The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1891-09-30
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
THOUGHTS WORTHY OF CALM
REFLECTION.
Pleasant. Interesting. and Instructive
Lesson and Where 1t May Be found-A
Learned and Concise Review Of tho
Same.
Christ Raising Lazarus.

INTRODUCTORY.
This lesson on the resurrection Is espe-
cially seasonable to-day. Now that the
leaf Is whitening and the flower and fruit
are departing We need the hope OF spring
time TO sustain our JOY. For such times as
these Is the doctrine OF the resurrection
sent. The fact OF the resurrection we shall
know by and by. But even to-day faith
fastens hold upon its true substance in tho
very person OF Jesus Christ, who Is himself
the resurrection and the life. "Come
FORTH" is the name OF story by Elizabeth
Stuart Phelps, one OF the most stirring In
the library of recent Biblical fiction. May
that word spoken with divine efficacy To
Lazarus awake other dead ears to hearing
In our Sunday schools to-day.
WHAT THE LESSON SAYS
Then Rather as in Revision, therefore
Since she had hurried out to meet Jesus -
Unto Jesus Proposition pros I'm the Greek,
graz hically representing her as confront
Ing him and abruptly appealing to him.
That even now. Even now i know Ia
nearer the form OF the originals; see Varia-
tions.--Whatsoever thou wilt. ask AS IL
TO say. @with thee, asking is getting."--
God will give. The only question being as
regards the first part, the asking. Thus:
Whatsoever thou mayst ask. God will
give.n
Shall rise. Better as in Bible Union Yer
son. will rise again. Simple future.
Resurrection. Same word as the verb
the rising again (Anastasis).
l. The personal pronoun is here mark
edly emphatic, being apart from the verb
which follows and opens, as IL does the
sentence.-In me. Greek, into me. Per-
sonal entrustment Though he were
dead. Or, as in Revision, though he die, or
should die, a general statement.
Liveth. The in (eis) is to be connected
with this verb as well as with believeth.
which follows /. O., liveth In me.-Never
dle.-Two negations (ou. me), an en-
phatic mode OF speech Simply translated.
eternities.
1 believe Literally, have believed. Per-
feet tense the sense being that she had for
some time so believed, or had come to be-
lieve. 1t was not "a wholly new apprehen-
sion. The yea, Lord. may, however, imply
"a new application of this accepted truth
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHES.
l am the resurrection and the life. Why
then wait any longer for resurrection JOY
or for the assurance OF life eternalI We
have Jesus Is not that enough-till the.end
come? Martha had just been saying: "Lord,
II thou hadst been here" So often 1t is on
our own lips. In temptation, in loss, In
bereavement-"Lord, II thou hadst been
here" Dear SOUL dost thou not know he Is
here. Speak not with Martha of a "lasc
day." as If hope alone were here to- day and
faith and love had no portion In this life.
love, and the chiefest OF these is love"
Christ taken in faith is present day res
direction; Christ taken in love Is eternal
life here and now.
"Peace, perfect peace! with loved ones far
away;
In Jesus keeping we are safe, and they
Believest thou this? And now ] know
what faith Is. 1t is n personal matter, in
tensely personal. Hear Jesus: ale that
believeth in me, though he were dead, yet
shall he live.n This is faith enunciated.
but not yet faith. Hear him again: "And
whosoever liveth and believeth In me
shall never die. Believeth thou thls?,
Here Is "faith delivered" personally de-
livered; but il Is not yet personal faith.
But now listen: "Yea, Lord, L believe
that thou art the Christ" This, this IN
faith! Faith is not doctrine stated. nor
even doctrine accepted and In sense APP
piled. Faith is Christ believed, the per-
sonal Christ personally espoused. Before
there can be faith there must come some
trembling soul saying, humbly, trustingly,
"Yea, Lord" And here, at last, is faith
and JOY among the angels.
The Master Is come, and calleth for thee
1t is latter day message to every Child Of
God. "The Master is come;n yes, you know
that. Long ago you received him into your
heart by faith. and you know that his SAL
walton Is yours. But listen now; that is
not all, there is another message; "He
something more for you. Yes, more and
more, and always more to FOLLOW. al am
Gomez Christ says, "that they might have
lifen Most OF us have been satisfied with
that. But go on; "and that they might
have It more abundantly." Have you
that? . brother, friend, whatever Christ
has brought in the past he still calls you.
he has more 10 bestow. What shall we do?
See Mary. "As soon as she hoard that. she
arose quickly, and came unto him"
"God calling yet
Shall | not hear?n
Jesus wept. Two little words, but what
a burden they carry! Two words; two
worlds, indeed, OF sympathy and tender
ness. What did IL mean when Christ wept!
What does IL mean when l weep? IL con-
fesses brokenness of spirit IL signifies un-
doneness OF soul. 1t means that my yearn-
ings have outstripped my abilities, and 1
cannot do all that l would. And did it
mean less I'm our Lord? The sisters grief
was to him Il personal grief, so near and
intimate as TO be his very own. And the
consciousness OF the limitations thrown
about him by unfaith and the disabilities
OF the fiesh-how could that but have been
crushing? How much he would do for
them; how little they would let him do!
Nay. those tears were not borrowed tears.
1t was true burst OF sorrow, 1t was real
weeping. Our Lord was vcritably touched
with feeling OF our infirmities. That is
perfect confidence, "unto the throne OF
grace, that we may obtain mercy. and find
grace to help In time OF need.n A weeping
Savior is our throne OF grace.
Loose him and let him go. But Jesus did
not mean by that what some OF us seem TO
understand by IL. Here comes tho young
convert into the church. Shall we loose
him and let him go? Yes, strip away. so
far as possible. the hampering grave-clothes
of past. dead In tresr asses and sins; give
opportunity, carefully planned, for freedom
and growth In the new life. That were
well. But usually we do quite differently.
We loose him and let him go, and there Is
an end of IL. "Who Is that young person
back by the door?, alt is n young man
who seems TO be deeply interested regarding
his soul. Let me introduce him TO you.
The other young man beside him is already
a Christian And so you talk with the one
and not with the. other, albeit the other
was I'm sore trial and just now hungering,
oh, so much. for word of sympathy and
help. Surely the good Master did not mean
IL So
Naxt Iacaon. aChriat EoratallipU uia