The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-08-18
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Su'Sa=Scf~0p
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM.
MENTS FOR AUGUST 20.

Subject: Paul ON Christian Love, I
Cor. 13:1-13-Golden Text: I
Cor. 18:13-Commit Verse g.
Commentary.
TME.-A. D. 81 (Spring).
PLACE.-Ephesus.
E4POS1T1ON.-I. Love Exalted,
1.3. Paul brings forward in rapid
succession five things that were held
IN great esteem in -Corinth and shows
the pre-eminence Of love over them
all. If love be lacking, these all count
for nothing. % The gift Of tongues
The saints in Corinth seem to have
been peculiarly gifted in this direc-
ton, and to have been very proud OF
their gifts (ch. ~14:2-23). Each was
eager to outstrip the other in the dis
play Of the gift Och. 1923, 26, ~,
28). Paul tells them that their much
boosted gift amounts to little. That
the grace of love is so far "s more ex-
cellent way" than the gift Of tongues;l
that, If love be lacking, speaking with
the tongues not only Of mentbut even
Of angels would leave them only
sounding brass or a changing cymbal.
90 The gift Of prophecy, in It's veryl
highest potency. Surely that is some5I
thing to be greatly coveted and muchsI
admired. The man of great theologi
lcal and spiritual insight must oc-I
cupy a very high place in the mind OF
God. II he has love, yes; II not he Is |
just nothing" 60 Miracle working
faith. A man car have that in the |
most powerful form conceivable, and
yet, if he has not love, he is moth
ing. "a Benefcence. You can
give all you have, and that for the
most philanthropic purpose-to feed
the poor-but, II you have not love,
you will gain by it just nothing,
How many false hopes that annihi-
lates! comp. Matt. 6; IA; 23-5).I
(5) Martyrdom. If 1 give my body
to die at the stake, that will surely
bring me great reward. Not neces-
sarily. The more excellent way
the supreme gift, the one and only
absolutely essential thing, Isl love-
II. Love Described, al. Love has9
fifteen marks that are never want7
ing: (1) 1t "suffereth long," 1t en-
lures injury after injury, insult after
Insult, and still loves on. 1t wastes
itself in vainly trying to help the un-
worthy, and still it loves on, and
helps on Comp. Gal 5:22; Eph. 49,
Col. lid. (2) 1t lis kind" It
knows no harshness. Even its neces-
sary severity is gentle and tender
(Eph. 1892; Gal. 5:22, R. W. (3)S4
1t "envieth not" How can It? Is
not another's good as pleasant to
love as our own? Do you ever Sc
cretly grieve over and try to discount
another's progress, temporal or spir-l
itual GAS. 3:14-16, R.. W? Love-
never does. ca "Vaunteth not it,
self" If another's greatness Is as
precious to us as our own, how is 1t
that we talk so much Of our own, and
are so anxious that others see 1t and
appreciate it,. There is M surer i
mark of the absence, of love and pres
ence of s%elfshness than this. (5):l
1T Is not puffed up" If we love, we
will be SO occupied with the excellen-
cies of the others, that there will be-
no thought Of being inflated over our
own (Phil. 2:3, ~. I(6) Doth not
behave itself unseemly," Love Is too
considerate of the feelings of others
to do ~indecorous things. Nothing
else will teach US what Is good
form" so well as love. Those Chris
tians who take a rude delight in
| trampling all conventionalities under
foot and playing the boor would do.
we'll to ponder these words. Love
will make a perfect gentleman. ,(7)t
"Seeketh not her own" That needs
exemplification more than 1t does.
comment (cf. oh. 1924, SO; 1 Jno.
3:16, III "; 2 Tim. 2:10). .8);
"Is not provoked" It may be often
grieved, but never irritated. (9)
"Taketh not account Of evil" Love.
never puts the wrong done It down
in it's books-nor In its memory. (10)
"Rejoiceth not in unrighteousness.
+ Why is it we are so fond Of dwelling
upon the evil that exists in church
and state? CID "Rejoiceth with the
truth" Oh, If we love, how are
hearts will bound whenever we dis
cover truth in others! How gladly
we will call attention to it,. CID.
"Beareth all things" H"Belfev-a
eth all things" How proud we are
of our ability to see through men and
the lmpossibility of quilting us. (14)
"Hopeth all things" No boy is so
bad but a mothers love, with eyes OF
hope, sees in him a future angel. (15)
"Endureth all things" Let Jesus
and Stephen stand as illustrations
duke 1884; Acts 7:60).
III. The Permanently OF Love. u
IS. Prophecies, tongues, knowledge,
have their day. Love has eternity.
God is love-" and love partakes OF
His eternal nature. Our best knowl-
edge is only partial, and the divinely
inspired prophecy tells but part OF
what is to be. When the perfect
knowledge comes in, our partial
knowledge will become idle and be
laid aside. When the event comes
TO pass of which prophecy gave us
only outlines, prophecy will be rem
dered useless by fulfllment. We are
now, the wisest of US, but children;
but a day is coming when we shall be
men knowing all things. In a COM
| narrative sense we are some OF US
men now, and If we are we should
have laid away childish things. Our
| clearest vision now IS but as in a
mirror, as lin a riddle IT,. V.
Marg.). But a time is coming when
we are going to see face to race
(cf. l Jno. 3:2). We now know in
oart," but a time is coming when we
shall know even as we have been
Known, /. E., we shall know GOD az
perfectly as God now knows US.
Bull Pursued into House.
John De Nyse, of Greenlawn, Long
Island, was reading a newspaper on
his front porch when a bull was
driven along the road. De Nyse was
noorino q rod shirt The bull SnortedN