The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1919-04-03
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
Especially Prepared For Readers Of
The Republican.
SUNDAY. APRIL 9Th.

THE BUCKET.
One may dip little water IN his palm
but that is no way to carry it for fire.
And the world still blazes but it is an
old flame that has been famed by a
sudden breeze. Nothing but the love
of God the Father will control it and
through the centuries the bucket was
preparing that would be sufficient for
each need and emergency. The Jewish
nation was slowly fashioned so that
when the idea was fully expressed by
Jesus there was the waiting receptacle
in which it might be carried to the
world. We have been studying people
in which the family instead of the per-
son was the unit and each member felt
his identity within the group in strong
er measure than as one in a. world of
individuals. Gradually that paternal
rule which clothed the father with
sovereignty that was absolute was
transferred to government in which
the king had replaced the narrow
authority. Israel had become a wider
family and the consciousness of benefit
came as it had before thru membership
IN the group. Jehovah had redeemed
the nation at the Red Sea. He had
planted the nation in Palestine. He had
entered into covenant relations with
that nation, His chosen people. He
protected or chastised the nation, He
guarded or destroyed Jerusalem as the
national center. He scattered the ma
ton among the heatqen or replanted it
in its old place but always it was the
national idea which ruled IN the minds
of the people and the benefits that were
received came to citizen Of the ma
tlog not to an unrelated person. He
was Jew before he was son. God
was King and Father of the nation and
mans relation was indirect instead of
immediate. And it was because of the
early union of father and and sovereij n
that their Jehovah King was conceived
of carrying the double role. "The
Father Regnant" is Lidgett's phrasing
of the fact. Father and son as per-
sona1 relationship belong essentially to
the New Testament instead of the Old.
10 be sure there are streakS of color in
the sky before the sunrise and we find
here and there tall souls catching the
first rays of revelation just as the peak
that guards the populous valley is
bright with sunlight while the latter is
still dark. But in the words of DR..
Curtis, The Old Testament is essen
TALLY world of moral sovereignty, and
is frigid. The New Testament Is es-
sentiallY world of moral love, and is
creative" But to have flung that idea
into an unprepared world would have
made moral desert instead OF a spirit
uai garden. The waterless bucket is
as powerless as the bucketless water.
The REVOLUTIONARY IDEA.
Jesus always took a fact of life and
filled it with new meaning. joseph
must have been q wonderfully fine man
to have so expressed human fatherhood
to the growing boy that when a word
was needed to express Gods attitude
toward men Jesus said, "He is Father"
ana always the argument ran, Your
father does thus, therefore your heaven
ly Father will do So" With this Naza-
reth window upon the eternal Jesus en-
tered upon an experience of intimacy
with His Father that governed every
act OF His life and colored all His words.
tie knew God as it was privileged for
no other individual to know Him and
the constant urge was for men to enter
IN fuller realization of intimate per-
sonal contact with the Father. And
tins was the privilege of all men not as
Jews but because each was potential
son for whom the Fathers door stood
WIDE and to whom the warming heart
OF God extended a beckouing hand. To
puollcans and sinners, Jewish Rabbi or
Roman proselyte the message was the
same; God was Father, eager to well
come all into the fellowship of sons.
Small wonder that the orthodox Jew
stood aghast at such teaching. Even
Peter after his years of association,
hesltated and needed new revelation
before Cornelius could be admitted upon
that common basis. 1t seemed revolu
tionary and still is IN every class ridden
land and race prejudiced civilization.
But 1t was the only foundation wide
enough to support the Kingdom and it
constituted the Good News that Jesus
so joyously scattered everywhere He
went. 1t overthrow the Roman En-
pire in those early days as surely as it
has now pricked the bubble of a Ger
man dream. Slavery vanished before
its proclamation. Ignorance fees from
It's light. Within it rests the hope of
the world.
The PERSONAL PROP.
The message of the verses given con-
Germs the Fathers provision for the
individual child compelling an untroub.
led mind. The creation story reveals
the power to shape all things according
to His will and their shaping for man's
benefit. The Psalm shows the tender
ness of the regard given to every child
by the Father of all. The word Of Jesus
points to bird and flower as witnesses
to the continuing goodness of Gods care
that torblds anxious thought for to.
morrow in the perfect trust of the
child. The Youths Companion tells of
girl coming YEARLY into the poor room
called home and saying to the Invalid
mother: "Do you believe there is a
God who cares for us?" "Do believer"
was the quiet answer. Eyes, thank God,
l do believed Tho he slay me, vet will |
trust in him.. "And | suppose, if you
should starve to death, that you'd die
trusting?'' came the impatient response.
Lake and Company have shut down
on me, and don't see that there is any
prospect before US but starving"
Eyes" said her mother, Eyes, if l
starve I'll die trusting. To starve into
heaven-that is not the worst thing that
could happen" Somehow new conf
dence stole into the beaten spirit of the
girl and she turned resolutely to the
task of finding other employment and
another day found her beginning a new
uork that coluad HokL H..