The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1889-01-23
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
ENTERTAINING DISSERTATION ON
SERIOUS SUBJECTS.

A Pleasant, Interesting, and Instructive
Lesson and Where IL May Be Found-A
Learned and Concise Review Of the
Same.
The lesson for Sunday. Jan. q. may be
found in Mark 2: liz.
INTRODUCTORY.
We have in this lesson tho key-word TO
Marks gospel. Here IL IL: THAT We may
know that the Son OF man hath power on
earth TO forgive sins Che saith 10 the sick Of
the palsy / say unto thee. Arise. and take
up thy bed. and go into thine house." IL
was for this as moral end that Christ per-
formed his wonderful works ofheaing-that
men might know OF his divinity and his
Saviourhood. He came to save aud for that
alone. We see. then. the purpose OF Marks
gospel. He Is the narrator. pre-eminent OF
the wonderful deeds OF our Lord. Yet he is
not mere chronicler and story-teller.
These are related. all OF them, with dis
tinct and transccndent aim. namely. TO prove
Christ as the Son OF God that taketh away
the sin OF the world" As such may we
study OF him to-day.
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHES.
And again he entered into Cdperndum.
Favored spot Again and yet again he re-
turnssto 1t. How like the privilege granted
us OF this generation and OF this tenderly
cared for land! Again and again he enters
into our lite and brings himself beseeching-
" upon our sense. He yearns over Us or
he would not so repay our indifference.
Lo. to-day in church and Sunday school
he Is not far away from any OF US. He
awaits your welcome. sinner. Christian,
pupil. friend. Open the door of your heart
TO him.
This loving Saviour
Stands graciously
Tho oft rejected,
Calls again for thee
And az tcds nOised that he lcas an the house
Literally: 1t was reported He is at home"
Jesus had been absent season from the
roof that usually gave him shelter at Caper-
naum. but presently he crosses the thresh-
old again and the word flies abroad. HE
has come back TO the housed Our Jesus is
home againl" 1t is the glad cry that is be-
ing raised even now in many places through
The gracious divine visitation. May IL be
heard in these days Of special prayer every
where. Whether we speak OF the outward
sanctuary or of the tabernacle OF the heart,
let the word go forth. filling all with speech
Tess awe and some with JOY unutterable:
The Lord is in his holy temple"
There traS no room to receiUe them. There
rarely is room. so far as earthly accommo-
dations are concerned. However ample
our sanctuaries are, they are all too small
should the half uttered prayer OF the
churches suddenly receive heavens as
founding answer. and the nations turn TO
Christ.
He preached the ,cor'd unto them. No. not
exactly, Jesus had infinite discretion and
gracious tact. He simply talked to them
here. We have seen ii otherwise. The
voice of the keruJ. or herald. shouting
aloud in the small room as if his auditors
were mile away. or as IL he was 10 be
heard for his much speaking. Jesus
teaches US adaptation. There or the
open hillside, before the multitude, he
lifted up his voice and taught them. Had
he done the same at the well would the
woman have stayed for the water of life?
Oh, how we all of us abuse at times the
divine patternl 1t taught US u lesson for
sacred utterance. The hireling lecturer
was about to explain to us "a famous paint
ing. He had been dropping word quietly
regarding smaller details, and we drew up
close TO him as the hour came for his for
NAL presentation. Formal? 1t was for
midable IL was ferociousl That high hill
to the left he began. in the high oratorical
tone he had been taught, and we fell back
in dismay. with the feeling of being struck.
1t may sometimes be the feeling of the peo-
pie who come 10 hear Gods truth ex-
planned Nav the Lord show us teachers.
preachers. AL. the divine art OF speaking
he gospel
Borne Of four. 1t takes about that many
TO bring soul TO Christ, and more than that
sometimeg One word is not sufficient; two,
three, four are.needed. The first invitation
seems to do as little good as the lifting of
one corner OF the cot by one of the would
be bearers. Several reiterated expressions
of sympathy are necessary before the soul
seems moved at all out of its old condition
of apathetic want More than one sort of
urgency and persuasion is needed. The
pastors prayer and pleading is not enough.
The Christian call is one other hand at the
cot; the friendly smile and the hand shake
at the sanctuary door is another. And yet
perhaps the soul does not find itself drawn
70 the feet OF the Christ until a tender. quiet
word of personal invitation is given.
Borne ofJour"-four men. whatever their
habit of speech or service, each taking
hold; four men. whatever their individual
differences. agreed on saving a soul; four
men looking straight toward Jesus-there
is your Christian endeavor."
Then 1ncorered the root. And vet we
have Just read that they could not come
NIGH" That is the way il often looks in our
labor for souls. There is so much in front
of us and between us and the accomplish
ment of our good ministries that it seems
absolutely impossible to reach the end de-
sired. But in Gods service especially
where there is will there is way; yes.
though the way be right down through the
roof and by some startling and unheard OF
rupture of the established order. o. for
more leaning ladders and broken roofs! .,
for the faith and zeal that will make
breaches in the walls OF custom and
ceremony. When Sheridan dashed unat-
tended for the front at Winchester it was.
perhaps, not in precise military form, but
he was saving the day and he knew il; and
up and threw his arm about his leaders
neck. that was out OF order. too. but the
army had rallied. and that justified all
things done for loyalty's sake. so also in
the battle with Satan and the rescue OF
beleagured and driven souls. The Kings
business reduireth haste.
Who can forgive sins but God only? They
were right. But this was God. Herein was
their sh -sightedness. The short-sght-
edness of some religious teachers seems TO
hao tha thar Nnf ntnltv rnI
but the priests. Are we mistake en- in seeing
hint of this in so able a commentary as
that OF Ellicott where he says: What they
forgot to take into account was the possi-
bility of either OF two alternatives; (D that
God might so far delegate his power to his
chosen servants that they. on giving suff-
cient evidence of that delegation. might
rightly declare sins to be forgiven C2) that
the preacher might himself las he had as
serted in John 5: 1922 be one with God
and SO share in his Projections and prerog-
atives." This last aonel There were not
two alternatives il Christ's words were.