Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-08-01

Il -
diligently and Probably.
Lesson for August 4.
| Golden Textile Lord is with US; fear
them not.-Num. IA: o.
Subject: The Report of the Spies. Some
one might have said, Is God dead on that
sad day in Israels history when she
paused on the borders of the promised
land. 1t was always a land of promise,
| given by promise and to be conquered by
faith In the promise. When Israel at
last entered the land it was distinctly by
the way of the promise and as she con-
| quered AZ Hebrews tells US 'by faith"
Undoubtedly the Hebrew nation stumbled
at the border. 1t is a dangerous place
there among the stakes; one must needs
| watch his feet and guard well his ways.
But Israel was heady, high-minded, un-
| prepared, and back she went to school
again the seminary of the wilderness. 1t
Is a kind of school-mastership the church
has more than once subjected itself to by
it's faithlessness and disobedience. God
help us to learn a lesson from Israel this
day.
"Moses sent them to spy out the land
of Canaan" And it was but spy-glass
glimpse that Moses got of it at the best.
Might he not have entered in? "See the
land, what it is and whether it be good
or bad" But why new survey? God
had told them it was land flowing with
milk and honey, a land kept in reserve
for Israel. Why not take Gods word
for it?
sand bring of the fruit of the land"
This part of the injunction they carried
out. Grapes on their shoulders, but no
uvst s,,f kos, hao
ure excursion that trip was something Of
a success, but as picket or skirmish line
that meant fight, it was a miserable fail
ure.
"And they returned from searching of
the land after forty days." And it por-
tended just forty days of after-wander-
ings in the wilderness. Forty days. 1t
takes some people long while to get
ready to do a thing. They might have
gotten to Jericho or to All with the con-
quest by that time. Has God told you
something to do? Go about the doing of
it. Don't send spies. Gods time is too
valuable-and your hearts too PREACHER
Gus.
Hints and Illustrations.
Was the sending up of the spies neces-
sary? Was it expedient? Was it right?
Ask these questions. Discuss them. And
to get light on the subject turn over to
Deut. 1: %, where Moses gives us a
meaningly hint when he says: "And We
came unto me every one of you, and said,
we will send men before us, and they shall
search us out the land As if the Lord
had not already given them word Il: 2D:
''Behold the Lord thy God hath set the
land before thee; go up and possess it, as
the Lord God of thy fathers hath said
unto thee; fear not, neither be dis
couraged." But you say it was only a
matter of military tactics. That it was
indeed when forty years later Joshua
sent the spies to Jericho, but here it was
as the sequel proves piece of vacillating
timidity and doubt and questioning.
There is quite a difference between going
up to see how and going up to see whether.
In fact, Israel at the very outset here re-
vealed her distrust. She was disputing
with God. That never pays.
I. Did the Lord command that Moses ap-
point the spies? So also did he command
Samuel to anoint king over Israel, but
it was only when Israeps mind was set
for it, and the answer of her persistent
cry was given as an ordeal and a re-
buke. Beware how we make insistence
upon God. There are prayers which God
answers at times for Christening. 1t is al
together wisest to give God the lead. 1t
is hazardous thing to seek to have your
own way. Some one has recently said:
"There is, perhaps, no way in which q
man may be more dead sure of utter ruin
than to have his own way" There is not
a little significance in the fact that right
where it says in Sacred Writ, 1--WE have
turned every one to his own way" there
=. IL h. I..xI 1t
him the iniquity of us ALL" 1t is sin. That
is the short way of spelling it; our own
way is sin. And it is death, too. 1t meant
as much as this to disobedient Israel,
sent back to wander in the wilderness till
their bones were bleaching by the way.
1t has never meant less since. "The
wages Of sin is DEATH" and this is inter-
preted by ito be carnally (selfshly) mind
ed is DEATH"
There were two reports from the spies,
a majority and a minority report. These
reports are still before us for ratification.
"What are your marching ordersw asked
Wellington. Thus spoke the Caleb and
Joshua spirit. But 1t is in the minority,
always so. Ten to two stands the pro-
portion of unfaith to faith, or of timidity
to holiness, of worldly prudence to spir-
itual trust. Carey brought in such
minority report once, likewise Judson.
What if it had been declined! Israel lost
forty years by so doing. The churchelost
more than that time listening. to ma
jority reports on foreign missions. 1t is
losing time to-day. There is ten spies
report warning for the ascendency in ev-
cry church where aggressive work Is
proposed, and in every heart where the
citadels of sin are to be overthrown. But
~ = A. - 81
the voice of Caleb and Joshua.
''The counsel of the ungodly" is still
clamorous. 1t has on its side, in the first
place, numbers, then the established order
of events, then the natural rensonableness
of things. 1t is hard to contend with
worldly prudence. It's voice is heard very
pronouncedly within the church. But the
work still stands, BLESSED is the man
that walketh not in the counsel of the un-
godly."