Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-03-14
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
THOUGHTS WORTHY or CALM
REFLECTION.
A Pleasant, Interesting, and Instruct-
I've Lesson, and Where II May He
Found-A Learned and Concise Re.
view Of the Same.


/ Co1Om TOT M0Tcn lie
Golden Textile Son Of man Is come
to seek and to save that which was lost"
| Luke 10: 10.
"Zaccheus the Publican" IL the subject
| Of this lesson. which Is found In Luke
| 10: Ito. This lesson follows well upon
| the one of last week Both are concern
| ing men who were rich. Last week il was
the rich young ruler; this week the rich
publican. Yet how strong the contrast!
| With the young man riches were allowed
to be bar to his entrance for the king
dom of heaven. In the case of Zaccheus.
| far from staying the feet of the well-to-
do tax gatherer. his riches were made
but the larger pledge of his devotion.
There are rich men to-day, and men who
are to become rich. How will they use
| their wealth? Shall they make friends
out of the mammon of unrighteousness?
| friends and fortune unto eternal life; or
eternal enmity and misery? Shall wealth
be employed for the flesh or for Christ; in
the interest of this world or of two worlds?
This is the personal and pertinent ques-
| ton for us all, for we all have some sort
of wealth.
"Aid Jesus entered and passed through
Jericho" Take the moments ms they fly.
A gracious opportunity seize il. The in
eident at the city's edge, just prior, is
suggestive A blind man sitting there
hand begging. heard the tramp of feet.
tThen arose that strident cry: "Jesus,
Thou son of David. have mercy on me-"
+ In another way Zaccheus seems to have
pexpressed the same eager, personal inter-
est. His climbing of the sycamore was
itself an appeal. Bartimaeus made up
for his blindness by his clamorous voice.
Zaccheus helped out his deficient stature
by means of the tree boughs. If you
would see Jesus, show it.
"Apd he was rich" The blind man
was poor, beggar. The publican was
rich, very rich, perhaps. Thank God for
this instance. Christ is not for the poor
alone. and no more for the rich. But
also no less. He was 'chief among the
publicans," a tax gatherer. This means
that he was mot only wealthy, but in
a way to grow weather.. All. here is
the test. So many men fear to take Jesus
lest he interfere with their business, and.
as with these men at Philippi, the hope
of their gains be gone. And did Fac
cheus simply wish to- see who it was that
was going by in the throng;a mere pass
Jesus, who he was2 He had heard of
This supposition seems to account best
of all for the subsequent conduct and
conversation. The people marvel that
Christ should choose the house of aspub-
lican for his tafrying place. There ares
two justifcatioIs of this: one. from the
lips of Zacch9us. the other from the
mouth of the Christ Says Zaccheus:
Behold, Lord. the half of my goods l
give to the poor Ii. e., am givingJ, and if
l have taken anything from any man by
false accusation, 1 restore him lam accus-
toned to restore) four fold" Put along
with this Johns instruction to publicans
@: 131: Exact no more than what is
appointed you," and in the fact that Zac-
cheus went even beyond these instruc-
tons see strong evidence that Zaccheus
was endeavoring to 'bring forth fruits
worthy of repentance" Says Christ:
This day Is salvation come to this
house, for SO much as he also is son of
Abraham" Put with this again Johns
word at 3: 8: begin not to say within
yourselves, We love Abraham as our
father; for l say unto you, that God is
able of. these stones to raise up children
unto Abraham And here is one proven
such by his fruits of penitence, blessed
as such by Christ's declaration of saliva
ton bestowed. ."For the Son of man is
come to seek and to save that which was
lost" 81
Hints and illustrations.
The right use of riches. There are other
lessons, but this is the paramount one.
And never was there greater need for in
struction on this point, Never was there
greater wealth in the church, and never
perhaps such hindrance to our denomina-
tional benevolences through means with
held. We have need ola Evangelist to
go through the churches and bring us to
the mourners' bench because Of our av-
arice. Nay, we have need of the Spirit
of God to convict us of the sin Of selfish
ness. Put the truth strongly; we can
scarcely be too severe.
Zaccheus' prompt adjustment of his
means was not simply a partition with
his Master. 1t proved rather a spirit of
total conservation He had taken a new y
master, when it was said that Christ
twas gone to be guest with man who
was n sinner" Possibly it was wealth
that was master before. But, unlike the
rich young ruler who quickly proved by
his actions that he was himself ruled bv
his riches. Zaccheus indicates that ne is
above and over hisi wealth, and he can
use it to the glory of God. Thank God
for such an example, With man impossi-
BILE, with God possible. And how poss-
Bile? BY the implanting of new motive
and ideal. For where your treasure is,
there will your heart be also.
A lesson or two. know now what
''the higher life' means. 1t is to have
affections set on high,gand, rich or poor,
our steps following the lofty ideal or
goal. Contrariwise. know, too, what
it is to live a low life. High life in the
great city Is not high life in heaven. God
has his own picked "four hundred" They
are those who refuse to live for the per-
ishing things of clay. The arbiter of that
earthly guild of select people in New
York city, went to the dust the, other day
and made his bed with the four. hundred
million who wait the judgment in their
graves. No quality there Hknow now
the secret of Christ's marvellous lifeupon
earth. His hard denials were not IN am
swcr to the "Son of man, behold, these
stones" or ''all these things L will give
thee" but to withhold himself little
longer amidst the fleeting joys,of earth
from the joy set before him and the glory
that he had with the Father before the
world was. Hence he could endure the
cross and despise the shame. Perhaps
here is your mistake and mine. How can
we endure and despise earthlt things