Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1891-01-29
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
THOUGHTS WORTHY OF CALM
REFLECTION.

Lesson ana Where 1t May he found-A
Learned and Conoiso Review OF the
Same.
The lesson for Sunday. Feb. 1. may ba
found In l. Kings 10: Liza
Golden Text-Fear not. for I am with
thee, and will bless thee "-Gen. 20: "a.
INTRODUCTORY.
Elijah at HOreb follows directly upon
Elijah at Carmel; and this is not only 50 Of
the lesson before us but In all Christian
experience. We run the whole track OF tae
Holy Land from Dan TO Beersheba I'm our
personal relations with God and his truth,
and often the transition is as sudden and as
saddeDing as here with Elijah. Especially
may IL be SO with many a pastor teacher.
or Christian worker who, coming forth
from special seasons of the outpouring OF
Gods Spirit, finds hearts still rebellious and
resentful Possibly this lesson may find not
a few under the Juniper tree. Then let the
question be heard as 1t is spoken TO us, In
diyidually, @What doest thou here?"
WHAT THE LESSON SAYS.
Ahab told. The word literally means to
represent. to bring to the front Doubtless
q very vivid and realistic account.--Jeze-
bel She and her special heather prophets.
they of Hthe groves,n Ashtoreth Il. Kings
Is: 10) had, IL seemed stayed away
Elijah had done. The divine side over
looked; considered merely a wrestle OF
man with man, and so retaliation resortod
tO.--WltnaL the heDroW tne express
sion is the same as that which introduces
the preceding clause, l. e., all that Elijah
had done and all that he had slain, which
Is equivalent to, all about how Elijah had
wrought and all about how he had slain, etc.
Sent. The language implies sudden inn
pulse. 1t was the unthinking impetuosity
of anger.-So let the gods do to me, etc.
form OF adjuration common among the
nations OF the day. See Ruth 1: IL. But
used likewise by the Hebrews. See /. Sam.
3: II (Eli to Samuel. Thy life |. O., the
breath of life, vital principle. As much as
to say, you are as good as dead-you are
dead mani
When he saw. The Hebrew here Is tersely
expressive. He saw. and arose, and went.
For his life. OF which she had just
spoken, in ominous words,-Beersheba-
Almost a hundred miles of to the south.
He himself Alone and unattended put
ting himself farther and farther from men.
WHAT .tIE LIE ssoN TEACHES.
And Ahab told JezebeL There are two
reports of our deeds. Gods people and
Satan's people alike talk them over.
Every great revival, every great religious
movement, has had its double commentary.
1t has been spoken of with awed joy in the
house of the righteous; IL has likewise been
proclaimed in the house of sin. When peo-'
pie were trembling and praying over the
demonstrations of Gods power under a
Finney, Knapp, q Jabez swan, down at
the corner grocery or the tavern there
were still those who met and laughed, con-
versing over the same things. John the
Baptist was a subject of conversation I'm
Herod's household; Jesus and his mighty
works were also talked of there. The
world has its bureau of information. It
looks very much as IL the secular press
represented it to-day. Take up the aver
age account of any religious meeting and
does it not sound as IL Ahab were telling
Jezebel?
Thy life as the life of one of them. The
world Is often provoked to greater antagon-
ism. 1t seems strange, sad-it almost stuns.
Some great and manifest work of God has
been wrought, or IL may be some unanswer-
able truth explained and enforced. We look
to see the effect of It. We have thrown
shell right into the enemy's camp, and now
we watch for tho white flag of acknowledge
ment. Instead comes the white puff OF
smoke betokening vengeful answering
shot. o, the world Is strongly intrenched
In its wickedness; 1t refuses to confess de-
feat. Our demonstration of its lost and un-
done condition but seems, at times, TO anger
IL the moro. But let us not be discouraged,
for those are but symptoms of its bad con-
dition, its need. Even after Christ had
proven his divinity, it would seem, incon-
trovertibly, they went about to kill him.
Even after he burst the bars of the grave
and arose they suborned men to cover up
tIe truth. Be assured, this Is wicked
world; sin is strong; only God is stronger.
medicine for the soul--bread and meat.
When the young girl came struggling back
to life he commanded that something be
given her to eat. When the disciples met
him there in the twilight at the seaside,
hungry and spent with their all-night toll
he had some fish baking for them on the
Goals. He often feeds our heaven-born spir-
its with quite earthly viands, and that In
order that we may go on heavens errands.
When the angel few to touch Isaiah's lips
1..N l. I'll
mark, Gfrom of the altar.n there in the
temple. He did not need to bring a mirac-
ulous lotion from heaven The things pro-
vided on earth are enough. Are we dis
heartened, tired, undone? God says take
the ordinary nourishments furnished and
go humbly and gladly about the everyday
work. Here is food for the body, and bread
for the soul. They are always with us.
After the fire a still, small voice. God
sometimes speaks to us In trumpet notes, as
in calamity; sometimes with the tongue OF
fire. as In the great awakening; but oftener.
and indeed in all the time of wind and
earthquakes and fire, it is In the still, small
voice of Gods Spirit, wooing men indi-
vidually, that the work OF grace Is wrought
This is the voice that speaks through all
the year and not during the season of pro-
tracted services only; through all the week,
and not simply I'm the formal assembly of
the Lords day; through all the life and
living, and not simply through the direct
sermon, the testimony, or the appeal Inc
fire has its effect; it is Gods FIRE, but after
the fire there must be the still, small voice.
That does the work,
Yet I have left me seven thousand In
Israel. That astill, small voicen has been
speaking and not in vain. IL has been ro-
ceiving. as it were, still, small voices in re-
sponse which presently shall break forth
into open and united praises. That is what
our prayer meetings, young peoples meet
inga, after meetings, revival services are
for They are not so much TO sound a new
and awakening voice as to bring out into
open profession those TO whom, In varied
ways and at times perhaps unthought, the
gentle voice OF the Spirit has been speak
ing. God knows his sheep They are
scattered everywhere in Chlstian lands Of
ours; and he sends us to seek them. One
of the Lords own prophets has recently
been called TO his reward, one who ever
spoke with a singularly soft and persuasive
voice, John Peddle, OF iladelphia. And
we are glad to recall, as the last pull
| pit utterance heard by us from his lips,
| this sweet, reassuring words.
gBut yet in IL shall be a tenth, and it
| shall return, and shall be eaten; as q tell
| tree, and as an oak, whoss substance Is Ina
them, when they cast their leaves; so the
holy seed shall be the substance thereof"