The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1888-07-11
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Notes on tho Lesson for July Is
Gods Presence Promised.
[From the chicaeo standsrd.l

WHAT THE LESSON TEACHES.
Moses said unto The Lord. The speech Is
| familiar without being irreverent. Moses
had the qualifications for intimate commu-
| MON with God. Like Enoch. he walked with
God; like Abraham he talked with God:
and may we not say, like the favored
| apostles. he beheld the very smilitude and
express image OF God. God conversed with
him face 10 face, "as a man speaketh unto
his friend" His language here is OF the
Tree. unconstraincd sort where friend talks
with friend. So speak the holy men OF the
ages. Charles Wesley's hymns. Luther's
prayers. Whitfeld's and Surgeons sermons
are in the vocabulary OF intimate associa-
ton with the Most High. Take away the
TACT of close intercourse and the speech
would seem sacrilegious. Knowing the di-
vine communion granted these men. we take
il as the natural and becoming language of
the heart. Deacon Willard lay on his dying
bed few weeks since there by the shores
Of Lake Michigan, his ardent soul longing
Tor the blessed transition. Said he, half
| facetiously. in the ripe assurance of "a trust
u soul that had finished its course and kept
the faith: Il have waited so long. The
Lords coming seems to be delayed. wish
some one would get me the key and just slip
me in. i don't think the Lord would turn
me out" The key was even then turning in
the lock. and little later he was with the
Friend he loved so much TO talk about.
Bring up this people. There is the task.
and tremendous one it is. 1t is still the
most gigantic of all undertakings-the
bringing up, the right leading Of people.
Men can lift valley TO the hills level or the
oceans basin TO be a highway TO the ma
tons. These are after all but pigmy projects
| compared with the elevation of Il people out
OF their natural and habituM depravity.
There is no such thing as evolution. pure
and simple. To change degradation to de-
velopment requires heavens energy. 1t is n
divine up-lift, not human up-growth. God
must act. The Lord sent not his church forth
| to such an enterprise till he had doubly as
sured them by his all-power and ever-pres-
ence. Thou sayeSt unto me, Bring up this
people," Take the mighty burden, brother
pastor. teacher; lay il at the feet of him who
alone is sufficient for these things. God
never intended that we should perform it
alone. When Moody asked Sturgeon TO
| speak before the mammoth revival meetings
in London. the great preacher cast himself
prone before God. saying. Who am / that
should appear with such a message before
this great companyl" And there God en-
dued him. May the Lord grant us "A moving
| sense OF our responsibility and may il drive
us TO him for grace to help in time of need.
Shoe me notc thu trdy. 1t was a new and "a
bold petition. God had already called him.
| c'I know thee by name.') He had already
sealed the call with open tokens and bless
ings before the people. Chou hast found
grace in my sight.D Now Moses ventures
a step farther and makes the grave and
secret OF his gracious purposes. "Shew me
now thy way, he prays. 1t is. as il were. a
third enduement. Does Moses realize what
he is asking? Does he not know that he is
claiming well-nigh the very prerogative of
the Son and the Holy Spirit? Has he grace
for the divine indulgence? Did you ever
pray straight?" said our friend. rich in faith
10 us. BE careful how you do IL. You will
get what you ask, but be sure IL is what you
want" Moses was sure, and so he utters
lie doll fnlt Dot aftaax a xv
Show me thy way" That we may sincerely
make such petition. let us clearly hear Gods
call and fully realize and accept the divine
commission. Then God grant us boldness
TO approach for our empowering the very
holy of HOLES. 1t was the place where
Charles Finney found his strength. was it
not?
Consider that this nation is thu people. A
strong plea. the droumentunl a Ueum, the
weightiest that man could urge before God.
For God is love. and love will not deny it's
own. Indeed. it is the only thing that will
account fer the divine forbearance toward
stiff-necked Israel-they were his people. A
friend OF ours was on the train the other day.
and saw two women with child. They
seemed to be equally attached to the little
one. fondling and caressing ii. He fell 10
wondering. in the random musings OF rail-
road journey, which was the mother. But
presently the door of the car flew open while
the child was standing bashful in the aisle;
lnen ne knew. 1ndb one VINO Sprdng up
suddenly and instinctively TO snatch the lit
tie one from what was as yet only possible
peril-that was the mother. "Ah, Lord"
says Moses, looking at the hazards of the
way. this is thy people, thy little one. 1t
is enough. The blessed word is spoken.
MY presence shall go with thee. and l will
give thee rest" The Lord is mindful Of
his own"
is it not in that thou ooest uith usp This.
on the other hand. is the argument before
the world. In these days Of platforms. re-
member IL as the first plank in the Chris
tian's declaration Of principles. The pres
ence OF God among his people is the
church's adequate apology before a gain
saying populace. There is no resisting the
tokens of Gods presence and power. Have
you not noticed? The world does its argu-
ing in times of religious declension when
the Master seems to be away. The deists
fiourished when piety was at its ebb in En-
gland. The critics OF Germany attacked the
Word when state-church Journalism had
taken the place OF religion pure and unde-
filed. In revival times the mouth of contro-
versy is closed. and Satan but sets the hands
and feet OF Ms minions 10 desperate coun-
ter-activity. And have you not observed
this, also that the missionary church of the
present age, with its blessed ingatherings,
the tokens OF God 5 presence. has not needed
to stop long TO explain or prove TO the world
its right TO live. With Gods power mani
fest, path of progress Canaanward has
been made among the nations. We have
not had 10 tarry for leave TO cross the bor-
ders. We have gone right on. almost I'M
challenged. What we need" says Duncan
Macgregor, sis more of God" Soberly we
may say it: IF thy presence go not with
me, carry US not up hence.
So shall zee be separated. and thu people.
That makes three-I and Thee and the peo-
pie. "A peculiar people" after the Scriptural
pattern, must have God in the midst, "a part
OF the whole. Thou goest with us--so shall
we be separated" There have been some
separate people who have neglected this wise
precaution- They have not taken God with
them; they have not been separate unto the
Lord. The glory has departed from Israel
since in her separateness she has denied the
voice Of God in Christ. and we have the sad
spectacle to-day Of the wandering jew Of
the centuries. There is people on our
Western mountain sides. separate and moth
ing more; peculiar especially i'm this. that
they disobey and dethrone God. They may
well beware OF that separateness. which is
but TO be in response TO the stern word.
Depart. never knew you" But let Protest
antism. In its turn. learn here a lesson. Dis
sent is not devotion. Let us be sure we
have God with us in faith and fellowship, or
we are the most pitiful folks on the face of
the earth
Next l.sscii. Free Gifts for the Taber-
nacle."-Ex. 80: 20-29.
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A MAGNIFICENT engineering work of