The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1889-01-16

AN INTERESTING AND INSTRUCTIVE
LESSON CONsIDERED.

Wholesome Food for Thought - Study
ing the Scriptural Lessons Intsllig emily
and Probably.
The lesson for Sunday. January 10. may
be found In Mark |. 35-45.
INTRODUCTORY.
We have presented In this lesson the
much sought Christ. All men seek thee"
said the disciples. There was a reason for
mems seeking. three-fold reason. as dis
closed in these verses: first Of all. because
he was in prayer. and prayer Is a wondrous
drawing power; second. because he was
seeking men and the world but responds TO
his wooing spirit. and thirdly. because men
had needs and those needs were answered
in the Christ. They sought Jesus because
Jesus had something for them. Contrast
the somewhat neglected house at Washing
ton with those other thronged Railways to-
day in the city OF Indianapolis. Men will
go seeking where they have the prospect Of
receiving something because there is some
thing to give. In the weeks OF special
prayer and endeavor upon which young
and old have entered may Christ be pre-
sented as the desired Of all nations. the one
whom every heart should seek.
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHES.
A great tohile before day. We have been
studying how Jesus spent his days. Here
see what his nights were. Deeds of mercy
by day. vigils OF prayer by night Working.
waking, watching. and all for love OF US.
Gould ye not watch with me one hour2-
What infinite rebuking in the wordl All.
Lord Jesus, thou didst watch for us many
an hour when others slept There Is little
TO tell us Of the nocturnal watches OF our
Lold. he doubtless grew fatigued like other
men, and must needs have rest. but his time
on earth was short. and he filled il full as
possible with his blessed ministry of re-
demption. His sleeping times were not
like other mems. Once indeed by day he
slumbered amidst the tossing waves OF
Galilee. Needless OF the uproar OF the ele-
a
divine communion went before that brief
and interrupted reposcl There were, they
tell US. stretches OF two and three days
where Napoleon never left the saddle. What
nights OF ministering our Lord gave in
stress OF mind and soul the disciples do not
tell. They slept
A solitary place. Desert is the word: de-
serted. but not for Christ. The Father was
there. and the ministering angels anAiously
waiting near, Perhaps those night vigils
were the times OF greatest activity and eff
cheney in the earth annals OF redemption.
The children OF men were absent but tbs
bright messengers OF God sped TO and fro in
constant zeal for that mighty ordeal being
met by Gods Son there below. More than
once we read OF the seeking OF such place
by the divine one. and then we see the
calmness OF IA new strength. and new throe
in that atoning life pain and passion draws
on apace. From such divinely peopled sol-
tudes men have come TO face the fire and
the sword. Brainard returned painting from
his wrestling vigils with God TO take hold OF
the very pillars OF ungodliness about him.
Find the solitary place.
In the secret OF His presence
How my soul delights to hidel
Oh, how precious are the lessons
That learn at Jesus side
Earthly cares can never me,
Neither trials lay me low,
For when Satan comes TO tempt me,
To tho secret place go.
And there prayed. Mark the spot o. IL
I'D l..
be Tor us than the pool whore he so gra-
ciously wrought. or the hillside whore the
honey OF his heavenly sentences flowed. 1t
is the place OF devoted prayer that stands
out knowingly as we cast the eye back over
the vista OF spiritual experience. Find
Christ's scenes and seasons Of prayer; then
we shall be able to fix the epochs and divi-
sions and sketch as we should the life OF
the Christ. Obscure these points are. The
disciples saw him with the bread in his
hand and the shoaling fishes. but they did
not see him up there on the hillside in
prayer. Yet that was the place OF
power. the secret OF strength. When
the cyclone had subsidized" says Tai
mage, we went and thanked tho
captain and forgot all about the wrestling
engineer out OF sight below" Do the winds
and the sea obey him? Yes. but this One
with his hand outstretched in majesty must
not hide from us that same One kneeling
meekly yonder in the shadows of the hill
They went out after Christ. physically speak
ing. alone. Their human feet carried them
there. constrained at best by much OF mere
ly human interest. and when taey come
upon him there must be q rude shock of in
corruption. Have you experienced it. broth
err the sudden breaking in upon you of the
world when you have been lost in prayer?
How often our Lord must have encountered
such painful surprises from his crudely
anxious and sympathetic learners! Simon
JOliOlC after their Lord into such a solitary
place when they tarried for the promise at
Jerusalem. And when they came out from
that solitude, 10. their Lord was with them
and in the power OF his utter divinity
LfthOu ,ciH thor cdnst. Prayer can find no
better vocabulary than in the language Of
those who beheld the Savior and cried out
their felt need 10 His apprehended fullness.
There are here the accents OF faith and I'M
faith mingled. A strange sort Of infldelity.
IF thou cdnst." said the father OF the smit-
ten child. IF thou canst believe" came
quick from the lips of our Savior. in half
febuke. IF thou wilt" here. The man Is
certain OF the might. but doubts the mind OF
the Lord. Instantly see the moving Of
compassion. (What is Christ = will but COM
passionO Il will" He says, taking up in a
play upon the words that was strongly beau
tiful and gracious while beautiful. be thou
clean. And dighttcdy-straightway again
the leprosy departed from him. and he
was cleansed." He is able, He is willing.
Leper of sin. how far are you from cleans
ing? Just as far as. this moment, you are
from Christ.
Began TO publish IL much. He was n voice
before the due time. but he teaches us les
son. Yes, all the more because of the dis
suading word that was given him. SO thrilled
and Joyful he was that he could not keep it
in. He spoke in spite OF the charge OF silence,
! How strange that now. with the restriction
removed nay more. with the earnest exhor-
tation that we go quickly and publish the
! good tidings, we should be SO speechless and
! inactive. o. II we realized the foulness Of
! the leprosy from which we have been clean
sed and the hideous hold that IL still has on
/ our fellows, would we be silent? Results {?
/ Yes. publish them now. Does any one OBJ
! ject? Not Christ And II man. then. in the
words OF another: LET him that has results
and does not publish them. cast the first
stone"
Next ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS and Healing.
] o. IL