Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1893-02-23

The lesson for Sunday, Feb. 26. may
be found In Neh. viii. LIZ.
INTRODUCTORY.
We are In the midst OF meeting OF
days." typical revival Of the. olden
time. May We not find here spur and
stimulus for an awakening OF the right
sort In the modern church and Sunday
SCHOOL, 1t is q whoie-hea rted return &c
Gods word--a Bible festival. What
else shall denote the high-water mark
of loyalty TO Jehovah than a thorough
going return to his word? The revival
OF the future Will be revival Of Bible
study. AS to the chronology OF the
times, put seventy eight years between
iZerubbabel's and Ezra's return anc
thirteen years between, the coming -oi
Ezra and the coming OF Nehemiah.
About two months have elapsed since
the arrival OF Nehemiah, and in that
time the walls have been repaired.
Now for the walls OF the heart.
POINTS IN THE LESSON.
How shall the reading of the law
produce its due effect? First, one must
have congregation. And all the peo-
pie gathered themselves together" FIJI
the churches, Empty benches are poor
conductors for gospel electricity.
The people calling for the word. U,
to hear 1t so againl How it cheers the
faithful PASTORS heart to have the peo-
pie themselves come and say: Bring
the Book" What is Il but the echo in
man OF the voice OF God who had com
tmanded" 1t to Israel? And, after all.
lis not this what the people are saying
by their clamorous needs, IL not by their
spoken words2 Put away your dreams.
they are crying. your pretty fancies,
your clever speculatfons. Give us the
Book Give US the Book" Lord. en-
liable US to do 1t; teachers, pastors, all.
Ezra means help. And what a help
the reader and interpreter of the book
may be to the people If he will.
lhlndrance also he may be. The church
that assumes to tell the people what
they may read and what they may be-
lieve-how sadly 1t has departed from
the divine original Ours it is to be
simply helps to the people, so that they
may hear with understanding. We
may safely, after that, let judgment
and conscience, under the guide OF Gods
spirit, work. DO not tell the people
what to think or what to do. That lie
Gods part. Tell them what the Bible
says. the teachers part.
Attention is necessary. We cannot,
with even the best things, do good I'M
less they be taken in. A large part OF
the bane of our latter-day Sunday
school work is the inattentiveness and
disorder that so often prevails. Insist
upon 1t that eyes keep to the front, and
that but one talk at time. Here the
ears of all the people literally rem
dered) were unto the book OF the law"
They were, so to speak pointed (the root
of the Hebrew word ear that way. That
lis what ears are for-to hear Gods
word. And in this case the Scriptures
were addressed to "the men and the
women and those who could under
stand" The truth is not going to help
any one who fails or is unable to give
it entrance. idiots and infants come
under another category though it is all
of grace and all through Christi, but
accountable and intelligent men and
women can only be helped as they hear
and heed the message. "Ye shall know
the truth, and the truth shall make you
Free"
HINTS AND ILLUSTRATIONS.
The Sunday-school is not, in all re-
spects, modern institution. Here in
this lesson we have very fair repre-
sentation of an old-fashioned Bible
school. Only, alas. in its main aspects,
1t occurred all too infreQuently But
undoubtedly the synagogue service,
which took its start from the days of the
captivity, was much after the pattern
which is sought after in our class-work
in the Sunday-school. 1t was an in
quiry into what the Book said, and what
the Book taught. Rate the Sabbath
school high, see its roots running back
in religious history. We are not OF a
day in this enterprise. 1t is eternity
work, 1t Is Gods own..c
1t was popular movement, and this
was a kind of popular ratification meet
ing. Nehemiah and Ezra were wise in
giving the people an opportunity to dis
close themselves. The writer was con-
versing not long since with shrewd
business man who called attention to
the method by which the railroads of
one of the great cities secured the de-
termination of their boundaries, and
their right of way through the cities.
They allowed certain conspicuous infe-
licities OF transit to have their way I'M
til the people and the city at last arose
almost en- masse and declared for a
fenced-in track. And now the barriers
are up and the boundaries determined
for all time, as 1t were, by popular en-
actment. That Is the way to get things
passed to stand. Make It q movement
of the people.
open thou mine eyes," says the
Golden Text, that may behold" How
many there are who having eyes see
not. And who can mend the oversight
like the one who gave it at the first2
There is a species of FISH, they tell US,
in Mammoth Cave, that has the outward
organ quite distinct, but which is totally
blind. 1t has 30 long accustomed itself
to the dark that 1t has lost the power of
vision. And now there goes certain
infidel lecturer up and down the coun-
try, saying: "He that hath ears to hear,
let him hear" ergo, Christianity is "a
religion Of ears, nay they have a relig
ion OF ears and ears only, who having
ears, hear not" Ours Is a religion of
their ears that they may hear rand-t their
eyes that they may behold.
There is life in the old Book Moth
ing In this world is like 1t for stirring
the hearts of the people. What feast
of fat things was that which Charles
Sturgeon used to spread for those who
ate at his table, or, rather, his Masters
table. He caused them to understand
the reading" .One of the great preach
er's biographers tells OF little Balti-
more lad who was taken to hear the
sermon at the Tabernacle in London.
He listened attentively, and at the close
said: Papa, is that hegreatest preach
er In the world?" "Yes," ga d the father:
Il think he is" well them" the boy
exclaimed, Il know how to be the great
est preacher in the world-just pick out
a nice chapter in the Bible, and tell Just
what is in Il so that everybody can un-