The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1891-02-26
THE sAuNAMMirs.s son.
International sunday-sohool Lesson fo
March 4. 1891.

GOLDEN TExr-The Father raiseth up tho
dead, and Quickeneth them.-John 5:2l.
CENTRAL TRUTH-According 70 your faith II
shall be done unto you.
TIME-Betwecn s008Sl B. q
PLAcE-Shunem, now Solam, three miles and
q half north Of Jezreel. and seventeen from
Mount Carmel, where Elisha was at this time,
probably holding meetings for instruction and
worship. The place was probably where Elijah
had his victory over the prophets Of Baal
HR1ps OVER HARD PLAuEs--2n $50 she
vent:" From Shunom to Carmel IA miles.
90. ut is wollr' Is 1t peace' And she on
swered with one word, Peace" the common
salutation. 1t meant: "All right, never you
mind" 2a Did desire sonY' Did ask you
for the gift! Why then does God take back
his free gifti 30. "Take my staff:" the symbol
Of the prophet, making tho bearer his repro
sentative, as q kings seal or scepter makes tho
bearer the kings representative. Salute him
not:" the Oriental salutations were long, ana
there was no time now to stop for them. 30.
sand he arose:" Elisha sent Gehazi probably
because he was engaged in religious services;
but he yields to the mothers persevering
prayer 81 "The child is not awaked:" the
stan In Gehazi's hands was Of no avail. He
was bad man. 1t is probable that Elisha sent
Gehazi, with the expectation that the child
would be restored But when he set out him
self, there was no reason for Gehazis success.
1t would be better for all for the prophet him
self to accomplish his work 33. "And prayed:~
Gods best gifts come through prayer. "a. HE
lay upon the ohild:' he used the best means
possible, but OF no avail in ITSELF The per-
sonal contact Of living spiritual heart and life
brings spiritual life to others.
LESSON COMMENTS.
A DEAD CHILD. 1t seems that he
must have been badly sunstruclx, for
when he came home to his mother he
fingered only few hours at the
farthest and then died His poor
mother carried the body up to Elisha's
plain room, and, laying it on the bed,
hastened away to tell the prophet In
the hope, doubtless, that he could help
her in her distress It must have been
a sad ride for her, wondering and fear
ing, hoping and dreading the outcome
Of her interview with Elisha. The dis
tance to Mount Carmel was about.
seventeen miles, and she probably lost
no time on the way. At some point on
on the road Elisha saw her coming and
sent Gehazi, his servant, to meet her
and ask for her welfare. To Gehad
she did not wish to answer fully, 30 she
merely said: l"Al is WE'LL" and pushed
ahead to the very feet Of the prophet.
Elisha SOW that there was something
the matter with her, though God had
not revealed to him Che cause Of her
trouble. But as soon as she said: "Did
! desire son Of my lord?" he guessed
decd
GEHAzI's EFFORT. Sent by his mas
ter, he started at once for Shunem. Ex-.
actly why Elisha sent him first we do
not know. It may be he thought that
that would be enough, or It may be that
he expected to follow, and did this
merely to arouse expectant faith In the
heart Of the mother. But whatever his
thought, she gave him no rest until be
himself got up and went with her. In
the meantime Gehazi had done as bid
den, but all In vain. The body remained
as dead as ever.
EIsHA's EFFoRr. Now comes the
prophet himself, and shuts the door OF
his room, and prays to God. He lays
himself ON the child, and walks once
through the house. Again he stretches
himself on the child, and lol the boy sits
up and sneexes. Then the prophet calls
for the woman and gives her son up to
her.
OF all sure things in the world, death
Is the surest. Death, or the fear Of
death, brings much sorrow into the
world In New York to-day there are
over one hundred homes where the fear
of death sits dark and foreboding, and,
before another twenty-3our hours ore
Q1eS, this fear will have been realized
IN those hundred homes. But besides
these, there are many unhappy homes
where some dear ono Hes sick, where
they arc full Of anxiety for the loved
one, and know no rest, day or night
lest the messenger Of death should soon
break the door open. There is hardly
2 scholar IN this class. who has not sui
9ered from this fear, IN his own case.
When the fever begins. or the sore
throat sets IN. or strong pain arises, we
begin TO fear Lest this be the precursor
p6 dsath. Many persons are all their
lives long IN kind Of bondage through
this Same fear. And whether we tear
tor no. II is sure to come In the end.
Dozs DEATH END ALP Some people
say Il does. But they contradict tho
Word OF God, which says that death
does not end all The resurrections that
We have been considering are kind Of
prophecy that death does not end all,
end the resurrection Of Christ Is proof
that It Is not the end OF human lives.
We read in the Word OF God that the
Day Is coming In which all that are In
their graves shall hear the voice Of the
Son OF God and shall come forth. Death
Il q transition from LIE in this world to
LIE Of another kind In the other world
Death ends our experiences here, but
begins them In another realm
NEED WE FEAR DEATH? That de-
pends- Upon what does Il dependP
Upon the way In which we have Lived
In this world. The true believer need
bot fear death at all, for he Is sure OF o
glorious resurrection at tho greet day,
But the soul that has rejected the Lord
Jesus In this world should fear death a.
The most dreadful thing that con hap
pen to him. For those who are not the
children of the Lord Jesus, while they
boo win rise. win rise to shame and