The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1904-05-20
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON VII, SECOND QUARTER, INTER
NATIONAL SERIES, MAY 22.

the record OF Luke xvi, 1, TO xviii, "a.
the last portion from Luke xviii. ID
being found also In Matthew and Mark.
the story Of the empty, helpless, de-
pendent little children whom He bless
ed and the rich young ruler who went
away as he came, full Of himself, his
righteousness and his possessions. The
saying stands, He hath filled the hun
cry with good things, and the rich He
hath sent empty away" luke /, 53). The
disciples emptied themselves of such as
they had for His sake AS Peter said,
I'VE have left all and have followed
Thee" Mark Y, 30, and our Lord said
that in the regeneration, when He shall
sit in the throne Of His glory, they shall!
sit upon twelve thrones judging the
twelve tribes Of Israel Matt xix, 2S),
and that those who forsake all for His
sake and the gospels now shall not only
have a great reward hereafter, but
shall receive a hundredfold Chat is,
10000 per cent? in this present time,
with prosecutions. Yet people think
that a good investment which brings
10 per cent or less and virtually despise
the Lords 10000 per cent.
AS to the prosecutions we may be
called upon to endure, Paul says that
they are not worthy to be compared
with the glory (Rom. viii, 49, and that
they all work out for us a far more ex-
ceeding and eternal weight of glory
QI. Cor. iv, 10. Our Lord is now on
His way TO Jerusalem TO offer Himself
sacrifice for the sins of the world,
and for at least the third time He plain
ly foretells what He is about to suf-
fer, but this time little more fully.
He said that He would be Knocked and
spitefully entreated and spitted on and
scourged and crucified, but that the
third day He would rise again and that
all this was written by the prophets
concerning Him. How strange to read
that, although this seems 10 us so plain,
"They understand none of these
thingsr Compare Matt. XIX, 1910 and
Luke xviii, 31-34.
We see how little interest they took
in His predicted sufferings. or, rather,
that they did not receive a word of ii,
by the fact, with which our lesson
opens, that James and John, or, accord
ing to Matthew, their mother for them,
asks that he will do for them whatso-
ever they desire, and that is that they
may sit, one on His right hand and the
other on His left in His kingdom.
How utterly out of sympathy they
were how lonely He was! No one un-
derstood Him, not even the disciple
whom He loved, who leaned upon His
bosom. They did not understand be
cause they did not believe, and only
thus were His sayings hid from them.
Through faith we understand QIeb.
xi, b.
Something seemingly worse than even
this request of James and John is re
corded as having occurred on the very
night before His crucihXion. He had
eaten the passover with them and was
speaking of one of them who should
betray Him when there was a strife
among them which of them should be
accounted the greatest duke xxi. 81
pa. 1t seems an almost impossible
thing for believers to get wholly rid of
some self seeking even in Christian
work and TO live to exalt the Lord
alone. but if filled with the Spirit lie
will see TO it, for He always glorities
Christ
Our Lord said, "Ye know not what ye
ask" Verse 3S). We are apt TO be SO
out of fellowship with Him that even
when we plead John xiv, Is, IA, we
may be asking amiss, because He may
see in our hearts some desire for the
honor of self or church or denomination
or our particular society rather than
His glory only His searching question,
Can we drink of the cup that | drink
OF and be baptized with the baptism
that | am baptized WITH" we might
think would have opened their eyes, but
they are blinded by their ambition and
tboughtlessly answer. 1--WE can" They
did not receive what He had said about
His sufferings and therefore did not
understand what He meant by His cup
and baptism. We do well to note how
He looked upon His sufferings speak
ing of them all in this wise, The cup
John xviii, IL, and we are learning a
good lesson when we learn to see God
in everything, seeing people and cir.
cumstances through God, seeing Jesus
only Mark tx, -.
l find IL necessary to emphasize that,
while the precious blood of Christ,
and that alone, can make Us tit for
the presence OF God, all that comes
to us after we are saved is necessary to
tit us for our place i'm His kingdom and
for our reign with Him. The Chris
tan life would be more easy and rest
full than many seem to find it if they
would only believe Eph. il, 10, and let
God daily guide them in the good
works He has prepared for them, say
ing concerning all that comes, This is
prepared for me-"
He empticd Himself and humbled
Himself unto the death of the cross
for us, wherefore God also hath highly
exalted Him phil. ii, 10. Humility
is true greatness. Therefore be humble
If you would be great; be faithful il
you would be rewarded God resist
eth the proud and giveth grace TO the
humble" q Pet V, 3, @. Hereby
perceive we the love Of God because
He laid down His life for us, and we