph. iii, 18, 19)
g. And he said unto me, Son of man,
hast thou seen thisi" In chapter Il, 4, he
was commanded to behold with his eyes,
hear " ith his ears and set his heart upon
all that Gcd would show him, to the in
tent that he might declare it. What we
truly seq for our own souls benefit we
cannot keep TO ourselves. Like Peter and
John, we will say, "That which we have
seen and heard declare we unto you, I'VE
cannot but speak the things which we
have s, u G..d heard q John i, g.; Acts,
iv, eC).
T. New when had returned, behold,
at the balk ef the river were very many |
trees on the one side and on the other.
In Gen ii, 3, we read that the Lord God |
made to grew in Eden every tree that was |
pleasant 10 lie eyes and good for food, the |
tree OF lie i.!so in the midst of the garden. |
Ii Rev xii 9. we read of the tree of life |
in the l. :. OF the street and on either
site CT l..s river.
"Epi! brought forth into the sea,
the w;.tui, shall be healed" Health is |
Another rendering of salvation, or, as in |
rs Xvii :, Thy saving health" The |
Dead st@. whose waters are to be healed, |
is suggestive of all who are dead in tres
passes aid sins, whether Jew or gentle, /
natitn t.: all individual 1.-THE whole head |
is sick and the whole heart faint lisa. j,
81 but .Ichos;sh has said, Behold, will |
bring 1t health and cure, and will cure
tia III en;; will reveal unto them the abun-
dana tf .eace and truth" (Jer. xxxiii, 81.
Il. c.y thing shall live whittier the
river ccnieth. He is the Fountain and
tie Ei,cr ire Tree of Life and the Fruit
thereof lie is Health, and He is Life.
Life eter;4.l is now brought within reach
of all.wfo !var the gospel of the grace of
God, ard - rs many as receive Him is
given the privilege of becoming the chill
dren of God He that hath the Son hath
life and ke that hath not the Son of God
hath not life (.Iohn /, 12; I John v, 12).
10 Their fish shall be according to
their kinds, rs the fish Of the great sea,
exceeding i:iany" The sea suggests peo-
pies and nlultitudes and nations and
tongues as iii Rev. xvii, Is, and the fishes
Of the sea aIe suggestive of individuals, as
when the Lord said to the fishermen of
dalilee, Fellow Me, and will make you
fishers of men" (Math. iv, 10; Luke v,
10y | expect that we shall some day see
, connection between the 158 great fishes
3f the resurrection draft fJohn xxi, III
and the l53, 900 strangers In Israel whom
Solomon used to help him build the tenn
pie III Chron. ii, II, 1S).
II. "But the miry places thereof and
ihe marshes thereof shall not be healed.
They shall be given to salt" Not even
n the millennial reign Of Christ shall all
10 holy. There shall be portions Of earth
not fully blessed and people on earth who
viii follow the devil when he comes out OF
he pit at the end of the thousand years
Rev. XIX, 2, 81. Not until. the new heav-
ms and earth Of Rev. xxi and xxi win
u the earth be free from the curse and
illed with the glory of God.
19 "The fruit thereof shall be for meat
md the leaf thereof for medicine" There
hall grow all trees for meat whose leaf
hall not fade nor fruit be consumed, for
here shall be new fruit every month, be-
ause the waters issue from the sanctuary.
q Rev. xii, ., the tree bears 10 manner
4 fruits and yields fruit every month,