Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1910-11-30
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson x.-Fourth Quarter, For
Dec. 4, 1910.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

en- Text, Ger. x, t2-Commentary
Prepared by Rev. .. NJ. Stearns-
Al We read the Hrst part OF our les
son and consider the boastful self con
Adence OF Peter and his assertion
Though all men shall be offended be
cause Of Thee. yet will I never be OF
tended" then to the Saviour's This
night. before the cock crow, thou shalt
deny Me thrice" his further more
emphatic assertion, Though l should
die with Thee. yet will | not deny
Thee how do we pity him and all the
disciples, for they all asserted the
same. II was as II Peter said: Lord,
Thou dost not know. me. Thou canst /
surely count on me to be true mt any |
cost" Do we see ourSelves2 Have we |
ever sung Surely the Captain May De |
pend on Me?'' II so, were we not az
foolishly boastful MS Peter? How the
Lord must have pitied him! How He
pitics us. None can be saved until they |
know that they are lost. for He came
to save the lost. The condition OF ev
cry sinner before God is guilty. with
out strength. ungodly. enemies. enmity
against God dead in sins, children OF
disobedience and wrath. having no
hope and without God in the world
(Rom. Iii. 70; V. O. 10; wifi, z; Eph. H.
1-3, 5, 12l. Such helpless, hell deserv-
Ing sinners Jesus saves fully and for
ever by His finished work without any
help from us whatever. When saved
We are Just as helpless TO live "a Chris
tan life and to serve Him as we were
TO save ourselves. So the great lesson
for the saved sinner to learn is the sig
nificance OF Not ], but Christ" Not |,
but the grace OF Cod" without Me ys
can do nothing" CGal. Ii. 20; Cor. Nv,
! 10; John Nv. 81. Unless 1t Is God who
( worketh in us both to viii and TO do Of
His good pleasure the work cannot
! stand, but will prove to be only wood.
hay and stubble. We must be ever
watchful. prayerfui. submitting TO God
and resisting the devil. II we would
walk worthy OF Him who hath called
VI 10 His kingdom and glory. We have
seen Peter daring to rebuke the Lord
as He spake of suffering. though the
Scriptures may be said to be full Of
predictions concerning the sufferings
OF the Messiah. We have heard him
say: I'VE have left all for Thee What
shall we have. therefore?" We have
also heard him say. Thou shalt never
wash my feet" We have heard his
self confident boasting that he was
ready TO die with Christ Yet we have
seen him taking of a mans ear. for q
little while forsaking Christ. then fol
lowing sfar of. then IN company with
the enemies OF Christ and warming
himself AT their nre. What can we ex
pect-next from such q man?
The damseI who kept the door as
she saw him sit by the Ere warming
himself looked earnestly upon him and
said. And thos also vast with Jesus
OF Nazareth" Compare the four &c
counts. B1t he deuIed, saying. "Wo
man. know Him not: neither under
stand ! what thou sayest." Alas. alas
how can we account for It? Did thu
devil. who led Judas Iscariot TO betra!
Christ. take possession OF Peter also
Even so. for on previous occasion
| Jesus bad 10 say TO Peter. Get thee be
hind me. Satan" (Mart xvi. 23l. On tn
Passover night the Lord said. Simon
Simon. behold. Satan hath desired I
UdNc you tlk- dSktU ~ lluNt yOQ
that he may sift you as wheat. but
have prayed for thee that thy fait
fail not" Luke XII. 81. 32).
!. After that first denial he went GU
into the porch. and the cock crew
Then another maid saw him and III
/. gan to say to them that stood by. ''ThI
fellow was also with Jesus OF NaZ;
reth." And again he denied with a
oath. II do not know the man." II b
had only left the bad company as 500
as he found himself falling he migi
have repented sooner. but II IS grow
ing worse-tbe second denial was al
companied by an oath. About an hot
later another confidently affirmed. 81
ing to Peter. Surely thou art one
them. for thou art ii Galilean. and Il
speech agree:h thereto The kinSmG
Of the man whose ear Peter cut {
said. Did not see thee I'm the gard'
With Him. Then he began To cur
and to swear. saying. Il know not III
man of whom ye speak" And lmmet
ately. while he yet spake. the CO.
crew the second time. and the 10
turned and looked upon Peter. A,
Peter called TO mind the word III
Jesus said unto him. Before the co
crow twice thou shalt deny me thric
mark xiv. 3012). And when
- thought thereon he went out and we
bitterly. This was not like the
morse Of Judas Iscariot which led
suicide. but there were tears Of II
penitence.
How much de we know of the CO
fort of the assurance that HE e'