The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1889-05-01
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
AN INTERESTING AND INSTRUCTIVE
LESSON Considered.

ing tho scrIptural Lessons Inteliigcntly
and Probably.
The lesson for Sunday. May 5. may be
found In Mark Is: 24-37.
INTRODUCTORY.
watch Is the key-word to this lesson.
What does IL mean? Looking east or west.
face alert. straining tho eye for a coming
form. That In part. But there is something
else In the watching our Savior enjoins. 1t
Is such n care OF the life as will ut one TO
best receive his Lord when he chooses to
come. This Is the true Gregory. watcher.
Watch for me-" says the mother at the
threshold. One child sulks and idles away
the hours. watching the hands OF the clock.
or gazing up the long road for glimpse OF
familiar figure. The other betakes him
self TO the wonted tasks and TO the things
mother wishes to have done. Which one Is
truly found watching when the parent re-
turns? In all things we scan the heavens
too much and our lives too little. Frederick
Robertson wrote among his Resolves OF
1915, TO get over the adulterous-gen
habit OF seeking a sign. i want a loud voice
from heaven to tell me "a thing is wrong.
whereas little experience OF its results is
enough TO prove that God is against it, Live
justly. walk humbly. have faith IL that Is
watching.
WHAT THE LESSON SAYS.
In those days DR.. w. N. Clark chooses
10 look upon the time as now past. and re-
fcrring to the destruction OF Jerusalem, the
subsequent language being considered fig
urative and couched in strong Hebraistic
hyperboles. We prefer. however. 10 view
the words AS looking forward to events not
yet consummated. the whole panorama of
mundane history passing rapidly before our
sayior's eye. and sketched in brief preg-
nant sentences. 1t is the language OF one
with whom a thousand years are as one
day.-Atter that tl'ibutatiOn. 1t Is simply
subsequentKo the events before narrated.
Christ is speaking OF last things in general.
the those days" being archaeological days;
and he portrays coming events as related
in this great scheme. without reference to
other intervening incidents in time. To
use Ellicott's sagacious observation: AS
men gazlng from "a long distance see the
glitteiing heights OF two now-crowned
mountains apparently in close proximity.
and take no account Of the vast tract IL may
be OF very many miles, which lies between
them. -Darkened. AS narrated in Rev.
5: II.
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHES.
Win great pO'cer and glory. The time OF
His open triumph is approaching. His DOW
er and glory Christians already proclaim.
but the world does not yet acknowledge it.
The day Is drawing nigh when they shall
no longer gainsay the King OF Glory. but
shall fall before Him. though it be 10 their
Infinite shame. and confess dis great pow
or and glory.
The Lord is now rejected and by the world dis
BY the many still neglected and by the few on
throned.
But soon He'll come in glory--the time is draw
ing nigh,
For the browning day is coming by and by.
Gather together the elect 1t is a bright
hope. We all sorrow over loneliness. and
there comes thrill to the heart at times
- there comes t. Us tho thought OF the
great assembly OF the church Of the first
born. What a gathering that will be-"
Our friend from Japan has just been telling
us, his comrades, meeting about tho ban
quoting board. and tears the while shining
IN his eyes, of what longing sometimes OPP
pressed his soul in distant and benighted
isolation for kindred sympathy and fellow
ship. Think of it. brothers, everywhere;
from the four winds. from he uttermost
part OF the earth"-God shall gather
together his elect" Some time. lone.
weary toiler there at your task. you shall
look up and see Gods angel sent for you.
Learn a parable OF The f9-tree, or rather.
learn the fo-tree's parable. Let the fig-tree
Hsigh Miller wrote OF his life work amidst
natures rocks aud mountains and Gale his
grand book My Schools aud School Mas
ters"-God bless him for it, Everywhere he
went. with ok and hammer no was learn
ing Of life and God. The rocks, the trees.
all have a message for US.
Tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in rything.'
And nature is full also OF predictions.
God uses the earth to herald his coming,
and TO admonish man by many signs and
tokens 10 prepare Tor the coming of the
great and notable dag of the Lord. Have we
learned from nature her prable?"
10 as nigh. ereh at The doors. The revision
says. He is nigh" At Christs approach
there shall be. as il were. tokens OF his near
ness. Have we the discernment 10 recog-
nize the threshold signs. these knockings
"A CT
near to the word. and deeply imbued with
the spirit OF the Christ. When the Lord
Jesus came in the flesh there were only
Anna and Simeon, few tar-guided wise
men and a group OF angel-visited she pherds
to recognize him ere he gave public decla-
ration OF his mission. Shall il be so again
when the day OF his second coming breaks
upon usP
Ny toord shall not pass array. Like him.
self. il was impossible that they should be
holden OF death. Did he not say, The
words that L speak unto you. they are spirit
and they are lie." The most living vital
thing left amongstus to-day is this word OF
truth. The guards fell, the seal melted
hike wax, the stone was rolled away. Christ
was stronger than they. SO some time the
sky shall be rolled together as a scroll. the
elements shall melt with fervent heat. but
Christ's words shall not pass away. They
are stronger than all else here, and when
mundane things shall be consumed the truth
OF God alone shall stand unscathed in the
general demolition. Says w. n. Clark,
The Bible is the only book that shall last
into eternity" 1t lasts because il Is the ma
ture of God who is eternal Treasure the
word.
For ye kno,c not ,chen the time is. Ger
tainly not. II angels and even Christ in his
mediatoral capacity, did not know.
Strangely enough. Christ importunes US TO
consider the times, and yet assures us th at
the day itself shall come upon us as a thief
in the night. The same lips that say 'knolo
that 1t Is nigh" add for We kno,c not when
the time is" That il. of the general ap-
proach OF that day We may become aware.
but its breaking will be with the suddenness
OF the lightning flash. This. indeed. the
parable Of the man taking "a far journey"
seems 10 imply. The length of the journey
AID the work given TO every man set some
reasonable boundary lines and means of
testing. They may help us along with other
signs to discover when the Master is ap-
preaching and is nigh But as to whether
ne shall come Fat even. or Mt midnight. or
at cock-crowing, or in the morning. no
man can tell--"but the Father"
And ,ohat say unto you ! SAP unto all.
match. Why not unto all? Watchin souls
are loyal souls: waiting in working. That
watching spirit has been the lie preserva.
tive OF the centuries. How many have lived
and died in the faithful keeping OF those
wordsl And shall we say that with any OF
them. living or dying. their watching was
vain? They saw not the notable day. but
to each OF them the time OF mortality was a
veritable day OF the Lord. DIR. Boise has
lust been conducting his class through the
strong stirring sentences OF Peters epis-