Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1891-07-02
INTRODUCTORY.

The lesson for Sunday, July s. may be-
found I'm John 1;1-1a
INTRODUCTORY.
Tho lessons In the Old Tostament have
been full OF instruction. for We have learned
the truth OF that saying. nThey are they
which testify OF me-" But now we are 70
meet Christ as IL were face TO face and hear
his own words Is 10 st-ange that there
should be plucking up 4 Interest In sun
day schools all over the landg
WHAT THE LESSON SAYS.
Beginning. The first word of Genesis.
| going back, as we'll as human thought and
speech can go. to that pre-existencc which
was Gods from before the foundatiop OF the
/ world. CT. l. John 1.-The Word. Greek.
logos, In the sense of declaration. this to-
Ing the gospel OF God manifested or de-
clared; see v. Is below.-With God. Prop
osition OF association or participation. -
Was God. Accent on the last word. Greek
orders Add God was the word. predicate
put first.
The same. Greek. This one or he. sig
nihcant reference to Christ. the chief among
ten thousand.--Was in the beginning.
Repeated for emphasis. Christ was before
his earthly. human birth.
All things. Indicating the extent OF his
partlcipation.-By him. or through him,
by his NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. him. No ex-
ceptions.-Anyt thing. Greek. not one
thing. Expressive was made.
Revision, has been made. The visible
In him was life. Present tense, Is life.
The light OF men. Spiritual as well as
physical life.
In darkness. Opposite of light The
world aside fIom Christ dark.--Compre-
hended. An obscure passage The word
literally means to grasp, to take hold of;
the Revision adopts the meaning appre-
hend Rendered, thus. 9perceiver at Acts
4: 13. and 10; "a. There is another sense.
however, TO take possession of. overwhelm.
en- ll.e.., a - n.a.-
boy Mt Mark 0: IS (awheresoey err he taketh
himn).
There was a man. Not the same as I'm
the was OF v. l. This means came to be or
simply came.-A man. Not, as before,
God.-Sent from God. 1he highest dig
nifty to which mere man has attained. -
John. The Baptist.
The same. This one. or he (emphatfcl
same as In v. 2, so contrasting Christ and
John.-To bear witness OF the Light.
Hcnce not "the Light.n The word Swit-
ness" here Is marturion, from which comes
martyr, which, verify, John became.--AIl
men. The @all" seems to. bear special en-
phasis.-Through him. !. o., through
John Johns ministry had then particu-
lar bearing on faith, l. e., belief In testi-
mony.
,.JNSs 2atdbasttd khhk UHfst out as ser arate and
alone -iD bis.ai yiaec a5ar9tr as WIN Gs More
accurate II rendered without IL.
That was the true Light, It would be-
nearer the Greek to say. the true Light was
that which, etc.-Lighteth every man.
l. O., individually, the word .man" Is In the
singular. All men borrow OF the Christ
light; not all acknowledge it-Which
cometh into the world. Ambiguous, but
more probably belonging to the word
@light.n Thus, the true light was that
which. coming into the wo Id. lighteth every
man.
He was in the world. Connect with athat
cometh into the world.n The Greek order
brings out more clearly this connection. In
the world was he.--Made by him. Adding
to the marvel OF it.-Knew him not. One
Of the strongest climaxes or anti-climaxes
OF all literature.
He came unto his own. Creek as above.
unto his own he came.-And his own.
Another strong surprise OF speech. -Re-
ceived. In the sense of Acknowledgement
This same wor1 used at Col. 2: 6. ~As ye
have therefore received Christ Jesus
Received. slightly weaker word than
that of the v. before-accepted, took
Power Rather, authority. prerogative.
right.-To become. Or, to be. The In
slant Christ is received we are the sons OF
God. l. John 3: Even to them that
believe. The word even is added, and may
we'll be omitted. The phrase explains tho
mode OF receiving him. !. e.. by faith.
Not of blood. No hereditary Christiani-
ty.-Nor of the will Of the flesh No
Christianity OF mere moral growth or cul-
ture.-Nor of the will of man. No Chris
tianity of self-election or OF self-rightcous-
ness.-But Of God. aye must be born
again" John z.
Was made flesh. Christ's earthly birth.
This is the same verb translated swasS
above at v. @. "There was man." Here
Jesus and John meet. Christ who was from
the beginning became, In due time, man
Dwelt Tabernacled. Among US. or. in
us, In humanity.--We beheld. Because
he was Gamong u.s. OF with us, in U.s.
"a diuf inf ho
quent language intimates.--Grace and
nuJn uecIareu MIN. maoe Us know. IN
| bosomed him.
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHES.
In the beginning was the Word. Then.
| Christian brethren, you and were there.
| too, there in the thought and In the heart
/ OF God. For word signifies revelation, COM
munication. And now read that IL was
| in the beginning; IL was always Gods gra-
| cious purpose to declare himself. he had a
| people from before the foundation OF tho
| world. Looking back thus our hearts are
| strangely thrilled. We are not Of to-day.
| nor of yesterday. aIn the beginning We
| look back and we are lost; and then we
| look forward and we are lost again, in
| wonder. love and praise, again, and again,
and again.
| He was not that Light, but was sent to
bear witness of the Light. So am l.. Tho
| Christian disciple stands to-day alongside
| OF John, pointing and saying, aBehold. the
| Lamb OF God, that taketh away the sin OF
| the world.p We are witnesses. God help
us to render testimony as simple and direct
| as was that of the great harbingerl or
whom was IL blessedly said
| GHe held the lamp of truth that day
| So low that none could miss the way;
And yet so high to bring In sight
| That picture fair, The Worlds Great
| Light
The hand that held 1t scarce was SEEM
But as many as received him, to them
| gave he power to become the sons OF God
Or rather. right to be the sons of God. The
tRstselnst We have reeelyed Christ into hearts
| the Lambs book of Life, and we are Kings
sons. To how many has this text thrown
the gate wide openl Become sons? Some
| are doubtless trying to attain TO that dig
nifty by effort, by sacrifice. IL cannot be
done. Sonship Is a gift, "A thing received
with Christ. Have we not read it2 aBe-
loved, now are we the sons of God" There
is something to be gained. stature. fullness
But we must be born before we grow. IL -
not into sonship, but In sonship, that we
develop and attain. aNow are ye light In
the Lord, walk as children OF the lightv
Grace for grace. Here Is orthodoxy. Or
thos, right; doxa. appearance or opinion. l
shall stand clear In the sight OF men and
angels. orthodox. according as l approach
the mind and life that was in Christ Jesus.
| Grace for grace. his comeliness transferred.
his beauty, his blessedness: For Christ
gives II his very own, not something less.
IL Is himself. AMY peacen he said, @my joy
o to see pattern perfectly copied In tho
church OF Jesus Christi
But grace and truth came by Jesus Christ
He Is not only Savior, but Teacher, Master.
Some of MS are easily satisfied. We ask
simply to have our poor souls saved. just
| ransomed and p1ucked from tho burning.
that Is ALL But these are but as the rudi-
i INT g.. .s~ls. ns.A 4 I.a.wsn