Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-06-20
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
INTERESTING AND INSTRUCTIVE
LESSON.
Reflections of an Elevating Character
Wholesome Food for Thought
Studying the scriptural Lesson In
telligent1y and Profitably.
Lesson for June %.

ACoeOh AON june SOC
Golden Text.-"Go ye therefore, and
teach all nations. Matt. 2S: 10.
The subject of the lesson this week is
"The Saviour's Parting Words" found in
Luke "a: 44-53. We have been accus-
toned to call this the Little Pentecost.
Here in the upper room Christ appears to
his waiting disciples, and though not pour
ing out upon them that signal dispensa-
ton of the Spirit which was to mark his
session at the right hand of God, he
breathes upon them and says, Receive
We the Holy Spirit" thus giving them,
as 1t were, the foretaste and earnest of
the coming blessing. And with this he
joins words of counsel and admonition, to
which we may well take heed. What
Christ tarried to say ere he took fight to
the glory of the skies we cannot lightly
esteem.
''These are the words" Our Master is
holding up a lantern, as it were, and pour
ing the light of his resurrection upon the
things that could not be understood before.
And now how luminous all becomes!
"While / was yet with YOU" And now
since the advent of the Spirit he Is with
us again, and in closer, more intimate re-
lationship. Those days of bodily com
panionship were sweet and dear, but they
are not to be compared with these when
with mind alert and heart afiame, we walk
and talk with him by the way, and under
stand his sayings. "All things must be
fulfilled" Jesus honored the old dispen-
sation, and gave respect to the word.
There is nothing sadder or more vain to-
day than to see the Jews trying to inter
pret their Scriptures with Jesus left out.
TO shut out Jesus from the word is to
Glide the spirit and the meaning of it all.
1t thus becomes a really dead thing, and
in this case, at least, proper subject for
the critic and the clinic.
"Then opened he their understanding
that they might understand the Scrip
lures" The context tells us what this
illumination was. 1t had a threefold
phase. First right understanding of the
Scriptures always discovers Jesus there
in. Any other Interpretation is vain. Sec
ond, the Scriptures reveal Christ as pre-
vailing by the things which he suffers, q
crucifed and risen Saviour. Third, the
way of salvation is by Christ alone, and it
is open to all the world. But how slow
the disciples were to learn this last! "And
We are witnesses Of these things" This
is an added exposition of the truth as it
is in Jesus. The word is not fully ex-
pounded until it has exposition in the
faithful preaching and living of converted
souls. Here is the true apostolic success
sion; a procession of faithful witnessing
down the centuries.
Behold, send the PROMISE" or am
sending the promise, !. e., am departing so
as to send the Spirit. He had already
breathed upon them and impaired his
Spirit in measure. They were filled in
a way for the present want. But other
demands were to be soon upon them; for
these they were not ready, 'Tarry ye,"
he said, until ye be endued." 1t always
pays to thus wait. "While he blessed
them, he was parted from them" The
last glimpse we had of him he was in
the attitude of blessing. And every aspect
of him since has suggested blessing.
Moreover, when he comes again it shall
be in the like attitude of blessing, for
such as put their trust in him. For it was
the angels here who said, "This same
Jesus which is taken up from you into
heaven shall so come in like manner as We
have seen him go into heaven" "Amen;
even so come, Lord Jesus"