Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1889-05-16
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
SERIOUS SUBJECTS CAREFULLY AND
ABLY CONSIDERED.


tures-Time Well Spent.
Tho lesson for Sunday, May 10. may be
ound In Mark IA: 1926.
The two disciples who went before our
Lord TO prepare for his triumpha ant entrance
| into Jerusalem must have had strange sur
misses as to what that event might portend.
| Similarly the two disciples who are sent
beforehand in this lesson to make ready the
passover could not but have had anxious
anticipations regarding what the morrow
might bring forth. And those anticiputions
were not ill-founded. though the denoue-
ment was far Il ON that which their human
aspirations and desires prompted them to
| expect. 1t has been suggested that the
disciples were looking to see our Lords
Messianic power displayed at this feast
| And was it not2 There In that upper room.
| in the broken bread and the wine poured
| out was given symbol which, with all It
| set forth OF mercy and might, was to
| abide to remotest generations. the Lords
| Supper.
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHES.
And Mey made ready The passover. They
were doing more; they were preparing also
| for the Lords supper. which should hence
| forth take the place of the former memorial
| Both spoke OF deliverGnce through tho
blood. but the older rite only foreshadowed
and preflgured what was to be taught In
rounded completeness by the Lords Sup
per- Thus the Old and the New are bound
together. Israel was ever making ready
| for this. the true passover. 1t was not
necessary that she should know it in full.
| God works quietly and oftentimes through
| hidings of power to the plishment OF
| his designs of grace. That is a significant
| passage over in the sixth OF first Kings re-
/, garding the building OF Solomon's temple,
| type of Gods spiritual building. And the
| housc when IL was in building was built OF
stone made ready before it was brought
| thither; so that there was neither hammer.
nor AK, nor any tool OF iron heard in the
| house while it was building" The great
Architect OF the spiritual temple is build
| ing. constantly building. Even when we
| see not the marbles or cedars. back there
| in some T.ahanon they arc hain0 nranaradi
and shaped. and when Gods time Is come.
| quietly. man hearing no sound OF hammer
| or AK. the great beams drop into their
narrowing rests" and the spacious house
| OF God rises serenly toward the skies. 1t
| Is, after all. God who makes ready.
In the erening he cOneh 1oith the tloelue.
| 1t was an evening never to be forgotten.
| See how full 1t was OF meaningful words
| and deeds. II we eat the Lords Supper as
| the disciples afterward partook of 1t. shall
| We not be thinking OF all that took place In
| connection with itP 1t began as Luke tells
us. with a contention among the twelve
| which should be accounted greatest"
I Think OF 1t, right upon the edge OF that
| great agony In the garden and on the tree
human pride and worldly ambition came
| in. How humbling the thought to the dis
| ciples-and usl Then, as probably grow
| ing out OF this, John says our Savior
| poured water in basin and began to wash
| the disciples feet" The serving. self-for-
| getful spirit. Il. your Lord and Master-I
have given you an example" Doubtless the
disciples thought OF that as they sat at the
| table of the Lord Do we? Next come the
| terrible words. "One Of you which eateth
with me shall betray me-" In the light of
| that revelation OF human weakness and
| wickedness. knowing our hearts as we do.
| can we ever lit the cup without saying
| meekly. deprecatingly. with the disciples,
| Lord is itI?" A moment later and Peter.
| all too self-confldent, hears the dread di-
| vulgence. Thou shalt deny me-" o. let US
walk very softly before God and with much
| of self-abasing prayer Yet also very hope
fully. and trustfully. and joyfully. lor the
Let not your hearts be troubled" come
| here with all the sweet comfort and strength
| OF the 14th. 18th. 10th. and 18th Of John. the
whole closing with the assuring prayer OF
| Christ in our behalf That the love here
| with thou hast loved me may be in them.
| and / IN them" o. brother. does the Lords
| Supper mean to us all that 1t ltmeant to those
| disciples OF Christ?
Jesus took bread. Here was a moving
| object-lesson; and lasting, too. He took
| the common loaf. such as we handle every
| day, and sanctifled it to the holiest usee.
| Whenever we take bread now let US recall
| that Jesus himself took it and by means OF
| it taught the closenesS OF his relationship
| to us who love him. We do not simply re-
| ceive Christ as one accepts cloak to put 1t
| on loosely, ready to be thrown of again.
| We take him as one takes food that it may
| become part and parcel OF ourselves. to en-
| ter into the very texture or essence both OF
| body and soul In fact, We become very
| largely OF the nature OF that OF which we
| partake. Mann ist," says tho Germans
sententiously, "tcds err isst." /. g.. man is
| what he eats. Feeding upon heavens bread
we are built up in the heavenly image ac-
| cording to Christ Jesus. Read the sixth OF
- H.. H. 81 II I...l d har h tnlN
cometh down from heaven and giveth life
| unto the world" Il am the living bread
which came down from heaven; If any man
eat this bread he shall live for ever" Alas.
how many souls there are starving to death
/ where there is bread and to spare
| This is nly blood of the Neto Testament.
| We like the old word Testament" -Coven-
ant" the word also means. but covenant.
makes US think OF the legalism OF the Old
| dispensation. Testament" suggests to US
the pure love and full grace Of the Gospel.
1t means bequest. free-gift. Moody says he
| used to think that Christ made no will prior
| to his death, but that he has changed his
mind since reading anew John IA: ~.
unto you." The Christian has legacy and
| rich one. Peace does not include 1t all
Joy also Is there, for he prays that my joy
| might remain in you. aud that your Joy
might be full" And love. Continue ye In
my love-" he says. Peace. Joy. love. these
Christ left behind him. as IL were. the
| mantle of his grace and the pledge and FORE
taste OF his peoples inheritance In the
heavens. Tho cup continually brings this
to mind. This cup is the New Testament
in my blood" 1t is the seal Of his bequest;
let us touch It reverenty. Only sons can
come to IL. For -whosoever shall eat this
break and drink this cup OF the Lord un-
worthily shall be guilty Of the body and
blood OF the Lord. But let a man examine
himself and so lot him cat OF that bread and
drink OF that cup"
He gaze it TO them. Do not lose sight OF
the Hand behind tho cup and OF the Face
| behind tho bread. IL was He who was giv-
ing all tho time. The last word from the
teachers lips was In keeping with all the In
struction OF his life. n lesson OF grace given.
The last motion OF the Mnster's hands-and
how often the disciples must have looked
back to Il with tender feeling g?--was break
inO blessing and OiuinO. o. at sight OF the
broken bread and the poured out cup. our
hearts should we'll up in gratefulness for all
that Christ has given out OF his heart OF
Lowell All we have and are Is through the
love which Oires IL 10 as. Honcc Paul
could cry out as his only plea 10 the Gala
tians. who were seeking after salvation by
| circumcision. and thinking more OF the or
dlnance than OF the ordainer. The life
which now live in tho flesh live by the
faith OF the Son OF God who loved me and
gave himself for me-"
4 Next Lesson--Jesus Betrayed Mark
IA: 1884