Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-03-07
Lesson for March 10.

| dom OF God."-Matt. u: 30.
The Rich Young Ruler is the subject for
this lesson-Mark 10: 1927.
Here comes another man who wishes
to do something that he may inherit eter-
nal life. Indeed, this one seems so like
the lawyer who called forth from our
Saviour's lips the story of the Good Sa.
maritan, recently studied Qluke 10. 25-3D
that we might be inclined to think them
one and the same person, were it not for
the fact that Matthew in his gospel de-
scribes both interviews and distinctly sep.
arates them Matt. 10: 10, and Matt. %.
35). In the case of the young man con-
sidered in the lesson before us the mo-
tive seems to have been higher and no.
bier. But the failure to close with our
Lords overture seems on this account NIL
the more sad. May it warn and at the
same time win many of our young men
! to-day.
Points in the Lesson.
Christ cloves the young. He has just
proven it in the verses preceding by TAX
ing up a child in his arms and caressing
it. He goes yet further to prove it by
beholding Greek, looking att a young
man, and loving him. y, that look of love!
How could the young man resist it? How
can you? And yet the young man first
sought the Lord. He came running. There
is right as well as a wrong impulse in
the soul. Is it relic of Eden? The
lower nature dominates, but there Is
sweet instinct in the soul, apparent most
of all in childhood, that lifts the eye and
the hand heavenward. There is not
enough in it to save us, but just enough
to bring us thoughtfully into the way
| W 10 sfa nd nu inn nd
ready to impart his own efficient spirit
of complete devotion.
Good Master" cried the young man,
and in that he spoke well. There is
none good, but one" quoth Christ, that
is God o, why did not the young man
take the blessed clue and go and cry out
and soul-surrender, like Peter, "And thou
art God! Thou art the Son of the liv-
ing God!' But it was just this positive
and affirmative committal that he was
unwilling to make. He seems a worthy
young man on the negative side. can
these have l observed" he said, from
my youth" But notice the negatives:
do not commit adultery. Do not kin.
Do not steaP'-not not, all the way. 1t
was Old Testament piety, merely, not the
| positive faith and fealty of the new dis
pensation. Our Lord tells him at once
| his fatal lack. "Come out" he says in
effect. MAKE q plain and open surren,
der to the new kingdom of righteousness,
sell what you have, break with the old and
| come, take up the cross and follow me-"
What was that cross? The connection
| clearly indicates. 1t was his wealth or
the giving up of his wealth. What is
your cross? The thing you are not will.
| ing to give up for Jesus sake. Give it
up and it Is cross no longer; it resem-
| bles crown rather.
| And he went away sad and sOrrowful.
| There were two people that were deeply
| grieved here. three indeed. The young
man was grieved because in his own way,
without a positive and public committal
| of all he was and all he had to the Lord,
he could not obtain what seemed so de-
sirable. The Saviour was grieved because
he could see what the young man was
turning his back upon, for he had greater
riches to impart. o, how great in com.
parison with the paltry things that perish
to which the young man returned. And,
sad thought, the Spirit was grieved, fine
| ly and effectually grieved, grieyed, and
| quenched. Was the test too severe? Yes,
| If it was only given for test. But if it
was the necessary means to a desirable
end, no. Had this young man trustfully
committed himself to Jesus, he would
have shown him the way, and given in
time heart to love that way. He chose
his own way and his own wealth; where
now that way and that wealth?
Hints and Illustrations.
| A lesson for young men. Christ wants
| the young men. His heart yearns toward
them. Looking upon them he loves them.
| Will they not love him in return? Plain
| ly large per cent of our young men in
this country are not Christians and evil
identity also a large per cent. do not at
tend church worship. Why do they not
| go to church? Mr.. Box, editor of the
Ladies' Home Journal, has been recently
| trying to tell us, in the Cosmopolitan.
| A young man himself, and with warm
sympathes for young men, he has chosen
to take the side of the pew rather than
the pulpit-the empty pew. 1t has seemed
to him that the preaching of the day is too
dry, or distant or dismal. There is too
much talk about the prodigal son, and
sins from which ordinary social restraints
will withhold. self-respecting youth. One
reply that has been rendered to this state
ment of the case is that it is a simple
though honest plea for the ethical guild,
4
that the carnal heart is in enmity against
God, naturally so. To such a one rules of
moral behavior are more acceptable than
the preaching of self-denying cross.
| The young man who came to Christ would
probably have come again had not Christ
put the question of sinful unbelief and of
personal cross-bearing so closely to him.
Undoubtedly if the pulpit would go to
preaching ethics and the improving of the
moral nature. and would clothe that
preaching in persuasive doctrines, it
would have larger following-at the first
at least. But just this Paul said he
would not do. He spoke of the human
heart as prodigaI and sinful, and of the
necessity of new birth by the power Of
the Holy Ghost. Let preachers and teach
ers in this clamorous day of criticism note
Paurs words, "And I brethren when 1
| came to you, came not with excellency
of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto
| you the testimony of God. For deter
mined not to know anything among you
save Jesus Christ and him cruci6ed."
Keep on telling the story of Jesus 1t In
sure to win, whilst 1t winnows. 1t is the
one message that will call out those who
are the Lords. Sing the song and In due
time get the token of lost souls found.
Next Recommendations the Publican"
Luke 10: Ito.
a.