Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1891-02-12
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
AN INTERESTING AND INsTRuC-
TIVE LESSON.

Wholesome Food for Thoughts - stady-
ing the scriptural Lesson IntelIigsntiy
and Prontablys
The lesson for Sunday, Feb. IS, may be
found in III. Kings 2: ILL.
GOLDEN TExr.-And Enoch walked with
God; and he was not; for God took him.
Gen. 81: "a.
INTRODUCTORY.
The Bible contains no more thrilling pas
sage than this. Dwight L. Moody has mase
IL the basis OF one OF his most effective mar
rative sermons The conclusion, however.
seems to be omitted in the present arrange
ment OF the lesson. One more verse seems
needed to complete tho wonderful account.
sIf thou see me,p said Elijah, atakcn from
thee IL shall be so unto thee" Elisha bides'
his time. Suddenly there Is a tumuit. Elijah
is no longer with himl He looks around,
behind, above. There he goes caugnt up
In the air. aMy father, my father. the
chariot of Israel and the horsemen thcreof!r
He has seen i'll He has seen itl And there
at his feet lies the mantle OF Elijah.
WHAT THE LESSON SAYS.
1t came to pass. Something like decade
has passed since the events OF the last
lesson. Il Kings. 81: 1-16).---When the
Lord would take up. Hebrew: In the t4king
up of the Lord-Whirlwind. The ocular
appearance of it.-ElIjah went with
Elisha. Literally, as In Douay version (see
Variations), Elijah and Elisha went or were
going. Better still, set forth.-Gilgal,
about nine miles north OF Bethel
Tarry. First meaning, to take ones seat.
The Lord hath sent. The word Of the
Lord is still Elijah's guide up 60 the last.
TO Bethel. Better, as in Revision. AS
far as.-I will not leave thee. Doubtless
Elisha was aware of the impending depar-
ture.
Sons OF the prophets. Students. called
sons Of their teacher. 30 Elisha instinct
lively calls Elijah @father" as he assembled;
v. 12.-At Bethel. A school of the proph-
cts. The old prophet gives them sight Of
himself ere he ais taken away.-Knowest
thou. 1t was a matter OF expectation
among the young prophets, perhaps his ap-
pearance at this time being the token TO
them.--Hold ye your peace. One word In
the Hebrew; like push, which word, as by
onomatopoetic rules, 1t strongly resembles
In sound, hasha.
To Jericho. Thirteen miles further TO the
southeast Another school of the prophets
was here.
Thy master They seemed 10 recognize
along with their implied reproof, near In
timacy between Elijah and Elisha.
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHES
When the Lord would take up Elijah. He
was always waiting for what the Lord
would. It was ever the word OF the Lord
that dislodged him from any tarrying spot.
Gllead, Chereth. Zarephath. Carmel, Horeb,
So here he set himself to leave this mum
dane sphere at Gods command. The Lord
whom he served had. he knew, a large
world. In his Fathers house were many
mansions, and so we see him setting forth
here as II going, In simple trust, across
from one shore to another, nigh at hand.
good Christian brother, near by as we
write, was suddenly stricken down. His
last words to his pastor regarding an ex-
pected removal from one part OF the city
where he resided to another were, al am
going across the river.n And he was--tnto
anxious or troubled. He is simply going
over Jordan. The same Jehovah whom he
has served on this side is there ALSO And
there are no Jezebels TO molest.
The Lord hath sent me. 1t was a good
last word; much like the man. Obedience
was his marked characteristic. Elijah was
always the prophet who stood before God
awaiting, like a royal messenger Of the
great King. his errand from the throne.
gThe Lord hath sent men-set that word
down for Elijah. Elliott on his death-bed
said: @You see a strange sight, sir, an old
man, unwilling to die" On the other hand
hear Trottnr: al am In perfect peace, rest
ing alone In the blood OF Christ" /" Mirabeau
cried: @Give me more laudanum that 1
may not think of eternity.n And VOltaife
likewise: 81 am abandoned by God and
man. l shall go to hell.n And Paine:
aStay with me, for Gods sake; cannot
bear to be alone. 1t Is hell to be alone"
How much better the closing words of Wes-
ley; al tho chief of sinners am. but Jesus
died for me;n or those OF Cookman: II am
sweeping through the gates, washed in the
blood of the Lamb"
Tarry here, pray thee. He was Kind TO
those he left behind. His farewell visit to
Bethel and Jericho give hint of this fact
And here he does not wish 10 carry his young
er brother, a son In the service, with him
into whatever of ordeal there may be be-
fore him. He Is thinking more OF others
than he is of himself; we fancy. So como
the great to the hour Of dissolution. The
dying Washington raised himself up and
said TO his attendants: al feel myself 60
ing; / thank you for your attentions; but
I pray you to take no more trouble about
me. Let me go of quietly; cannot last
long.n Elijah's had been busy, trying
career. His work done, he would calmly.
and with the least jar to those he left be-
hind, return to the God who made him.
May our last end be like his In this regard
at least.
Let double portion of thy Spirit be upon
me. He was asking in nothing OF arro-
gance. What he wanted, as rightly inter-
preted, was the same spirit possessed by his
father in faith. What more indeed can We
ask than the fullness of Gods impaired
grace? And what less ought we to cravcf
When we look back upon the fathers and
behold their lives of simple trust, their
heroic faith and strenuous endeavor In the
days wherein God placed them, we can but
pray that the same enduement which was
theirs be ours also, for the demands which
press upon us. Each generation must have.
it's special baptism and inflow OF tha Spirit.
and each new prophet must have his adou-
BILE portions his birthright part in the
great succession. Are we really asking for
30 much to-day?
Behold there appeared a chariot Of Gre.
And he sawit The blessing was his. Many
man has gone a long distance for the
vision which at last brings him 10 the full
knowledge and possession OF himself. as
Gods appointed servant. We have just
been glancing over the life OF Francis
Wayland. as written by his sons In his
letter written to HIS mother while he was
still a student in Union College he
tells of his vain viglls I'm seeking after
reassuring sense of Gods pardon
ing presence. He afterwsrd tells how
he had mapped out his own course of con-
version, and it was for that he was wait
ing, always 10 be disappointed. At last
Luther Rice breaches n sermon on @Tho
Glorious Gospel OF the Blessed God,n and
then for the first time he realizes that the
love OF God Is his. and then and there
Francis Wayland finds his vocation. Eli-
sha has at last received his mantle. Who
holds 10 to-dayl