Arizona republican., 1916-08-05
International Sunday
School Lesson
for August 6
THE GREATEST THING IN THE
WORLD (Temperance Lesson)

Lesson Text Cor. 10. Commit
VS.. Az.
~ Though | speak with the
tongues of men and of angels and
have not charity. | am become as
sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
CD And though | have the gift of
prophecy. and understand all mys-
teries, and all knowledge; and though
have all faith, so that ! could re-
move mountains, and have not char
ity, l am nothing. so And though |
bestow all my goods to feed the poor,
nd though | give ms body to oa
burned, and have not charity, it prof
iteth me nothing. a Charity suffer-
eth long and is kind; charity envieth
not; charity vaunteth not itself, is
not puffed up. 90 Doth not behave
itself unseemly, seeketh not her own,
is not easily provoked thinketh no
evil; 90 Reioiceth not in iniduity,
but rejoiceth in the truth; & Bear
eth all things. believeth all things,
hopeth all things. endureth all things
(S) Charity never faileth; but wheth-
or there be prophecies, they "hall fail
whether there be tongues. they shall
cease: whether there be knowledge,
il shall vanish awav go For we
know in part. and we prophesy in
part. (But when that which is per-
feet is come, then that which is in
part shall be done away. Cd When
I was child. I spake as a child,
understood AS a child | thought as
q child. but when l became a. man. |
put away childish things. (12) For
now we see through Il glass. darllv;
but then face to face: now | know in
part; hut then shall | know even as
also I am known. GS And now
ahideth faith, hope charity these
three. but the greatest of these is
charity.
Time.-A. D. 81 (Spring.) Place
Ephesus
Exposition-I Love Exalted Id
Paul brings forward in rapid success
sion five things that were held in
great esteem in Corinth and shows
the pre- eminence of love over them
all If love be lackening. these all
count for nothing % The gift Of
tongues The saints in Coripth seem
20 have been peculia~ly gif'ed in this
direction. and TO have been very
proud of their gifts tch -: 2-93l.
Each was eager to outstrip the other
in the display of the gift zen. IA: %
90. p. 2S). Paul tells them that theif
much boosted Gift amounts 10 little.
Z
more excellent way" than the gift of
tongues; that, II love be lacking.
/ speaking with the tongues not only
Of men but oven Of angels would
leave them only sounding brass or a
changing cymhal (21 The gift Of
( prophecy. in its very highest notencv.
I Surely that is something to be greatly
| coveted and much admired. The man
OF great theological and spiritual In
! sight must occupy n very high place
| in the mind of God II he has love,
/ yes; il not he is just nothing" go
| Miracle working faith. A man can
/ have that in the most powerful form
| conceivable, and yet, if he has not
/ love, he is nothing" (D Beneficence.
You can give all you have. AMI that
for the most philanthropic purpose
1 to feed the poor-but. If YOU have
not love, you viii gain by it just
nothing How many false hopes
that annihilates tcf Mat. 6: Ii.
23:5) go Martyrdom. II | give my
[ body to die at the stake. that VIII
surely bring me great reward. Not
/ necessarily. The more excellent way
the supreme gift. the one and only
absolutely essential thing, is love
Have you il?
II. Love Described Al. Love has
fifteen marks that are never wanting
4 ~ II "suffereth long it endures in
jury after injury, insult after insult
and still II loves on. 1t wastes itself
in vainly trying to help the unworthy
and still it loves on, and helps on (cf
Gal. ): p; Eph. az; Col. l: IL. ~
1t lis kind 1t knows no harshness
Even its necessary severity Is gentle
and tender CEph 4: 32; Gal. 5: %. r
W. 90 1t "envieth not How car
it Is not anothers coed as pleasant
to love" as our own? Do you eveI
secretly grieve over and try to dis
count another's progress temporal Oh
spiritual (Jas. 3: 14-16, r. VI? Low,
never does, (4) 'Vaunteth not itself.
If another's greatness is as precious
to US as our OWL, how is 1t that w
talk so much of our own. and are Sc
anxious that others see it and appre-
ciate it, There is no surer mark o.
the absence of love and presence o.
selfishness than this. 90 Is no
putfed up" If we love, we will be 81
occupied with the exec lencies OF tbs
Others, that there will be no though
OF being inflated over our own (Pnil
2: 3, a.. 90 Doth not behave itsel
unseemly." Love is too considerate o
the feelings of others to DO indecOrou
things. Nothing else will teach u
| what is good form" so well as love
Those Christians who take a rud
delight in trampling all conventian
alitIes under foot and playing III
boor, would do well to ponder thes
words, Love will make a perfect gen
tleman. "a "Seeketh not her own.
That needs exemplification more thai
1t does comment (cf. ch 10. "a, 80
Jno. 3: 16, II, r. v; Tim 2: TO-.
! go rs not provoked" 1t may b
often grieved, but never irritated. g
''Taketh not account of evil Low
never puts the wrong done it dow
in its boOks-nor in its memory. 90
'Rejoiceth not in unrighteousness.
Why is 1t we are so fond of dwelling
upon the evil that exists in church an
state? I'D "Rejoiceth with tn
truth" Oh. if we love, how our heart
will bound whenever we discove
truth in others! How gladly we wi
call attention to it! 02) "Beareth a
things" (13) "Beliebeth all things.
. How proud we are of our ability I
see through men and the impossibllit
Of quilting US. 14) "Hopeth a
things" No boy is so bad but
mothers love, with eyes of hope, see
in him a future angel 15) "Endur
' eth all things" Let Jesus and Ste
, phen stand as illustrations (Lu. 2
"a; Ac Z: 60) Examined in the Ugh
D of Paul's fifteen marks Of love, hav
You any? If not you are nothing.
III. The Permanancy of Love, ST.
Prophecies, tongues, knowledge, hav
their day. Love has eternity. Go
is love-" and love partakes of Hi
eternal nature. Our best knowledg
4 is only partial, and the divinely in
spired prophecy tells but part of wha