The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1919-04-10
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
Especially Prepared For Readers Of
The Republican.
SUNDAY, APRIL 18th.

GOO so loved the world, that ne gave
his only begotten Son. that whosoever
believeth on him should not perish, but
have eternal life. John 3:16.
U. S. WRIGHT.
THE CALL FOR CHRIST.
Christ has become the hope Of the
world. The head of the International
Socialist declared that the failure of
socialism to prevent the war was be-
cause there was not enough Christ in it.
The President of the Chinese Republic
said to DR.. Mott, Il want you to stay
in China and visit not only the great
cities, but all the smaller cities where
ever you can find young men and school
boys to tell them about this message;
for while Confucius teaches US the
truth. you have been giving US a mes
sage which tells about the power to fol-
low the truth" Smaller Matthews Was
told in Japan that there was a great
change in the attitude there toward
Christianity, opposition had disappeared
IN some quarters. In all the world there
is reappraisment of His teachings and
desire for His rule such as has never
been known in all time. He came.
Then there was an eclipse of the Christ
by Mary and the clouds of saints. There
came rediscovery and the cry of not
so many years was Back to Christ"
The Gospel reappeared as the most
studied word. Art and Archaeology re-
produced those Palestinian days. War
came and today there is sense of the
Presence as never before. Conventions
are crowded that study His return.
Books multiply upon His Klngship in
His world. Men feel that nation and
civilizations are being judged before
His judgement seat, that He it is that
is breaking the nations with a rod of
iron like potters' vessles, that He
whose right it is to reign is coming to
His throne. and the church is eagerly
girdlng her loins and going forth to
meet Him in this new day as she has
never done since she overthrow Caesars
seat and hammered the cross.
The Door TO UNDERSTANDING.
Who is this Man of Desire? Plainly
plainly writ upon the history of the
world there is no escaping Him. There
is but one door to an understanding of
Him and that is experience. He must
be experienced before He is known.
This was the demand made upon the
apostles for the call was Follow Me-"
They entered into intimacy with Him
and out of that relation grew the con-
fession, Thou art the Christ, the Son
of the living God" 1t is the only road
to knowledge of any person. We may
read all we will about their lives and
habits and doings and may come to a
fairly correct estimate of the person
but not until we have entered into per-
sonal relationship do we really begin to
know the man. And there is this sin
gular thing in connection with Jesus
that is noted in The Fact of Christ.
eve may study Aristotle and are in
tellectually edited thereby; we study
Jesus and are, in the profoundest way,
spiritually disturbed. A man may study
Jesus with intellectual impartlality; he
cannot do it with moral neutrality.
This fact begins IN history, develops in
the conscience and ends in religious ex-
perlences." That is the road travelled
in the first chapter of John. So met
Jesus is always Ineligible to every
man whatever rank or station, quality
or life and there follows new vision of
both God and Man, a new union of the
two.
BEYOND THE Door.
Peter speaks a number OF times of
our Lord and Saviour. l think it is a
record of his experience and a guide to
our own. Having come to know Jesus
and accept Him as Lord of the life there
comes the understanding of the related
word Saviour. Approached upon the
side of humanity, which we all are sup
posed to understand because it is our
own, that word refuses tie explain Him
as we continue in His company and ac-
cept His rule. John leaped to the con-
clusion. THE Word was God" In
Mark vivid picture Jesus refuses to
stay within the limit of flesh and &C.
cepts the challenge of the Pharlsees by
radically altering the entire life, both
body and spirit, of the man who had
just been carried into His presence. He |
would tell perfectly wonderful story
if we but had him here but so would |
Sam. Hadley or men of our own ac-
quaintance. They find beyond the door
the power that breaks letters and com
mands the sin of the past to loose lis
grip upon the life and leads one into
yictorr in the present. That Is the final
word of witness for the power of Jesus /
Christ against which nothing can be
SAID. A young man listened attentive !
~ to the lecturer who derhroned Christ, |
maligned the church as the tool of de-