Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1894-06-07
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
THOUGHTS WORTHY OF CALM
REFLECTION.

Lesson ana Whero ~ may DO Founo-
A Learned and Concise Review Of the
Same.
Passage Of the Red Sea.
The lesson for Sunday, June TO- may
be found In Exod. Ia: 1929
INTRODUCTORY.
We have moving picture In the
lesson before us. The Greek stories OF
gods and heroes present some marvel
Gus exploits that challenge our wonder
il not our admiration. There Is one
legend of adventure and cape that is
interesting for more than its thrilling
character. 1t almost seems at places o
remainder of sacred scenes and Incl
dents. 1t is the tale OF the Argonauts
who went in quest of the golden fleece.
1t belonged to those bold voyagers to
try unknown seas, and to eros, to lands
before untouched by human foot. AS
they sailed northward through the OAR
danelles they came at the entrance
into the Euxine Sea upon two dangerous
islands called the Symplegades or clash
ing isles The oracle had instructed
the Argonauts how to make the perilous
passage, and hence they steered secure
ly through between the floating reefs,
but as they did so the treacherous
escape was indeed narrow, for the stout
boat was shaken by the rude concus-
sion, as the islands closed behind them.
They shuddered as they looked behind
them at the channel through VIII ich
they had passed, now vanished from
sight, and piOusly poured libations to
the imaginary deities that had succOred
them. 1t was with some such feelings
as these, but truer, deeper, that the
Israelites looked back upon The seeth-
ing, smashing waters of the Red sea.
Well might they lift up songs OF praise.
Theirs was better oracle. For not
only had they been saved from the
angry Jaws of the sea, but their en-
emies, bent on their detention or de-
struction. had found death when they
had found deliverance. Loud rang the
musicians strain, "Sing We to the Lord,
for he hath triumphed gloriouslv; the
horse and the rider hath he thrown
into the sea-"
POINTS IN THE LESSON.
"The angel OF God, i. g., the mani
festation of Gods power. Hebrew,
messenger, one sent, Israel's forward
and rearward. God does not leave his
dutiful people alone. Jacob went on
his way, and the angels OF God met
him"
This was the angel that went before
the camp" Was he elsewhere than on
the march? Would they have found
this angel except by way of the pill
grimage? From strength to strength
Gods PEOPLE 60" Gods strong ones
sent out to anticipate our journeys.
1.-The children of Israel went into
the midst of the sea-" 1t was in the
midst OF the mount that God was made
KIN wn to Abraham, even his mount OF
sacrifice. And so he called it Jehovah
Jireh." 1t was in the midst of the sea
that Israel called the power OF Je-
hovah. Gods people must often tread
like path of faith and utter devotion
to realize the saving power OF him
who leads them.
And the waters were wall, A
moment before there was wall in
front of them; now a wall IN their
right hand and on tn ir left" So him
ORANGES often turn to helps, After all,
the forward path is the safe path, and
Gods ability and readiness to help are
only learned in the experiment. His
strength has no human measurement,
his wisdom cannot be previously cal
culated. In the path Of duty we must
trust Gods grace to know its fullness.
To realize the bless edness Of believing
and doing, go forward"
HINTS AND ILLUSTRATIONS.
The passage of the Red Sea to a
passageway into all nobler living and
doing. Call up instances. "By faith, :"
says the Golden Text, "they passed
through the Red Sea-" How much
faith! Just enough to step forward in
obedience. After all, it is not show
H,,t 1,
their Lord once, Lord, increase our
faith" and strangely enough he an
swered that if they had faith as a
grain OF mustard seed, they could re-
move trees or mountains into the
midst of the sea. And so according
to their faith" in accordance with it
was unto them.
"Finally," says Paul, BE We strong in
the Lord, and In the power of his
might" The last result and the first,
the best result, is the Lord himself.
He himself was in the pillar Of fire
and cloud.
Standeth God within the shadows
Keeping watch above his own.
The writer stood once on the high
promontory overlooking the junction
Of the Mississippi and Rock Rivers
near Rock Island, Ill. 1t is called
Black Hawks watch tower. Here the
redoubtab Indian warrior was wont
| to fee for re enforcement. 1t was in
deed for years his strong defense, and
| arms were at last laid down at this
point. "A strong tower is our God
strer 9Th that faileth never"
Israel called his own weakness here
at the same time that he discovered
Gods might. There was something of
rebuke in the words, Speak unto the
children of Israel that they go for
ward.n They had gone out with a
high hand. Perhaps they had grown
| tribe proud or elf-comp AGENT. Then
when the obstacle came they grew mo-
rose and sullen and complaining. God
calls them to sense of their depend
ence by his injunctions to 90 forward
in spite of their seeming impotence.
| There Is no man strong enough or pi-
GU, enough to live without God. They
| inquired of Spurgeon il he believed in
tho who professed perfect sanctifca-
| tion in the sense of sinlessness. He
quoted Sidney Smith Tor was it Cole
ridge?) who, when asked If he believed
in ghosts, answered, No, ! have seen
too many of them" The London
preacher made similar response about
holiness people. He did not believe In
them; he had seen too many of them.
| We are never else than saved by grace.
There is flood to be passed, after
awhile, by us all. What is your trust
| for that great passage? The little girl
sat reading the Bible to her aged
grandfather. She came to those