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August 19, 1914.
A FAMILY PAPER.
tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves. That
is a good deal like the doctrine of faith and
Inthe Sabbath School
works. Paul tells us that his conclusion is that
T esson X. September 6, 1914.
a man is saved by faith without the deeds of
THE GREAT COMMANDMENTS.
the law, while James says that faith without
By the Rev. Owen F. Thompson.
works is dead.
Golden Text.—Thou shalt love the Lord thy Love for God is truly the' greatest thing in our
God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul. lives. But it is true also that love for God
and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; without love for men is an impossibility. If you
and thy neighbor as thyself. 'Luke 10:27.
do not love your brother whom you have seen,
Lesson Text.—Mark 12:28-44.
how can you love God, whom you have not seen
Time.—A. D. 30. Place.—The temple in Jsrusals
ID
the selflsh love that we often have for ourselves.
To love your neighbor as yourself does not mean
Suitable Psalms.—14,. 23, 103, 29.
We want many things and do many things that
Exposition.—The other day I was talking to we ought not and it does not mean that we are
an Indian. He was telling me how he used to to develop that selfishness in others by giving
worship devils and snakes and many other things way to things that they have no right to expect
and how he believed in all sorts of superstitions. of anyone. It means that you are to give them
After talking for half an hour with hardly a the same treatment that one as wise and good
stop about tas love for the Savior and of all the as God, would give you under like circumstances.
things he had done for him and of v^hat it meant The preface to this flrst commandment is, "Hear,
to him to be on the road that Jesus had marked O Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord."
out for him he stopped and laughed and said, That means for one thing that he is not the
"It is just like when a man drinks whiskey. When Lord of dissension. He is the Lord of truth and
a man gets full he talks and talks and cannot any church or any man that holds a doctrine
stop talking. It makes his tongue loose. It is which is not the truth, then God is not his
that way when a man gets his heart full ot Lord—at least in that part.
Christ He talks about it and talks and cannot It means that he is the Lord of the straignt
stop talking. It makes his tongue loose."
lite. Any life that has more than one way to
I wonder how many who read this ever had follow has another God for its Lord. A person
it occur to them that love for Christ should mean who goes to church on Sabbath and swindles his
that in their lives. How many Christians are so neighbor or customer on week days has anothei
affected by their love for God that all their God than the Lord.
thoughts and conversation and all their life naturally
drifts around to that one thmg •
Christ and has not the spirit of Christ in his
Any person who professes to be a follower of
Sometimes in a running stream, especially at contact with others day by day has another God
the foot of a waterfall, you will see a place for his Xord. Perhaps the God of most of these
where the water seems to be moving in a circle divided ways is SELF. God is One Lord and lie
There seems to be an attraction there that cannot can be the Lord only of that life which has one
be resisted. Everything gathers there like the
moths around a light. All the floatmg drift wood
and everything that comes down the stream
makes rfght for that spot in the center of the
""if U °that way in the stream of a Christian's
life'' Is there something in a Christian s lite
about which everything else seems to circle is
ttere an attraction there that cannot be resi.td
and everything in the life i^ drawn toward
that center That center in a Christian s Ite
s God if he is in a right condition. And with
one in that condition it is true that the whole
ml circles about God and that every part of
the life is drawn inward toward that center oi
radiate out from it. . .
That means that your business -will be lun
in the interest of God. Not necessarily that you
are going to give all that you make to God aaec -
ly but all thit you make will in some way foiward
the kingdom of God. Your busmess methods
will be patterns for others to follow .'^o'-n m
their uprightness and integrity and also in i.ieir
.effectiveness. .„ , _ ,., ^^,„
That means that your farm will be run ,.. tne
interest of God. You will farm in the way that
will bring you into the highest possible Christian
life. You will farm in the way that will mean
the most for your community and your church. It
may not be the way that will make you t^e largest
bank account, but it will enlarge your heavenly
treasure and it is in a bank that never fails.
If Christ is the center of your life and a i
your life circles about him, then your church w 1
fill a large place in your life. You will be willing
to take any part of the work that yon ran
do. You wili be regular and prompt m your attendance
both for your own sake and tor your
family and for the sake of others who have come
there to get the most out of the service. Perhaps
tor the sake of the pastor also, tor it tne
people knew what it meant to t^eir pastor to
^purpose. When the life divides, then at least
part of the life loses its Lord.
The common people heard him gladly. I have
read that God must like poor people well, for
he makes so many of them. That must be true
for there is a bond between the poor and God
which is not often found among the rich. Tb'H
Savior is a more real person to them because
their salvation is more of an everyday matter.
They are saved from troubles every day. The'r
lives are full of it. The rich think that money
will buy everything they want, .but the poor know
that their wants cannot be satisfled except in
Christ.
Again Christ warns us against hypocrisy. There
is no one much more repulsive to Christ '„iian
the hypocrite. False piety, false humility, false
wisdom,, false profession of faith, false b'=irvice,
false love—those are the things that turn Christ
against men and women, perhaps quickei than
flagrant sin. The woman taken in adultery stood
before Christ and was forgiven without argument,
while Ananias and Sapphira were smitten
dead for misrepresentation.
You may deceive men for a while, but you
cannot deceive yourself or God. You know what
is in your heart. The rich may have gotten
some satisfaction in having all eyes turned toward
them while they cast in gold into the
treasury, the poor widow had greater satisfaction
in 'having the eyes of.her conscience and
God turned upon her. When you come to the
place where you truly love the praise of God
rather than the praise of men, then you Have
come pretty far along toward the first and second
great commandments. God's praise is a good
conscience.
Lesson X. September 6, 1914.
LESSON FOR THE CHILDREN.
By Anna Pritchard George.
THE GREAT COMMANDMENTS.
begin his service with half a dozen and liave the
Mark 12:28-44.
congregation come straggling in, clear throug^ How many commandments are there, Marion
the service to the end, I am sure they would "Ten." One day a man said to Jesus, "Which is
make more of an effort to be in their places. the first commandment of all" Jesus put them
You will attend prayer meeting more re^tilariy.
will starve flaily tinual living sons work and one Then That making daily thing you enlarge of must a sermon your sometimes a You means there secondary course work larger will fillthe better a bodies will life. your is lived performed different see when and have but than It place. spiritual more largest before other a is you a making larger your things hard part for and With part the speak men. can life. God. souls. in enough more place spirit a for of better many, everything living of for You the different that of m giving it to verse Jesus time, the wili afford your and is make t^ifre . a daily aauy give
that tnat per­
con­
nie Christ „., but to a ib Will this ments, love strength." thy won't soul, boy Today neighbor God who , other and you ^ for ^ let will loves with want The folks, us if be as you make God all to second keeping thyself." will obey love and up you heart, is mind, a God the him, everyone (R. this, story wish whole with Ellis V.) and "Thou together all else, ten If Vith with ham And you shalt command­
about all if do them. heart, love who you
thy all
all together and said, "Thou shalt love the Lord
Christ a
lives that love out in his life. We will see what
kind of a boy he turns out to be. What will we name
him, Jeanne "Teddy." Here on the sand table
we will lay out a town with these boxes for
houses, this one the church, this the school and
these the stores on the main street. These twigs
are trees. Outside the town are hills covered
with grass, and here the river winds around the
hills. These clothespins are the grown folk and
these sticks the boys and girls. This is Teddy
and this is his home.
Teddy's mother loves him as hard as ever a
mother can love. How hard is that, Gladys
The way my mother loves me." And Teddy
loves his mother just as hard. One day in Sabbath
School the teacher tells him about God's
love for him. How God loves him so much that
he watches over him all the time, even when he
is asleep; and how God made this world
for him, and made all the animals and
birds and flowers and trees, even the
sun and moon and stars—everything was
made so Teddy and all you boys and girls might
be happy. Everything good comes from God,
does it not. Bud God's love is so great it folds
all around you. You know how you love to have
your mother, gather you up in her arms, and you
feel so safe there. Well, God loves you ever
so much more than does your mother, and gathers
you right up in his great love. When your
mother loves you so hard, doesn't it make you
love her the same way, Buster So Teddy says,
"If God loves me so much, i am going to love
him.' What does he do the firstthing with his
heart, Herbert "Gives it to Jesus." Does it
make you happy to love your mother "Yes " It
makes you happier still to love Jesus. So is
Teddy's face shining when he reaches home.
May Yes, and he tells his mother all about it.
Now we will see how he lives his love for
Jesus, for you would not care how much a person
loves you if they never showed it, would you,
Charles When you love your mother do you
care to do things she will not like, Mittie "No,
I want to please her," Monday it rains and
Teddy cannot go to the picnic. Most boys would
he cross. Teddy, you know, loves Jesus so is he
cross, Reid "No." He starts out to be cross,
for he is just a boy, but when he remembers, he
smiles, and chases the crossness away, and makes
his mother happy too.
Was it hot yesterday, Ellis, and did your swim
feel good Well on just such a hot day some of
the boys play truant and go for a swim, "Come
on with us," they coax Teddy. Will he go, John
"Xo." Here the other boys slip out of town and
down to the river. Teddy sits in the hot school
all day. But he is happy, for he knows he is doing
right.
Another thing, if you see some one you love
working hard, do you run off to play or stay and
help, Eleanor "Help," Now God has much to
do making this world better and teaching folks
to be good. If you love God will you help him,
George How can Teddy help God, Helen "Take
other boys to Sabbath School." Here he is doing
that. How else, Ellsworth "Tell the other
hoys about Jesus, and show them how to he
good,"
Why do you give presents to mother, James
"Because I love her,'' When you love Jesus with
all your heart, will you wish to bring gifts to
him too, Alvin "Surely," Teddy's teacher tells
him what a poor widow in Jerusalem gave God
because she loved him. Here is the st-ory:
Away at this end of the table this box is the
Temple in Jerusalem. Here is a small box in
which the Jews drop their offerings. Jesus and
his disciples are standing to one side. Here come
some rich men who drop in a lot of money. They
have so much they will not miss it. Here comes
a poor widow. She can hardly get enough to
eat. Som-etimes she probably goes to bed starv-"
ing. IBut she has saved up two mites—the two
together worth only one-fourth of a cent. No
money But must "This are cast did something book heart and up want (R the she casting V.) our up to poor give box. Give pennies left of loves give And rime—our widow their to pretty heaven all not Jesus (Continued into buy God him. don't and that only superfluity; God cast the flne turns food, with takes very she you our So if That treasury: in about we had, all to more selves. money, them think his clothing, her love page drops but even the that than to disciples heart God for him but she So Jesus. 9.) way ner all widow our or they Teddy of wrote with and her they we two pay He and her strength, living." will so all in which wants mites saves down says,
rent! just our his did all