Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1879-06-02
sUNDAY.sCHooL LESSON.
Sunday. June 5. Eek. 81: LILO.

III uio "tluOoo uoJo VI ViooiP"elon hO
could never shake off the feeling of his
mothers hand on his head, as she knelt
by his side in prayer. By Gods blessing
that mothers hand held back her way
ward boy from ruin, and finally drew
him to the feet of Jesus. Everybody
feels the pressure of some hand; it may
be of poverty, or of ambition, or Of love.
Best of all is the hand of the Lord; yet
there is no pressure that most of us
shrink from like this hand. When it is
laid on US in chastisement, or rebuke, or
entreaty, we wish that it were lifted
from us. 1t is we'll that the Lord lays
his hand on US when he thinks best,
rather than when we do; and that he
keeps it on those whom he loves as long
as he knows it to be for their good,
whether they like it or not.
lind set me doom IN the midst of the
galley achich aoas full of bones. The
Lords children sometimes find them
selves in very dreary places. The bones
of the dead are about them. Loved ones
have gone. Home is desolate. Or the
field of labor where they stand shows no
signs of life. There are only bones to
work on, or to preach to. On every side
is gloom OF deafness, and what is strang-
est of all-the hand of the Lord has set
his children there. What does it mean
by this? Whatever he means, the fact
is unmistakable that the valley is full
of bones, and that the children of God
are there by his direction.
Can these bones Hve9 ". 3.) Must
our surroundings be always gloomy ? Are
they as bad now as they look? Can we
be of no service in bringing life and
Joy where were death and sorrow? If
we are in desolate home, must it be
always desolate Z? Is it now really so
dreary as it seems? If we are in cold
and formal church, must it be always
cold and formal If we are in a slug
gish and inactive community, must it
remain sluggish and inactive.
0 Lord God, thou knoacest. That is
so. Whatever we may think or guess
about it, the Lord kaaoa0s. And it is a
good thing for US to realize that the
Lord does know that he can say whether
or not that which seems hopeless has
possibilities of good in it. Our duty is
to feel that God knows and to look tc
him for all the knowledge on the subject
that it is best for US to have. Can the
deadness in his heart, in this lesson, il
this school, in this church. in this com
munity, be exchanged for life? &C
Lord God, thou knowest"
o ye dry bones, hear the s0Ord of tn
Lord v. A.. The word of man may have
some influence with flesh and blood, bu
for dry bones the word of the Lord il
the only hope. If your church SEEM
made up of bloodless, feshless, senseless
dry bones (and there are such churches)
call on the members to hear the wore
of the Lord. The fact that you hav
only dry bones for hearers should max
you all the reader to proclaim the wore
of the Lord; for if there is anythin.
that can reach them it is just that
And if there is one thing more thai
another for which the word of the Lore
is adapted, it is to making dry bone
hear.
As 7 prophesied. there ,0os noise, an
behold a shaking ". y. Preaching tina
never makes stir in the congregation
is a poor sort of preaching. Sermon
which everybody says are $50 good,
"just lovely" delightful" will nevc
put life into dry bones. 1t is when tn
hearers vince under the truth whe
! they begin to deny the preachers appli
, cation of it; when they say, sour min
lister oughtn't to have taken up that sub
r ject before this people, that there is
= hope of gain to the hearers through tn
| prophesying from that pulpit. If Their
, is no shaking among the dry bones be
D cause Of your prophesying in the pulpit
t in the newspaper, or in the eommunit
e at large, you have little to encourag
/ you in your work so far?
a THE flesh came up upon them, and I'll
g skin covered them above; bat there zoo
no breath IN them ". s.. Religion
b wax-works are on exhibition in a gre;
e many places. There are Sunday-schoo
d with all the system, and all the shOV
k and all the appliances you could ask 70
o All they lack is life. The bones al
: there. There is a good Sunday-scho
r skeleton to begin with. Worship an
). Bible study are planned for as the Chi
:. occupation The skin covers the fesl
n The exercises are of the most approve
|. sort-the same as those in real, livir
s Sunday schools. But the breath is n
i in those schools. That which only &c
d can give is still lacking. Is there ar
e breath of life in your Sunday school ?
is Come from the toasr a0i,ads, o breat
e and breathe upon these slain, that til
lie may lice ". g.. If we expect to do an
'e thing toward bringing the dead to lif
d we must pray earnestly for the Ho