Crawford avalanche., 1891-03-19
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
THOUGHTS WORTHY OF CALM
REFLECTION.

The lesson for Sunday. March 22. may be
found In Kings o; s-la
INTRODUCTORY.
IL Will be happy thing for US all II We
take 10 our own sometimes perplexed and
affrighted hearts the inuer teaching OF this
lesson. Encompassed we often are with
difficulties; hedged about, as IL we're, by the
adversary, our hearts often fail us. allow
shall we do?n we cry. And the answer
comes promptly, aFear not.D That Is,
cease. first OF all, and at once. TO do what
you are doing now, fearing Fright makes
us weak and dims our sight TO Gods larger
encompassment D, TO change fear TO faith
and TO say to our souls. In the language OF
Jerome's translation of the text; sThere
are more with US than with themi"
WHAT THE LESSON SAYS.
King OF Syria Benhadad H.. dwelling
at Damascus. Same king as sent Naaman
TO Israel TO be healed q Kings s: 81. lie
evidently had a short memory. y.-Warred
against, or was warning against, in a state
OF war.-Took counsel. The same word
means 20 plot It Is translated sconsultedr
at Ps. SO; 3.--Shall be my camp. Or shall
be my encamping. This word occurs at Ps.
men.
Beware. From the Hebrew word mean
Ing to watch or to keep. Adam was put in
the garden .to keep itr--this word occurs I'm
Gen. ?; 15.-Pass not Also rendered pass
| over or through. So translated at Numbers
20; 17.-Come down. Joel uses this verb in
asuggestive way, "Thither cause thy mighty
ones to come down, o. Lordr (Joel 3: III.
Warned From the word signifying to
shine or show light. A pictorially express
sive term--Saved. A form of the same
verb translated @beware" ". o. Hence.
doubtless. the curious rendition of the.
| Douay. See Variations.
Troubled. Tossed as In a tempest. An
other picturesque expression In the original.
IL Is brought out for us in Isa. 81: IL, which
renders this same verb tossed with tempest.
| 70. thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and
not comfortably (which OF us? As much
as to say, There is traitor in camp.
None. Literally, no; l. g., you are not on
the right track, or the right scent But.
Elisha. Rather, for Elisha; T. g., there is
no need for one OF us TO tell for Elisha
knows beforehand.-Bed chamber.
ngure OF speech for the most secret place,
the Oriental harem being farthest removed
from vulgar sight and sound.
Go and spy. Or go and see. the signiR-
cant shading OF the word In the King James
being supplied from the context-Told
Literally, to bring out into the light Same
word translated @show" I'm v. IL, and atel-
eth" In 12.-Dothan. Meaning foun-
tain, twelve miles north of Samaria, and
bearing the same name to-day.
Compassed. practical investment OF
the city would be TO detail men to watch all
the gates. The ancient cities however
were very small. This is the word rendered
"enclosedn at Ps %: 16 (@The assembly or
the wicked have enclosed mem.
Risen early. The Hebrew expression is
very graphic. The key word originally
meant to bend the shoulder for the pack;
hence to get ready for the morning start.
-Gone forth This term In the Hebrew
is applied to the sun at Gen. 10: 90 (@The sun
was risen on the earth;n) margin, gone
forth. ALIAS. Mimetic OF grief Ah-ah.
Like Greek, al al or our own provincial
aye-aye. See the expressive Douay version
OF this.-How shall we do? or act be-
take ourselves.
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHES.
In such and such place shall be my
camp. So the world has often plotted
against the church of Christ. Here let us
encamp; here let US make our ambush. 1t
Is the history OF SINS antagonism through
out the centuries But God has interviewed
betimes, and the enemy has been circum-
vented and disappointed I'm his insidious
designs. Even those ambuscades that have
seemed TO succeed, where cruel hearts have
wrought sad havoc in blood, have turned
presently to the helping of the cause OF
Christ and the worsting of the emissaries OF
satan. St Bartholomew was bad. but
worse, terribly worse, for the church OF
Rome than for the church OF Christ. Satan
was himself taken I'm the trap which he had
laid, and Catholic France Is still staggering
Today over the blow she there dealt her
self. There were sly plottings I'm the early
years OF Americas discovery and settle
ment about making the new world a camp
for the minions OF the Pope. Yea, more
than once the plot has been formed; IL is
forming again to-day. But we trust in IA
God that warns and saves not once nor twice.
Will ye not show me whicn OF us IS for the
king OF Israel? Is there an enemy I'm the
camp? Or why Is IL that, in spite OF nice
plottings and clever designs against the
Lords elect the trap Is never sprung. or, IL
sprung, the bird Is not inside the bars? Yes,
there Is some one for Israel, but not 1of us.p
SO says the servant @None my Lord, D.
King; but Elisha"-ah, now we have it, that
Elisha, the king had forgotten him There
was some one who, though afar off, could tell
tho very whisperings of the king of Syria i'm
his bed-chamber. There is an Eye that
never slumbers, an Ear that never grows
duh OF hearing. He knoweth our thoughts
afaP of. We can hide nothing from him
And, in sense, there is something Gof usp
that Is for God and the right. No man has
ever been able to rid himself OF conscience.
that little monitor of God within the soul,
rebuking, disturbing, disrupting. GEterni-
ty!n cried the young French nobleman, ed
ucated In skepticism. "When 1 wake and
when L sleep, L hear the voice, Eternity
eternity" Said an infidel to his friend.
"There Is one thing that mars all the
pleasure of my life-I am afraid the Bible
Is true" The Rook is for the King of Israel
Go and spy. The world will ape the
prophets power Where he reads by the
revelation of God; 1t will ago and spy.r
Let 1t do its best; the very eyes with which
IL sees shall be turned I'm upon themselves.
In utter blindness. Just when they had eve
ana hand upon the prophet OF God, their
keennesS failed them. and they were led as
though blindfold, into the midst of Samaria
so does the Lord smite those who with
wicked hearts come peering into his hiding
places OF power. On the other hand, see.
what God does with the eyes of his people.
lie opens their organs of vision and says:
Go see, and behold darkness is turned to-
light and weakness to strength. Truly the
light Is Gods, and these Instruments OF
sight are his. He turneth them WHITTIER
soever he will. Lord, take these eyes OF
ours. cleanse, quicken, sanctify. Make
them to look heavenwise rather than
earthwise.
Alas. my MASTER how shall we do7 II il
so easy To say. These carnal minds OF ours
turn quickly 70 fear and our lips TO hopeless
complaint. "Alas!" II is a common word in
the vocabulary of us all. The sons OF the
prophets were quick TO speak IL. Over ar
the opening of the chapter where the ak
falls into the water, SAlas. master,p thew
cry, "for IL was borrowed!n And now, aAlas
my master, how shall we do?n Or as Je-
rome renders IL (Variations). gAlas, alas
alas!" Some OF the graduates of that theo--
logical seminary at Jericho, or thereabouts.
seem to be still occupying the pastorate OF
neighboring @churches hereabouts;p ~ that is
II the adage alike priest like peoplen be
correct The hosts of Europe seem TO be let.
oose upon us-they throng our cities. they
encompass our churches, like the armies OF
he aliens. sAlas,n we cry. show shall We
iofr Do? Why, trust God. Open your eyes.
Is faith enables you to do, through the
agency OF the word, and see the encompass
ng helD of our God. Who knows but Gnd