-10 23.8. APRIL 4. GOSPEL LESSONS. LESSON XIV. First Sunday after Easter-Quasimodogeniti, or Dominica in Albis. 19. Then the same day at evening, being the 20. And when he had so said, he showed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. 21. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father has sent me, even so send I you. 22. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. 23. Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and. whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. 24. But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came 25. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of 1875. the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. 26. And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. 27. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side; and be not faithless, but believing. 28. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. 29. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. 30. And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31. But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing, ye might have life through his name. QUESTIONS. Why is this day called Quasimodogeniti? | want such clear proof? Should he be blamed Why Dominica in Albis? for this? 19. What is meant by the same day at even- 26. When were the disciples together again? ing? What by the first day of the week? What What day of the week was that? Why now is this day called in the Catechism? Why? always together on that day? Who was now Why, probably, were the disciples together? with them? Who came in? In what respect Why with shut doors? Who came? Did they was His entrance now like that eight days beexpect Him? Did they open the doors for Him fore? How could He enter, the doors being to come in? What did He say? Was this sim- shut? What did Jesus say? Was there likely ply a greeting? How had His disciples acted any special reference in this sentence this time when He was taken and crucified? Did they to Thomas? merit such a greeting from Him now? 20. What did He show them? Why? Why were they glad? How did they know it was the Lord? 21. What did Jesus then say? Why does He repeat these words,-see verse 19? Did power go with them? What does He add? In what respect did He send His disciples as His Father had sent Him? 22. What did Jesus then do? What are we 23. What more did He say? Had His disci- 25. What did the other disciples say to him? 27. Whom did He address? What did He say? Why? What does faithless mean? 28. What did Thomas say? What effect had been produced upon him? Why does he call Jesus, his Lord and his God? Had he ever before looked upon his Master as possessed of this divine character? 29. What does Jesus say? Whom does He call blessed? What do you understand by the word blessed? Which is the greater, to believe when seeing the Lord personally as Thomas did, or to believe in Him though we see Him not?. In which case are we? 30. What is meant by signs? Were the signs here referred to done before His resurrection or after it? In whose presence were they done? To what book does the Evangelist refer here? 31. These-what? Why written? That who might believe? Believe what? What does the expression the Christ mean? What life is here meant? What does His name signify? CATECHISM. 35. What is the meaning of these words, "He was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary?" That God's eternal Son, who is, and continueth true and eternal God, took upon Him the very nature of man, of the flesh and blood of the Virgin Mary, by the operation of the Holy Ghost, that He might also be the true seed of David, like unto His brethren in all things, sin excepted. 36. What profit dost thou receive by Christ's holy conception and nativity? That He is our mediator, and with His innocence and perfect holiness covers, in the sight of God, my sins, wherein I was conceived and brought forth. COMMENTS.-Quasimodogeniti, or the day of the new-born, from 1 Peter, 2: 2, the opening words of the Epistle read in the ancient Church on this day, and very fitting in its relation to Easter. Dominica in Albis, or the white Sunday, so called from the custom of the primitive Church to present on this day, dressed in white, to the assembled congregation, the catechumens who had been baptized on Easter night. The beautiful custom, still lingering among us, of catechumens appearing in white, on confirmation day, connects itself with this early Christian habit. 19. The same day at evening.-The evening of that day on which Christ had risen from the dead. The first day of the week. Of the Sabbatical or Easter week of the Jews. This first day became henceforth among Christians, the Lord's Day, in consequence of its being the day of the Lord's resurrection. The doors being shut. Mentioned with special stress, and repeated, verse 26. Jesus entered by virtue of His resurrection body (1 Cor. 15: 44), which is not bound by the limits of matter. Peace be unto you. A greeting, carrying with it, in this case, the assurance of His triumph for them, as His infant Church, and of pardon for having deserted Him in the hour of His trial. 20. His hands and His side. Also His feet, Luke 24: 40. 21. As my Father hath sent me. Probably to be taken in the restricted sense of the resurrection-life in which, by the power of the Father, He now appears before them, and confirms to them His peace. Even so send I you. Namely in the order and power of this resurrection-life, as this has place henceforth in His kingdom. 22. Breathed on them.-Significant in its relation to the words which follow. When man was first created, God breathed into him the breath of life (Gen. 2: 7). Receive ye the Holy Ghost. They needed the gift of the Holy Ghost 1) To sustain them until the founding of the Church on the day of Pentecost; 2) To keep them from falling, meanwhile, into the surrounding Jewish life; 3) To work in them the necessary preparation for carrying out the mission the Lord is about entrusting to them, and which they were to enter upon, when on the day of Pentecost the Holy Ghost would be given in larger measure. 23. Ye remit. By preaching the Gospel and administering the sacraments; the two great means for bringing men into Christ's kingdom, where is remission of sins. Ye retain. By Christian discipline or excommunication. See Heidelberg Catechism, Ques. 83. 24. Was not with them.-The apprehension and crucifixion of his Master, it would seem, had wrought greater wreck with the faith and hopes of Thomas, than was the case with the other disciples. Hence he failed to assemble with them. 25. Said unto Him.-When they met Him later during the week. Except I shall see. Like his absence at the first meeting of the disciples after the Lord's resurrection, an evidence of the state of doubt into which Thomas had fallen. 26. After eight days.--Sunday again. They may have been looking for the appearance of the Lord, as it was this day one week before, when He did appear unto them. Peace be unto you. This time to include Thomas also. 27. Then saith he to Thomas.-Jesus in man. knew the feelings of his doubting disciple, for he knew what was Hence he invites him to the test which was to remove his lingering doubt. 28. My Lord and my God.-By the first term Thomas expresses his conviction that He is indeed his risen Master: and by the second, apprehension of the Divine character of Christ, manifest in His resurrection from the dead. 29. Because thou hast seen me.-Had and of the spear in his side. seen the print of the nails in his hands, Blessed.it also carries with it the idea of being Means more than the word Happy, as right. 30. Other signs.-Other than those of His sudden appearing when the doors were shut, and His reading the thoughts of Thomas. Some of these other signs are mentioned in the next chapter; some in the other Gospels. This book. This Gospel by John. 31. Ye might believe.-Those persons to whom John wrote his Gospel. Indirectly it means also us and all others who come to read it. The Son of God. Not simply a son of God, in the sense in which all men are God's children; but as he speaks of Him in the first chapter of this Gospel, where he calls Him also God. See chap. 1: 1 and 14. His Name. His revelation. APRIL 11. LESSON XV. 1875. Second Sunday after Easter-Misericordias Domini. St. John x. 11–16. 11. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 12. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth; and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. 13. The hireling fleeth, because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep. 14. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. 15. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. QUESTIONS. Why is this day called Misericordias Domini? What parable have we in this lesson? What is a parable? Does the parable properly begin with this lesson ?-See verse 1. 11. I-who? Why does He compare himself to a good shepherd? What will a good shepherd do in case of need? Whom do the sheep here represent? And what did Christ do for them? 12. What is a hireling? Are the sheep his? What doth he do when he seeth the wolf coming? What does the wolf do? What is the wolf the figure of? 13. Why does the hireling flee? Whom does the hireling here represent? How flee? CATECHISM. XV. Lord's Day. 37. What dost thou understand by the words "He suffered ?" That He, all the time He lived on earth, but especially at the end of His life, sustained in body and soul, the wrath of God against the sins of mankind; that so by His passion, as the only propitiatory sacrifice, He might redeem our body and soul from everlasting damnation; and obtain for us the favor of God, righteousness and eternal life. 38. Why did He suffer under Pontius Pilate, as His judge? That He, being innocent, and yet condemned by a temporal judge, might thereby free us from the severe judgment of God, to which we were exposed. 39. Is there any thing more in His being crucified, than if He had died some other death? Yes, (there is;) for thereby I am assured that He took on Him the curse which lay upon me; for the death of the cross was accursed of God. COMMENTS.-Misericordias Domini. "I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever" opening words of Psalm 89. We have here the parable of the Good Shepherd, one of the most beautiful and touching figurative representations of the relation of the Lord to His people, conceivable. The preceding paragraph, in which Christ represents Himself as the door to the sheep-fold, is considered by some as part of this parable; though it carries its own distinct view in itself. A very close relation holds between the two. 11. The Good Shepherd.-Christ Himself. The sheep. In the widest sense, men generally in a more definite sense, those who become His followers. Even as a good shepherd will watch over his sheep, and yield his life in defense of them, so has Christ intervened in behalf of men, and given Himself for their salvation. He is the one and only absolute shepherd of souls. Ministers and other officers in the Church are only shepherds in a subordinate sense, namely, as they obtain their authority from Him, and discharge their duty in His spirit. 12. Hireling. One acting as a shepherd, but not being a true shepherd of the sheep, who cares only for his own interest, his pay. The wolf.-Figure here for Satan, and every thing ungodly. The description given of the conduct, selfish and cowardly, of the hireling, was a life-like picture of the_course pursued by the leaders of the Jews at the time. See John 12: 42-3. 13. Fleeth. It lies in his character | as a mere hireling, with no concern for the sheep, that with the appearance of actual danger, he should run away. There is no strong inner bond binding him to his flock, and its welfare, or harm. 14. Having given the characteristics of the hireling, the Lord now, by way of emphatic contrast, repeats the opening words of the parable. Know my sheep. Confirms the declaration just made concerning Himself. Christ knows His own. Am known of Mine. True disciples know their Lord and Saviour. He knows His, by their disposition toward Him: they know Him, by His love toward them. 15. As the Father knoweth Me.-The knowledge of the Father is complete, for He is God. Then Christ affirms that His own knowledge is reciprocally as The rela complete. And here seems to lie the deepest reason of His power to know His own. I lay down My life. Allusion to His death upon the cross. tion in which Christ stands to men, by virtue of His incarnation, is, moreover, throughout an interposition and a sacrifice in their behalf. 16. This fold. His Jewish disciples; His Church, as composed of believers of Jewish origin. Other sheep. Gentiles, such as are not Jews: Heathen, as we now would say. Them also I must bring. He here announces the universal, Catholic character of His kingdom as for people of all nations. In His relation to men national and other incidental distinctions disappear. The declaration of Jesus has now already its fulfillment to a very large extent. One fold. The Church of Christ is in its very nature one, though it may appear in different outward forms. Jew and Gentile, bond and free, people from the East, and people from the West, stand all alike in it. One shepherd. Namely, Jesus Christ Himself. For all time He continues actively the watchful tender shepherd of His people; and delegates His office to no Pope or Czar. The twenty-third Psalm gives us a very beautiful picture of the relation. of the Lord, as shepherd, to His people. The Power of Reading. Benjamin Franklin tells us, in one of his letters, that when he was a boy a little book fell into his hands, entitled “ Essays to do Good, by Cotton Mather." It was tattered and torn, and several leaves were missing. "But the remainder," he says, "gave me such a turn of thinking as to have an influence on my conduct through life; for I have always set a greater value on the character of a doer of good than any other kind of reputation; and if I have been a useful citizen, the public owes all the advantages of it to that little book." Jeremy Bentham mentions that the current of his thoughts and studies was directed for life by a single phrase that caught his eye at the end of a pamphlet "The greatest good of the greatest number." There are single sentences in the New Testament that have awakened to spiritual life hundreds of millions of dormant souls. Selected. APRIL 18. LESSON XVI, 1875. Third Sunday after Easter Jubilate. St. John xvi. 16-22. 16. A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, A little while and ye shall see me; because I go to the Father. 17. Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, A little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father? 18. They said, therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? We can not tell what he saith. 19. Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye inquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me and again, A little while, and ye shall see me? 20. Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. 21. A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. 22. And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. QUESTIONS. Why is this Sunday called Jubilate? In what relation does this Gospel stand to the Easter season of the church year in which it has its place? 16. Who is here speaking? Ye-who? At what period in the Saviour's life did He utter the words of this Gospel? What does He mean by the first a little while? Why should they not see Him then? What is meant by the second a little while? What by I go to the Father? 17. What did the disciples say? Did they understand Him? Why did they fail to understand Him? Had He ever intimated to them before His death and resurrection? Did they now ask Him for an explanation? 18. They said therefore, to whom? conclusion did they come to? 19. What did Jesus know? How did He come to know it? He said-what? Why, probably, did He not at the first tell them in plain words what He referred to? 20. What is the force of Verily, verily What should they do? Why? The expression the world signifies what, as used in this connection? How would it be affected? Why? Ye shall be sorrowful-why? What should become of their sorrow? When? 21. To whom does the Saviour compare His disciples while their sorrow should last? Like what should their joy be? 22. When did their sorrow begin? Why? What words of comfort does Jesus speak? When see them again? What effect would this What have? Would their joy abide? 40. Why was it necessary for Christ to humble Himself even unto death? Because with respect to the justice and truth of God, satisfaction for our sins could be made no otherwise than by the death of the Son of God. 41. Why was He also "buried"? Thereby to prove that He was really dead. 42. Since then Christ died for us, why must we also die? Our death is not a satisfaction for our sins, but only an abolishing of sin, and a passage into eternal life. 43. What further benefit do we receive from the sacrifice and death of Christ on the Cross? That by virtue thereof our old man is crucified, dead, and buried with Him: that so the corrupt inclinations of the flesh may no more reign in us, but that we may offer ourselves unto Him a sacrifice of thanksgiving. 44. Why is there added, "He descended into hell?" That in my greatest temptations, I may be assured, and wholly comfort myself in this, that my Lord Jesus Christ, by His inexpressible anguish, pains, terrors, and hellish agonies, in which He was plunged during all His sufferings, but especially on the cross, hath delivered me from all the anguish and torments of hell. Let me be with Thee where Thou art, Let me be with Thee where Thou art, Cease to be treach'rous, faithless, cold. Let me be with Thee where Thou art, Be evil and defiled no more. Let me be with Thee where Thou art, Me from Thy presence and Thy love. |