Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1894-05-24
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
SERIOUS SUBJECTS CAREFULLY
CONSIDERED.

limo wen spent.
Moses Sent ~ Deliverer.
The lesson for Sunday, May q, may
be found In Exod. 3: 1920.
INTRODUCTORY.
Paul had his seminary. training In
Arabia, where, seemingly, In silent
communion with God after his CONVEX
sion, he fitted his soul for his great
life wo X. Moses had similar discipline
amid the INDIAN fortresses. Geikie
has we'll saids "In this sanctuary of
advancing purposes of God had ripened
Israel for the great movement of its
deliverance, and, meanwhile, uncon-
sciously preparing for the mighty task
before him, Moses spent, as st. Stephen
informs us, no fewer than forty years.
His wanderings would make him ac-
quainted with every valley, plain,
gorge, hill, and mountain of the whole
region; with its population, whether
native or that of the Egyptian mines,
with every spring and well. and with
all the resources of every kind offered
by any spot; an education of supreme
importance toward fitting him to guide
his race, when rescued from Egypt, to
the safe shelter and holy sanctuaries
of this predestined scene OF their long
encampment. Still more, in those
calm years every problem to be solved
in the organization OF people would
rise SUCCESSFULLY in his mind and find
its solution; and, above all, his own
soul must have been disciplined and
purified by isolation from the world
and closer and more continual COM
munion with Cod"
POINTS IN THE LESSON.
.at
now! The hour had struck. In the
Hebrew, here, the time word is the
emphatic word.
But back of all, ever all and In all
was-God, the Il Am" who am II"
Moses is presently all too meekly ask
ing. "I:" Never mind the human
~ Listen; Il will send" Lose sight
of poor, pitiful self; fix your eye upon
the great Jehovah-"I Am"
This shall be a KEN" or sign. The
word means a mark, or impression, a
seal Here was chance for faith.
Moses was to look about upon that
empty mountain, empty save whore
the sheep and cattle were browsing,
and he was to see it peopled with wor-
Shipping Israel. In due time this faith
was turned to sight, and God gave him
the visible, tangible token.
The vision of the burning bush must
have given emphasis to this promise;
may, indeed, have been a part OF the
token" it.elf 1t was a meaningful
symbol of Israel in the midst of tribu-
lation, kept by the power of God, burn
ing but not consumed; and also an OBJ
ject lesson of the servant of God him.
self, sustained amid fiery trials by the
indwelling and upholding spirit of God.
Il olx
a am that which am, or what | am,
Gods unchangeableness. Moses was
anticipating skepticism on the part of
"Tney will doubt my credentials.
Whose name shall urge in my behalf
for this great appeal?' And God gives
the adequate authorization: Il am
hath sent me unto YOU" Even so spake
Malachi afterward: Il am the Lord, l
change not; therefore We sons of Jacob
are not consumed"
81 am sure Hebrew, know that the
king of Egypt will not let you go. ;"
Difficulty the second, the hardening OF
Pharaoh's heart. But does not this
know, Gods foreknowledge, throw a
little light upon the mystery? Diff
Guilty the third Immediately follows
the lesson, "Every woman shall borrow
of her neighbour" But the word Dor
row, strangely SO rendered here, Is the
same word as is rightly translated ask
| at Ps. 2: 8, ASK OF me and / shall give
the heather for thine inheritance. I"
Borrow of me-" shall we say?
HINTS AND ILLUSTRATIONS.
The lesson has to do with preparation
| for service; and surely it Is very
practical lesson. God ends his servants
to school, and fits them for the dis
charge of great responsibilities. In
stance the men who have been thus
| developed, tried and proved in the
school:of experience. Christ himself
learned obedience by the things which
back side of the desert? Have you
| been to Horeb.
! 1t is interesting to note how God en-
| plovs the natural talents and powers OF
men to his ultimate glory. He takes
our youth ul energies, and chastens
and molds them to his will. 1t is said
that the first thing Carey did after re-
covering from broken arm, gotten by
falling from the limb of tree, was to
| go out and climb that tree again.
Training counts for much in the az
fairs OF life. Good habits play great
er part than we think in bringing
| alb ut results, and the unconscious in
| fluence of home-bred honesty and good
| behavior is worthy of large coIsidera-
| tion. When Jonathan Sturges went to
| New York, humble, penniless lad, he
| found his way, as was his custom, on
| the first Lords day to church. He
was somewhat dismayed at the sump-
| tuousness of the place till watchful
and kindly member OF the church in
| vited him to seat in his pew. The
next morning young Sturges presented
| his letter OF Introduction and besought
the credit he needed to engage in his
contemplated occupation. did not
see you in Mr.. Lenox's pew yesterday"
| said the Scotch merchant to whom he
had applied Il don't know" was the
reply, whose pew / sat in, sir, but a
kind gentleman gave me a seat. We'll
lad, that was Mr.. Lenox, and 1t Is no
common honor to be asked to sit In his
pew. will trust any boy with goods
who has that honor conferred upon
him" 1t was the beginning of q noble
and successful business career.
Moses has been called the meekest
man. His might was in his meekness
AMI he learned 1t here in the wilder
ness with God. After all, 1t Is the
lowly, God-fearing spirit that is
mightiest TO the pulling down OF
strongholds. This brother, OF ours has
been telling us of his conversion. He
was an infidel, able, as he thought to
hold his own In an argument with any
theist, glorying In 1t. One time a
Christian pastor spoke to him about