The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1890-05-23
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.

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THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
AN INTERESTING AND INSTRUCTIVE
LESSON CONSIDERED.
Reflections Of an Elsvating Charactsr-
wholesome Food Tor Thought study
ing tho scriptural Lessons I~ntelIigsntly
and Probably.
The lesson for Sunday, May 25, may be
found in Luke 10: Lie.
LESSON PARAGRAPHS.
The account Of the seventy is given by
Luke alone, Matthew, Marx and Luke
writing in the narrative Of the sending
forth OF the twelve. (Mstt. 10: LAZY
The Savior was now IN his way SOUTH
ward toward Jerusalem. Somewhere in
that journey he selected from among his
disciples as many as seventy, wtS should
30 before him and announce his coming
in the cities through which he was to
pass.
The mission Of the seventy was more
specific than that Of the TWELVE. It was
to prepare for the coming of the Messiah.
AS such it was but temporary. The
twelve were given permanent authority
and power. Theirs was an enduring COM
mission.
The whole language indicates rapidity
of movement. The first word of Christ,
swift and sharp, Go" Zone word in the
Greek.) Behold, 1 send you" might be
translated, Lo I dispatch you. They
were to carry neither purse nor shoes.
They were to stay not for the courtesy of
salutation, slow and long drawn out;
neither were they to go about fulfilling
visitation favors. sOns thing I do" their
motto.
Two by two. There is grace in it.
have you made trial Of the plan? There
was a religious call to be made, one of a
serious and indeed critical sort. On the
way we stopped in and took with us a
Christian yokefellow, q brother full Of
that visit was not multiplied by two, but
more nearly by ten. And we have almost
invariably found it SO. Try it and see.
Take a helper with you; but be sure, as
you go, it be ever before his face"
But the laborers are few. Harvest
great, laborers few. That is our 'labor
question, Not how shall We get work
for all? But how shall we secure men to
take care of the work already upon us?
1t il laborers we need, laborers. One
might care little how they come, whether
it be up the long road from the factory,
where scythes are thoroughly shaped and
ground, or whether they take the 'sshort
cut" and come 'tacross lots" Selling up
and whetting as they run, such imple-
ments of %husbandry as they find nearest
at hand. The harvest is full. dead ripe;
and If workmen do not spring at once to
tho fo11a khoro ui11 ha ro,nh r,o;. -1,Al
Work for all, the good, the better and the
best. This only is necessary, that every
hand hold a blade and know how to WELD
1t. y, to see it once SO, the force of
laborers as great" as the harvest!
Peace be unto this house" was to be
their salutation. It was tentative, test
ing. If a son of peace was there ("the"
is misleading. The peace they spoke
was to n lodgment. If not, it was to
return to themselves. 1t was as if thew
said, Peace for you, if you will take it."
SO goes the messenger to-day, saying,
Christ for you, for you. Who will take
Christi" Those who nave the responsive
spirit within will receive him; those who
have not will miss the blessing.
Even the very lust Of your city which
cleaveth unto us we do wipe off against
you. For you, is the more accurate rem
dering. 1t was according to mems will
and wish. There wes to be no pressure.
Simply a proclamation of grace at hand.
If men declined the proffer the disciple
was 20 accept the decision and wipe off
for them, as being their deliberate choice
in the matter, the very dust of their CITY.
A fearful responsibility is ours. We can
effectually dismiss Gods angels from our
thresholds. If we so elect Gods over
lures of grace will be suspended for us.
And yet how near the kindgom! "Not-
w~ithstanding be ye sure of this, that the
kingdom of God is come nigh unto you."
Sterner. sadder words were never spoken.
To those who accept and those who re-
fuse. the grace of God is offered.
Whether they take it joyfully, glance at
it indiferently, or reject it scornfully,
nevertheless let it be remembered that
the kingdom of God has beer right at the
hearts door. If it goes from them they
are to know that they themselves have
sent it away. 81 would-but ye would
not
More tolerabie in that day for Sodom.
Then there is a future for Sodom. There
are those hat tell us that Sodom has had
it's day; its Judgment is past, But here
we are plainly told that there is another
day of Judgment in the far distant future.
d day when men shall be judged more
fully and righteously than here, accord
ing to the deeds done in the flesh. "Are
you ready for that day to Gomez"
Woe unto thee, Chorazin, Chorazin?
We had not heard of such a place before.
We did moi. know that Christ had been
there. But here it is with a woe p-o-
nounced against it. because of Christ
made manifest and Christ deliberately
rejected. All, Christ visited many towns
and hamlets of which we know little; but
we shall hear of them at the Judgment,
And around about lis to-day there are
many hearts to whom God has spoken,
albeit a careless face is borne. However
indifferent they may seem, God is surely
dealing with them on close terms, and
some time this hidden controversy shall
be made startlingly manifest. Shall it be-
q WOE" or shall it be a "blessed2" 1t is
for these to say.
He that heareth you heareth me. This
Christ identifies himself with his SER
wants. He that despiseth (rejecteth) you
despiseth me-this our source of trem-
bling. We bring 10 men the opportunity,
under God, for decision unto everlasting
life. Pastors. Sunday-school teachers,
Christian workers. let us go forward rev.
erently, prayerfully. Think of it, as this
word is spoken to-day, however weakly,
the kingdom of God is, through the Holy
Spirit, brought nigh TO men. This COM
munity, this church. this Sunday school,
this class, this individual, can to-day
take or refuse, as he will, the answer to
the oft-breathed prayer, Thy kingdom
come. Why. not open the heart right
now and receive it?
Next Lesson-aThe Good Samaritan"
Luke 10: 1851.