follower—a fisher of men—a servant of Jesus Christ—let everybody know where you stand and stand before everybody. If you are not catching men you are not following. Don't be afraid to look this fact squarely in the face. (3) HERALDING AND HEALING. "Preaching the Gospel and healing all manner of diseases." The love of the Messiah for His peo- ple manifested itself in His loving mes- sages and loving mercy. Disease could not tarry in His presence. Demons, fled at His word, and death itself bowed at _ His feet and delivered up its subjects. This is an example of fishing for men and catching them. Going about in His name, seeking, loving, teaching, helping people and having the conscious joy of knowing that when the net is finally pulled on the eternal shore some of your fish will be there, having been caught in the meshes. POINTS PRACTICAL. (1) When Christ caine the day dawn- ed upon a dark world. (2) The call of Christ is a summons to service. (3) Catching men is a Divine Art. Art thou an artist? (4) The seminary can make theologi- ans, but only the Saviour can make soul savers. (5) Who forsakes all and follows Him will find fishing a splendid sport. (6) The sea is a type of the world— its shores the two eternities. (7) The church is the boat—in the sea but not of it. (8) The net the means of grace— preaching, teaching and testifying. (9) Sinkers hold the net down in the water: floats hold it up—corresponding to thé two opposite truths, the justice and mercy of God. LESSON IV. JANUARY 23, 1910. Matt. 5:1-12. THE BEATITUDES. OUTLINE. (1) The Multitudes V. 1 (2) The Mountains Y. 2 (3) The Mouth V. 2 (4) The Message Y. 3-12 (1) THE MULTITUDES. "And there followed Him a great multitude of people from Galilee, and from De- capolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and from beyond Jeru- salem" (Chap. 4:25). The whole country was stirred. The
wonderful works of .Jesus drew these vast multitudes to hear His wonderful words. There would be larger audiences of unbelievers to hear the Gospel if there were more saving works among Christians. The works were the King's credentials and gave force to the weirds which were the principles of His King- dom. "Seeing the multitudes" (V. 1). Great multitudes assembled strangely affect thoughtful and sympathetic na- tures. Our Lord was most susceptible to this influence. The multitudes moved Him to compassion (Matt. 15:32; Mark 6:34, etc.). He saw them as sheep having no shepherd. God have mercy on the multitudes todav, shepherdless and reckless, having no hope and with- out God in the world (Eph. 2:12). Twice He fed them with loaves and fishes, in His compassion for their hunger and weariness. From a few loaves and fishes they were all satis- fied, and many baskets of fragments remained over. Here He feeds them with the Bread of Life, the nourishment of the soul. What countless multitudes have feasted on these words. They have been multiplied into commentaries, es- says, sermons, volumes and the overplus is enough to feast the generations to come to the end of time. (2) THE MOUNTAIN. We can name this mountain, but we cannot locate it. It is the Mount of Beatitudes, or Blessedness. There are many historic events of Scripture in- separable from the mountains, as at Ararat, Moriah, Pisgah and Olivet, but Sinai and the Mountain of Beatitudes must be viewed together. The La w was given at Sinai, but unfolded t it the Mt. of Beatitudes. The Sermon c n the Mount is the flower of the Law, t is the refinement of the Law, it is' tl e soul of the Law. Many speak of tl e ' ' Sermon'' as Gospel, and as a grei t advance in the way of consolation 1 o the sinner. But though not in the for i of law, it is evident that its principli s are obligatory upon us. They eonta ; a no imperative ' ' Thou shalt'' and ' ' The i shalt n o t ; " they do not so much as la r down what we must do as what we muf t be. If a man cannot keep the lett< r of the law, how shall he be able to kee j it in the Spirit? The voice of th s Beatitudes is to the quakings of Sini i as the silent stroke of a live wire t ) the shock of the thunder. If by th ; Law is the knowledge of sin, by thi i ' ' Sermon'' is the conviction of utte r
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