The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1906-02-23

Copyright, 1906. by Joseph b, Bowles)
Golden Text: 1.-The Son of Man
hath power on earth to forgive sins"
Mark 2:10.
Lesson: Mark 2:1-12.
"And they came unto Him bringing
one sick of the palsy. which was borne
of four. And when they could not
come nigh unto Him for the press.
they uncovered the roof where He
was; and when they had broken 1t
up, they let down the bed wherein the
sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus
saw their faith, He said unto the sick
of the palsy: Son, thy sins be for
given thee. But there were certain
OF the scribes sitting there, and rea
soning in their hearts: Why doth
this man thus speak blasphemies?
Who can forgive sins but God only.
And Immediately when Jesus perceived
in His spirit that they so reasoned
with themselves, He said unto them:
Why reason we these things in your
hearts? Whether is it easier to say
TO the sick of the palsy: Thy sins be
forgiven thee; or to say: Arise, and
take up thy bed and walk? But that
We may know that the Son Of Man
hath power on earth to forgive sins,
| Gle saith to the sick of the palsy
Arise, and take up thy bed, and go
| thy way into thine house. And i'm
mediately he arose. took up the bed,
| and went forth before them all"
Sickness a Type Of Sin.
Throughout the Scripture there Is
recognized a very intimate connection
between sickness and sin. Lepgosy
is typical of sin in its beginnings,
growth and contamination. Palsy,
like sin, paralyzes the faculties Of
man; natural blindness is symbolic of
the spiritual blindness caused by sin.
In a spiritual sense people may have
eyes and see not; ears and hear not"
The Palsied Man Is a Type of the
Sinner.
The sinner has certain faculties
which cannot be used until he is cured
Of the disease of sin. Sin blights the
spiritual eyesight deafens spiritual
hearing; darkens the understanding
so that it cannot grasp nor under
stand divine things. Sin paralyzes
the faculties of the soul. The sinner
is as helpless to walk in the way OF
Gods commandments as this palsied
man was to walk the streets of Pales-
tine. Paul. that deep student OF hui
man nature, said: Il know that in
me dweleth no good things; for to
will is present with me, but how to
perform that which is good | find not
The good that I would, | do not
What a confession of human inability
Sin and Sickness Closely Connected.
While it is not true that in every
case sickness is the direct result of 6
special sin committed by the one af
hicted, yet the Bible distinctly teaches
that ofttimes such is the case. Jesus
taught His disciples in the case of th'
, man born blind John 81 that this
, sore affection came not because Of an!
special sin ON the part Of the blint
man Nevertheless by addressing hi
spiritual before his physical condition
by saving first. "Thy sins be for
given thee" and afterwards: "Rise
take up thy bed and walk" the Maste
t distinctly taught us that in this cas-
t at least (as we'll as in John 81 the al
fiction was the result of some pal
ticular sin. "Sin no more lest a wors
thing come upon thee, words Xix
these emphatically set forth the clos
T relation between sin and disease.
b. How Can Sin Be Forgiven
a How can punishment for sin b
;. averted? 1t has been said that ther
/. are three ways. First, inasmuch a
d suffering and punishment is the resul
Y of sin. let us stop SHINING, and the
il we shall cease suffering. That sound
u we'll But it is cold, comfortless logic
5 Who can stop SHINING; where is tn
4 man in all the earth that doeth goo
|. and sinneth not This is law withou
j, love. Secondly, it is acknowledge
that there is sin and there is punish
ment for sin, but then God is kline
loving, and compassionate that He wi
say to us at last: well, it is tru
- you have been pretty bad, but l wi
10 look over it; come right into Heavel
That is love without law. If this wei
the real status Of the case, Heave
would not be a place long secure frol
the attacks of sin. Unless holmes
\ and righteousness be the center
| Gods throne, safety and security ca
never be its circumference.
/ Forgiveness Through Christ
There remains just one other wa
of forgiveness, and that is the trt
way. There is sin; and there is pu
ishment and condemnation for ST
| But God has laid all our sins on Chris
| who bore them in His own body on q
tree. Forgiveness then is by faith
the redeeming sacrifice of Christ. v
have forgiveness through His she
blood. Here is law and love combine
thus allowing God TO be just and Il
iustifier of the sinner who believes
| Jesus.
Sin Must Needs Be Forgiven.
Man must be forgiven or else
will be lost. If there is such thil
as sin in the world, then there Is SUI
ii