The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1901-04-04
THE SABBATH SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR APRIL 7.

xiv, liz - Golden Text, Cor. xv.f
2o-Memory Verses, 4!-CoInmentary
on the Days Lesson.
! I. "The first day of the week" Christ
was in the tomb part of Friday, oil day
! Saturday and part of Sunday, which was
called three days according to Jewish
reckoning. He arose very early in the
morning on the first day of the week. The
manner of the reuniting OF Christs soul
and body in His resurrection is a mystery,
| one of the secret things that does not be-
| long to us. The first company OF women
were three: Mary Magdalene, Mary the
| mother of James and Salome, the mother
of the beloved disciple, John. They be-
gan their journey to the sepulchre before
dawn, reaching the place at sunrise. AT
| the appearance of the angel the Roman
guards were 80 frightened that they fell
| as dead men, and it would seem that they
! fed from the tomb before the women
came. Every early in the morning" They
came at the earliest moment after their
| Sabbath. They probably left their homes
| in different parts of the city at different
times, some of them reaching the tomb
at sunrise. So, in our service of love for
| Christ, we ought to come early in the
morning of life before we have wasted our
energies in sin. Bringing the spices"
| Powdered aromatic substances and fluid
perfumes appear to have been used in
laying out the dead body for burial. They
| proposed to apply these spices to HIS body
to keep it from putrefaction, which is an
other proof that they did not expect Him
| to rise again.
2. "The stone rolled away" AS the
women journeyed they questioned who
should roll away the stone, but when. they
reached the tomb they discovered the
stone was rolled away. The tomb was
cut in the side of a rock, like cave, large
| enough for several persons to enter. The
| entrance was protected by a stone, some
times round, like a large milestone, rolled
in front of the opening. The difficulty
was a serious one, for the stone was very
large Mark 10: d; covering an aperture
| of at least three or four feet in height and
two or three in breadth, and it would
take two or three men to move it. Some
times duty seems impossible, but as we go
on obedientlv the difficulty vanishes, as
it did before these women.
g. ''They entered in" Mary Magdalene
seems to have been in advance of the rest
and only looked in John 20: D.. the 9th
ers entered. Found not the body" The
tomb could not hold Christ. The empty
grave was the boundary line between the
old dispensation and the new. The sub
FINEST expectations of the Old Testament
were now fulfilled in the resurrection of
Christ.
L. much perplexed." They did not
know what to do or where to go. Their
thought was, "They have taken away the
Lord, and we know not where they have
laid Him. 1.-TWO men," Angels, Matt.
%: 5. Matthew speaks of but one, the
one who did the speaking, and Mark
speaks of him as young man. Shining
garments" Matthew says his countenance
was like lightning and his raiment white
as snow. The raiment was emblematica1
of the glad tidings which. the angels came
to announce, ana also of purity and fell
lowship with God Rev. 8: 4, 5.
Of &c
der that the women were afraid Mat
thew says that through fear the keepers
did shake and became as dead men,"
"They" The angels. Said" why
seek. we the living among the deadg' 1t
admits of doubt whether the Greek ex-
preston here would not have been more
literally rendered, ''the living one"-the
great source of life, the life Of the world.
6. "He is-risen." He was crucihed,
but is risen. Instead of amounting Him
as dead they may rejoice in His being
alive from the dead. Death hath no more
dominion over Him. The resurrection
morn was time of gladness to the disci-
pies of Jesus 1t brought ~ joy, (2) VIC
tory, (3) faith, "a hope. 1t is the true
comfort of all believers. How mournfully
joyfully do they return. The risen Christ
is the remedy for every trouble; His res
direction is the pledge Of ours But that
which causes rejoicing on the part OF some
viii bring CONSERVATION and despair to
others. The proofs of the resurrection are
ample. l. He appeared frequently at diff
terent times and places to many. 2 The
apostles. believed it so fully that they
| based their hope of eternal life upon it.
! 3. They were completely transformed af-
ter the resurrection and attested their
faith by their own death. 4. The very
existence Of the Christian church and its
power for good in the world. s. The
spiritual life put in the hearts of His peo-
pie (Rom. s: 1l)-the fact that He saves
men and makes His promises good to
them proves conclusively that Christ is
alive from the dead. Remember" Call
sorrow over His death. ''In Galilee," This
was their home (chap %: So, and nearly
a year before He had told of His coming
death.
IS ., ~ssyins ,44 See ;s chap q p p a. 45
Jesus had tried to impress them with this
truth in order to comfort them in the
hour of their great sorrow, but they failed
to comprehend its meaning.
9. Returned from the sepulchre."
Matthew says the angel told them to go
quickly and tell His disciples that He was
risen, and that they departed quickly with
fear and great joy, and did run to bring
the disciples word.
10. MARY Magdalene" She was a ma
tive of Magdala, a town on the Sea of
| 0allee, ana was foremost among the nom
orable women who ministered unto Christ
and His disciples, being especially devoted
to Christ for His mercy in casting out
from her seven evil spirits. Luke 50, 8.
There is no evidence that she was ever
bad character. Joanna" Wife of Chuza,
the steward OF Herod Antipas (chap 8:
81, and hence a woman of some influence
and wealth MARY, the mother of
James" Called James the Less to distin.
gush him from James, the brother of
John. She was the wife of Alpheus (com.
pare Mark 3: lS), who seems also to have
been called Cleophas. John 10: 25.
IL. Believed them not" They thought
they must surely be mistaken; they could
not understand or comprehend their
words.
-, "Then arose Peter" John went
with Him and reached the sepulchre first.
John 20: 2, 3; They heard the story from
Mary Magdalene, before the women re-
turned ''The linen clothes" This was
the fine linen in which Joseph of Arima
thea wrapped the body. This small cir
cumstance is no mean proof of the resur
rection of our Lord. Had the body been