^ The elder son had remained at home obedient, but showed no love. But it is better f r om t he beginning to love our F a t h er in heaven and to obey Him al- ways. ( S e e l Jno. 4:16; 3 : 1; Jas. 1:17; Jno. 14:2; 3:16; Mt. 5:48; I Jno. 4:19.) THE TEN LEPERS Aug. 25. Luke 17:12-18. F i r s t: 1. Leprosy, wh at it is. 2. As a type of sin.. . ( 1 ) It is in the blood. (2) Shows but little art first. (3) Progresses gradnaiiv hut surely. ( 4 ) . Affects the whole man. (5) The victims almost lose sensibility to it. (6) It excludes them f r om healthful (pure) society. (7) Becomes loathe- some. (8) Only God can cure sin. Second: 1. The Lepers Cured. (1) Their . trust, they come to Jesus. (2) Their ' prayer, "Lord, have mercy." (3) Their obedience, "They went." (4) Their y cure, immediate. (5) Their gratitude, (a) only one, a Samaritan (who were the Samaritans, etc. See Luke 29:37; lesson of August 4.) (b) Where were t he nine? I am afraid they were only cured of their sickness, not of their sin or they would have thanked the Lord and walked with Him. (See Luke 2:20; Mat. 9:31; Luke 5:25; 8:39; 13:13; 18:43; Acts 3 : 8; 12:11; I Thes. 5:18; Hb. 13:15.) K v t* • y. (Class.) 2. It well describes a Pharisee's A , character. Jesus said they did good * works just to be seen of men. They were hypocrites, deceiving themselves. 3. It has been said, "This Pharisee » went to pray but forgot his e r r a n d ." Hfe only justified himself as if he had no sins to confess, no supply to ask, no Hr- need of justification. (Diagram on the board the Pharisees' sayings, for what i he thanked God, and what he told Him. Mt. 5:3.) 4. Lead the children to see them- selves as God sees them. 5. Explain a publican's business, a taxgatherer; his usual character, extor- tionate, unjust, hateful to the Jews, es- pecially if, like this man, a Jew himself. 6. The publicans attitude, (1) stood afar, as if unworthy; <2) smote his breast, as if in anguish; (3) condemned himself, as a sinner; (4) ' asked for mercy, justification ("propitiate me," he literally said) through the shed blood'. (5) His eyes were cast down, as if spoken? TWO WORSH I PPERS Sept. 1. Lu ke 18:9-14. 1. To whom was this parable i
ashamed before God. God forgave him, justified him, and he went home with peace in his heart. Psalm 51, is in the spirit of this lesson. THE DISCOVERY OF ALASKA Sept. 8. Matt. 4 : 1 6. Long ago in Eastern Asia the peo- ple told abroad stories of strange trees drifted to their shores, and of a whale too, with a harpoon in its body which was new to them. F r om this and like stories of seamen the people of Europe concluded t h at an unknown land lay east of Japan, Spain, F r a n ce and Rus- sia, each wished to win it. 'Peter the Great", of Russia, sent an expedition under Vitus Behring, who came back without having found it, but men thought Behring had missed it because of the fogs. Peter sent Behring again, with 600 men and their families. They crossed mountains, swamps, rivers, des- erts through snow and ice. Boys of 13 were 21 when they saw the Pacific. They then had to build two ships, t he St. Paul and St. Peter. Setting sail in June, 1741, they soon met with birds, driftwood and sea-weed and knew they were nearing land. On July 15th they sighted Mt. St. Elias. Gamaland, for so the new country was called, after- ward became Alaska, so named I think by Capt. Cook. The U. S. bought Alaska of Russia in 1867. Why was that bargain called "Seward's Folly?" and was it a bad one for us? The inhabitants of this strange land were worshippers of devils; and the Rus- sians sent over priests who built chap- els, but labored mostly among the white settlers. The first real transforming work for the souls and bodies of the natives was begun by a young Scotch- man named Duncan, at Fo rt Simpson. An English sea captain offered free pas- sage to any who would go and give these "blood thirsty savages" the gospel. Duncan left bright business prospects and in seven days was on the way. It took him six months to reach the land of t h at cannibal people. With r a re courage and patience, with compassion, and tact, he labored among them mas- tering their language, and meeting with great success. In five years he led the Indians he had t a ught to an island and founded the town of Metlakahtla, which soon had 500 Inhabitants. This was English territory and' they were obliged to move again across the line to Alaska, founding a new Metlakahtla now said to be " t he most peaceful, moral, indus-
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