Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1910-05-11
The SUNDAY SCHOOL,
Lesson VII. Second Quarter.
For May Is, 1910.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.
Text of the Lesson, Matt. xii, 22-3 81, 80.
42-Memory Verse. 41-GoIden Text
Matt. xii, S0-Commentary Prepared
by Rev. D. NJ. Stearns.

We have today the option Of the
regular lesson or Il special lesson OF
the Holy Spirit. but as the lesson foI
the day gives opportunity for n stud,
of the Holy Spirit we will continu,
regularly First we see Him healing
a demon possessed man who was both
blind and dumb. and the man both
spake and saw. The people were
amazed and said, as not this the son
of David?" perhaps recalling the
words OF lisa. NNxv. ., 6, Then the
eyes of the blind shall be opened and
the ears of the deaf shall be unstop-
ped; then shall the lame man leap as
an hart and the tongue of the dumb
sing" Recently we saw Him heal
demon possessed dumb man ok, 30,
33). but in this case the afflicted man
was blind as well as dumb But moth
ing is too hard for the Lord. Can we
imagine Il kingdom without sickness
or infirmity or suffering OF any kind:
Yet that Is what we expect and shall
surely see I'm His time lisa. xXXili. -:
Rev. xxi. Lii.
The blind Pharisees madly accuse
Him of casting out demons by the
power of the devil himself. as if Satan
would cast out Satan and work
against himself How foolishly the
devil does cause people TO talk, They
talk much more foolishly today when
they say and teach that there is no
devil at all aud no hell. 1t would seem
from verse - that unbelievers were
permitted by their ruler to do some
wonderful things. even as the magi-
clans Of Egypt counterfeited the mir
acles of Moses up to Il certain point
We know from II ThesS. ii, .; Rev
xiii. 11-1j. that ut the end Of this age
the devil will specially deceive many
10y his miracles and signs and lying
wonders. our Lord Jesus said that
If ii were possible they would deceive
the very elect Matt xiv. 2A. SO we
must not be deceived 10y the wonder;
wrought by the adversary in the nam
Of spiritualism. Christian Science an
other false teaching Of our times.
These things will continue and ir-
crease until the devil the strong man
Of verse -. shall have been bouud
and shut up i'm the bu;'omlcSs pit fur
1000 years O,ev. xx. l-3l The truth
OF God. just as IL stands In His word
IS the only power that VIII set us free
from all decisions John viii. 30. So
We are either with Christ or against
Him, either taught 10y the spirit OF
God or the devil Oversees %. 3M. m
people resist the Holy Spirit and listen
TO the teaching Of demons 1t is. rs
Jesus said. impossible TO escape the
damnation OF hell Matt. xiii, 33l. As
| understand II the objectionable sin
Of verses 81, 81. and John Y. rs. is
the persistent turning from the Holy
Spirit to the devil and attributing to
the latter the works Of the Spirit Let
it comfort and encourage any who
fear they have committed the unpar
dOnable sin to remember that the very
fact that they have fear of such
guilt Is evidence that the Holy Spirii
has not left them. and. however far
they may have wandered. if they will
only turn to the Lord the word stands
Him that cOmcth unto me | will in
nowlse cast out" UOhn vi. 80.
That words are an evidence Of the
condition OF the heart (verse 30 should
make us cOvet TO have the word of
that our words may SAVIOR OF Christ
1t would he well 10 be like Ellhu in
Job XXXii. 1920, and that would he
the case If our experience was that OF
Job xiii, -; Jer. wv, &c. If we kept
verse SO Of our lesson I'm mind II
would make us more careful In view
of Rom. xiv, 10. II
In verse 80 sec these blind and fool
iSh PhariSees asking for a sign after
He had already wrought In their pres
ence all the signs which the prophets
had said would be done by the Mes
siah. No wonder that HT called them
nm evil and adulterous idol worship
ing. world conformedl generation
verse 39). = generation of vipcrs (verSe
81; xiii, 32). Of their father the devil
John viii. 40. for He knew them welt
and knew what was In them.
See In verses 40, Al, His Endorsement
OF the story Of Jonah and the great
fish and Nineveh and her repentance
and no doubt He looked onward 10 tie
time when Israel, cast up on iheiv
shores by the nations. would hecoI9"
truly penitcnt at His appearance III
glory and AIRY His message not to
one city, but to all nations for thciI
| good See in verse ~ His indorse
ment of the story of the queen Of
| Sheba and the wisdom Of Solomon, ard
doubtless lie looked onward to the
/ fulfllment Of lisa. TX. Is he to us a
| greater than Jonah or Solomon or
Moses or Aaron? Do we say. WITH
great gratitude and gladness. 1--WE
have such an High Priest" deb viii.