The Tupelo journal., 1904-05-06
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson in the International Series for
, May 8, observation-disclosures
Temperance Lesson.
THE LESSON TEXT.

%. Let your IONS De glr0eo ABOUT, ana
your lights burning;
SO. And We yourselves like unto men that
walt for their lord when he will return
from the wedding; that when he cometh
and knocketh, they may open unto him
Immediately.
81. Blessed are those servants, who the
lord when he cometh shall find watching;
verify l say unto you, hat he shall grid
himself, and make them to sit down to
meat, and will come forth and serve them.
80. And If he shall come in the second
watch, or come in the third watch, and find
them SO, blessed are those servants.
80. And this know, that If the good man
of the house had known what hour
the thief would come, he would have
watched, and not nave suffered his house
to be broken through.
40. Be we therefore also; for the Son
of Man cometh at an hour when ye think
not.
Al. Then Peter said unto Him: Lord.
speakest Thou this parable unto US, or even
to all?
AZ. And the Lord said: Who then is that
faithful and wise steward, whom his lord
shall make ruler over his household, to give
them their portion of meat in due season?
AZ. Blessed is that servant, whom his
lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
A. OF a truth / say unto you, that he will
make him ruler over all that he hath.
40. But and If hat servant say in his
heart: My lord delayeth his coming; and
shah begin to beat the men servants and
maid servants, and to eat and drink, and to
be drunken;
46. The lord of that servant will come in a
day when he looketh not for him, and at an
hour when he is not aware, and will cut
him in sunder, and will appoint HIM his por-
ton with the unbelieyers.
Al. And that servant, which knew his
lords will, and prepared not himself, nei-
ther did according to his will. shall be beat
en- with many stripes.
As. But he that knew not, and did commit
things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten
with few stripes. For unto whomsoever
much is given, of him shall be much re-
quired; and to whom men have committed
much. of him they will ask the more.
GOLDEN TEXT.-Blessed are those
servants, whom the lord when he cometh
shall find watching.-Luke 1921.
OUTLINE OF SCRIPTURE LESSON.
Woes Against the Pharisees. Luke II :37-54
Warnings Against Pharisees.. Luke 12:1-12
Parable of Rich Fool. 12:13-34
Exhortations to Watch. 2:35-4S
TIME.-Novembor or December of A.. d.
%. About four months before the cruel
fxion.
PLACE.-Peraea.
NOTES AND COMMENTS.
LET your loins be girded:" A Syrian
even to-day is not lin commission" so
to speak, without his girdle. The loose
flowing robes make action of any kind
awkward and difficult. Your lamps
burning" The servants expected their
Lord to return in the night. Without
lamps they could not do their work,
and that was the one thing in the
world for them to do at that time.
Blessed are those servants. whom the
Lord when He cometh shall find watch
ing" Not simply waiting, ready to do
their duty, but doing it, and it was
hard, too; let those who have done
night watching testify. HE shall grid
himself, . and serve them" Be-
cause of His qualification over their
f~aithfulness. What of the satisfaction
God must feel in seeing such fine, alert
f%aithfulness now? 1.-THE second watch"
The night was divided into four
watches.
"If the master of the house had
known" But he did not know; he
never does and never can. The only
way is to be ready all the time.
Lord, s~peakest thou this parable
unto u.s." There was no answer, but
another question,-''Who them" AM
swer for yourself. Notice that the
wise stewart was faithful to his work;
the reward for duty we'll done was
more duty to do; more and higher
work. The steward who was unfaith-
full because there was no one there to
watch him made a great mistake. No
one can sin with impunity whether he
Is watched or not. Cut him %asunder:"
A very strong expression; sometimes
taken literally, but better figuratively
"cut him up" as we should say, with
terrific scourging ESQ Adeney and
Bruce.
THAT servant, who knew many
stripes; but he that knew not
few stripes" The ethical principle,
seen before in these lessons, that men
are judged, and rightly, according to
their light. Nothing can be duty, in
the sense of morally binding upon US
at n time, which we have not at that
time the means of knowing. The idea
of unknown duty. as present obliga-
ton, is an impossible one. The maxim
that ignorance of the law excuses no
one is simply an expression of gen.
eral expediency in the administration
of human law. Still, it is not rigidly
applied in any civilized society. Salts
factory proof of entire ignorance will
mitigate or set aside the penalty. AS
a principle of morals the maxim is ut
terly false. "-President Fairehild. God
judges us according to our light. We
are often to blame for not having
found more light; but it is in that
rather than in the act done as a result
of our ignorance that the sin lies. The
messenger boy who takes a valuable
bundle to his own house instead OF
to the purchaser, because under. the in
f1uence Of liquor, is guilty in Gods
sight of what? Simply of putting him.
self knowingly into a condition in
which he knew it vas dangerous and
therefore wicked to come. That was
his sin; the rest was done as it were
in his sleep. In the sight of the law,
however, he is guilty both of drunken
ness and theft.
TerSe Savings.