The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1910-02-17
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL,
Lesson VIll.-FiTst Quarter, Fer
Feb. 20, 1910.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

| Matt. vii, documentary Prepared
by Rev. D. M. Stearns.
When any truth is brought home to
US by the Spirit how prone we are to
| ask: Does any one do it? What about
| such one who makes a great pro-
! fession of having no anxious care? Do
| you know if they really practice it at
home? Do you think that the preach
er himself lives that way? So it goes.
and instead of seeing Jesus only we
are prone to see everybody but Jesus.
| Hence the admonition of our lesson.
Judge not that We be not judged" or,
as it is elsewhere, Let US not there
! fore judge one another any more
| Rom. xiv. 49,. Because, as in the con
text. all believers shall stand before
the judgment seat of Christ and every
! one Of us shall give account of him
| self to God. We are so peculiar that
it is generally easier to see the mote
in anothers eye than the beam that
| is in our own eye. whereas if we our
selves were right with God we would
have only love for all others. and. be
| ing very conscious of our own intirm-
| tiles, we would have only prayerful
compassion for those of others. Chris,
| for us in our stead on the cross OBJ
| tanned for US eternal redemption:
| Christ for us in heaven at the right
| hand of the Father makes victory over
| sin our privilege. but because we do
! not know as we should the power Of
| Christ in us by His Spirit we are more
| often stumbling blocks than samples of
what the life of Christ really is. Yet
| the one thing we are here for is 50
to live that the world may know and
| believe that Jesus lives.
In our last years studies in the Acts
of the Apostles some of US were much
| impressed by the words Jesus Showed
Himself alive" in connection with
those other resurrection words. Jesus
| showed Himself (Acts j, 3: John xxi
l. H. His own testimony was that
! He came not to condemn, but TO save
! To one sinner He said. Neither do
! condemn thee: 90 and sin no more"
~ bllOJll llN SlllS are forgiven
| Uohn iii. II: viii. Il: Luke vii, 49,. He
| did condemn the self righteous, fault
| finding. hypocritical PhariSecs. but He
never had even seemingly harsh
word for the penitcnt sinners or for
any truly DESTROYS TO be His disciples
Such love as His is heavenly; all else
is from the pit. In US it is either
! Christ or self.
The Spirit through Peter speaks Of
those who knew the way Of righteous
ness, but did not walk therein, though
| processing to do So rs dogs and swine
Oil Pet. ill., 21 22,. See also Prov
XVI, II, -. If one cannot speak even
to many among the redeemed of the
| deep things of God (Sce | Cor ill., |. >:
| Heb. V, l., ~. how much less should
We think Of talking spiritual things to
! natural people to whom they are only
foolishness. Such are spoken Of finally
as being without" having no right to
the tree of life (Rev. xii II. 15I. but
| if those who are in Christ" would
walk honestly toward them that are
without, without Christ and without
God q Thess. ". 10; Eph. ii, 12J. who
| can tell how many who are now with
out" might become within" by His
grace
This life which will commend Christ
to others can only be by the Spirit of
God, by wisdom which is not of this
world, but in verse II. along with
Luke ii. Is. we learn that God is more
willing to give us His Spirit, the full
ness of His Spirit, than parents are to
give good things to their children. In
Jas. i. ), 6, we learn that this wisdom
is to be had for the asking. but it must
be an asking in faith and according
to Jas. ", 3. with nothing of self seek
ing, but wholly for the glory of God,
that the life of Jesus may be made
manifest. The asking, seeking. knock
ing, with that end in view will surely
find an abundant response. We must
remember that asking so as to receive
means that we are abiding keeping
His commandments and doing the
things that are pleasing in His sight
Oohn XIV, Z; | John Iii, 22). The seek
ing that finds is explained in Jer. xxx.
10. "Ye shall seek Me and find Me
when We search for Me with all your
heart AS to knocking. consider Rev
iii, 20 and Luke xii, SO. and tremble at
the possibility Of our keeping Him
| knocking at our door when He so longs
to take full possession Of us and lavish
upon us the wealth Of His love. Too
/ many are like the elder brother. un-
happy and blaming the father for it,
when all the time the father is saying.
"All that have is thine;" "All things
are yours
In reference to the last verse Q2l,
which is also the golden text. note that
it Is, like all the rest. message for
believers or those who profess to be
such that they may prove the reality
Of their faith. For unsaved people to
take this verse and call it their re-
ligiOn is simply a going about to es-
tablish their own righteousness with
out submitting themselves to the
righteousness of God (Rom. x. 3. We
must be righteous before we can do
righteously, but, having believed the
| love of God to us and received the
Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour. then
it becomes us to manifest Christ by