Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1889-07-18
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.


J Tho lesson for Sunday. July Fl. may be
found In l. Sam. 7; LA
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHES.
To keep me ark ~ The Lord. 10 was a
precious thing, and there needed 10 be a
prepared people to keep the holy receptacle.
An Increasingly dissoluts priesthood under
Hophni and phinehns forfeited II, q head
strong. thoughtiess people, as at Aphek,
sacrificed IL. hcathen race could not
abide il, and with their idols falling pros
trato and their inhabitants smitten tho
PhlllStine captors were forced TO cry out In
dire distress. What shall we do with tho
ark OF the Lord? TEL us 'wherewith wo
shall send IL to his place." Even Beth
shemesh In the borders OF the Holy Land
could not endure Its presence. Who Is
able" they said. ito stand before this holy
Lord God, and to whom shall he go up
from us?" SO they sent word to the in
habitants OF kirjath-Jeatim. farther north.
4 The Phillstines have Di ought again tho
ark OF the Lord; come ye down and fetch II
(, up TO youi" And the people OF Kirjath-
Jearim were not prepared ito keep the ark
OF the Lord" until they had set apart a
place for It and sanctfied Eleazar for its
Jealous care. The lesson Is profoundly
important one. Gods Righteousness is not
10 be approached lightly. He desires pre-
pared heart. and In the history OF nations.
as OF individuals, he makes ready fit
place for his ark to rest. for his richest
blessings to descend. Has it not been so
with America?
/ Al the house of Israel lanlented after the
Lord. BLESSED arc they which do hunger
and thirst after Righteousness. for they
shall be iilled.' Dr. Broadus has lately
quoted with en- phass tho true saying: "A
man Is as holy as he ever fully intended 20
be-" So also may we say o. a nation. 1t gets
what IL SO, ks. IL realizes its supIcmestaspi-
ra,ions. 1t was tho hope OF Israel. ever, in
hef wanderinos. that she was still so hope
less tchhout God. Always was she. IL not
rejoicing in him, lamenting Tor him. She
was never satisfied with SHINING. Other
nations might deny God and rest content;
not so Israel Her heart was restless till 1t
rested again in him in whom she was
called. That was Israel's assurance OF
Gods blessing. Across the sea comes the
Mayfiowor, laden with the first settlers OF
America. the hope OF new continent.
What are their credentials2 What their
pledges OF success? Their sad counten-
ances. their anxious hearts. The unrest
they felt under false systems. the longing
they experienced for freedom to worship
God"-that was their mark of divine line
age and the sign OF their coming greatness.
When you see n lamenttrg people 1t is, as
here In this great awakening, the har-
blnger of Il rejoicing people.
Put d,cGy the strange gods. That was the
first step In preparing their hearts unto tho
Lord. Doubtless il meant not little sac
riilce on the part OF Israel. The iconoclast G
spirit cannot but show som SH3 bat td M
times involve propt rty considerat ons and
always incfudo me pianting and nurtuting
OF moro or less deep-seated sentiments
10 uproot these requires heroic t. eatment.
AS George Washington was on his way to
the Colonial Congress before the reyolu-
ton, he met his friend, Jonathan Boucher,
tho loyalist clergyman. who warned him
with carnestness that participation in such
body as he was about TO enter meant war
| and bloodshed. Moncure ID. Conway is
authority for the statement that the future
commander os the American forces replied
warmly but probably overwhelmingly.
III you ever hear OF me joining in any such
measures. you have my leave TO set me
down for everything wickt d." But revolu-
| ton is not small play and it me ant destIuc-
! ton and devastation in this case. however
| little thought OF such tho patriots had at
| the outset. IL illu strates the militant and
indeed the iconocastic element or the
| Christian lie. The child Of God hears this
plain, imperative. Put away the strunge
gois. What that slgnfied for Israel the
1sraelites alone knew. What hidden ex-
periencrs OF the soul it intima tes. none but
III at soul can tel
Gather all Israel to Mizpeh. Great gath
crings like this constitute the worlds m le-
posts. History takes for its dating points
the great councils aud conventions of tho
centuries. W. HuOpu IOr our. reckoning
points in these centennial days of United
| states history the patriotic assemblies OF
our fathers in the early days of the Repub-
/ lie. notably the first Colonial Congress,
which met in New York. October T. 1865.
! and passed the Declaration o. Rights"
the second Colonial Congress- which con-
| vened in Philadelphia in September Of 1774
and voted to sustain Massachusetts in her
contention with Great Britain; the meeting
OF Congress in the same city July 4, 1776,
when the Declaration Of Independence was
passed; and the formal Inauguration Of
| Washington. In New York April 3d. 1889.
| This Oufharinn n Miunah fnrp
point in Israels history. 1t marked the
| change from state Of anarchy to that Of u
strong and united government. 1t was like
our Monroe Doctrine" II looked forward
farther than 10 this little engagement ut
! Ebenezer. All the future OF Israel was in
volved there. and to remotest days the ma
ton felt the influence of that united VOW
/ at Mizpeh. He who can tell the limit OF
such results rs spring from a national re-
vival Of religion might possibly tell whero
the fruits OF this great gathering ceased to
appear.
| And Samuelcried unto me Lord for Israel.
There was but one plea he could make. 1t
| was Israels hclplcssness. Thinking OF
their past shortcomings, looking upon their
feebleness before the mighty enemy. Israel
! could but cry out, in utter humiliation.
! Cease not to cry unto tho Lord our God
for us. that lie toiH sdce as out of the hand
OF the Philistines." 1t was, after ALL the
best appeal. When we are weak, then are
we strong. through God. More than once
has this favored land been saved out of tho
very valley of her weakness and undone-
ness. 1t was human helplessness that sent
| our forefathers here. How often IN the II s.
/ tory OF tho Christian church. too. has tho
night been darkest just before the dawn
| SO was IL in the gracious revival of 1856
| and the earlier awakening OF 1887. But
| what shall we say OF the future OF our loved
| land to-day and OF its establishment in
righteousness2 There is much to distress.
Intcmperance. illiteracy, Europeanism.
| What is our hope? The hope OF Samuel's
day. An omnipotent God. and an appeal
| out OF our weakness to His strength. Mas
| sachusetts. New Hampshire, Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island. our old-time hope, may fail
us In the conflict. but IL God speak all will
be well. Let the old motto stand: In God
we trust"
And he Lord heard him. MANS extrem-
! ity Is Gods opportunity" IL Is time for
the Samuels of.God to cry unto the Lord
! for Israel, high time here and now. But II
! that cry 20 up. cry of need. there never
was moro reason for hope than just now.
Why? For the same reason that DIR. Joseph
Strong wisely urged in his address before
the Convention of Christian Workers I'm
New York City. In long. hard winter in
| New England. Farmer Leavitt, looking up
rather than down for help. said to his
neighbors: Have no fear" What is
your sign2" they asked. my sign" he an
swcred, with lofty trust, lis that / do not
see hoU zoe are going TO get along lrithout
a." And not long after the leo and snow
loosed their grip and the grass aud flowers
began to appear. Said DIR. Strong. Il be-
lieve in Neighbor LehvItt's sign. i believe
there is going TO be a mighty awakening
among the churches Of the United States,
because do not see how we can get along
without it,"
Then Samuel took stone. A monument
Is TO be raised to memorializc n great vic
tory. Whose shall be the honor? Samuel
I does not say, Hitherto ho Oh Israel preBailed