Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-03-15
International gessotl.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON XII, FIRST QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, MARCH 23.
Text of the Lesson, Eph. v, 11-21.
Memory Verses, 15-1S-Golden Text
Eph. v, documentary Prepared
by Rev. d. NJ. Stearns.

Memory Verses, 15-1S-Golden Text
Eph. v, 1s-Commentnry Prepared
by Rev. D. NJ. Stearns.
FCopyright, 1902, by American Press Association.
II, II. "Have no fellowship with the
unfruitful works Of darkness" This
weeks study in this epistle and the next
on the resurrection need not necessarily
break the continuity Of our study OF the
acts Of the apostles, for in all the Scrip
lures we have the things concerning Him
of whom Philip spake to the eunuch and
whom we must see as the center OF every
lesson. In this epistle we are. as one has
said, taken into the presence chamber OF
the King and made acquainted with His
secret counsels and purposes concerning
us. Only as We by faith enter into His
love and purposes will we be delivered
from the works of darkness mentioned IL
chapter iv. 81; Cor. vi, 8, 10; Gal. v, ~
q. Intemperance, rs generally under
stood, is one Of the many works Of dark
ness, but the child of God should be free
from all if he would know the joy of be-
ing a child Of the Lord Almighty I'll Cor
vi, 14-1S).
13, IA. Awake thou that sleepest and
arise from the dead and Christ shall give
thee light" The three favored apostles
heavy with sleep on the Mount Of Trans
figuration and actually sleeping in Geth
semane, show us how the most highly IA
vored believers may be Indifferent to the
great things Of God and how this cry
awake thou that sleepest." may apply
to US all.
Is, 16. "See, then, that ye walk cir
cumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, re-
deeming the time, because the days are
evil" The Revised Version has on these
two verses either in the text or the mar
gin "Look therefore carefully how ,ye
walk" buying up the opportunity The
life of the believer is spoken Of as con-
tinual dying to self, an overcoming, q
conflict, a race III Cor. iv, IL; John "
4, 5; Eph. vi, IL; Heb. xii, u, but in this
epistle and elsewhere it is also called "a
walk" In the climax in lisa. xl. 81. the
walking-that is, the steady plodding-is
more difficult than the mounting on
wings or the running. We are entreated
to walk worthy of our vocation, not as
other gentiles walk, to walk in love, as
children Of light, to walk worthy Of God
who hath called US unto His kingdom and
glory (Eph. iv, l, II; v, 2, 8; Thess. H.
12). AS to buying up the opportunities
if we had the zeal Of unscrupulous busi.
ness men, who for their own gain make
corners in even the necessaries Of life
how much might be accomplished in the
service Of Christ? If we walked as Christ
walked u John ii, g, all would be well,
but who is sufficient? Our sufficiency Is
Of God III Cor. iii, 81.
II. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but
understanding what the will Of the Lord
Is" 1t Is not the will of God that any
should perish, for He will have all to be
saved and has made full provision for the
same 1I Pet. iii, @; Tim. ii. 4; John iii
16). When sinners are saved. He desires
that they should be holy and so fully yield
to Him that they may prove in daily life
how good and acceptable and perfect His
will is Il Thess. iv, 8: Rom. xii, l, p.
Our blessed Lord could truly say 81 seek
not mine own will" 81 delight to do thy
will, o my God" John iv. 81; v, 80; vi,
3S; Ps. II, 81.
1S. "Be not drunk with wine, wherein
Is excess, but be filled with the Spirit.
Drunkenness belongs to the unfruitful
works of darkness: to be filled with the
Spirit is the privilege Of every child OF
light. Wine stimulates and eXhilarates
unnaturally, but the Holy Spirit stimu.
lates supernaturally; the one is for self,
the other for God. There is a drunken.
ness that does not come from wine OF
strong drink lisa. xxx, 81. but is just as
much the work of the adversary. Only
that which is of God through Christ gives
light and life; all that is not Of God
causes stupor and drunkenness, and the
manifestation of the flesh as God only can
give life, so God only can live in us the
life He desires, and He is pleased to do
this by His Spirit, therefore the neces-
sity Of being filled with the Spirit by
whom alone the life can be lived.
10. speaking to yourselves In psalms
and hymns and spiritual songs, singing
and making melody in your heart to the
himself known by his noisy talk or ribald
song, but Spirit filed person, having
true melody in his heart, will sing unto
the Lord. Each proclaims his master by
that which comes from the abundance OF
his heart. In Col. iii, 16, we have the
same result from the word Of Christ
dwelling richly in US; therefore, according
to an axiom which says that things that
are equal to the same thing are equal to
one another, there is probably some con-
nection between being filled with the
Spirit and filled with the word Of God.
We know that the Spirit has written the
word, and the Spirit is the word, and the
word Of God, the Lord Jesus, is the en-
bodiment and manifestation of the writ
ten word. If we would be filled by the
Spirit and used by the Spirit, let US lay
up His word diligently in our hearts
Geek. iii, 10. 1D.
20. Sewing thanks always for all
things unto God and the Father in the
name Of our Lord Jesus Christ" In !
Thess. v, Is, it is written "In everything
give thanks; for this is the will Of God in
Christ Jesus concerning you" How
earnestly we should covet to be filled with
the Spirit since He alone can live this
holy and beautiful life in us! "He who
spared not His own Son, but delivered
Him up for US all, how shall He not,
with Him, also freely give us all things
(Rom. viii, 32), and since God is love-
and has so loved US, He cannot give us
anything that is not love, so we will
thank Him for all things if we believe
this. Mrs. Bottome tells Of two walters
whom she saw accidentally jostle one
another, the one thereby spilling some hot
water on the other, who meekly replied,
"Never mind, it is all in the will" \
lady whom l know told me that having
spilled q bottle of ink Oh her carpet she
was able to take it meekly and as part Of
His will.
21. Submitting yourselves one to an
other in the fear Of God" Some one has
said thot submission iS the highest mis-