The Sunday School

1. "The former treatlse havo I made, O Theophilns, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach. " ïhis associates the writcr with the author of the thtrd gospel (Luke i, 1-4). In that treatise he speaks of the doings and teachings of Jesns as thlngs most surely belleved, of which people knew tlie certainty. This is a record of the contlnuatiorj of the doings and teachings of Jesus through Hls followers. Dr. Erdman calis it a mirror of tlic experience of all true and falthful witnessea till He come, its. two themes .bcing the "Great Redemptton" and tho "Coming Kingdom." Observe that the order is ftrstdoing and then teaching and compare Mark vi 30; Ez. vii, 10. 3. 'TJntil the day in which He was taken up. " The gospel by Lufce reaches to the ascensión, vvith which also he begins this treittise (a word uaed oniy in verse 1, but the Greek word logos is used over 300 times, generally translated "word" and in John i, 1; I Johni, 1, and llev. xix, 13, applied to Christ Himself. As hy tlio Holy Spirit He was bom, baptized, led, cast out demons, offered Himself a sacrifloe, rose from the dead, by the same spirit He gave His parting commands to His apost.lna 3. "Towhom also He shewed Himsclf füive after His passion" (or sufferings). His ton or more different appearances to the diseiples during the 10 days between His resurrection and ascensión were sufficient to prove to-them that the risen Chrlsl was the very same Jesús whom they had known and loved and had seen die on Calvary. They saw the marks of the nails in His hands and of tho spear in His sido, and yet there was a change, for His body was nolongerfleeh and blood, bnt "flesh and bones," in which He could eat and walk and talk and liave fellowship. Jt was an lmmortal body, incorruptible, and ours shall be the same (Phil. iii, 21). 4. "Oommanded tlicni that thcy should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the proniise of the Father." Compare Jjukoxxiv, 49, with John xiv, lfi, 36; xv, 26; xvi, 7, 13. Although they had the very best of teachers and cf teaching for two or three consecutive years, yet they were not qualified for service untilthey hadreceived in a special sense the gift of the .Spirit. It is not the mere knowledge of the truth that will suffice, but the truth set on flre by tlie Holy Spirit. The word is likened to water, but water must boil to make steam. May tlie fire cause tlio water to boil to make His name known (Isa. lxiv, 2). 5. "Yeshallbe baptized with the Holy Ghost, Bot xnany days henee. " John had said of Hlm, "Heshall baptize yon with the Holy Ghost and with (re" (Luke iii, 16). In our next lesson we shall see somewhat of the flre, but I expect that we will see more of the flre in con neetion with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon Israel at His second coming. Sec Zecli. xii, 10xiii, 9. Sinco He wlio loved us euough to die for us is He who baptizeth with the Holy Ghost what hinders us to Le baptized? Ask Him. 6. "Lord, veilt Thou at tliis time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" In all Hla teaching the prominent topic was "The Kingdom," as it was also during the 40 lays before His ascensión (versi 8). The only klngdom mentioned in theOld Testament as a kingdom to be joyfully expected was the kingdom promised to David, with a King upou His throno. 'l'he angel Gabriel, John the Baptist, the Lord Jesus, tho twclve and thesevonty, all preached it' but by tlie Jews' treatment of (Jhrist it was postponed till He shall come agaln (Lukexix, 11, 12). The diaoiples had not understood it so, and henee thoir question beaiuse of their un belief. er declara! to be the Son of God. 9. '"He was taken up, and a cloud receired Him out of their sight. " Doubtless He had many times scended to His Father during those 4üdays since His first ascensión on the resurrection morning wiien on His way to the Father He met Mary Magdalene (John xx, ]7), but now He was not to appcar again til] He shall come for His ohurch. He must take His seat at the Father's right hand that the Holy Spirit may come to bcar witness in the redoemed that Christ is alive forevor more, having all power in heaveu and earth. 10. "Behold two men stood by them in white apparel.'" In Lu,ke ix, 30. two men, whi-h were Moses and Elijah, were seeu on the mount of transfiguration with Hlm. For aught I know these may have been the same two, and they may also be the two wltnessfcg, yet to come, of'liev. xi S-12. But the chief thing concerning thimi, whoever they were, is that they were His wituesses, and they spaie of Him. 11. "This same Jesús, whieh is taken vip from you into heavcn, shall so come in like mannuras ye have Been Him go iuto heaveu. " This was thoir testimony, and ït stands recorded by the Spirit of God and is sure of fulüllmeut. This explaius how the disolples could return to Jerusalem with great joy (Luke xxiv, 52). and why in all thelr preaching they made so muoh of a Christ who was alive in heaven and would surely return 12. "These all continued with oneaocord in prayer and supplioatlon. " I think this is the lust inention in Soripture of oup Lord's inother. Where on earrh could we botter leave her tlian at suoh a place? W ould ït uot be a good record of us to have some one say, "The last time I saw tliem was at prayer meeting?" Let us wateh uid pray and not forsafce the assem bling of ourselves together, aa the nianner of soma is. Only 120 followera (verse 15) aftcr tliose three years, and the Spirit addcd througli Peter in ouc day 3.UUU souls (ii 41 ). W as this one of the greater works of John xiv, 12? 7. "It is not for you to know the times or the soasons which the Father hath put in His invn power. " He diü not say that tlieir thoughts of the kingdom were wrong or carmd, or that it was tollen spiritual kingdom in the heart and not a kingdom for Israel, as raany say today, for Ho knew, and we ought to know, that the ono thing in all Scripture which He had said that He would do with His whole heart was to place Israel in their own land to do thera {?ood(Jer. xxxii, 41). He did say that it was not for thcm to know the time. 8. "But ye shall reeeive the power of the Holy Ghost comlpg upon you, and ye shall hv, witnessea unto Me" (see margin) According to Luke xxiv, 49, He had previ - ously said, "Tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endued with i)öwer from on high. " The great truth to which they were to bear witness was that He had riseii frora the dead. See verse 22, with chapters ii, 32; iii, 15; iv, 33, etc. By the resiirrcction from the dead He was with I