Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1891-04-30
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
THOUGHTS WORTHY OF CALM
REFLECTION.


A Pleasant. Interesting. and InstructIvs
Lesson and Where IL May No found-A
Learned and Concise Review OF the
Same.
The lesson for Sunday. May 3, may be
found In Amos 4; ala
INTRODUCTORY. M
| Amos Is the farmer prophet. man edu-
Gated among the hocks and the sycamore
trees. God has wonderfully blest such tutel-
age. There Is no better divinity school than
nature. rightly studied. Some OF our best
and most sympathetic expounders of the
word have been reared anon the surround
ings OF farm life. The field. the open afr, the
cattle on the hills, the quiet wood. the
changing seasons have given earliest slim
illus to thought and reflection. There are
more than one or two such men whom we
have never been able to divorce from such
simple environments. Men they are of
strong grasp of their themes, of profound
and searching thought. Their study and
their pulpit are alike in the country, and
the writer can think of nothing more re-
freshing than TO tarry with these royal
souls season near to natures heart. or
rather near to the heart OF God. II Amos
Language seems to us strong. let US remem-
Der his communings He was not so well ac-
quainted with fashion and convention as
with God.
WHAT THE LESSON SAYS.
picturesque and strongly ironical appeals.
bethel Literally, house OF God. Where
Jacob met God (Gen. 2S; 19). Now made
place OF idolatrous worship Il Kings ~: 2s,
29.-Gilgal. The first camp OF Israel
after crossing the Jordan, the scene OF their
first sacrifice In the land OF promise Josh,
5: 1O), afterward Samuel's seat OF 1udg-
ment Il Samuel IL; IL, 15).-Multiply
transgressions. Multiply is from the root
meaning many raw. Transgressions Sig
nifVinR- M MI In pah al hea rofr
tory. After three years. Better, as In
revision, every three days. This, the He
brew; strongly sarcastic.
Thanksgiving DouaY, praise. Rendered
also confession at JOSH z: 10, In the account
of Achan, 4. g., acknowledged. A method
OF approach to God.-Leaven. Unleav-
ened bread alone fitting In such offerings
LEV. z: 10. la. Lange suggests that this
implies excess of worship. We rather in
cline TO think that IL refers to mock wor-
ship. l. g., assume TO worship thus IL you
will-Thus liketh you. Or, thus IL pleas
eth you. Man-made ritual.
Three months to the harvest. When rain
was most needed. God using retributive
providences to call the people TO thoughts
of him, and their covenant with him.
Upon one city. Gods discriminating prov
licences; always with meaning, though we
may not always read Alright.
Wandered. Pictorial word. Literally,
to reel, or stagger, as In the last stages OF
want. This same word is found at Ps. 107:
81 (@stagger like "A drunken mann) But
they were not satisfied. or filled (Douay).
smEsashs 6 6ee H WITH the
hand.-Blasting. From the word signify
ing to scorch, or parch.-Mildew. Liter
ally. greenish-yellow, the color of the de-
caying vegetatit Better
In the Revision and Douay. That Is,
"the multitude Off, etc. See Variations.
-Palmer-worm or locust. From the
verb to cut of, hence devourer.
Ihave sent. or dispatched, as IL messen-
gers used OF Gods angels 9sentn TO destroy
Sodom. Gen. 10:13.-Pestilence; or
plague. Literally. leading or driving.
hence, destruction. After the manner.
More accurately, way.-Young men.
Those who have arrived at mans estate
but unmarried, hence especially liable to
military service.-Stink Better, stencil.
as in Douay, suggestive of death in the
camp
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHER
Come TO Bethel, and transgress. There Is
deep meaning In every word, and In the coli
location OF the words Think of Bethel, home
of God, as place OF transgression. And
Gilgal, scene of the first passover lnCana an,
a place to multiply transgression. What "A
picture of hypocrisy! What a commentary
on the fashionable piety of all ages! The
very altar Is made place for greater sin
ming. and the golden calf is set up where
the Lord Jehovah should be alone adored.
The house OF worship Is made place for the
tinselry Of pride. Worship Is turned into
display. Look at some of our religious GUS
toms. Study the manner of some OF those
who come to the Lords house. and then i'm
agine some man whom God has called from
his focks standing up In the pulpit yonder,
after The operate overture and crying out
I'm deepest sarcasm, @Come to Bethel and
transgress.
Offer sacrifice OF thanksgiving with leav-
NJ w
a popular preacher. He applied the gospel
too closely 10 mems lives, he told too much
of the naked truth. 1t was leavened thanks
giving that men were rendering, and he told
them so. Their worship was mixed with the
world. The leaven.of sin was given relig-
ious turn forsooth, and men tried TO per-
suade themselves that they were pious In
their impiety We have little OF IL to-day.
Men will cheat and cut throats on Change,
lie and deceive In politics, and then come
up with that sort of leaven In their Sabbath
day offerings and call IL sacrifice of
thanksgiving. And there are preachers &c
humor the mood. But 0 for an Amos to
call the thing by the right name. and to put
the tell-tale stamp upon the leaven!
And i also have given you cleanness Of
teeth In all your cities. 1t Is the cleanli.
ness OF religious famine, the decorousness
OF spiritual death. When food Is scant the
little pinched faces of the children show no
marks OF eating. Their hands and lips are
stainless. GOdS children are so at times
regarding the spiritual feast. Their teeth
are clean. Good reason; they have not been
to the. Lords banqueting board for days
and weeks. They look neat and clean, but
they are veritable starvelngs Is It not
very much so to-day in all our citiesf
There is a great plenty as regards physical
store. We grow fat In the things OF this
world, as did those men OF old Israel The
signs OF our sumptuous feastlng are upon
us. But as for the Lords good things, we
are quite Innocent OF any mark or sign Of
partaking. We have great cleanness of
teeth. Oh. for one great refreshing OF the
Lord! Oh, for the feast OF lovel "Come,
buy wine and milk without money and
without price. Hearken, diligently. unto
me, and eat ye that which is good, and let
your soul delight itself In fatness.n
One piece was rained upon. Just one,
here and there one. The rest withered and
dead. And we sing:
r~-l-T A. -
Thou art scattering rich and free.
Showers the thirsty land refreshing,
Let some droppings fall on me.n
And yet how fe n and far between are the
showers, how meager are the droppings.
in, N nh haa n m r.