Crawford avalanche., 1889-05-02
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
AN INTERESTING AND INSTRUCTIVE
LESSON CONSIDERED.

LESSON CONSIDERED.
Reflections OF an Eicvating Charactcr5-
Wholesome Food for Thought - Study
Ing the scriptural Lessons Intelligentiy
and ProhtabIy.
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 mean2 Looking east or west.
face alert. straining the eye for coming
form. That in part. But there is something
else in the watching our Savior enioins. 1t
is such a care OF the life as will tit 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
a 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-
turns2 In all things We scan the heavens
too much and our iivostoo little. Frederick
Robertson wrote among his Resolves OF
1916, ITO get over the adulterous- generation
habit OF seeking sign. want loud voice
from heaven to tell me thing Is wrong,
whereas little experience of its results Is
enough to prove that God is agalnstit. Live
justly walk humbly. have faith that is
watching.
WHAT THE LESSON SAYS.
In those days. DIR. w. N. Clark chooses
to look upon the time as now past, and re-
ferring to the destruction OF Jerusalem, tho
subsequent language being considered fig-
urative and couched in strong Hebraistic
hyperboles. We prefer. however, TO view
the wol ds as looking forward to events not
yet consummated. the whole panorama OF
mundane history passing rapidly before our
Savior's eye. and sketched in brief. preg-
nant sentences. 1t is the language OF one
with whom thousand yea-s are as one
day.--A6ter that tribulatiOn. 1t Is simply
subsequent to 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 70
other intervening incidents in time. To
use Ellicott's sagacious observation: AS
men gizlng from a long distance SEQ the
glitte' ing heights of two snow-crowned
mountains appal emily In close proximity,
and take no account OF the vast tract. IT may
be OF very many miles. which lies between
them. ."---Ddrkened. AS narrated in Rev.
3: II.
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHES.
Hith great poirer and 0iOrg. The time OF
His open triumph is approaching. His pow
or and glory Chris tians already proclaim,
but TIE 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 to their
infinite shame, and confess His great pow
er and glo-y.
The Lord is now rejected and by the world dis
BY the many still neglected and by the fOw en-
throncd.
But soon He IL come in glory-the time Is draw
ing nigh,
For the crowning day Is coming by and by.
Gather together Me elect 1t is bright
hope. We all sorrow over loneliness, and
there comes thrill to the heart at times
as there comes t. US the thought OF the
z, eat assembly Of the church Cf the first
born. What gathering that will bel!
Our friend from Japan has just been telling
us, his comrades. meeting about the ban
quoting board. and tears the while shining
in his eyes. OF what longing sometimes OPP
pressed hi soul in distant md benighted
isolation for kindred sympathy and fellow
ship Think OF It, brothers. everywherei
from the four winds, from The 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 seat for UOM
Learn a parable Of the f0-tree, or rather.
learn the fig trees parable. Let the hg-tr
teach you her lesson. They are all teachers.
Hugh Miller wTo'e of his Network amidst
natures rocks aud mountains and called his
grand book My Schools and School. Mas
ters"-God bless him for 1t! Everywhere he
went. with OK and hammer he was learn
ing of life and Go The rocks, the trees,
all have message for us.
Tongues in treos, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, aud good In everything"
And nature is full also OF predictions.
God uses the earth to herald his coming.
and to admonish man by many signs and
tokens TO prepare Tor the coming OF the
great and notable day OF the Lord. Have we
leai ned from nature her pWable?"
10 is nigh. ereH at the doors. The revision
says, He is nigh" At Christs approach
there shall be, as it we're, tokens of his near
ness. Have we the discernment to recog-
nize the threshold signs, these knockings
at the outer door2 II so. we must keep very
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 star guided wise
men and a group OF angel-visited shepherds
| 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 us?
Nm toord shall not pass a,cdv. Like HIM
self. it 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 life." The most living vital
thing left amongstus to-day is this word OF
| truth. The guards fell, the seal nrelted
like wax. the stone was rolled away Christ
was stronger than they. SO some time the
| sky shall be rolled together as a SCROLL the
| clements 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 rs the ma
turo OF God who is eternal. Treasure the
| word.
| For ne knoto not tchen the time is Ger
tainly not. IL angels and even Christ In his
| mediatorial capacity, did not know.
| Strangely enough. Christ importuncs us to
consider the times, and yet assures us that
| the day itself shah como upon us as d thiei
in the night. The same lips that say "knOtc
hat it is Nigh" add for ye knolo not when
! the time is That Is. 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 n far journey"
seems to imply. The length OF the journey
and the work given to every man set some
reasonable boundary lines and means oi
testing. They may help us along with other
signs to discover when the Master Is ap-
preaching and is nigh" But as to whether
he shall come at even. or at midnight. OF
at cock-crowing. or in the morning." no
man can tell--but the Father"
And tohdt I SAP unto v0u 4 SAP unto all.
match. Why not unto all? Watching souls
are loyal souls; waiting in working. That
watching spirit has been the lifo 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 oi
them, living or dying, their watching was
vain2 They saw not the notable day" but
TO each OF them the time OF mortality was d
veritable day of the Lord. DIR. Boise has
just been conducting his class through the
strong, stirring sentences OF Peters epis'
ties. and when asked concerning those pas
sages which describe the Lord as near he