Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-04-09
Lesson for April n.


az Isesson for April IL.
Golden Text.--Come; for all things are
now ready. Luke IA: II.
Subject--The Parable of the Great Sup
per, Luke IA: 1924.
Supper is ready! In the kingdom of
grace it is supper time nowl There Is an
other supper time, the wedding feast Of
glory, "the marriage supper of the Lamb.
when the heavenly bridegroom comes for
his bride in the good days yet to be. But
just now there is feast spread. Jesus
calls us to the banquet of grace. Come
at once. Procrastination Is robbing many
of us of this feast and is making us 60
hungry through this world. Perhaps we
ought rather to call it indecision. In the
memorable call of Elisha when Elijah
threw his mantle over him between the
pillow handles, Elisha said at first, "Let
me, pray thee, kiss my father and my
mother. and then / will follow thee" Out
speaks Elijah, Gods man, go back
again; for what have done to thee" as
much as to say. If that is your spirit, to
spend time in formal and useless leave
takings, If you are not ready to come with
me just as you are, am done with you.
Count it as nothing. What does Elisha2
Instantly he turns, Stays the oxen, breaks
the pillow handles into kindling wood and
makes a sacrifice of the thing in hand.
That is the way to come out for God.
Even so said our Lord duke 8: 61-62)
when some one cried, "Let me first go
bid them farewell" Said Jesus, "No man
having put his hand to the pillow (the
gospel plow) and looking back is fit for
the Kingdom misfit.
Lesson Hints.
BLESSED Is he that shall eat bread in
the Kingdom of God" 1t was a good
thing to say, but better thing to do.
This was kind of a shouting Christian.
Our Lord says to him, in effect: That is
good; it is blessed to eat bread in the
coming kingdom, as you esteem it; but
why are not men responding to the call
to bread even now? Your fitness for that
other supper reveals itself in readiness
to respond to the feast here spread.
A great supper-many hidden. 1t is re-
vealed everywhere in the word, Gods call
to present blessing. So speaks Isaiah 90.
''Ho every one that thirsteth." And in.
prophetic uplifts it Is seen to be open to
all-"every one" is called not Israel
alone. (See the change from lisa. "a to
lisa. 30, Israel being made ready to be-
come the chosen servant or trumpeter of
a great feast.) Lift the cry. There is a
great feast prepared In the church of
Jesus Christ for all the world. Let every
lip take it up: Come thou with us and
we will do thee good; for the Lord hath
spoken good concerning Israel" Mum.
10: %.
The master Of the feast, as the scripture
says, ''bade many" 1t is noteworthy that
the Greek word for babe here is that from
which the term ecclesia is derived, mean
Ing the church. The church is made up of
the called and chosen, chosen because
responsive to the call. They are those
who being called sit down at the table pre-
pared. How are we to know the called of
the Lord to-day, save as we see them sit
ting at the table? How indeed may any
one, including celestial spirits, know, save
as the call of mercy is accepted?
In like manner it is interesting to note
that the word for sent, in the dispatching
of the servants of the feast, is the same
term transferred, almost as it stands, into
the English apostles. The apostles were
the men whom Christ first appointed to
go forth and herald the good news of the
Kingdom, telling of the prepared feast.
We are not to push the illustration, how
ever, either in the matter of its chronology
or its etymology, for the seventy do not
in all respects represent the second COM
pany of servants, and the pulpits are
themselves to be considered as apostles
in this sense, yet me may see growth in
the persuasions to the supper. First of
all call to the hidden guests, the Israel
of history. Then a summons that is world
wide. as wide as the need. Finally new
compulson-shall ii be with the entering
of a new dispensation? Or shall it be
with a new descent of the Spirits pow
err? At any rate it shall be to this glorious
effect that the feast will be filled"
The excuses" that are offered here are
not really excuses in the sense of declina-
tons. They are rather preferences or
postponements. The called do not actual
ly despise nor do they definitely disap-
prove the feast. They simply prefer
something else, for the time, at least The
word is, most literally, be goff (para-aitio).
Yet this is, in effect, the same as rejec-
ton, and the solemn word rings in our
ears, "How shall we escape if we neglect
so great salvation" Heb 2: 81 1t
comes right after the grave warning Of
the apostles, Therefore we ought to give
the more earnest heed to the things which
we have heard lest at any time we should
let them slip. Margin, run out as leak
ing vessels.J' With the temptations Of
commercial and social life here minated,
as belonging to the present evil world,
how great the danger of letting slip, sim
ply failing, because of lesser things, to
do the great things. Bring souls to de-
cision at once.
Next Lesson--"The Lost Found
Luke 10: 11-24.