The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1903-04-03


by Rev. ID. VI. stearns.
copyright, 1905 by American Press Association
2S. Feed the church OF God. which lie
hath purchased with His own blood.
After the uproar at Ephesus Paul
went into Macedonia and abode three
months in Greece, after which he start
ed for Jerusalem, hoping TO be there by
the day Of Pentecost Verse 10. Hav-
ing come as far as Mlletus, he sent for
the elders of the church at Ephesus,
that they might come TO Miletus 10
meet him. Our lesson is part of his
address to them, the whole address be-
ginning at the eighteenth verse. He
felt that these were the last words he
would ever speak TO them Verse 25),
and he reminded them that in his min
istry among them he had taught them
all things, not only the essential and
fundamental repentance toward God
and faith in Jesus Christ, but also the
whole counsel of God oversees 81, 20.
%. 80. For l know this. that after my de-
parting shall grievous wolves enter in
among you, not sparng the flock; also Of
your own selves shall men arise speak
ing perverse things to draw away dis
ciples after them.
1t was Paurs delight to maintain
himself by his own labor, that he
might have to give TO the needy things
temporal and spiritual; but there were
and always have been, and there are
and always will be till the kingdom
comes, those who, processing TO be
shepherds, not only do not feed the
flock, but take good care TO live upon
the tiock-wolves in Sleeps clothing
DER xiii, 1916; Matt. vii, 10; Y, 49,.
No true servant of Christ ever seeks to
draw people to himself; but, like John
the Baptist, cries, Behold the Lamb
of God"' The Lord Jesus never sought
any glory for Himself, but always glo-
rified the Father, and Love seeketh not
her own, is never selfish. Both from
without and from within the church
the adversary works, but the Love that
gave Himself for us shall finally con-
quer.
you to God and to the word of His grace,
which is able to build you up and TO give
you an inheritance among all them which
are sanctihed.
Our Lord own command was, Take
We heed, watch and pray" Mark xiii,
1887; xiv, 3S), and because of our ad-
versary, the devil, who is always seek
ing to devour, we need the whole
armor of God Il Pet. V, s. 8; Eph. vi,
lib. 1t is by the grace of God,
made known TO us in the word of God,
that we are saved (Rom iii, "a; Jas. /,
49, and the same word causes us to
Iii, 1S). This verse speaks of those
who are sanctified. See also on this
l Cor. vi, II; Heb. y, 10, ii, then note in
John xvii, II, that we are by the word
of God sanctified in the daily life. Any
seeming discrepancy in the truths that
we are sanctified and perfected for
ever, yet being sanctified and not yet
perfect, is easily understood if we dis
tinguish between what we are in Christ
before God by virtue of His great sac
rifice and what we are in our daily
life here before men q John Iii, l, -.
1896. l have showed you in all things
how that SO laboring We ought TO support
the weak and TO remember the words OF
the Lord Jesus; how He said. 1t is more
blessed to give than to receive.
BY practice as well as by precept
Paul had taught them that he was not
seeking theirs, but them; that he want
a1 hira hut hat ho
something TO give them. So when 9TH
er teachers came seeking their goods
and not their souls they could say,
THAT is not like Paul for he never
sought anything for himself, but ever
taught us of the love of God in Christ,
and by the love Of Christ he constrained
us to give without asking us TO" 0I
Cor. V, IA. Paul realized what he
taught, that, though seeming to have
nothing, he yet possessed all things,
and, though poor, he could make many
rich QI Cor. vi. 10). Perhaps in no
epistle do we find the riches OF the
grace of God SO fully set forth as in
the epistle TO the Ephesians, and if we
only believed God and that others
might be just as rich simply for the
taking we could not but speak what we
have seen and heard acts iv, 20).
36. And when he had thus spoken he
kneeled down and prayed with them all.
In chapter xxi, >, we find that at an
other place they knelt down on the
shore and prayed. Paul was certainly
a man of prayer, and if we understood
the privilege of access to God that is
included in prayer we could not but
be people Of prayer. While kneeling
is the position here mentioned, we find
I'm l Kings viii, %, that Solomon stood
with his hands spread forth toward
heaven, and we find in the agony in
Gethsemane that Jesus both knelt and
fell on his face. The position of the
body is secondary, but that the soul
takes hold of God, that is everything
Qsa Xiv, Z; rs. lvii, .; xii. -.
81. SO. And they all wept sore and fell on
PauHs neck and kissed him, sorrowing
most Of all for the words which he spake
that they should see his face no more.
In this world of changes and separa-
tions when the best Of friends and the
dearest of our loved ones are often