Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1890-04-03
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
SERIOUS SUBJECTS CAREFULLY AND
ABLY CONsIDERED.

A Scholarly Exposition OF the Lesson
Thoughts Worthy OF Calm Rehec-
tion-Haif an Hours Study of the Scrip
tures-Timo Wen Spent.
The lesson for Sunday. April 6, may be
found In Luke 6: 27-3S.
INTRODUCTORY.
Having been introduced In our last quar-
ter's lesson TO Jesus the Man, as sketched
Ry Luke. we now have. from the same
hand, Jesus the Teacher. In this the first
lesson OF the quarter we are led directly
into the heart OF the new kingdom. a king
dom OF mercy and love. The disciples have
just been chosen, and Christ now tegins Ia
give full and explicit utterance TO tue life
and doctrine he came both to make possi-
BILE and to make manifest. How startling
these words were to those who first heard
them. we may easily imagine. since. even
In this Christian age and after eighteen
centuries. they make us to marvel still.
WHAT THE LESSON SAYS
But. The adversative idea is in the whole
OF this sermon In the plain" an enuncia-
tion OF principles alto gether contrary to the
spirit OF the world:-I say to you. The
latter word is the emphatic one. placed sep
arately In the Greek. hear. In
the sense OF obey. This is discourse more
directly to Christ's disciples. s.-Your enc
mics. The Mosaic law. rightly interpreted.
prepared the way for this injunction Ex.
23: 4. 8, O.--Do good. Instead OF evil.
The Romans said man is q wolf to one not
OF his own country.
Bless. Literally. speak we'll toward.
Curse. Literally, pray against
fully use you. That is. ia speech. To in
suit personally or calumniate behind one 8
back. 1t is this word that is used by Peter
Peter 1: 3-16 when he says that they may
be ashamed that falsely accuse your good
conversation In Christ"
Smiteth. malignant but not murder
GUS blow Gupto) On t1e cheek. A small
insult. designed to call forth retaliation OF
some vengeful sort.-Offer also the other.
A strong statement Of non-resistance.
Christ says rather than answer blow for
blow. take another blow from the same
source. Cloak. The outer and more
ornamental garment The more
need:ul under -tunic. The language implies
stru ygle over the garment. which Christ
teaches Is not worth such cost.
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHES.
But say. Stronger antithesis was never
spoken. There is no word to which IL Is a
rejoinder or with which 1t stands In con-
trast. What Is contradicted Is the mani
fest spirit OF the world. This is the i'm plica-
OF earth say. Blessed are the rich." but
say. Blessed are the poor" They say.
Blessed are the merry" but I say. Blessed
are ye that weep" Men say, Blessed are the
we'll esteemed. but l say. Blessed are ye
when men shall hate you.' All the way
ing OF Christ and the world Is sharp and
pronounced. And so when the world would
counsel hate to the Unfriendly. Christ
speaks up, But l say unto you love your
enemies" Oh. blessed speech OF Christi
What would have become of this world had
not Christ 50 spoken2 The light and lie
OF ali the future was In those three words,
But say.
You which hear. 1t were useless to speak.
as here. to others. Christ's words were a
b 80 kk0w
presence of those who heard. Indeed, that
was one pre-eminent object of Christ's life
in the flesh. Hs would get nearer mems
From all cation. in nature. in providence,
in grace God had been teaching the lesson
OF disinterested and. we may say. unre-
quited love. Yet men misunderstood Ii.
passed IL by. Here In Christ the Son he
speaks his love so loudly. clearly. that all
must hearke1. Herein is love=G0d sent
his Son." Now do we hear that voice
speak ng to us? II we do. then we will
tax IL into our hearts and. with lip and
lie speaking in unison. will pass the word
on to others till it is sent an down the ages
and around the wide world. 1t is by faith
the circuit is established. Let him that
heaHeth say, Come.
Bless them that curse you. cant do 1t.
you say No, OF course you can't. Let
GOD do it. That Is. let the spirit that Is in
you. tie mind Of Christ. spirit and mind
wholly alien to and opposed TO the spirit
and mind OF earth. speak through yon.
just bee Iuse it Is wholly unworldly and. IN
a sense, unnatural let it have exercise and
expression. for thus only is the dull earth
blessed by something that comes down to
it other than itself and higher than itself.
But how can l bless when L am cursedT
What weight will language from one who Is
despised and hated have? You can per-
haps bless by saying nothing. Our very
sileace under cursing speaks volumes. Or
held. a word OF greeting. God VIII turn it
into blessing IL the heart be right.
Offer also the other. The other cheek 1t
is. We need not go about with neck ex-
posed Tor tho sword. or necessarily unre-
sisting where precious life is in danger.
Christ is teaching here the insignif1cance
OF sights and slurs. To the man who has
great objects in view 1t Is never else than
dobasing to patise for petty retaliation or
in small resentment, Rather brook insult
and go on your way leaving vengeance with
God. Mind not the smart or the sting.
Be so anxious for the soul that what word
and hand may do against you is OF little
consequence.
wise why let the cloak go? II yoti start out
to be gentle and acquiescent, be genuinely
and thoroughly so. DO not let the will hold
out through one test and break down In
the next. Be long suffering to the end.
Poor policy do you sayr Hold Have you
ever tried IL? Christ was not contemplating
a ragged or naked people when he laid
down such principles. He was giving them
good practical working rules for u life that
was to be rich with the things OF this world
as we'll as OF the world to come. Let us
prove Il before we critlcise 1t.
AS ye would that men should do to your.
Our skeptical friend quoted, and we
thought with something OF triumph In his
tone. the negative OF this rule as coming
from Confucius. Yes. we answered, truth
Is truth everywhere. and Christ but gafs
positive and potent utterance to WDat was
vaguely floating In mems minds before.
seeking for affirmative and authoritative
declaration. There are scattered rays OF
truth in all PHILOSOPHERS. like harbingers OF
the good, waiting to be gathered mp, To-
cused and fulfilled Ia the true light which
ilrhteth every man that cometh into the
the world" For does not John go right oD
To saw here OF these negative groupings AFTER
the truth, -he was in the world. and the
world was made by him and the world
knew him not" Students OF the half truth.
hear Paul; Whom therefore ye ignorantly
worship, him declare unto you.
Give. This short word OF four letters
epitomizes the whole lesson. 1t expresses
tersely end yet anpply the spirit that is here
ihctilcated. Loving, blessing, forbiddlng
not, doing good. lending. being merciful,
foroivinR, are but different manifestations
OF the self giving spirit. When God would
sum up In one word all the overfiowing
fullness OF his heart OF love. and express
the essential attributes Of the divine ma.
ture, it was this word that he chose. GOD
40 loved tho world that he gave his son.
Have we -the mind OF Christ2- Then we
Next Lesson: The widow Of Main.
Luke Z; Ills
----------------
MANY salmon Of the rivers of Fin