Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1905-03-09
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR MARCH ".
Subject: The Slavery of Sin, John Will,
3I-4O-(iolden Text, John Will, 3D.
Memory Verses, 81, 3?-Commentary
on the Days Lesson.

!
on the Days Lesson.
I. The test and blessings OF disciplcship
| Tvs. 81. 32). 81 Then said Jesus, Bet,
ter, as Il. v. Jesus therefore, said be
cause many had believed on Him after His
declaration that He was the Light Of the
world, and after His answers to the Phari
| sees. and now Jesus directed His remarks
to these new disciples. (Which believed.
The term "believed" applies here to the
! disposition. openly expressed. to acknow::,,
edge Jesus as the Messiah. ''lt ye abide
| (R. W Not Il titful. intermittent rc'a.
| ton. but thorough, intense and continuous.
In My word Ii We obey My command,
ment. and follow My teachings carefully.
Our spirits must drink in Chrst's words
as our bodies inhae the atmosphere. No
man is worth listening to on questions OF
| faith and doctrine who is not himself
! revereEt listener To Christ. Abiding IN
| Gods word must become the permanent
condition Of our life. "Discples." dis
ciple is learner; one who accepts and fol.
! lows another as teacher and master. True
| disciples are real representatives of Christ,
who live Il holy life before the world,
-. Shall know the truth. shall know
! it doctrnaliy, spiritually, eNpermentdlly,
| not as mere theory but as a living pow
| shall know Christ Himself. the cmbod
ment of truth tJohn l4:n. The rulers mad
spoken of knowing the law. Jesus speaks
| Of knowing the truth. This il species
| OF learning Infinitely transcendmg all the
| gues5cS OF doubling scientist, and snecrmg
| philosophers. Make you free lntcil'.
! gnnce Is not sufficient. \ learned man -
| still a wicked man under the bondage OF
| sin unless he has been made free. knowl.
| edge appears as the fruit of faith. and FREQ
dom as the fruit OF knowledge. Christ As.
socatcs liberty always with the truth,
! which He is Himself and so presents the
| truth As the cause OF liberty as the effect.
H. Freedom offered from the slavery OF
sin VS. 1885, 80. They answered -
| Many commentators refer this they" not
| to the many who believed ". 30), but TO
! the other Jews who had not believed. The
| little episode of verses 1892 is thus held as
a pleasant parenthcsis and the believers
| are all allowed to be genuine and perhaps
permanent The words cannot be spoken
| oi the simple people who had already BE-,
| licvcd, but to the carplng, cavlllng ptar''
sees. "Ahraham's seed They had Abra.
hams blood in their veins, but not his
faith IN their hearts. Never IN bondage.
This answer was not more true than the
, Language of pride ordinarily Politically.
tho seed Of Ahraham had been IN bondage
to Egypt Babylon. Persia. Greece, Rome.
Spiritually. they had been in bondage t,
idolatrics in past times. were NO.: to tn,
rabhs. Who werc htCrallStS IN lntorpreta-
ton. and without spirituality or sympathy
Matt. 23:+h "Jlow Savcst Thou Upon
what possi''h principle dost Thou promise
tc uj that whi.h We already are proud OF
possessing. VIZ. glorious liberty? We al
ready possess a. our bWthrlght what Thou
art Offering to lis as the full result of dis.
cip.Cship,
b. ''Verily, verify" A solemn decara-
ton cntorccd by these words. Whose
ever oommittcth sim In these words
Jesus utterly CNpas the political question
from His scope. He states first the rrlnci.
PIE aud then the application. He spoke at
more degrading bondage and higher
freedom than they imagined, He whose
tendency and habit is to commit sin. Tie
who makes choice OF sin; prefers th" way
of wlchcdneSS before the way of holiness,
who makes a covenant with sin, enters INTO
league. who makes custom OF SIN; VINO
walks after the flesh and makes a trade of
sin. H., the servant of sin Is the slave.
the bond.,ervant OF sin, He does the work
OF sin. supports its interests and accepts
its wages. He cannot dismiss sin at pleas.
urc; the moment he attempts it he finds
the chains drawn tighter. Dream not Of
freedom while under the mastery of your
desires.
Temperance instruction may be brought
in at th, point No bondage is Eleatcc
than the bondage to strong drink. Servi.
tudc Is repulsivc to all men In oar land
OF freedom men demand their rights in
business yet there are hundreds OF men
and boys and sometimes women who put
themselves under the bondage OF the drink
habit.
IS. The servant abideth not" The
reference may be- to Hagar and lshmact
and Isaac-the bond and the free. They
had spoken OF themselves As the seed OF
Abraham. Jesus shows them that there
may be Of that seed two kinds: the s~n,
properly so call, and the : lave. These
Jews might be the seed ot Abraham, aud
yet, not being his spiritual children, might
not abide in his household of faith. Not
many years after this their capital and m.
ton were destroyed, and the Gentiles tool
their place in the kingdom OF God. Ihlnk
not to he made free from SIN by the rites
and ceremonies OF the law of Moses, tor
Moses was but a servant and had not that
parental authority i'll the church winch the
Son had. The Son abideth' Cn. W The
comparison here is between any son aud
bond servant. and son should not begin
with capital. Sinners are slaves, Chris.
tianS are sons and heirs. 36. III the Son.
Christ now refers to Himself. The Son OF
God alone has-power TO Lberatc those who
are saves TO SIN. Jesus ,hrlst Is the head
and has full authority and ability. The
Father hath given all things nJo His hani
lJohn T:2). Free indeed The Jews
boasted OF an imaginary freedom. but the
liberty which Christ offered was real and
lasting in its effects. It would have saved
the nation from the bondage of captivity
to Babylon centuries before; it W0ad
save them from bondage to the Roman.
What freedom they had under the Eomans
was due to what they had learned aud
practced OF the word Jesus knew th1t
delverance from the Roman yoke vas the
great work expected from the Nc.allh.
He therefore spirltuaiEed this hope.