Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1894-02-08
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL,
SERIOUS SUBJECTS CAREFULLY
CONSIDERED.
A Scholarly Exposition of the Lesson
Thoughts Worthy OF Calm Refiecsion-
Half an Hours Study of the Scriptures
Time Well Spent.
Gods Covenant with Abraham.
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Gods Covenant with Abraham.
INTRODUCTORY.
Abram changed to Abraham. A new
name. The sire of nobility thigh ia
| ther) becomes the sire of many nations
| father of multitudes( His name was
good one before, it becomes greater
one now. In the Orient names were
| frequently thus changed to signalize
some great event in the life. Just at
| this time, when SO many are putting ON
Christ in baptism and coming out
| openly into covenant relations with
| God. this lesson on Abraham's new
name is most opportune. The word
| "multitudes" in Abraham's name means
literally din. Putting his ear to the
ground, he could by faith hear the
| tread of the coming hosts OF the faith
| full. Was not the sound of your feet
| there also? Shall not the Sunday
schools OF to-day help to swell that
blessed tramp Of pilgrim feet antici-
pated in Abraham's new name?
POINTS IN THE LESSON.
The first note out of the heavens, /,
| God. The first note of Genesis, "In the
beginning God" Let us begin at the
beginning.
El-Shaddai. God Almighty, i. e., the
God of infinite strength, the first force,
| from which all gracious streams of in
nected with such fountain head!
walk. In the name of the God Of
strength-walk. 1t was similar voice
that spoke to the impotent man and
said, Take up thy bed and walk"
Only God could say it; only God said
| it. Faithful is he that calleth you
who also will do it,"
| Walk before me-" Literally, before
my face, in my presence. That means
circumspectly, it means righteously.
Men have been walking, walking, but,
o the crooked paths. They have not
walked before God, in the Kings paths.
| All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned every one to his own
way" Lord Gcd, turn us back into
the good way, thy way. turn us
again, o Lord, and cause thy face to
shine and we shall be saved"
"Perfect?" is it possible? 1t helps
us not a little to read this word in its
other renditions in other parts of Gods
book. There at Ps. 10. Lord, who
shall abide in thy Tabernacle? Who
shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that
walketh uprightly." The same word.
| Or at Joshua "A: IA, Now therefore fear
the Lord, and serve him in sincerity"
Same word again. Or ut Ps. 119: /, the
familiar passage, Blessed are the un-
defiled in the way" Margin, per
feet, sincere" The same word. 1t
means whole, single-hearted. Keep
the eyes on God, on God alone. Who,
with the Spirits help and in the light
of the Word, can not do that? Be We
perfect.
MY covenant" God says. 1t is he
| Il 10,
from Jehovah himself He wants to
bless us, and all that he asks of us in
the conditions is the necessary steps
to the procurement of the blessings
proffered. The gift Is Gods, the sac
rifce of the covenant is GCd s. What
is ours? Simply to draw nigh to God
and receive his promised grace. Only
the carnal heart holds us back. To
the renewed mind his ways are ways
OF pleasantness" and all his paths are
peace" The proper attitude Of the
child of such providence Is that OF
| Abram when, in confession of his hum
bic dependence and gratitude, he fell
upon his face" not to stay in such an
attitude, however, except in spirit. He
arose in accordance with God s COM
mand and walked before his face. That
was Abrams part. And Gods part
"As for me, behold my covenant is
with thee" 1t is enough. Let us go
Gods way.
| HINTS AND ILLUSTRATIONS.
| Does God keep covenant? Does it
pay to serve God? Are Gods accounts
straight? Judging from the way the
W, rid acts toward the great Sovereign
of the universe, one might suppose
that he were either untrue or unkind.
How stands the record? Ask some one
to tell the lesson of history. Let some
one instance prophecy fulfilled. Call
up experience of personal sort as to
Gods promises tried and proved. Per-
haps some young man or young woman
is going off to college. On what does
he or she base expectation of. success?
Is it not the convenant-keeping God?
So also with the one entering upon
honorable business relations. I'm God
we trust" Trust him likewise in the
higher, spiritual matters.
| Abraham VS.. Lot. The lie needs to
be guarded in its tendencies. "As the
twig inclines the tree is bent"
| To prove that cultivation rays the
gardener had only to point to a straw
berry bed as compared with patch OF
weeds. One had been kept and culti--
waited, the other allowed to go its own
way.
| Separation means abstinence from
something: it means also dedication
unto something. That was a note of
world conquest when in the days of the
apostles the Holy Spirit said: "Separ-
ate unto me Barnabas and Saul for the
work whereunto | have called them.
| AS Lot pitched his tents toward Sodom,
no less truly did Abraham pitch his
tents toward the glorious Jerusalem
| that was to be, and the more glorious
! Jerusalem that is yet to be.
The rainbow is a preacher Of right
eousness, continuing the proclamation
and promise made to Noah. The stars
also are an innumerable company of
witnesses and signs to the covenant
made with Abraham. When we look
up into the mighty heavens think of
the time when God brought Abraham
out under these same skies and said,
| for his solace and ours, Look now to-
ward heaven, and tell the stars. If thou
be able to number them; and he said
unto him, so shall thy seed be. And Of
this simple, artless child of provi-
dence, hence rightly called "the friend
of Cod" it naively add, "and he be-
lieved in the Lord, and it was counted