The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1890-03-19
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
AN INTERESTING AND INSTRUCTIVE
LESSON CONSIDERED.

Wholesome Food for Thought = stody-
ing the Scriptural Lessons Inteiiigentiy
and Probably.
The lesson Tor sunday. March %. may be
found IN Luke 3: 1925
INTRODUCTORY,
The verse preceding the lesson Is sug-
gest.ve one: And ne Withdrew himself
into the wilderpe and prayed" IL is
presumable that this Is the same occasion
OF solitary vigtls re erred 10 in Its chrOno-
logical order in the preceding chapter
| luke 4: Az. some will find IN 1t another
Instance OF devotional retirement. 1t mat
| tiers little; Christ was maniestly praying
man. and in the times when people were
| tRrenging upon him. he took time TO go
| aside for communion with God. Was II
| not necessity OF his nature2 There was
| great drain upon his sympathy and his
gracious energy. and he must needs retire
| often for relresnment. And IL we OF to-day
were doing more Tor God. would not the
constralnt OF prayer be oftener upon us
| Yea. does not the infrequency OF our de-
yotions reveal the weakness OF our service.
in his manner
WHAT THE LESSON SAYS.
| On a certain day. As belove suggested.
Luxe does not seem TO be following in this
cnapter the strict chronological Oh der. but
~ relating. as they occur 10 him. some in
| terestlng details OF our Lords eatly ministry
| In Gal. .--leacning. AS was Christ's cus-
| tom. The term used mere is the one Il ON
| which comes our English word didactics.
| law. Themselves the teachers OF the peo-
pie. They have come TO learn OF this new
| prophet whose name is gone abroad. Christ
nad not as yet iucu red their fierce enmity
| sitting ny. As with the boy OF twelve
| years. before. In the temple at Jerusalem. -
| And Judea. Galilee appears To have been
| at this time the scene OF our Lords labors,
| ana his fam would bring men there from
| all over Palestine. Present TO heal them.
"a resent" is not in the original. and the
| them" is omitted IRON some manu- cripts. III
| 1ischendorI. See Variations. The mean
| ing. IN any case is that while Christ could
teach he could also heal. as opportunity
| offered.
| Behold. As Producing n notable Incl
| dent.-Men brought in bel. 1he Greek
| is more graphic: Behold. men bringing on
| a beD.-laken with "A palsy; with paraly
| sis, We should say, name that comes
| directly from the Greek term and here
| para luo: TO unloose) Sought means.
| Omit means absent from the Iginal.
| rney were seeking TO tr'ng him In. Tho
| verb Is in the reals tic imperfect. - Before
| him. In mute appeal Tor nelp and healing.
| Thus interrupting his DISCOURSE for the
sake OF his power to heal" And why not2
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHES.
The power OF the Lord was present TO
| heal. Unappropriated power. Whether
| ths power spoken Ot was present 70 heal
| them especially. or 10 heal any ono in gem
| eral. there Was healing energy there In
| Christ, and these sick folk, morally and
MORALLY sick. tailed To avail themselves OF
| It. Mhyy Tney were merely standing by
| and reasoning and criticising. while the
| palsied man was receiving aud rejoicing.
Christ is mere with power TO heal to-day.
| In this Sunday school in this class. Who
| Will be healed? Those who will accept.
| VINO will be pas ed by2 Those who sit aud
wonder and reason-and nothing more.
| rake and lve-neglect and die.
| They sought means to brinI him in. An
-endeavor society" OF four: or. shall We
| say, live, and the fifth man the associate
member" The four were there TO help.
and the one was there TO be helped. And
| vet. doubtless all were blesstd together.
There is something stu ring In the spirit OF
| persistence here displayed. Having begun
TO seek. they kept OH seeking. their very
| failure, In the first attempt, new provoca-
ton TO endeavor. DO you seer When
| they could not find by what way"-tnen
what? uive up confess themselves
wOrsted? That is the fashion OF some o.
Us. OF all of US at times. But no. when they
could not. then they must They tiled a
| n W tack. They went upon the house-top.
mas our faith carried us thus far We have
giace TO 20 in AT the ront door. IN sort OF
d -coIou fashion, with our burden. But
have We this dsad-in-earnest spirit that
| Will leap over wOnted walls. and break
tnrou IN conventional ceilingsY Perhaps
right mere is the reason the burden still
| remains.
Into the midst be ore jesus. What plea
| that was No word spoken-the needed
none. Just u cot let down 10 the feet of
Jesus. and in the cot "a helpless man. Here
was the eloquence OF action. Think you 1t
did not appeal TO the heart OF the great
Physician sitting theref we can imagine
the b. eathless silence that would ensue.
Christ Is sitting and lOoSing. What is ne
| looking att lie is behodiug their iaith
/ ut can lailh be seem Well, be assured.
| faith tnat cannot b. seen IL OF very little
| account. -De al" Jam s calls /. 4 he Mas
ter looks at those streaming "A. ms, reaching
down through the thatch. and then We IN y
imagine. at tue anxious eyes OF the sick
maa-and now no is about 10 speak. Lis
ten. Never man spake as this man. Son,
thy sins are forgiven thee!- .. TO have
seen the face OF that palsied man at such
an utterance! He had asked an aims and
gotten an annuity; he had prayed or a
crumb and gotten crown. And then to
| have looked up and seen those eyes peer
| ing down from above---happy eyes-br i'm
fun. we fancy. with Joy born not short OF
! heaven.
But that We may know. Do we know it?
Have we unprecedented the mission OF the
miracle? II il simply stir an interest and
hold. for a few moment .our cur Gus thou hit
we are no better than the skrptics and
scOffers Of old. The marve which CHI ist
wrought and which his apostle wrou hit at
ter MIN were Tor this pre-eminent pu pose
To prove him as the Son OF Go with power.
| Power for whatI Power to forgive our
SINS. Once for all that was demonstrated.
Proven so clearly that thousands accepted
Christ's risen majesty. That testimony is
| no less strong to-day-nay. centuries have
mad the foundation all the mere solid.
Our duty to-day is TO build upon ". and.
knowing that the Son Of MN hath power
upon earth TO forgive sins. to accept him at
once a. personal Savior. His power on
earth" was forever proven bv the miracle
OF hea ing, "a ise and walk" tn power
in heav, each must know by the voice
WA in. saying. Thy sins o forgiven
| thee.
they glorihel God. 1t was the contagion
of n, ase. First went the healed man orth
"glorifying God" and then. the next mo-
m MT, we SEQ all the multitude Streaming
forth, their mou hs filled with hona q. 'or
thew, too. -glo lied God" How long has
IL been since such p aso has been lifted
from this and that community We long
to hear IL break forth in The house OF God.
W, II. know that IL must havr leg ming.
! ct some heart come to a lively sense OF
sins forgiven and p aise him for his re-
deeming grace. StraiVhtway the accents
are eau INT from either side and tie echoes
ring DO y,u wish to see God glorifed in
this nj c.? Verv good. He"e Is q q Chri {
to heal the Word an the s irt revealing
n IN. And he'e l. the sick man TO be e.
stored. What vet IL lacking? just four
psi of hands. in faith. TO heip-that Is
all.
-. =. m IT,.