Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1894-08-30


Lesson, and Whore 1t May BE Found
A Learned and Concise Review OF the
Lesson for September 2.
"Jesus cleansing the Temple" Is the
subject OF this lesson, which Is found
in John 2: 1925, and good subject 1t
Is. Much can be said on 1t that will
60 directly home to church societies
and church members. Undoubtedly a
great many churches are making alto
gether too little use of their meeting
houses; three or four hours week is
certainly q small portion OF the time
that God calls precious, and with
thousands of dollars invested in brick
and mortar and costly furnishings
there Is, without doubt, much of waste
when the house OF worship stands un-
occupied 80 much of the time. That
the church house, standing there. ad-
vertises the faith is manifest, but 1t Is
meant to do mere than that; fruit is to
be rendered as we'll as leafage. But on
the other side, while there is much Of
neglect. there is also much Of perver-
sion, sins of commission, overlapping
sins OF omission. With certain mod
ern worldly-wise tendencies it Is ques-
sionable whether the crying iniquity
of to-day in the church is not the mis-
use rather than the disuse of the house
Of God. May this lesson stir US all up
and set ns thinking.
GOLDEN TExE -1Make not my Fathers
house house OF merchandise n-John 2:
Ia
Points In the Lesson.
4And the Jews passover was at hand,
and Jesus went up"-the world pass
over. He also was at hand He
"found in the temple those that sold"
Be sure your sin will find you out when
those watching eyes are upon you
What does he Ind in the temple to-
day. There they were sitting" a
very decorous crowd But now the
scourge OF small cords, and now see
the confusion. II the utter truth were
spoken, acted, would thel be less con-
fusion to-day! And would not some
such holy uproar be good for the
Lords house in the end? Take these
things hence" Christ said. He did not
Danish them utterly, only sent them
out of the holy place. 1t was the sin
OF misplacement. Lord Jesus, speak
once again!
Ltdl vi uOuS6. we u6tu Insu
devoured by such inward fires, II only
for reminder. For the disciples seem
to have forgotten the Scripture until
they saw the Scripture embodied. Then
"they remembered. And the world
remembers, too The great outside
thu ong pays little heed to the house Of
God while it merely competes with the
world in a kind of worldly commerce..
II ,t ha rvan,,ix,n Gr, nthAr
being put out, and the great world
pau. es to look and Ii stem. It was so in
Wesley's day, in Luther's, in Johns,
in Christ's. What sign showest thou?"
The world still asks it. For it is bold
thing to declare war against the worlds
strength and wisdom, as Christ did
here. What answer did he give? The
answer of his resurrection. What
answer Is sufficient to-day. and alone
sufficient? His resurrection, AMI the
power of risen life. Do we preach it
as we should, Do we live il as we
should?
Hints and Illustrations.
Ii Christ came to his temple to-day,
this house of worship in which we are
at present, what think you would he
say: what wou d he do? Call up Tree
discussion. Get frank expression of
opinion. The Sunday-school class. and
the Bible class especial y, is a kind of
peoples parliament, a weekly re-
ligious congress" Be kind and con-
siderate about it, but give place for
once to the whip of small cords. As
suredly we need such discipline. Or
ask the still more pertinent question,
What il Christ came, in judgment. to
yOur heart to day? Know We not that
We are the temple of GodY" What
would the whip OF small cords be laid
upon? Whatev thoughts, evil habits!
What evil courses? what bad associa-
tions? What wrong practices? Look
them up. Confront yourself. Go
through all the chambers of the soul
and cast out the intruders.
Doves are good, sheep are good, oxen
are good, money, toG but each in its
place, each in its proportion. The
trouble here wa, that the dove and
oxen and sheep had gotten where the
heart ought to be, the money
changers tables had taken the place
of the altar. Methods are good, but
do not let them usurp the place of real
Worship, which Is always. spiritual. A
festival may be good thing both di-
rectly and indirectly, but where shall
we bring it? The table Of the money!
chan ger-how can we get along with
out it? And yet, is it safe TO bring it
into the place OF the holiest ministra-
tions? Here Is q merchant with his
mind full of sines,, sheep and oxen,
heaps of coin, all the week long. But
now is he going to bring it to the
Lords house-the whole confused
mass? Where then Is his rest, his
In communion with God?
Well for him, il into the chamber Of
his thoughts the man of action lets
loose, at times, for holy PURPOSES, the
whip of small cords. lie will take up
the week day tasks all the realier
A pastor says, "Yes, we had kind Of
a young mems club In connection with
the church fer a while. It was not
religious, but was meant
TO keep the boys out OF mischief. For
q season it went we'll. had what was
called BOOM A little later 1t be-
gan to weaken, to develop bad iniu-
ences; presently 1t b came almost
wholly worldly, and it has since been
cl,sed up" You think of other similar
cases. OF couse thcy ought to have
boen watched and guarded more care
FULLY. But again Is there time for 1t
all? Why not straight at 1.-THE
gospel? Evangelism; nothing else.
Next Lesson-"Jesus and Nicode-
NUS" John 3: 1-16.