Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1891-02-19
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
WORTHY OF CALM
REFLECTION.
A Pleasant, Interesting. and Instructive
Lesson and Whore IL May No found--A
Learned and Concise Review Of the

Lesson anu Wnoro AZ may Bo xuUMO---A
Learned and Concise Review Of the
Same.
The lesson for Sunday, Feb. 90, may be
found In IL Kings, II: 1922.
INTRODUCTORY.
Great men are rare, but they seem often
to come In groups, or at least In couples
Here the remarkable career OF Elijah Is
W ell matched by the likewise remarkable
G areer OF Elisha, a man, like his predeces-
Bor, of marvellous miraculous gifts. In this
lesson, In stirring way, we are introduced
to this new leader OF spiritual Israel In his
new independent capacity. 1t Is the won
derful story OF wonderful man, and yet IL.
carries its suggestive lessons for the times
that now are.
WHAT THE LESSON SAYS.
Elisha saw II. Thus fulfilling the condi-
tion imposed by Elijah in v. 10 above, nff
thou see me when j am taken from thee"
And he cried. There are two peculiar
and, noteworthy things regarding the He
brew form of the verb used here. a. 1t Is
the piel or intensive mood, meaning to cry
aloud or strongly. (2) It is the participial
form with the personal pronoun: And he
crying aloud. language very graphic and
expressive.-And horsemen thereof. The
Douay, putting this also In the singular
seems more nearly correct. (See Varia-
tions. Took hold, l. e., with strength to
seize.
The mantle OF Elijah. He had already
felt its weight before this at his call. King
10: 19.-And stood, or took his stand.
made a stand.-Bank. Literally lip, so
rendered at Ps. 12O: 2. ("lying lips.")
Smote the waters. AS Elijah had done a
little while before. v. s.-Where is the
Lord God of Elijah? Spoken I'm courageous
trust, along with the testing stroke The
margin is correct here In adding the words
even he. So the Hebrew. In our versions
the phrase is rendered by the word "alsop
In the following clause.--Elisha passed
over. The same expression used of Elijah
and Elisha In v. 8 above.
Saw him. Coming thus across jordan
Bowed themselves The words Is from the
root, meaning to lie down, In Oriental ex-
cess of reverence. 1t is presumable that
This miraculous transaction at the Jordan
was the only part OF this wonderful series of
events beheld by the young prophets.
Urged. Literally to hack or notch. They
kept pressing him. Naturally enough. Just
as the disciples did our Lord at times. or
the raising of Lazarus John 1D,-
Ashamed. See Douay, Variations. Liter
ally To turn white or change color, as OF
one who yields or gives up.-Send. So as
to see for themselves.-Found him not
Their early incredulity, like that OF Thomas
and indeed of all the disciples making the
chain OF proof, for later generations, all the
stronger
WHAT THE LEebON TEACHES-
He took up also the mantle of Elijah.
That was an expressive gesture that camc
just before this: He took hold of his own
clothes and rent them in two pieces. Doubt
less IL betokened grief and In the Oriental
demonstrativeness of 1t. But it seems
doubly significant and suggestive here in
connection with what follows He rent his
own garment; he is through with IL; and
now he takes up Elijah's mantle and appro-
pirates IL for himself 1t may be but a
vayrant fancy. and yet we cannot help
thinking of the lowly colored man who
entered the Kingdom ahead of HIS proud
master, because despsing his own poor raj
ment he threw all aside for the better robe
OF Christ's righteousness. Let this sccne
at least picture TO us the self-emptying
that goes before the divine enduement. We
are ready to put on our Elijah's mantle OF
power when we come with garments rcnt
in grief and self-abasement.
Smote the waters. Use your talent. This
is what Stanley calls the true apostolic sue
cession. There are more of us possess tho
mantle than are aware OF It, great many
OF us are praying for the gift OF the Holy
Spirit. Wist ye not that the Spirit is al
ready given, poured out, since Christ has
fulfilled the conditions of the bestowment?
The Holy Spirit Is ChrlspS own gift to his
people; "Being by the right hand OF God
exalted, and having received of the Father
the promise OF the Holy Ghost, he hath
shed forth this which ye now see and hear"
Or have you seen IL, heard IL? II not, II is
because the shifting of the waters has not
yet taken place. Here faith works. IL is
Gods TO give the power, through the grace
OF our Lord Jesus, IL is ours to own IL and
assert IL and utilize 1t. Come, friends, here
are waters at our feet, A Jordan of testing,
since IL is a Jordan that flows between us
and success. Rise in Gods might and smite
the waters with the mantle of trust They
will not part OF themselves. They await
the cleavage of your mantle God given and
God -ordained. + lijah's God is known rs
Eifsha's God when personal faith speaks and
acts
Let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy
Master. And at last, yielding to their
pressure and for their own complete persua-
sion, he let them go. They came back con-
vinced; no longer was there any doubt In
their minds. So came they of old to seek our
Lord in the garden. Jesus had saidto them
that he would rise again. The Jews remem-
bered IL, for they seemed to have n better
memory than the disciples and they swent
and made the sepulcher sure, sealing the
stone and setting a watch" Their very
vigilance armed the faith for all future
time with new demonstrations of power.
Presently came the doubling disciples, for
getting HIS promise, looking for him In the
tomb. Gods angel meets them, and there
is rebuke as we'll as instruction In the voice
that speaks: Ale is not here, for he Is
risen, as he said.n Yes. it was very hard to
convince those disciples of old; they were
men of like weakness as ourselves. But
being such. and going, and seeing and being
fully convinced, what ground is there for
unfaith to-day? It was infdelity that
found its rightful tomb In Josephs garden.
Bring me new cruise and put salt there
I'm. Let us once in n while change the
earthen vessel, wherein this treasure lies;
bring a new cruise. Has the interest de-
clined2 Is the prayer meeting coldI Does
the water seem naught and the ground bar
rem? airing a new erase" Introduce new
methods, alter the programme. enlist new
voices, new agencies, new sympathies, call
in the young. present other cups of saliva
tion. But, mind you. put salt therein. IL
Is Paul who says to the ColOssians, aLet
your speech be always with grace, seasoned
with salt-n No instrumentality Is OF any
spiritual worth which has not In it the good
leaven from above. When Gods grace Is In
the heart, then the lips speak rights, sthat
ye may know how ye ought TO answer make
testimony to every man."
Notice as suggested in these verses.
A sharp eye.-Israers chariot still In
use.-An exchanged garment.--Jordan
suhjuaated.--Elisha's emancipati0n.----
Elishas ordinatIon.--The proof OF the
senses, Making the bitter sweet.-----
Cloven waters and healed waters.----
Christianity the salt OF the life that now Is.