Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1889-03-14
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
SERIOUS SUBJECTS CAREFULLY AND
ABLY CONsIDERED.

Scholarly Exposition Oh tho hosson
Thoughts Worthy OF Calm Refiec-
tion-Half an Hours Study of the Scrip
tures-Time Wen Spent
The lesson for Sunday, March IL, may
be found in Mark K, 1922.
INTRODUCTORY.
The parsonage at Epworth was in flames.
They had rescued, as they supposed. all
the inmates, when ii was discovered that
one of the children, seven having already
been removed to places of safety, was IN
the burning building. Two OF the vii
layers climbed, the one upon the shoulders
Of the other, and drew the little one forth
from the upper windows. 1t was John
Wesley, the father of Methodism. Who
knows what is wrapped up in the minds
and hearts Of the youngS God only, and
he it is that urges upon us through MS
divine Son such cordial love and regard
for thom.- Last week we were studying the
child as an aid and animus to faith. This
week we look upon the child as the very
type of that great kingdom OF grace which
the Saviour came to declare. May these
two lessons teach us all more OF the simA
plicity of trust in God.
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHES
They brought young children TO him.
To Christ il was, and for the blessing of
his touch, nothing else. Such bringing
there is, when the Sunday-school teacher
endeayors to carry his pupils with him
close up to tho very word OF life. Such
bringing is there when the father or
mother goes with her child TO God in
earnest prayer May we not also say that
every act of helpfulness done to the little
ones, for Christ's sake, is bringing of
the little ones to him. Stanley says that
next to the abiding inspiration OF Living
stone in Africa, the thing to which he owes
the most for all that is best in him is the
almshouse in old England, that took him
up ragged boy from the streets and
taught him letter things in Christ's love.
Brother teacher, how it should stir us to
feel that in our weekly work of love, un-
der Gods Providence, we are bringing
young children to himi"
Those that brought them. Think of the
influence over those who brought the chill
dren. Coming with q right conception OF
Christ's relation TO the little ones, and
with q craving for his blessing upon the
heads of those whom they bore, could
they have gone forth themselves un-
blessed? The ole pious feature OF many
so-cal'ed baptism there at the altar rail
has been the parental solic.tude displayed.
And with us all, in prayer, in self-devo-
ton, in purer life, how much closer to
God are we drawn by the children. Across
in the country yonder is farmer some
time neglecter of the sanctuary, who
has Just come back and renewed his cov-
enant He gives as reason for his re-
turn tho thought of his boy who loved
him and followed him in implicit trust.
"Eye~ywhere / went, down through the
w-plowed ground, said he, Il could see
little Johnny's tracks along side my 0rn.
1t was the vision of those little shoe
marks close to his own that brought the
right thinking farmer back to his God
Suffer LuLe children to come ante me.
The Lord loves the little onas- They are
by His grace already His, and there is an
insistent and instructive feeling in our
breasts that to Him they belong. The
oft-told incident of the child recitationi't It
never fails to move us. Suffer little
children, she said, and then she forgot
Suffer little children to come unto me,
and then paused again. But once more
she essayed it and with this somewhat
original result: Suffer little children to
come unto me-and don't anybody stop
them, for He wants them all to come. "
| True enough. Why not have indeed a
child's reeision of the Scriptures? Alas!
that we should ever apply other tests than
those of child-trust.
Of such is the Kingdom Of God. In
truth we have learned much of the king
dom from the quick alertness or the wise
trustfulness of the child. We were all of
us telling In the testimony meeting what
it was kept us so long from coming to
| Christ. Some said it was fear of man.
Others, doubt as to Gods power, or un-
| due dependence upon self, or waiting for
n more convenient season, or seeking for
some better way. At last they asked q
| little bright faced lad of eight or nine,
sitting we'll up toward the front, and ap-
pnrently intent upon all that was passing.
"And what kept your" said the leader.
Without moments hesitation, the boy
replied, Il think il was SIM" Sure enough,
what else was iti That closed the discus
son.
As little child. Child likeness, by
the MasterT word, comes the nearest tc
being Christ-likeness. What is 1t 10 re-
ceive the kingdom as little chld?'
There was Annie Redmond, the lost child
in the Home of the Friendless. Some one
recognized her and asked her name. Cur.
ley" she said, giving the name of he
abductress, "but my other name is Annie
Redmond. Presently her mother wa'
before her. is this your mother?S TC
leap into her arms was but a childs an
swer. How are you receiving tho king
dom? You are saying, yes, / think tha
is my Heavenly Father. 1 think that !:
my elder brother" But you make ~
effort to spring to his embrace. You sta.
just whore you are. Certainly, that is no
childlike. We took the pains while ag'
TO copy from Jonathan Edwards-who will
never be accused of sentimentalism-thi
sentence: There is not so much differ
ence before God between children ant
grown persons, ns we are ready TO i'm
ngine. We are all poor, ignorant, foolisl
babes in his sight. Our adult age doe
not bring us so much nearer to God as w
ale apt 10 think
Jesus beholding him loved him. Chris
loves the young man. He covets tn
strength of youth for the kingdom. Go
wants the voice of the young in hi
church. What great and gracious gift
would be should the hearts of the younl
men Of any community be given to Christ
But IL must mean whole hearted surren
der to the Master, not a partitive observ
ance or partial fealty. Sam Small wa
right in insisting that with naturalization
papers taken out the old life is renounce
and q whole new life is begun. Theologi
cal regeneration is nothing more nor les
than spiritual naturalization. Back ther
the alien died and the new citizen wa
born. That is what Christ desires TO d
with every young man-give him ne'
heart and new life.
: Next Lesson - Blind Bartimaus.
clark 10: 46-52.
--------------Z
Young Men at the Top.