The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1900-10-18
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.

Prepared by II. c. Lenington.l
THE LESSON TENT.


6. And when he cometh home. he calleth
together his friends and neighbors, saying
unto them: Rejoice with ME; for i have
found my sheep which was lost.
Z. say unto you, that likewise JOY shall
be In Heaven over one sinner that repent
eth. more than over ninety and nine just
persons, which need no repentance.
s. Either what woman having ten pieces
OF silver, If she lose one piece, doth not
light a candle, and sweep the house and
seek diligently till she find it?
g. And when she hath found 1t, she call
eth her friends and her neighbors together,
saying: Rejoice with me: for have found
the piece which had lost.
10. likewise, | say unto you, there is joy
in the presence of the angels of God over
one sinner that repenteth.
GOLDEN TENT.-There Is Joy In the
presence of the angels of God over
one sinner that repenteth. - Luke
NOTES AND COMMENTS.
The study of this lesson should in.
ciude a reading of Luke 14:25-35, this
forming the Link in Luke's account be-
tween last Sundays lesson and the one
assigned for to-day. The following
analysis includes this passage:
Counting the Cost of Dlsciplinship.. IA 25-3 35
Jesus and the Publicans. ns................l5:1-S.
hS Lust SHetp anu Lost Com .3-6 and o-S.
(a) The Lost Sheep.
(b) The Lost Coin.
(e) Seeking the Lost.
I'D The Lost Found
Rejoicing over the Found. 6-7 and 9-l0
Counting the Cost of Disciples eship.-
After speaking the parable of the great
supper, portraying as it did scene of
festivity with its unbounded happiness
and good cheer, nothing would so nat
urally occur TO the Master as the other
side OF the picture. Figure 1t as we
may, In this life there is no light that
does not cast shadow. The great law
of compensation makes its claims upon
US absolutely and without exception.
There - comfort in the thought foi
those who suffer and endure, but TO,
the light-hearted and joyous it should
bring out o sense of obllga ton, a sense
OF duty. To "eat bread in the kingdom
Of God" presupposes discipleship. This
means JOY, happiness and comfort. but
1t costs something In the last ten
verses of Luke IA Jesus illustrates the
Importance Of counting the cost, and
how great the cost may be. II man Is
to erect a building he has estimate.
made Of the cost. If king is 10 wage
war, he takes into account the chances
In favor Of victory and Of defeat. The
disciple - to erect building, the build.
Ing OF character. The disciple Is to
wage . war, . war with the forces OF
sin and death. What is the cost Of dis
ciplsship? II is the making Of Christ
and His righteousness supreme In THE
life. Cross-bearins Is tho test The
cross In Christ's time stood for the
most awful and disgraceful of deaths.
From this we may imply that cross
bearing does not mean the giving UP
of some one desire or making some 9th.
er petty sacrifice, but II is to perform
every duty and meet every danger in
utter contempt of the Consequences
so long as we are sure that what we dc
Is for Righteousness sake.
The teaching Ia not that we should
hate anybody. Christ's Gospel is gos.
pei OF love. Jesus put love of neigh.
Dor side by side with love of God. What
Jesus did clearly teach was that love
OF God was to be supreme. and that II
love OF anything less stood In tho way
Of duty that lesser love was to be sac
rifced to the greater love-the love OF
God and righteousness
Jesus and the Publioan.-Tt surprised
the pharisees that Jesus should asso-
ciate with publicans and sinners. The
pubficans were Roman tax collector,
and WERE considered as enemies of the
jewish people. Jesus, in reply, likens
fhe publicans and sinners TO lost sheer
and lost coins.
The LOST Sheep and Lost Coin
They are like lost sheep because they
have wandered away from God into the
wids OF sin and are of themselves un-
able to fad their way back.
They are like lost coins because they
are OF real value to their Owner and
Maker, and of no value whatever tC
anybody in any way when lying unused
and out of reach.
They are sought because. like the
sheep, they are safer, happier and more
toHbthG III l4lt lblN lldu OlL III llt
wilderness, where life is in danger from
starvation, thirst, wild beasts and the
clements, They are sought because.
| like the coin, they are of real value
only when doing something TO accom-.
plish the mission for which they were
put into the world.
Rejoicing Over the Found.-Heaven
is place of joy, and until all the world
is redeemed the greatest Joy known
to the Heavenly host is "over one sin.
ner that repeuteth.' That "repenteth'
introduces the one active element on
the part of the lost being The sinner
may be lost and found again. but if he
repent not 1t will be as if he had never
been found and given chance to re-
turn to a life Of Righteousness and use
! fulness.