The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1905-05-09
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR MAY IA.

snbJect: Jesus Prays FOR HIS Followers,
John xviii, 1b-e6-Golden Text, John
xviii, 9--Mennory Verses, 90, e1-COnal
mentary on tho Days Lesson.
l. Christ's prayer that His apostles
may be kept from evil Tvs. ID, 16). 10,
Il pray not, etc. He would not have
them with Him yet nor would He
have them escape from the active,
tempting world. From the evil One's
Or. W The devil Christ prays that
they may be delivered from the decep-
ton and power Of Satan.
JIG. Not Of the world" They do not
partake Of its spirit or follow in the
wake Of its ungodly practices. EVEN
as.' etc, Christ's true followers par
take Of His nature and are led and cons
trolled by Him. They are born Of God.
II. A prayer that they may be sancti-
fed Tvs. ITO. IL "Sanctify them" j.
The idea ait the root of the word rem
dered "sanctify" is separation. 1T is
opposed not to what is impure, but to
what is common, and is constantly
used in the Greek of the Old Testa-
ment for the conservation of persons
and things to the service of God.
Through thy truth" I'm the truth
r. v. The truth" the sum of the
Christian revelation, 1.-THE word OF
God,' at once embodied in Christ and
spoken by Him, is (as it were) the ele-
ment into which the believer is intro
duced, and by which he is changed.
What the eleven needed above all
things was a profounder apprehension
of Christian truth, and holier charac-
ter.
1S. Hast sent Me" To redeem ana
save the world Il also sent them.ss
To carry on the same work by preachs
ing the truth and leading men to God.
AS the apostles were directed to ordain
others to the same work it is evident
that body Of ministry, issuing from
God Himself, distinct from the laity,
is a divine institution in the Christian
church. 49, II sanctify Myself"
consecrate and devote Myself to death,
that may thereby purchase eternal
salvation for them. Thus as a Re-
deemer He was made perfect through
suffering. THAT they also" /. He
would not ask them to do what He was
unwilling to do Himself. 2. BY His
sancti6cation He set them true ex-
ample g. By His sanctificatiOn,
cross He presented every motive for
spiritual life.
III. A prayer for the unity of all be-
levers Tvs 20-23). 20. "Neitber-for
these alone" Our intercessor now
broadens His scope so widely that
every man may enroll himself in the
limits Of the prayer. Through their
word" Those who were led to believe
the gospel through the preaching OF
believers. This is the means God uses
for the conversion of men (Rom. 1914,
15).
81. ''An may be one" This prayer
was literally answered in the case OF
the first believers who were all of one
heart (Acts 4;42). And why is it that
believers are not in the same spirit
now? Because they neither attend to
the example nor to the truth of Christ.
World may believe.n The unity of be-
levers would be the means of leading
men to Christ. Nothing so distractS
and destroys faith in the earth as divi-
sion among Gods people. /. Christian
unity shows the power of the Christian
religion. Only a mighty power could
effect such result from the widely
differing elements Of which the church
is composed. 2. 1t shows the divine
nature of religion, in that it produces
| IL
united band is far more effective in
overcoming the world and conquering
evil.
%. "Haye given them Christ's
glory is in them even now, In various
degrees, a spark, slender flame, a
beaming luminousness, destined to
shine in eternal splendor in the celes-
tial armament.
%. Perfect in one The unity OF
the church consists in doctrine and in
spirit The historian of evangelical
doctrine finds that the system, in its
great outlines, forms grand architec-
tural structure, extending through
ages, identical in its general outlines,
and excluding all mere half-faiths, her.
estes, novelties and infdelities. AS
such system it does, by its self-con-
sistency, strength and permanen1e,
form powerful proof of the reality OF
the Christian faith, calculated to make
the world believe.
~. A prayer that they may be par
takers of His glory Tvs. 1926. "a.
Father" The relationship is the
ground of the appeal; He knows that
His will is one with His Fathers. IT
will.s Not pray, nor ask, but this
is My will He speaks as a son re-
LuTueu 10 Ills ldlHeF 3 mousse, WHO l11iS
in loving confidence how he viii have
things He will bring His beloved
comrades with Him, that they may see
what a glorious prince He is, and in
what glorious palace. Behold My
glory" In the sense of sharing and
enjoying it, for the faithful shall also
reign with Him e Tim. 2:12). Behold
ing His glory we are all changed into
the same image from glory to glory q
Cor. 3:1S). The real import Of Christ's
prayer is that all who believe on Him
should continue to 1--WE and serve Him
while in this. world and then be eter-
nally united with Him.
25. righteous Father" God has
not only His parental, but His judicial
and governmental aspect He is not
| only q Father but Judge and Sover-
eign. mot known Would not ac-
Knowledge; was willfully ignorant. 26.
MAY be in them" May rule in their
hearts as a guiding principle. without
! which they cannot receive the knowl-
/ edge here promised; for The that low
| eth not, knoweth not God" Il John
49,. Il in them These last words
of Christ's mediatorial prayer sum up
its purpose. He is going away and yet
abides with them