10, 11 ;E p h .2:29); (7 ) a n d h a ve s u p r e me a u t h o r i ty i n t h e Church ( J o hn 20:22, 23 ; I Cor.. 5:4, 5 ; 2 P e t . 3:2. ) IV WHA TTHE YWERE . 1. The yWer eFlesh . (1) T h ey w e re m e n o f like p a s s i o ns w i th u s (Mat .16:23; L u k e 5:8 ;Mat .14 : 29, 30 ; 26:33-35, 56 ; J o hn 18:25-27; L u k e 23:62; J o hn 21:17.) (2) B u t h eHo ly Spirit enabled t h em t o o v e r c ome (Acts 4:13; s e eActs a n depistles.) V WHER ETHE YLABORED . Trut h an d Tradition . Peter, a m o n g t h e J e w s o f t h e D i s p e r- sion, i n P a r t h ia a n d Babylon. H e w a s p r o b a b ly crucified a t Rome. Philip, i n P h r y g i a; M a r k a t A l e x a n d r i a, i n E g y p t; T h o m as i n P a r t h i a; (buried i n E d e s s a ); B a r t h o l om e w, i n India, o r A r m e n i a; Ma t - t h e w i n E t h i o p i a; J a m es i n Spain; An - d r e w, i n R u s s i a; John, i n Asia Minor; a n d all, s o i t i s said, suffered m a r t y r d o m. T h e re i s a g r e a t deal o f u n c e r t a i n t y, save in t h ecase o f J o h n, a n di n p a r t o f P e t e i\ T h is i s sure, t h a t "Beginnin g a t Jerusalem , an d throughou t Judea ,an d Samaria ,the y preache d th e Gospe lt o th e uttermos t part s of th e earth " (Matt. 28:19,20.) V I WH OAR E THEI RSUCCESSORS ? 1. T h e re a r en o successors t o t h e Apos- tolic office. 2. B u t h e re a r esuccessors t o t h e Apos- tolic c h a r ge t o p r e a ch t h e Gospel. 3. T h e re i s (1 ) a g r e at c o n t r a st w i th J e s u s' d a y— t he m u l t i t u d es n o l o n g er t h r o n g t o h e ar H i s word, o r feel H i s h e a l i ng touch. T h e re a r e(2 )t e nt i m es a s m a n y souls i n t h e wo r ld t o d ay a s then, a n d (3 ) t h ey a r e a s w r e t c h ed a s ever i n body a n dsoul, still oppressed o f t h e devil; a n d (4 ) t h e l a b o r e rs a r e p r o p o r t i o n a t e ly a s f e wa s t h e n; (5 ) a n d t h ey a r e o v e r- w o r k e d, a n d(6 ) u n a b l e ' to b e i n a l l places a t once, t h o u gh al lplaces need t h e m; a n d (7) t h eend, t h ehour, i s n e ar a n dt h e w o r k should b e p r e s s e d; a n d (8 ) t h e Ch u r ch stiould r e t i re t o h e r mo u n t a i n, a n dc o n - t i n ue al ln i g ht i n p r a y e r, a n db e gt h e L o rd of t h eh a r v e st t o chose, ordain, a n d quali- f y , a n d send H i sm e s s e n g e r s. . Dr. A . T . P i e r s on w r o t e—" A n a m, w i th 20,000,000; K u r d i s t a n, w i th 3,000,000; a n i mm e n se t r a ct o f t h eD a r k C o n t i n e nt l y i ng n o r th o f t h ee q u a t o r, t h ev a st Congo basin,, t o u c h ed only a s y e to n i t s edges, with 50, - 000,000 mo r e; A f g h a n i s t a n, w i th 8,000,000. Thibet, Mongolia, A r a b ia h a ve r e c e n t ly been emb r a c ed i n t h e g r e at m i s s i o n a ry g i r d l e; b u t only a b e g i n n i ng h a s been made. Only f r a g m e n ts o f t h e v a st p o p u- lation o f China, A f r i c a, South America, h a ve even come i n c o n t a ct w i th t h egospel. T he G r e ek a n dp a p al c h u r c h es hold 300. - 000,000, u n d er a n a l mo st u n b r o k en spell of i g n o r a n ce a n ds u p e r s t i t i o n. T h e re 170, - 000,000, o f I s l am 's deluded followers, a n d while C h r i s t i an missions h a ve scarcely a p p r o a c h ed them, t h ey a r e t h em s e l v es m a k i n g n e wc o n v e r ts t o t h eF a l se P r o p h e t. 4. Th eNee do f Churc han d World . Sal t an d Light . H a st h e salt lost i t s s a v o r? I s t h el i g ht u n d er t h ebushel t h a t s h o u ld l o ng e r e t h is h a ve g i v en s a v i ng i l l um i n a t i on t o t h e w h o le h o u se o f h u - m a n i t y ?. W h a t i s t o s a ve t h eworld f r om c o r r u p t i o n; a n d i t s children f r om o u t er d a r k n e s s!
TH E BEATITUDE S Lesso n IV . Apri l28 . Matthe w5:1-12 . I A PREFACE .
1. Th e People . "Multitudes." No t' mu l t i t u d e. T h r o n gs f r o m m a n y places pressed o n H i m . G r e at a s s emb l i es a r eg r e at inspirations. Co n - sciously o r unconsciously s p e a k e rs a r e moved b y t h e a u g u st p r e s e n ce o f a mass, of i mmo r t a l i t y. Ou r L o r d 's h u m a n i ty m u s t h a ve been affected, b y t h e countless, e a g er f a c es lifted t o h e ar t h e w o r ds o f life (Mat . 9:36.) T h e re followed t h e m o s t w o n d e r f ul o f discourses. 2. Th e Place . "A mo u n t a i n ." T h e s a c r ed mo u n t a i n s, a r e s a c r ed m o n u m e n t s. Look t h em up . Mt. Moriah (Gen .22:2 ,14) ;Mt . C a r m el (1 Kg s .18:20); Mt .H e r m on ( Ma rk 9 : 2 ) ; Mt. Olivet (Mat . 24:3); t h eMt .o f B e a t i- t u d es ( " H o r ns o f H a t t i n ? ") T e r r i b le S i n ai s a n c t i o n ed t h eL a w( Ex .19:) ;placid Gali- lee i s a s s o c i a t ed w i th t h e"Sermon." B u t t h e re w e re d e a d ly perils l u r k i ng u n d er t h e quiet s u r f a ce ( L u ke 8:23 ,24) ,a n dt h et e r - r o rs o f t h is s e r mon a r emo re d r e a d f ul t h a n t he w o r ds o f Sinai, a s mu ch s o a s t h el e t - t er i s mo re t h a n t h espirit. I) on o t i m a g- ine w i th m a n y t h a t t h es e r mon i s gospel. W e m a yconceive o f k e e p i ng t h ef o r m s of t he L aw ,b u t w h oc a n k e ep t h e spirit o f t he s e r mo n, which d e m a n ds "trut hi n t h e i n w a rd p a r t s !" T h is s e r mon p r e a c h es d e a th o r r e g e n e r a t i o n. "Excep t a ma n b e bor n again ,h e canno tse e th e Kingdo m of God " ( J o hn 3:3) , b e c a u se t h is s e r mon i s t he L a wo f t h a t K i n g d o m. 3. Th ePreacher . Not Moses t h e s e r v a nt b u t Christ t h e Son (Heb. 2:5 ,6) . H ew h o "spak ea s neve r ma n spake " ( J o hn 7:46), w i th a u t h o r i ty in t h e m a t t er a s well a s i n t h e m a n n e r, f o r H i sw o r ds a r em a n i f e st t r u t h a n dc a r r y conviction t o r e a s on a n dconscience. W e h a ve only a section o f t w e l ve v e r s es f o r o ur lesson, b u t i t i s m o re t h an w e c a n m a n a g e. II TH ESECTION . 1. Th e Subject . Blessedness. W eh a ve h e re a t r e a t i se o n happiness. Beatu s i s L a t in f o r h a p p y. B e a t i t u d es a r eprinciples o f h a p p i n e s s. H e w h o p r a c t i s es t h e se principles i s a h a p py ma n, w h en t h ey become t h eL a wo f e a r th it will b e a h a p py world. T h e philoso- p h e rs h a ve s o u g ht t h esecret o f h a p p i n e s s, some h a ve c a u g ht g l i mp s es o f it . Jesus: only f o u nd it . T h es e r mon i s H i s philo- sophy. H e p r o b a b ly s p o ke i n a H e b r ew dialect a n dsaid "O hth e happines s o f th e poor, " etc .T h e1st ,t h e32d , t h e41s tP s a lm a n d o t h e rs begin w i th a b e a t i t u d e, "O hth e blessednes s o f th e man, " etc . 2. Th e Beatitudes . (1) "Th e Poo r i n Spirit. " P o v e r ty i s held t o b e a g r e at m i s f o r t u ne b y t h e wo r l d; a n d t h e poor h a ve been a n da r e c o u n t ed o f a s little worth, i n person a s i n p u r s e. B u t "Go d ha s ehose nth e poo r o f thi s worl d ric h I n faith " ( J a s . 2:5) , a n d w e m a yt h i nk o f much i n which t h e p o or h a ve t h ebest o f t h erich. Blit J e s us says, "Poo rIn spirit, " such p o v e r ty t h erich a n d poor m a yshare. Most poor h a ve a s mu ch pride a n aconceit a s wo u ld s u p p ly a m u l t i- millionaire. A m a nm a yb e poor i n s p i r i t- u a ls w h oi s rich i n m a t e r i a l s, o r rich i n spirituals, t h o u gh poor i n m a t e r i a l s. S e e David's i n v e n t o ry ( I Chro. 29:2-5) , b u th o w
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