precious a treasure. Not all the. gems of ocean, -nor all the gold of Ophir could for a moment comparé, b. But how many, oh, ye fathers and mothers, how many of you realize the charge committed to you in the child you call your own—and, if at last you miss it, will ,it be 'because you have care- lessly left-it to the caré of "the company, or the individual; not its natural guardians, but perhaps most unnatural sponsors? and will you be likely to find it in the Father s house? 6. Jesus vindicated. "Wllst ye not that I must be about My Father's business?" Whether Jesus was already -conscious of His divine Sonship and Messianic mission or not (but we think He was. His mother must have told Him by this time the, story of His conception and birth; of the words of the Annunciation angel; and with His insight into Scripture,' with the grace of God upon Him, His soul must have been flooded with light), He knew that it was even a boy's business' to "seek first the kingdom iof God, and His righteousness" (Matt-. 6:33). But His parents did mot un- derstand Him." He had "more understand- ing than all his teachers" (Psa. 119:99). One -must live very close to the Father to understand all that the Son has to tell us. But we can all understand this: Jesus had chosen for His life's motto: "I must be about My Father's business," and to this resolution He adhered till He said, "Father, I have finished the work that Thou gavest Me to lo." And this -that the life motto of Jesus is the one for .us all, "For this is the whole duty of man to fear God and keep His commandments" (Ecc. 12:13). 1. God's messengers have their, times and His messages their dates (Isa. 1:1; Jer. 1:2, 3; Ezek. 1:1, 2; etc.) Those dates' are of little moment for practical application, but of great value for critical. study. Do not believe the teaching that it makes no dif- ference when events of the Bible occurred. 2. The time of John's ministry is definitely given, and introduces ,us .ta some famous in- famous men, from Tiberias to Annas and Caiaphas, with 'whom we shall get better acquainted. II. THE CALL TO HIS MINISTRY. 1. "The Word of God came." John's call was the same as that of .the Old Testa- ment prophets. The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, Hosea, etc. . (Jer. 1:2;,- Hos. 1:1; Joel 1:1). 2. No one is commissioned to preach until the Word of the Lord comes to him. There is nothing, to preach but the Lord's own word, it is "the power of God unto salvation" (Rom. 1:16); and it is the Bible,- "the word is nigh thee and in thy mouth" (Rom. 10:8, 9), that we may all preach it. Let us do it-today. III. THE SCENE OF HIS MINISTRY. 1., "The Wilderness;" There the Word came to Moses (Éx. 3:1-4); and Israel (Ex. 19:5); and there it came to Elijah (1 Kgs. 19:8, 13); and to Jesus (Luke 4:1, 14); to Paul (Gal. 1;16, 17); and there it will come to Israel again (Hos. 2:14). There is a rea- son for this. At least, separation from the world, and aloneness with -the Lord are es- sential to the receiving His message and His call; "In the Wilderness of this world" (Bunyan). IV. THE NATURE OF HIS MINISTRY. 1. "Preaching." There are three different words in the original accounts which go to make up Scriptural preaching: (1) Pro- LESSON VII. February 18. THE MINISTRY OF JOHN. Mark 1:8; Luke 3:1-20. 1. THE TIME OF HIS MINISTRY.
Jews so Jewish; and this, with the Chris- tian bearing, is what would make Christians Christian. All this, we believe, had its natural effects on the boy Jesus and under God helped to make Him the man He was, and the brother man He is to us. And the hills of Nazareth, with the mountains of Galilee' in view; the simple life of a rural community, with the nearby world of Jew and Gentile passing to and fro on the roads and caravan routes of the restless multi- tudes; and added their influences, while the vine and flower-clad terraces and vales of the hills, with cedar- and snow-clad Lebaiion in the distance, all combined to make the Lord Jesus the "poet of poets, the prophet of prophets," that He was; and to draw Him near to the! heart of nature, the heart of man, and the heart of God. 2. The super- natural influences. "The grace of God was upon Him." The grace of God is upon all men. But all do not give place to it. Jesus- did not live in the world as God, but as man. ¡He is an example of what the grace of God will make of and do. with a man who "delights to do His will"; in whom their is no. hindering sin; whose soul is as open to the beams of grace as "the lint fleur tae th' sun." The grace of God was on Him, for the grace of God was in Him, whence the grace of God is 1 through Him. All natural influences that go to make a man should be supplemented by supernat- ural grace to perfect him. No boy can be- come a true man without the grace of God. 111. JESUS IN THE TEMPLE. 1. His pious parents. "Went every year." So they kept the law (Ex. 23:17), and the example of the fathers (1 Sam. 1:8). Lord, let parents see the beauty and blessedness of this, and let children "be led by their parents to the feasts of the Lord. 2. Jesus went with them. "When He was twelve," but a child is never too. young to take to the house of God. At twelve, Jesus would be admitted to the presence of the "doc- tors." 3. Jesus missed. "They found Him not." (1) He must have been a boy to be trusted, or they would not have l e f t. Hln\ to Himself all that time. (2) He must have been' a boy beloved by His neighbors, or they would not have supposed Him to be among them so long. (3) He must have been a boy thirsting for knowledge or he would not have been found among the doc- tors, the teachers in the temple. (4) He must have been a modest boy, or He, with such a mind and insight, would not have been content merely to ask questions, and to answer them. (5) He must have been a wonderful boy, that they "were aston- ished at His understanding and His an- swers." Remember, He did not ask and answer as God but as a boy. Yet I have no doubt He knew and understood more Scripture at that time than any father in Israel or the church ever knew, and was a better theologian than any doctor of the 20th century, all because He was so pure in heart that He could see God (Matt. 5:8); and, therefore, so clear in vision that He could behold wondrous things in His law (Psa. 119:18. 4. Jesus reproved. "Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us?" We trust this was the only time ¿ M a r y found occa- sion to reprove her Boy. But if there ever were another we are sure that the reproof was as much misplaced as here. , And we wish that no parent would, ever .have other fault to find with a son than that he was in God's house seeking to know more of his heavenly Father and His Word. 5. His parents' grief. "Thy father and I have sought Thee sorrowing." a. Well, might they grieve with fear and trembling. Never were man or woman entrusted with so
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