Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1889-04-18
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
DISSERTATION ON
SERIOUS SUBJECTS.

A Pleasant, Interesting, and Instructive
Lesson and Where 1t May BE Found-A
Learned and Concise Review OF the
Same.
The lesson for Sunday. April 21. may be
found in Mark ~: 1884
INTRODUCTORY.
1t was one OF the Masters fleld-days. At
the opening OF Mark we had the record OF
one day OF blessed preaching and healing.
And how full OF kindly ministries 1t was.
that day at Capernaum with its message and
It's miracle Of the synagogue. the healing OF
Simon's wife's mother. coming directly af-
ter. with the gathering Of the sick and evil
possessed-of "all the city" at the door .at
even when the sun did set"--and he healed
many" This third day OF the week.-Mrs.
last week In the fiesh--to which we have
now come. is another season Of thronglng
events. But this time he is in the heat OF
battle, and II Is the flash OF the sword that
we see piercing now and again between the
joints OF the harness. The fig treo withers
up from the roots" the arrogant query In
the temple, by what authority doest thou
these things?" Is met the crucial parallels
OF the vineyard. the two.sons. and the mar
riage feast are spoken, the Pharisee with
his piece OF tribute money and the Saddu-
Gee with his insidious questions regarding
the resurrection are in turn put to confu-
sion, close upon their heels coming the law
yer with his inquiry answered In the present
lesson; and yet the day is but half gone. The
cross was not far distant. and every mo-
ment had its weighty erraDd TO the Master,
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHES.
And one OF the scrt6es came. 1t Is the
scribe's turn now. Ore by one our Lords
enemies came forward In this last passage
at arms in the temple. each to be signally
discounted and put to shame. First the
high priests are asking his credentials and
authority for preaching as he does. Christ
answers them with a series OF parallels that
exalt the will Of God as the ground of obe-
dence. and the word of God as the basis
Of authority. convctfng his interlocutors OF
unfaithfulness to that will and disloyalty to
that word. They go away. Then comes the
Pharisee, asking slyly about the tribute to
Caesar that they might "entangle him in his
talk" and with his discriminating reply.
Render unto Caesar tho things that are
Caesars and to God the things that are
Gods. in their ears they can only marvel
and hold their peace. Next the Sadducee.
cleverIy asking regarding the wife OF seven
husbands: In the resurrection. therefore.
when they shall rise, whose wife shall she
be OF them?" Christ proves. to their con-
fusion, hat they know not the Scriptures,
neither the power of God" And now. last
of all. come tho scribes and pharisdes.
There is the same result. Presently we see
them standing shame-faced Before him.
"and no man was able to answer him
word" The defeat OF the skeptic and the
caviler is complete. Why should We fear
to-day?
Which Is. the first commandment of aH2
The word was an echo from the vain and
fruitless disputations Of the day. What
piece OF work-righteousness will count the
most? Ii is again the question of the young
man: What good thing shall dor" There
is the same encounter in these latter times.
Mans morality. so-caled. sets itself over
against the righteousness, which is OF God
through faith. How shall the churches be
nfftlr fsar-
and M. j. Savage, of Boston, and DIR.
Thomas, Of Chicago. and the Unitarians
1--WE wrote it first. in significant inadvert-
ence. UniUersdtistS) OF Cincinnati are re-
plying in one breath: Preach the divinity
OF human nature" The divineness Of tho
race etc. Yes. the world still wishes to
know how it can whiten the sepulchre OF
this dead carnality little more. and, dis
carding penitence and confession. reach
Heaven by a ladder OF good works. How
can the church be made more useful" to
this end? Alasi that there should be any
encouragement for such tendency from
church or pulpit.
Thou shalt lore the Lord uy God. 20 yes,
good Master, we do love the great Father
OF US all. for. do you not see. we fast lin
Lent and give aims, and keep the law and
60 SELL" says the Master interrupting
the glib tongue or the young ruler. give
and come follow mel" righteousness is more
than a matter OF the law. 1t is downright.
hearty. supreme, ,self-forgetting love. Love
the Lord thy God with all thy heart. soul.
mind. strength. Love to God, such love as
is here taught, complete. all embracing. is
what the world needs to-day. 1t is as Kant
said, acting so that "the maxim OF thy will
may be the principle of universal legis-
lation." But who has ever been able to do?
that who but One? II we had no other
proof OF mans fall we should have 1t here
when we compare human life. at it's hest.
with this sweeping divine law. Some one
once defined total deprayity to be simply
and solely this. the complete failure of man
to love God with all the heart. We need u
Redeemer.
Thou shalt lore hy nei0hwr as MvseU.
Men do not seem to be much in love with
themselves. according to this test-they
love their neighbors SO little. But the
trouble is that the golden rule, of which
this is but another version. is not being OBJ
served to any great extent. There would
be less oppression, less exaction. less dis
honesty. IL men loved each other as they
should. There would be more wages and
more work put into the day. were there
more neighbor-love In the business and
social world. What will you white wush
my barn for?" Two dollars and a half u
day, sab" How much for the job?" Wen.
take de white wash and de wear and tear.
dars no money in it by the job" Our col
ored friend let's out a good -sized secret
here. In ordinary commercial intercourse
there are innumerable hedges reared to
compel that which love itself ought to con-
strain. All. love- true, disinterested love. is
still very rare commodity.
No man after that burst ask him any more
questions. 1t proved very dangerous work
to assail the truth. It always does. Better
leave 1t alone. When Lyman Beecher went
from Litchfield to Boston, then the hot-bed
OF UnitarLanism. all but one Of the old
churches having adopted the new Christ
destroying tenets. he was like q man sent
OF God, and 1t was "as tn ough In him one OF
the old Puritans had risen from the dead"
or course thero was opposition and heathen
rage. Read DIR. Beecher's autobiography:
Showers OF lies were raised about us every
day." But the old hero answered with the
truth. God sent him revival after revival
Presently we find him saying. "All this
malignity did us no harm. They only rang
The 6ellJor me-" In little while the oppo-
sition had changed their tactics and con-
cluded to lot Lyman Beecher and his or
thodox preaching alone. Lift up Christ.
In the face of gainsaying world, teach
Jesus. When they ask questions give
them Jesus for an answer. IL Is enough.
Ere long we shall find It is OF old. They
dare not for their lives ask any more
questions"
Next Lesson-"Tho Destruction OF the
Temple Forctold. Mark 13: 1-13.
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