The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1894-08-31

sub 'ect of this lesson, which Is found
In John 2: 1925, an ! good subject it
is. Much can be said IN 1t that will
go dire: ly home to church societies
and church members. Undoubtedly
great maay chuI ches are making alto
gether 20 little use OF their meeting
houses: three or four hours week is
certainly small portion of the time
that God calls precious, and with
thousands of dollars invested IN bi lex
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
tne church house, standing there. ad-
yertises the faith is manifest, but ii is
meant to do m re than that, fruit is to
be rendered as well as le .faqS. But on
the her side, viii g there is much OF
neglect. there i also much of perver-
ion, sins OF comm ssi,n, ovcr-topping
sins OF omission. With certain mod
ern worldlywi tendencies it i, ques-
tiOnable whether the crying iniquity
of to-day in the church is rot the mis-
use rather than the d.suse of the house
of God. May this lesson stir Us all up
and set us tn mixing.
GoLDIN TEAE --"Make not my Fathers
house house OF merchandise. John 2:
l6
Points I'm the Lesson.
And tho Jews passover was at hand,
and Jesus went up"-the world pass
over. He also was "at hand He
"founl in the temple those that ID"
Be sure your sin will find you out when
tho:e watching eyes upon YOU.
w hat es he nd in the temple to-
day! There they were sitting"
4 A.
scourge OF small cords, and now see
the confusion. If the utter truth were
spoken &C O J, would the o be less con-
fusion to-day? And would not some
such holy up.Ca, be good for the
Lords house in the end Take these
things hence" Christ aid. He did not
blnlsh them utterly, only sent them
out of the holy place. 1t was the sin
o. displacement. Lord Jesus, sleak
once again!
Zeal of thine house." We need men
devoured by UGH inward fires, il only
rem nder. For the disciples seem
to have orgotten the Scripture until
they saw the Scripture embodied. Then
"thev remembered. And the world
rem mber5, too. The great outside
tn ong lays little heed to tie house of
God while ii merely completes with tho
world in kind of worldly commerce.
Let the genuine fl burn, other fires
bcing put cut, and the great world
pau es TO look and ii ten. 1t was so in
Wesleys day, in Luther's, in Johns.
in Christ's. What sign showest thou?"
The world still asks it. For 1t is bold
thing to declare war against the worlds
strene tn and wi dom, as Christ did
here. What answer did he give? The
answer OF his resurrection. What
answer is sufficient to-day. and alone
sufli lent? His resurrecti n, AMI the
power of risen life. Do we preach 1T
as we shou d. 10 we Ii Q it as we
should?
Hints and Illustrations.
IL Christ came to his temple to-day,
this house of worship in which we are
at pre- ent, what think you would he
say. what won he do? Call up rec
discussion. Get frank expire siol OF
opinion. The Sunday-school class. and
tho Bible class especial y, is a KIND OF
peoples parliament. a weekly re-
ligious ngress. Be kind AMI con-
side ate about it, but give place for
once ID the whip of small cords. AS
suredly we need such discipline. Or
the still more pertinent question,
What ii { hriIt cine, in judgment. to
your heart to day? Know We not that
We are the temple of God!" What
would he whip OF small cords be laid
upon? What ev thought, evil habits
What evil courses? what bal associa.
tion3? What wrong practices? Look
them up. Confront yourself. e.
through all the chamber, of the soll
and cast ouS the intruders.
Doves are god, sheep are good, oxen
are good, money, too; but each in its
p ace, each in its proportion. Tho
trouble here wa that the dove and
oxen and sheep had gotten where the
contri,e 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? Tee table OF the MONEY!
chan ger-how can we get along with
out it? And yet, is it safe TO b ing it
into the place of the hottest ministra
tions? Here Il merchant with his
mind full of b sines sheep and oxen,
heaps Of coin, u the week long. But
now is he gong TO tring 1t to the
Lords house-the whole confus ed
mass? Where then is his rest, his
worship, in communion with God
Well for him, il into the chamber of
his thoughts the man of action lets
loose, at times, for holy pur. oses the
whip of small cords. lie will take up
the week day tasks all the rea1ier
thereafter.
A pastor says, "Yes, we had kind 4
a VI ung mems club in connection with
the church fir while. 1t was not
di tinctively religious, but was meant
to keep the boys out of mischief. For
a season it went we'll. had what was
called BOOM. A little latr it be
gan TO weaken, to develop bad inlu-
ences; presently it b came amost
wholly worldly, and it has si-ce been
cl sed up You think of other similar
cases. OF couse they ought to have
bcen W tched aud guarded more care.
fully. But again. Is there time for 1t
all? Why not straight at it-the
gospel? Evangelism; nothing else.