The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1900-06-28
THE SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR JULY 1.
Subject; Jesus Walking on the Sea,
Matt. XIV, 22.33--GoIden Texts Matt.
xiv, 33-Memory Verses, 25-27-Com-
mentary on the Days Lesson.

mentary on the Days Lesson.
%. "And straightway" The time had come
for instant action. Jesus constrained" ="
Commanded. The disciples seemed nm
willing to 20 and leave Him alone. By the
exercise Of direct authority He compelled
them to embark. Unto the other side"
Towards Capernum and Bethsaida. John
the multitudes away" The multitudes
would not leave while the disciples were
present.
%. Apart to pray" He was conscious
that solemn and awful crisis of His day
on earth was come, and by communing
with His heavenly Father He would
nerve His soul for the stern work of the
morrow, and the bitter conflict OF many
coming weeks. There on the desolate hill
top in that night of storm, lie could gain
strength and peace and happiness unspeak.
able. Evening was come About six
o'clock; From verse, % we, see that He
must have remained in the mountain
alone with His God, far into the night.
"a, In the midst of the sea-" The ship
in the sea is striking emblem of His
| church in the world. Not infrequently do
the. waves and the winds of strong perse-
cutions come against the church. The
ship is safe in the sea so long as the sea
does not get into the ship: and so the
church is in the world n mighty power
Tor good, but when the world gets in the
church it begins TO sink
%. I'm the fourth watch" The Jews
had four watches, or periods of the night
The first watch was from six TO nine
o'clock; the second, from nine e' TO ~ twelve: Ive
the third, from twelve to three; and the
fourth, from three to six in the morning
1t was therefore between the hours of
three and six in the morning tuat Jesus
apeared to them. They had toiled nearly
all night. Jesus went unto them" He
NyIIl nluny1 q lie l,an,,,loa
are in trouble, and are laboring against
the waves. Walking on the sea-" lie
thus shows His unlimited power. Here
are three miracles in one. First, though
at distance He knew the distress of
HIS disciples. Second, He found them out
darkness. Third, He walked upon the
water
20. Saw Him" At last, in their worst
extremity, they saw n CLEAN in the dark
ness, and an awful figure, and a futtering
robe, and One drew near them, treading
upon the ridges of the sea, but seemed as
II lie meant to pass them by; and they
cried out in terror at the sight, thinking
that it was phantom. "Cried out" Lit
tie things will frighten us in a storm
When without are fightings,. within are
fears. Even the approaches of deliverance
are sometimes the occasions of trouble.
q. "Straightway." Christ is anxious to
allay our fears now, instantly. as He did
theirs. ut is l." Nothing but the voice
they knew So well could, under such cir
cumstances, have given them comfort and
courage. Those who are grievousy tossed
with difficulties and temptations require a
similar manifestation of His goodness
When Christ nroclaims Himself in the
soul, all sorrow and fear and sin are at
2s. "if it be Thou" Or, "since it is
Thou" There was no doubt expressed
here. Peter knew it was Jesus. IBID Me
come" Peters fault lay in the words
IBID me" which betray an ambitious and
over-confident desire to outdo and outdare
the other disciples. That Peters faith
was sincere is seen 0) from the fact that
in dependence upon Jesus he left the boat,
and (2) when he vas sinking he called on
Him for aid.
come in order that we may know our
weakness and have out pride of wisdom
brought low. The Lord knew that Pc
ter's faith would fail him, but He said,
Come, if thou desirest to make the expert
ment Walked on the waters" He
walked on the water, but he was upheld
by the divine power of Jesus Christ, not
by the water.
30. 'The wind boisterous.' So long as
Peter kept his eye on his Lord he could
trced the boisterous waves in perfect safe
ty bat as soon as he began to look at
their blackness, and consider the depths
beneath him, 'he was afraid" His faith
failed, his courage staggered, and, in the
hurry Of his thoughts, nc was seized with
n sudden terror. Beginning to sink"
1T was not the violence Of the wind or
the raging billows which endangered his
life, but his littleness of faith. Chris
tians are upheld, as they are saved, by
which we are exhorted not to do. Heb.
1925. When we draw back" the Lord
has no pleasure in us. and we begin to
sink. Lord, save me-" This prayer was
a model in many respects. !. 1t was di-
rect. 2. 1t recognized the divinity OF
Jesus. Peter would have had no conf
dence in Christ's ability had he not known
He was more than mere man. 3, 1t
was personal. 4. 1t was short. If Peter
had prayed as many people do to-day he
would have been many fathoms under
water before he came to the point of ask,
came from the heart; he was going down;
in another moment he would have per-
ished. Prevailing prayer is born OF ne
cessity.
81. Immediately" Christ will never
permit a soul to sink that is earnestly
calling for help. "His hand" His hand
is a strong hand, sure support Little
faith" TINS was gentle rebuke. Faith
may be true and yet weak. Peter had
faith enough to bring him upon the water,
but not enough to carry him through the
billows. We should not consider so much
the danger to which we are exposed as the
power of Christ by which we are upheld.
The test may be great, but Gods grace
will be sufficient in every case. Doubt" !"
Why? what reason had you for doubling?
Had not told you to come? and did you
not make the first part of the journey in
safety? and was l no, right here by your
side to preserve you? Wherefore didst
thou doubt?
80. "The wind ceased" This was another
miracle. All they needed was Christ on
board. The storm was over and imme-
diately they We're "at the land whittier
they went" This was still another mira
Gle. When Christ comes into the soul He
brings peace and calm with Him.
SO, "They that were in the ship" The
sailors who were present ss well as the
disciples. Game and worshipped." They
were deeply impressed with the many
manifestations of His divinity. The day,
and night, too, had been full of proofs
that He was the Son of God. The day be-
fore He had miraoulousy fed the multi
tude, and had healed their sick; and now
one miracle follows another in such quick
succession that they cannot restrain them
selves, but, in rapture OF wonder, de-
votion and reverence" they fall at His
feet and openly declare, "lhou art the
Son of God" "Of a truth" The fact is
established beyond any possibility of there
being a mistake.
Not SupersUuous.